A Perfect Homecoming

by Lisa Dyson

  “Ashleigh, do you have a minute?” He’d tucked the boys in and said good-night to Paula before finding Ashleigh sitting alone in the living room with a book.

  She set the book aside. “Sure.”

  “About what Ryan said at dinner tonight,” he began. “About Theresa?” As if there was any question what he was referring to.

  Before he could say more, Ashleigh raised a hand. “There’s no need to explain. If you want to date your best friend’s ex-fiancée, it’s none of my business.”

  “But—”

  “Really, Kyle. We’re divorced. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be seeing anyone you want.”

  He thought she grimaced as she spoke, but he must have been mistaken because it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

  “It’s not like I haven’t had my share of dates.” Her admission cut through him.

  His chest constricted. The mere thought of another man touching her, let alone doing anything more intimate with her, made him want to throw up. Followed closely by the urge to punch the guy’s lights out.

  What had he expected? That she’d stay celibate the rest of her life?

  Wasn’t that pretty much what he’d been doing?

  “I’m sure there are plenty of eligible men in Richmond.” He cleared his throat because he’d barely been able to choke out the words.

  “If you’re seeing Theresa or whoever, it’s not a problem for me.” She rose, turning her back to him while she moved her book unnecessarily. She swiped a hand across her cheek so quickly before turning back that he nearly missed the action. “I’m happy you’re moving on. Because that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

  “Oh.” He clenched his hands so he didn’t reach out to pull her to him. To erase the memory of any man who’d ever caught her eye. “That was the impression I had when I overheard a little of your phone conversation last night,” he said.

  Her brow furrowed. “Last night?”

  He tried for nonchalant. “You were talking to someone in the living—”

  “Oh! Sure. I didn’t realize you—” She stumbled over her words. “He’s—”

  “It’s okay, we’re clear. No need for explanations.” His heart was heavy in his chest. “We’ve both moved on.”

  He turned to the front door and walked out to his truck on legs that didn’t want to work.

  CHAPTER SIX

  AFTER A GRUELING Saturday morning of walk-in patients suffering from everything from colic to strep throat to an allergic rash, Ashleigh was relieved to be pulling into the parking lot of The Tavern. The good news was that she’d been so busy all morning that her anxiety in relation to being around children—and sundry other things—had barely surfaced. Her hands had even been steady while examining a ten-day-old infant.

  That didn’t mean her apprehension wasn’t there, waiting for the right opportunity to slap her upside the head.

  She checked the time on her dashboard clock. She was a few minutes late for her lunch with Tom. Grabbing her purse from the passenger seat, she slid out of the car as gracefully as possible in her navy pencil skirt and matching spectator pumps with their four-inch heels.

  Not the clothes she would have chosen for a day with patients—especially young children with sticky fingers and runny noses. Dress pants and fitted blouses were preferable under a lab coat, but the only clothes beyond denim she’d brought with her were suits for out-of-town work meetings that she might schedule. So much for that. She’d barely given her clients a thought since Stan’s heart attack.

  Ashleigh stepped carefully across the parking lot with its broken macadam. The sun shone bright on this spring day. If not for the blowing wind that lowered the air temperature, Ashleigh wouldn’t have needed her matching tailored jacket.

  Unbidden, she recalled the many times she and Kyle had met here for lunch or dinner back in happier days.

  She swallowed thickly, slightly nauseous. There it was. Her omnipresent angst—front and center.

  Straightening her spine, she opened the outer door to step into the restaurant’s vestibule and then reached for the second door handle. Tom’s sweet, smiling face was visible through the glass and her entire being relaxed. Tom was a good friend and lunch should prove to be fun and stress-free, whether or not she could finagle information about Kyle’s lawsuit out of him.

  “Sorry I’m late,” she told him when they hugged and he kissed her cheek.

  “I just got here myself.” He turned to the hostess. “We’re ready to be seated now.”

  The hostess retrieved two menus. “Right this way.” She led them to a deep red upholstered booth near the back of the richly decorated restaurant with its dark walnut wainscoting and framed historic maps. After they sat, she placed a menu in front of each of them. “Carla will be your server. Enjoy your meal.”

  “Thank you.” Then Tom looked at Ashleigh, his smile broad.

  “What?” She felt her head. “Is my hair sticking up or something?”

  He laughed. “No, no, I’m just glad you’re back in town. Even if it’s only for the time being.”

  She grimaced.

  “You don’t seem pleased.” He raised one blond eyebrow. His boyish good looks had barely matured over the years, the minuscule laugh lines at the corners of his hazel eyes the single visible sign that he’d aged right along with her.

  “It’s complicated,” she said.

  His eyebrows rose and he pointed to the wine list on the back of the menu. “Too early?”

  She chuckled. “Under other circumstances, I would say no, but I’m on call.”

  “On call?” he repeated. “Isn’t there some other pediatrician to do that?”

  She waited until after their server took their drink orders to explain the situation, omitting her difficulties with Kyle and Paula. Tom was friends with all of them—she wouldn’t want him to feel he had to take sides.

  After the server brought their iced teas and took their lunch orders, Ashleigh asked, “What’s new with you?” She folded her hands on the table and leaned in conspiratorially.

  He shrugged, but she knew there was more to it.

  “Didn’t you say you wanted to talk to me about something?” She grinned at him. “Come on, we’re like family. You’re the brother my parents never gave me.”

  He laughed, saying, “Yeah, I was always the ‘brother’ and Kyle was the love of your life.”

  He’d poked an open wound; she forced herself to get past the pain. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Believe me, I’d love to hear about someone else’s life rather than my own.”

  He frowned. “It’s nothing. I shouldn’t have said anything.” He focused on his hands, folded on the table.

  She was about to oblige him and change the subject when he continued.

  “I can’t get over Theresa.” He smiled a little nervously and pretended to wipe the sweat from his brow. “There, I said it out loud.”

  Ashleigh reached across the table to touch his arm. “You two were together for quite a while.”

  Did he know Theresa and Kyle were seeing each other?

  She cocked her head and waited patiently for him to continue.

  “I’ve tried dating other women, but all I do is compare them to Theresa. One laughs too loud, one has no sense of humor. One is a picky eater, one is a horrible cook.”

  “Sounds like you’ve been doing a lot of dating.”

  “Not really. I always notice something that either annoys me or convinces me that they don’t measure up to Theresa—and then I don’t ask the woman out again.” Their food arrived and Tom waited until they were alone again before continuing. “What am I going to do, Ash? I keep finding flaws in women. I’m never going to get over Theresa at this rate.”

  “You know that no one’s perfect.”
Ashleigh took a bite of her chicken Caesar salad.

  “Of course.” He was silent for a few minutes, chewing a bite of his Reuben thoughtfully before speaking. “But Theresa is as close to perfect as I’ve ever come.”

  He poured a pool of ketchup on the side of his plate and dipped a French fry into it.

  She understood completely. When she tried dating after her divorce, no one was as good as Kyle. Lucky for her, she’d had the excuse of infertility to make her decision about never dating a bit easier. If you could call infertility a good excuse.

  She reached over to steal a fry and plopped it into her mouth before he could slap her hand away. “So what’s your plan?”

  “My plan?” He pushed his plate closer to her so she could take more fries. She declined with a shake of her head.

  “What’s your plan to get Theresa back?”

  “I guess I don’t have a plan.”

  “Maybe you should have one.”

  He grinned and began eating with gusto. “Maybe I should.”

  Ashleigh didn’t want to mention Kyle’s part in all this. Tom had issues that needed fixing if he wanted Theresa to consider taking him back, without worrying about his best friend’s role in all this. There would be time enough to give him the bad news later.

  Too bad her own problems were way beyond any plan that she might come up with.

  * * *

  TOM TOOK ANOTHER BITE of his sandwich, slowly chewing it and swallowing while he pondered Ashleigh’s analysis of his situation.

  He needed a plan.

  “Hey, you guys!”

  “Theresa! Hi. So nice to see you!” Ashleigh greeted his ex-fiancée warmly while Tom tried not to choke on his iced tea.

  He hadn’t talked to her in nearly six months. Although he’d seen her around town from a distance several times, this was the first she’d spoken to him since she called off their engagement right after the Halloween party they’d hosted.

  On second thought, Theresa wasn’t technically speaking to him. She had turned her back on him and was talking directly to Ashleigh.

  This was not a good way to begin his plan to win her back. Not that he had the vaguest idea what that plan might entail.

  “I heard you were back in town for a while.” Theresa’s bouncy chin-length blond haircut was new. He decided it matched her personality, although today she exuded nervous energy rather than perkiness. “We should get together.”

  “That would be great,” Ashleigh agreed, giving Tom a quick look.

  “Hi, Theresa,” Tom finally said when she was about to leave without even acknowledging his presence.

  “Oh, hi, Tom.” Her tone was flippant, but there was something in her eyes. Maybe pain? Regret?

  He was fooling himself. She’d made it perfectly clear months ago that she wanted nothing to do with him. Only his imagination remained unconvinced.

  “Listen, I have to go.” Theresa pointed to the exit. “Someone’s expecting me.” She glanced at him, probably gauging his reaction.

  No. Just his delusional imagination at work.

  “I’ll give you a call, Ashleigh.” She hurried away and exited the restaurant without glancing at him again or even saying goodbye.

  “Well, that was uncomfortable,” Ashleigh noted. “I can’t believe she showed up right after we were talking about her.”

  “I know. Freaky.”

  Ashleigh scrunched up her face as if hesitant to speak. “Do you think she’s seeing anyone?”

  “If she is, it’s news to me.” Tom squeezed the napkin balled in his hand while trying to sound nonchalant.

  “You still want her back even if she’s involved with someone?” Ashleigh asked in her blunt fashion.

  “Do you really think she’s dating someone?”

  “Don’t answer my question with a question, Mr. Lawyer.”

  They both relaxed at her teasing, but he couldn’t reply to her question because he didn’t know the answer. “She hurt me pretty bad, Ash, but I want her back.” A sharp pain in his midsection hinted that he couldn’t stand the thought of Theresa being with anyone else.

  “I know she hurt you.” Ashleigh squeezed his hand and gave him a sympathetic look with pursed lips and a slight tilt of her head. “Let’s change the subject.” At his nod, she continued. “So...what can you tell me about Kyle’s lawsuit?”

  Tom was taken aback. He took a long drink of his iced tea to give him time to think. “You know that’s confidential. Even if you were still married to Kyle,” he added.

  “I know, I know.” She bobbed her head rapidly. “It’s just frustrating that I can’t get anyone to tell me anything.” She sipped from the straw in her iced tea. “Just give me some idea of how much trouble Kyle’s in.”

  “I can only tell you what’s public knowledge.” Tom explained about the crash and how Kyle pulled both occupants out of the burning car. “Now the guy is suing because he was given pain meds. He claims he was wearing a medical-alert bracelet that said he was a former drug abuser.” That part had been reported in the local newspaper—what he couldn’t tell her was anything his investigator had dug up.

  “I can’t believe Kyle wouldn’t have checked,” Ashleigh said. “It doesn’t sound like him.”

  “That’s what Kyle claims, too. I’m sorry, that’s all I can tell you, Ash,” Tom said. “You can check out the library for the old newspaper articles on it. I’m not sure how long they keep back issues on their website.”

  “I understand. Thanks for filling me in. The library’s a good idea.” She looked directly into his eyes and asked. “What are his chances to beat this?”

  “I’m doing everything I can,” Tom told her confidently. “Right now our best bet is the other passenger who’s in a medically induced coma in Richmond.”

  Ashleigh digested the information and they spent the next few minutes eating in silence.

  * * *

  ASHLEIGH CHEWED HER FOOD thoughtfully, unable to come up with a suitable change of subject until the people from the neighboring booth got up to leave.

  “Mrs. Thornton!” Ashleigh exclaimed when the older woman stopped at their table. “How have you been?”

  “Very well, thank you.” Mrs. Thornton patted her freshly dyed ash-blond hair while keeping the other hand on her walker for balance. “I just came from Betty Lou’s to meet my friend, Estelle, for lunch.” She gestured to the other woman who’d walked ahead to the exit.

  “Betty Lou did an excellent job,” Tom told her. “Your hair looks especially lovely today.”

  Mrs. Thornton blushed, adding more color to her overly rouged cheeks. “And you’re every bit the flirt you’ve always been, Thomas Patterson.” She fiddled with the pearls at her neck that matched the buttons on her two-piece lilac sweater set.

  They exchanged a few pleasantries, including the predictable question of why Ashleigh was in town, before Mrs. Thornton asked the inevitable. “How is that husband of yours?” Her eyes narrowed as if Ashleigh were on the witness stand.

  “He’s doing well,” Ashleigh answered, deciding not to correct the “husband” part of the question.

  “What a gift he is,” Mrs. Thornton exclaimed. “So helpful and generous.”

  “Yes, sometimes too helpful, I suppose.” Not everyone would have stopped to help a stranger along the side of the road.

  “Why, whatever do you mean, too helpful? I didn’t know there was such a thing.”

  Ashleigh smiled. “I just meant not everyone appreciates his helpfulness. Like that man whose life he saved—some show of gratitude, suing him for malpractice now.” Tom kicked her under the table. “Ouch!” She glared at him and leaned down to rub her sore shin.

  “Suing him?” Mrs. Thornton was oblivious to anything but Ashleigh’s words. “I hadn’t heard that.�
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  Tom spoke up then, his look daring Ashleigh to say another word. “It’s not a big deal, Mrs. Thornton. A misunderstanding is all. I’m sure we’ll get it settled soon.”

  “Well, this is news to me.” The woman harrumphed and turned her walker to make an exit. “This is news to me.” She shook her head and mumbled to herself all the way to the restaurant’s entrance.

  “Why did you kick me?” Ashleigh asked, her shin still smarting.

  “Because you brought up the lawsuit—we’re trying to keep it low-key.”

  “Oh, crap. I’m sorry. I just assumed people knew.... That was dumb of me. I haven’t seen her in years and I just started gabbing. Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. In ten minutes she’ll have hopefully found a more sordid piece of gossip to indulge in,” Tom said.

  Ashleigh figured she should change the topic. “How long has she had the walker?”

  Tom’s brow furrowed. “At least several months. She broke her hip a while ago, but I guess at eighty-five it’s hard to recover completely.”

  “Must make it difficult for her to get to all her charitable organization meetings,” Ashleigh noted.

  “Agreed. Although with her money, I’m sure she’s able to have someone accompany her whenever she likes.”

  “True.” Mrs. Thornton had been a widow for several years. Even before her husband died, she’d generously spent most of her time and money on bettering the lives of the less fortunate in Grand Oaks and the surrounding communities, concentrating mainly on the children. “Did she seem a little intense when she asked how Kyle was doing?”

  “Maybe a little,” Tom agreed. “She’s definitely a product of her generation. Maybe she has a problem with your divorce.”

  Ashleigh considered it. “That’s probably it. She did make it a point to call Kyle my ‘husband’ rather than ‘ex.’”

  After paying their check, Ashleigh and Tom left the restaurant. “It was great to see you again,” she told Tom as she hugged him goodbye.

  “You, too.” He gave her an extra squeeze before releasing her. “Let’s do it again soon.”

  She smiled and waved, walking to her car while digging in her purse for her keys.