Shoe Strings

by Christy Hayes

  “Do what? Make me happy?”

  It was time to wrestle the gun from his hands. “You may think this is what you want—now. But what about later when all the newness and excitement wears off? You’ll wake up one day and wonder why you tied yourself to me and Ty and this little town. I love you, Bryce, and I won’t be able to stand watching you yearn for things you gave up to be with me.”

  He dropped her arms, paced away, only to pace right back. “Do you have any idea what I yearn for, what I’ve spent years yearning for?” He reached out and grabbed her head, threaded his fingers through her hair. “You, you stupid, stubborn woman.”

  She tried to pull away, but he held tight. “You deserve to be with someone you can be proud to walk into a room with and know she’s not going to embarrass you by saying the wrong thing or not knowing what to say at all. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you, Bryce. I’ve cherished every moment we’ve had together, but I’ve got to let you go live.”

  “Kerri Ann, you are my life.” He dropped his hands and then fisted them at his sides. “This is the stupidest conversation I’ve ever had. Do you love me?”

  He twisted the knife in her heart. “Yes, but—”

  “No buts. Do you want to be with me?”

  “Bryce, this isn’t about what I want.”

  “Answer the question,” he ordered like the lawyer he was. “Do you want to be with me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then marry me, Kerri Ann. Marry me and stop all this nonsense.”

  Her heart thundered in her chest, her limbs felt weak and tingly. “You’re going to regret this.”

  “Never.”

  “I’ll frustrate the hell out of you.”

  “You already do.”

  “If I say yes, it’ll be forever,” she warned, waited for him to waver.

  “It damn well better be.” He lowered himself to a knee and plucked her hand from the other it clung to. “Kerri Ann, marry me and make me the happiest man on earth?”

  He looked up at her with everything she needed in his eyes. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she said before sliding into his arms. “I love you.” She kissed him hard and quick on the mouth. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  He hopped up and fished through his desk drawer for the ivory box she’d found only days before in his suit coat. He opened it, pulled the ring from the box, and slipped it on her finger. “There, now it’s official.”

  She looked down at the sparkling diamond on her hand. “Lord, Bryce. I could kill someone with this.”

  He leaned her back onto the soft rug, covered her body with his. Everything inside of her sighed with contentment. “Just as long as it’s not me,” he said before showing her what she’d almost given up.

  Chapter 28

  Lita measured the miles in minutes, heartbeats, and tears. Why was she crying? She’d had the vacation of her life, made new friends, discovered a town and a way of life that she’d found surprisingly attractive. She’d even had sex, for God’s sake, that had made her other experiences pale in comparison. Of all the things she’d expected out of her time away, being more upset heading home wasn’t one of them.

  She’d let herself dream, let her creative juices flow into other more dangerous parts of her life, and now she’d pay the price for seeking out new adventure and time away. She’d expected a clear head and fresh perspective when she returned, not a broken heart and more worries about her father. She wiped the last of her tears away and willed herself to think of the future.

  Davi was adamant she expand, but her original concerns hadn’t been allayed. Expansion meant suffering a profit loss, even for a little while, loans, and, most disturbing, loss of creative control. No matter how she limited Davi’s involvement, he’d insist on managing everything. How in the world would she explain her perilous position to Sophie? She’d put her business partner’s life and her half of the company in jeopardy.

  She still couldn’t figure his reasons for wanting in on her business. She and Sophie had thrown around the idea of opening another store, possibly in New York or maybe Dallas, but how could that play a role in keeping the consulate open? There had to be more at stake, but she didn’t know what. Damn it, she’d never get out from under his iron thumb.

  When she reached the interstate, she thought of how she’d stressed over navigating the curves and mountain roads. Now, with six lanes of blacktop in front of her, she wondered how she’d navigate the rest of her life knowing she’d left a piece of herself behind in the mountains.

  ***

  Jesse spun his wheels out at the base of Cal’s drive and continued up the steep incline. He didn’t know why Angelita’s not being around when he woke disturbed him so, but he knew he needed to find her, make her talk to him about her troubles. She’d been upset about something last night, but he hadn’t pushed her. Now, with the nagging feeling like something was terribly wrong, he wished he’d pressed the issue.

  Her car was gone and his knock at the door went unanswered. Damn. He headed around to the back to see if she’d left word with Cal when his dad sauntered down the cabin’s deck stairs.

  “That you knocking?” Cal asked, his arms full of sheets and towels.

  “Where’s Angelita?” Jesse demanded.

  “Gone. She left first thing this morning.” He attempted to retrieve something from his shirt pocket without dropping the linens and then threw them to the ground when he realized he couldn’t manage both. “She left this for you.” He handed Jesse an envelope with his name scrawled across the top.

  Jesse tore into the envelope and pulled out the scented card.

  Jesse~

  I had to go back to Atlanta rather suddenly. I’m sorry for leaving without saying good-bye, but this may be easier for both of us. To say I’ve enjoyed our time together wouldn’t say enough. Jesse, I’ll see your face in every sunrise and hear your voice in the wind. You’ve touched me in a way I never expected and will never forget. Be happy.

  ~Angelita.

  When Jesse looked up, Cal watched warily as he crumpled the card in his fist. “Did you know she was leaving?” he asked his dad. “Did she tell you yesterday she’d be leaving today?”

  “No.” He reached down to gather the sheets and towels. “She knocked on my door first thing and said she had to head back. Her car was already loaded.”

  Damn it. Why didn’t she say anything last night and why did his chest hurt so badly he had to rub it with his fist?

  “I take it you didn’t know about this.”

  “No, I didn’t.” He looked down at the note. Be happy? How the hell could he be happy when she’d upped and disappeared just when he’d planned on talking to her about making things permanent?

  “You want to come inside and have some coffee?” Cal asked. “I could rustle us up some bagels, maybe make a few eggs.”

  “That’s okay. I’d better head out.” But he couldn’t move. He just stared at the deserted cabin and felt like he’d received a swift kick to the gut.

  Cal put his hand on Jesse’s arm as he turned to leave. “I’m sorry, Jess. I know you care about her. You want to talk about it?”

  He looked at his dad and all the anger they’d spewed at each other faded like mist in the wind. “Not now. I’ll call you.”

  Hours later, he’d scrubbed the bathroom and patched the hole in the last of the hand-me- down rafts he kept around for emergencies. It was tedious physical work that kept his hands busy and allowed the thoughts in his head to zing like lottery balls. He couldn’t decide if he felt angry or hurt by Angelita’s abrupt departure. Was she in trouble? Had her father threatened her again and she felt compelled to face him? Or did their burgeoning relationship scare her into running home? Either way, she’d gone without telling him, tucked tail and run like a child.

  What did he expect? Did he possibly think she’d give up her weekends and active social life by hiking up the highway to small town America to date a single dad with a rafting business? He’d waited
his whole life to feel this way about a woman and the moment he did, she upped and left without a word, save for a note with some pithy catchphrases.

  “Hear my voice in the wind,” he spat out in disgust. “Can you hear me now, Angelita? Can you hear my heart break?” He set aside the raft and stood up to ease his aching back. “We’ll see if you hear me having a good old time at your expense. I won’t pine for you, darlin’. Don’t expect to hear me weeping.”

  “Who the hell are you talking to?”

  He whirled around to see Kerri Ann just a few feet behind him. He hadn’t heard her approach and wondered how long she’d been standing there. “No one.” He ran his hands through his hair, walked up to where she stood with a foot resting on an old canoe. “What are you doing here? Is something wrong with Ty?”

  “No, nothing’s wrong.” She looked down at her feet, up at him again. “I wanted to tell you something, that’s all. Didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  “You’re not.” He suddenly remembered the odd friendship she’d begun with Angelita. “Is this about Angelita? Did you know she was leaving?”

  “She left? When?”

  Great, another dead end and now he looked like a fool. “This morning. You didn’t know she was going?”

  “No,” she said. “I guess she didn’t tell you good-bye?”

  “Never mind. What’d you want to tell me?”

  She eyed him a moment, then held out her left hand. He’d probably seen a bigger diamond, but couldn’t actually recall where. “Bryce and I are engaged. We’re getting married.”

  She couldn’t say it without blushing like a schoolgirl and he couldn’t hear it without thinking at least someone finally got what they deserved. “Congratulations, sweetheart. I mean that.”

  “I know you do.” She walked into his embrace and he could feel a big chapter of his life close. She backed away and clasped her hands in front of her. “We’re telling Ty tonight and I wanted you to know first, in case he’s upset or wants to talk to you about it.”

  “I don’t think he’ll be upset, Kerri Ann. I think he’ll be happy.” He looked at her, fidgeting like she did when she got nervous and pretty as a picture. “Are you happy?”

  She scrunched up her shoulders as a shy smile spread across her face. “Oh, Jesse. I’m…over the moon.”

  “There’ll be no living with Bryce now.” Jesse turned to walk back to the shop. He stopped when she placed a hand on his arm.

  “Jesse, what happened with Lita?”

  He should have known she wouldn’t drop it. “I don’t know. We had dinner last night and this morning she’s gone.” He kept walking, couldn’t face the pity he saw in her eyes.

  “I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t she say anything to anyone? Why would she just slink off like she did?”

  “I can’t worry about it, about her.” He plopped onto the stool behind the counter and rustled through the papers he’d walked away from when his mind couldn’t focus. “Too much to do and now a wedding to get ready for.”

  “Jesse, I’m sorry. I know you care about her.”

  “Yeah,” he admitted. “Isn’t it just a pisser?”

  “You should call her, find out what happened.” She pushed the papers he held down to get his full attention. “Jesse, it doesn’t seem right, her leaving without saying anything. Do you think something happened? Do you think she’s in trouble?”

  He’d thought of that, of her father and her worries over his threats. But, damn it, no matter what happened, she should have told him she was leaving. After all they’d shared together, after he’d opened himself up to her about his past and the future… “I don’t know, but I’m not gonna chase her down. She wants to talk to me, she can call.”

  Kerri Ann huffed out a breath. “Don’t let your thick-headed pride get in the way of this, Jesse. Take it from me, it’s better to be honest than just make assumptions that keep you alone and unhappy.”

  He looked at her, near beaming with joy, her whole life ahead of her with the man she’d always loved, and he felt a small pebble of jealously for what she had. He felt instantly contrite for the stupidity of his feelings. She deserved nothing but happiness from here on out. “I’ll deal with it, but if you hear from her, will you let me know?”

  “Of course I will.”

  Chapter 29

  Lita stood outside the store, gazing at the window display and the customers milling about inside. Sophie had changed the shoes in the front to showcase the spring and summer sandals and had blown up the advance article in Atlanta Wears to use as a backdrop. She looked at it, at the smiling picture of herself, and wondered just what she had to be happy about.

  The sound of a scream jolted her out of her stupor.

  “Oh my God,” Sophie said as she bounded out the door. “You’re back! I was starting to think you were never coming back.” Lita held her hug longer than normal and when Sophie pulled back she must have seen the tears in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, I just missed you.”

  Sophie cocked her head, her straight blond ponytail swinging like a pendulum against her back. “You’re the worst liar. Come in,” she said when a group of women bustled past them on the sidewalk. “I’m dying to hear about your trip.”

  It looked the same inside, or nearly the same, with the new merchandise out and the fall shoes on the sale rack in the back. How could it all look the same when she felt so different? “I’ve got a fresh pot of coffee. Let me tell Christina.” She hurried to the college student who worked a few mornings a week and then dragged Lita to the office in the back of the store.

  “So,” Sophie said when the door closed behind her. “Tell me everything.”

  Where to start. “Well, I had a really great time. It’s a beautiful part of the country.” She wandered the room, fingered the leather and fabric, picked up some beaded thread. Anything but look Sophie in the eye. “We should go sometime and hike or raft.”

  “Wait a minute.” Sophie turned around, the cup of coffee she’d poured forgotten. “Since when do you hike? And raft? Are you kidding me?”

  “I tried some new things.” What she really wanted to say was that she’d changed. In two weeks, her whole life had changed. But she had bigger, more pressing issues to deal with. “Listen, Sophie, I need to talk to you about something.”

  “Oh, God.” She clutched the side of her floral silk blouse. Sophie always wore solid colors and the fact that Lita had only just noticed the print meant she had changed too. “You’re quitting and moving to the mountains.”

  “No,” Lita chuckled, and yet the thought of it, not of quitting, but of living amongst the nature, the fresh air, Jesse, struck a chord in her heart. “It’s about my father.”

  She explained what little he’d told her and Sophie listened while nervously tapping a shoehorn against her skirt. “Shit. What does this mean? We have to do business with him?”

  “I think so. God, Sophie, I’m so sorry about this. I would never, ever consider it if he hadn’t made those threats. And if it were just me he’d alluded to, it wouldn’t have mattered, but as soon as he threw you in the mix…”

  “Lita, what does he even want from you? I’m not quite sure I understand.”

  “He wants us to order all our supplies from Brazil and he seems to think we have to expand. I tried to tell him how little income our supplies would generate, but he’s adamant.”

  “Is there anything we can do? Can we go to the police?”