by Sarah Hoss
Alexander shook his head. “Ye are so wise. Why does talking to ye always make me feel better?”
They laughed together and headed over to clean stalls. As Alexander reached for the barn door, he looked up at the sky again. His brother was right. The only thing to do was to wait and see. As he moved into the barn to help Hamish, Alexander realized that Mid Summer’s Eve was just around the corner and if anything were to happen, it would be then.
CHAPTER 3
Indianapolis, Indiana May 2012
Marlana stood to peer out the window and placed her hand on the glass pane. The sun shone bright. The brilliant rays landed on the dew-covered grass, making it sparkle like diamonds. She let the warmth of the sunbeam lift her spirits.
It happened again last night. She’d dreamt the same dream since the breakup with Alan and wondered why. A man in a kilt stood on a hillside and reached for her as if she was supposed to go with him. He made her feel safe and desired. Her heart comforted at the feeling.
Her body tingled with want. She had an uncontrollable desire to reach out to him, but something stopped her and he turned away, disappearing over the hillside. Sadness surrounded her. When she woke from her dream, she’d lay in bed, contemplating the meaning. Confusion enveloped her like the blanket she lay under.
Marlana prepared for work and headed to her car. She wormed her way through the Indianapolis streets, heading for her secretarial job at a marketing agency downtown. After a few years, the routine of her days at work had become monotonous.
She turned her radio to a classic 80’s station and the soft sounds of “Now and Forever” by Richard Marx serenaded her. She quickly changed the station. That song brought thoughts of Alan to her mind. Thoughts of the day they met, of him kissing her in the rain on her front step, of the night he broke her heart.
Six-thirty rolled around and the doorbell rang. Marlana’s heart jumped into her throat, she was so nervous. She had decided to take their relationship to the next level and hoped he felt the same way. She loved him and wanted to show him that she was ready for a more serious commitment.
She surveyed the kitchen table to make sure everything was ready. She wanted tonight to be special and brought out her best china and silverware. She lit her new vanilla scented candles—his favorite. The table looked beautiful. The roast was in the oven, while dessert was in the refrigerator. The aroma that wafted out of the oven made her stomach growl. She ran to the hallway mirror for one last inspection. Satisfied with what she saw, she turned and opened the door.
Alan stared at her, then raised his hand to his mouth and gave a little cough. “Marlana, you look stunning.”
Smiling, she said a silent thank you, then stepped aside to let him in.
“I’m glad you like the dress.” Nervously, she smoothed the silk material with her hand.
He kissed her as he entered the house, then held out a bottle of wine. “I didn’t think to ask what you were cooking, so I hope this goes with dinner.”
“It’ll be fine.” Noticing he’d brought a white wine, she smiled. “Thanks.” He’d remembered that it was her favorite. They walked into the kitchen and she went to the stove to get dinner, then he held her chair while she sat down. Uncorking the wine, he poured them both a glass and sat down across from her.
Dinner was going well. He talked about his job promotion and she talked about some renovations she was thinking about doing to the master bedroom. She reached over once to hold his hand and he squeezed hers in return, then let go, and reached for his glass.
Laying her napkin on the table, she invited him to join her on the couch in the living room. She sat facing him with her legs curled underneath her. He poured them both another glass of wine as they talked about nothing in particular. She felt awkward and wasn’t sure what to do. There seemed to be tension in the air. Maybe he had guessed her intentions?
When the conversation went stale for a moment, she leaned in to kiss him and he backed away. She sat there for a second, in that leaning forward position, looking at him.
“What’s wrong, Alan?” Noticing him staring at her over-flowing breasts, she sat back.
“You don’t make it very easy to talk, looking like you do in that dress,” he said, with a little chuckle.
Glancing down at herself, she saw the rise of her breasts over the edge of the dress and smiled. “Well, that was the whole idea.”
Alan surveyed her. “I guessed that.” He sat forward on the couch. “I need to talk to you.” He wasn’t smiling anymore.
Her stomach did a few summersaults and she put one hand up on the back of the couch to rest her head. The other hand toyed with her pearl pendant. “Okay, shoot.” What did he want to talk about?
“Things like this are never easy and I’m sorry to have to do this.” He sighed and reached out to take her hand. “Marlana ...”
She could see him clenching and unclenching his jaw.
“Damn ... I’m seeing someone else. I have been now for a couple of weeks.”
She felt the world spin and if she’d been standing, she was quite sure her legs would have given out. She sat stunned as the words replayed in her head. Out of all the things he could have said, she’d never have thought he would cheat on her. She thought it had been good between them. What had gone wrong? She tried to fight back the tears that sprang to her eyes. She would not let him see her cry.
“I didn’t mean for it to happen, it just did. I never wanted to hurt you.” He said as if that would make it all better.
She looked at him, her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. She wanted to say something, but realized her voice was gone, or her nerve, she couldn’t say which. Her throat felt tight; closed off and she chewed on her lip. One tear escaped and rolled down her face, parading in front of him.
He closed his eyes for a moment, sighing, then looked back at her. “I’m sorry, please don’t cry.” He scooted closer to put his arm around her, but she pushed him away and stood. That pissed her off. He had lost the right to comfort her the moment he broke her heart. Not knowing what else to do, she walked over to the fireplace. The warmth that touched her legs was soothing and she took a deep breath. Putting a hand on the mantel, she turned to him.
She started to ask why, but decided against it. There were no correct answers he could give her. She wanted to hit him or hit something very hard. She wanted to scream at him to get the hell out of her house. Choking on the words, she spat, “You asshole. That’s all I get? I guess I should thank you for what little bit of honesty you could hand over.” She was surprised that her voice was steady. He sat there looking at her. When he opened his mouth to speak, she held up her hand. “I think you’ve said enough. I’m not sure I could stomach anything else. I think you should leave.”
Alan rose from the couch. Putting his hands in his pockets, he looked at her for what seemed like forever. Was that regret that flickered in his eyes? Could he possibly feel bad for hurting her? She didn’t want to think he could.
“I’m sorry and I hope you find someone who can love you the way you deserve to be loved.” Then he walked out of the room, out of the house, and out of her life forever.
No, she didn’t want to be reminded of Alan, today.
After parking, she hit the lock-door button on her vehicle, lights flashed, and an echoing beep followed.
“Hey, how are you?” a familiar voice from behind her asked.
She turned to see her best friends approaching from across the parking garage and smiled.
“Cute clothes,” Marlana said as she tugged on the hem of Lilly’s maroon knee-length dress. “I had the dream again, but other than that, I slept fine. Though, I didn‘t sleep well Saturday night when we had the storm.”
Lilly smiled. “I figured the storm would keep you awake.”
Marlana rolled her eyes and laughed.
“Hate them.”
Lilly and Victoria stopped in front of the elevator, then looked at each other for a moment before turning back to her. “Victoria and I are going to get a pizza to bring back to your place tonight, then we can hang out. Is that okay?”
“That sounds good.” She glanced back and forth between the two of them. “What are you up to?” she asked as she pointed her finger at them, trying to give them a serious look.
They only shrugged.
She gave Victoria a light punch in the arm, then hit the UP button on the elevator. “There have been only three other times when you guys have said you’re bringing me pizza so we can hang out.”
“Oh really? Are you keeping track?” Lilly asked with one eyebrow raised. “It’s Friday, does there need to be any other reason?” She hefted her bag onto her shoulder when the elevator door opened.
“What are you carrying in there, a small child?”
“Very funny,” Lilly said as she pulled her hair free from the strap. “Three new accounts came in yesterday and the boss asked me to look at them. One with Nike, one with the Colts, and one with the Indians. Pretty big I guess.”
Marlana nodded in understanding. “Meanwhile back at the ranch, I am keeping track of how many times you’ve brought over pizza. It isn’t hard when the approach is the same.” The number five lit and the bell went off as the doors opened. They stepped into the hallway and she dragged them both to the side and out of the way so people could get off.
“The first time was a year and a half ago when Mom and Dad had to put Buffy down.” The poor, sweet cocker spaniel had been fifteen and blind.
“The second time was when Mom and Dad were killed in the car accident and the third time was when Alan broke up with me. So, what has happened to me lately that made you feel the need to have an intervention pizza party tonight?”
“It’s nothing like that at all, is it Lilly?” Victoria said. They hunched their shoulders at the exact same time, then stared at her all innocent.
“Not like that at all.” Lilly said a little giddy. They were excited at whatever scheme they’d concocted. It wasn’t that she didn’t want them around, but right now, the last thing she needed was a therapy group. She loved her friends dearly, but she didn’t want to talk about her problems.
“You guys can be so aggravating.”
“We know.” Victoria winked. Someone in a deep, resonating voice hollered for Victoria, and Marlana thought it might have been her boss. She couldn’t be sure because she never took her eyes off them to see. The distraction came just in the nick of time—she was about to start grilling them for information.
She didn’t just hate storms, she also hated surprises.
Marlana came home around five-thirty and slipped into an old Reebok sweatshirt and jeans. Victoria and Lilly would be over at six-thirty sharp. They were never late. With an hour to kill, she poured a glass of wine, then went to the living room. Grabbing the remote, she turned on the television. She watched about ten minutes of an old black and white movie before her mind wandered off.
Why would Victoria and Lilly feel the need to come over? They had been excited about something. She smiled at the thought, but quickly doused it for their excitement could be trouble for her. Then again, maybe not. Maybe it was as simple as the two of them planning a day of bungee jumping, or maybe they’re going to plan that kayaking trip they’d always wanted to.
She was startled when the bell rang. As she walked to the door, she wasn’t sure how she should feel. Was she supposed to be this nervous? Her stomach felt as if it had butterflies in it, but played it off to being hungry. She didn’t want to confront anything they were going to say to her. But having her two best friends around was fun and she found herself growing more excited.
She opened the door to find Victoria and Lilly staring back at her with wide smiles on their faces, making them look like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. The appetizing aroma of pizza drifted to her nose and her stomach growled. “That smells great. I’m starved.”
While sitting on bar stools at the kitchen counter and chatting, work was the main topic of conversation. With the last slice of pizza gone and the bottle of wine empty, Victoria and Lilly grabbed Marlana by the hand and led her to the brown leather couch in the living room. The only choice being given was to follow or be dragged, with the looks they both gave.
“We have a gift for you.” Lilly’s eyes danced with excitement.
Victoria slapped playfully at Lilly, reprimanding her. “You can’t just blurt it out like that.”
Lilly ignored her.
“Really?” Marlana swallowed uneasily. They knew she hated surprises. She tried to think back to a reason that her friends would buy her a gift. It wasn’t her birthday for another eight months.
They stared at each other for a moment and she could tell both of her friends thought they were tricky and clever. Victoria’s face was as transparent as glass and Lilly couldn’t keep a secret. So, between the two of them, she was never left in the dark for long.
“You know we love you, right?” Victoria said as she reached over and laid her hand on Marlana’s arm. Sincerity colored her features.
“Mm, hmm.” She wondered, briefly, if she should be afraid when a conversation started like this.
“We know you’ve had a rough year and a half and this latest thing with Alan is still so fresh,” Lilly said and reached over to hold her other hand.
Marlana pulled her hands away and crossed her arms. Twice in one day that man’s name had been brought to her attention, whether it was her own doing or not. Why couldn’t she get away from him?
“Why are we talking about this again?” She asked with a hint of testiness in her voice.
“What we’re saying is, we think it’s time for you to be the daring and gutsy girl we know you to be. Do you realize it’s been two months since we’ve gotten together? What’s that all about?” Victoria looked at her with concern in her eyes. “You’re in a slump, sweetie. We’re worried about you and we have a way for you to bounce back.”
Lilly reached for her purse and pulled out an envelope. “We’ve done a lot of thinking on this.” Lilly took a deep breath. “Remember your dreams?”
“Of course ... and?” She bit her lower lip and waited.
Victoria winked at Lilly and her blue eyes sparkled when she spoke. “Lilly and I bought you a ticket to Scotland.” She brushed her strawberry-blond bangs out of her eyes as they both sat on the couch in silence, waiting for her to react.
Her mouth dropped open and she sat there stunned. “You did what?” She glanced back and forth between the two of them. “Good gracious. Why would you do that?”
She realized, after a minute, she had been squeezing Lilly’s hand and let go. She decided then and there that her two best friends were a bunch of loons. What in the world were they thinking? When times were rough, friends didn’t send someone to another country. Whatever happened to a greeting card or a hug? How about a night out drinking? She inwardly smiled at the thought.
“Because you need it, toots! How many more answers do you want?” Victoria asked.
Marlana just stared until her friend continued. “Umm ... because we think the dreams mean something. Because you’ve always wanted to go to Scotland. Because you deserve a vacation. We’re tired of you walking around acting lackadaisical.”
Lilly and Marlana both looked quizzically at Victoria and burst out laughing.
“Learn a new word did you? I bet you couldn’t wait to use it.” Lilly was the first one to comment.
Victoria was the one who could always get them laughing. Right now, they all needed it. Almost out of breath, they all leaned back on the couch, each trying to wipe away the tears or calm their breathing.
Victoria giggled and Marlana reached out to take both
their hands again.
“You guys are my best friends and I appreciate it. Really, I do. But I can’t go to Scotland.” She dropped their hands and wiped a tear from her cheek.
She rose and stepped around the coffee table to stand in front of them. She tried to grasp the situation, looking at the envelope on the table. Sure, she wanted to go. Who wouldn’t? But the shock of having them surprise her like this was overwhelming.
She knew she needed to get away, but there was no practicality here. A person didn’t pick up and fly half way around the world at the drop of a hat.
She understood what her friends were saying. Yeah, she was living in the house that belonged to her parents. It was a constant reminder of them, but it wasn’t something she was going to get rid of. A person needed to work through their grief. She could get through this time in her life.
Alan and his girlfriend was another story. When she ran into them at the grocery store, she’d been surprised. He said hi to her, but the moment had been awkward. Anger had flared within her like a roman candle and she’d turned on her heel and fled. Her groceries were left in the cart in the bread aisle. She had known she would run into him sooner or later and had hoped for later. But still.
She couldn’t go to Scotland.
There were things she couldn’t leave. Like a job. No boss would let her take off without advance notice.
“You have no ties here,” Lilly said as if reading her mind.
Heat from hurt feelings tainted her cheeks and she turned to look at her friend.
Lilly sat forward on the couch and clasped her hands together. “I know it hurts to hear that, sweetie, but there’s nothing to keep you here.” She shrugged. “Besides, it’s a vacation, not a permanent move. Your boss will agree. You’re way overdue.”
Tears slipped down her cheeks again and she sat on the coffee table in front of them, resting her elbows on her knees. “It just doesn’t work that way, you guys.” She tried to find some way to make sense of what they were saying. She needed to talk some sense into them.
