In a Jam

by Cindy Dorminy

  Jake gives me a hug. “Please keep in touch with her. I don’t want to live with a mopey wife.”

  Liza nudges him in the stomach. “Is there any way I can talk you into staying?”

  “It would be too awkward. This is Gunnar’s home. I don’t belong. But thank you for making me feel at home while I was here. It means the world to me.”

  I kiss her on the cheek. “Tell Stanley I said goodbye and good luck. If I have to see him in person, it might kill me. I’m already on the verge of a big ole Southern crying jag. He’s ready for the exam. I know it.”

  “Will do. Stop by the hospital to say bye to Mel if you get a chance.”

  “Of course.”

  With one more wave and before I burst into another round of tears, I leave the hardware store and rush to my car. With my head held high, I drive down Main Street for the very last time as I head toward the interstate. When I get to the Leaving Smithville sign, a police car sits on the side of the road. I keep my eyes focused on the road, but I know Gunnar sits in the driver’s seat of that patrol car. In his nonverbal way, he’s saying, “Godspeed.”

  Farewell, Gunnar. I’ll never forget you.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

  Gunnar

  It’s been three days since Andie left, and I haven’t left the house since. Faith insists I eat dinner with her and Kevin tonight. I’m not sure if I bathed until Faith imposed the forced meal on me. She says I’m starting to get skinny from lack of food and from a broken heart, and I need a home-cooked meal. I don’t have an appetite, but maybe Lily can make me feel alive again. When I open the door to her house, I see Liza, Jake, and Mrs. Cavanaugh sitting at the table. Shit. I back out of the house, but I bump into Stanley and Mel.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Stanley takes me by the arm and forces me into Faith’s house.

  “What’s going on here?”

  Kevin walks up and takes my other arm. They place me on the couch, and the rest sit around me. Lily sits on my lap.

  Faith clears her throat. “Sorry to lie to you, but it was the only way we could get you here.”

  Liza touches my arm, but I jerk it away from her. “We love you and know you’re hurting real bad.”

  I shrug. “It doesn’t matter. It’s over. I’m over her, and life goes on.”

  “Bull,” Lily says.

  My eyes nearly pop out. “Lily, where did you learn a word like that?”

  She points to Faith. “My mama.”

  Kevin takes his daughter by the hand. “I think it’s time I take her for a bike ride.” He pats my back on the way out the door.

  Faith turns back to me. “I’ve put a lot of thought into this, so please hear me out. You love this town. It’s where you were born, where you grew up.” She waves an arm around the room in front of my family and friends. “It’s where we all grew up, and we all feel the same way. We all want the town to thrive. But the thing is, this town will be here long after we’re pushing up daisies in Woodlawn Cemetery. Love won’t be.”

  “She had an agenda. She doesn’t care about any of us.”

  Mel pulls out her phone. “I guess this is what ‘not caring’ looks like.”

  I gape at the picture of Andie sitting next to Miss Jackson in the hospital.

  Mel smirks. “She brought the other Miss Jackson to see her sister, and the three of them played Would You Rather.”

  God love this woman.

  I close my eyes, and all I see is Andie’s beautiful face. She’s in my mind when I go to sleep and when I wake up, and she’s in every dream I have in between. Faith hands me a plane ticket and a scrap of paper.

  “What’s this?”

  Mrs. Cavanaugh points to what is in my hand. “It appears to be a plane ticket, but I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed.”

  I chuckle. “Yes, ma’am, it is. I guess my question should be, what is it for?”

  Liza squeezes my shoulder. “We all collected money and bought this ticket to Boston for you.”

  No, this can’t be happening. They can’t butt in like this.

  “We also got you an interview for a position at the Boston University Police Department.”

  Mrs. Cavanaugh holds up a finger. “Compliments of my great-nephew. He called a certain person who had connections.”

  Before she can continue, I add, “Tinsley.”

  “Yep.”

  I belt out a laugh. “Of course it’s him.”

  “My nephew went to law school there. He said it’s—”

  “Kind of like a small town within a big city. Yeah, I’m pretty sure Tinsley said the exact same words.” I let out another chuckle. I take in each person in the room. “But she doesn’t want me. She sold the shop. It’s over. She doesn’t want me, and she doesn’t want this town.”

  Mrs. Cavanaugh shoos Liza out of the way and sits down beside me. “Son, she sold that shop to me for one dollar.”

  My eyes bug out of my head. “She didn’t sell to the developers?”

  Mrs. Cavanaugh shakes her head. “Nope. She cares about this town too.”

  “How did I miss that?”

  “You were Mr. Mopey Pants, that’s how. You holed up in your house for three long days. A lot has happened. Didn’t you even read the blog?” Leave it to Mel to be blunt.

  “I opened and closed the page about ten times before I decided it would only make me feel worse.”

  Jake hands me a bottle of water. “She had decided not to sell a while ago, but the black Willow spider fed you enough information to turn you against Andie. She tried to tell you, but you’re a bit on the thick-skulled side.” He thumps me on the side of the head as if he’s checking a melon for ripeness.

  Faith kneels at my feet. “She left because this was your home, and she didn’t want any ill feelings between you two.”

  Andie didn’t really sell. She had decided to stay before I pushed her away. I am the biggest bonehead. First I chewed her out for something she didn’t do, then I clammed up and wouldn’t apologize when I had the chance. And the weak attempt to apologize with a stupid note didn’t change anything. This all could have been avoided if I wasn’t so busy being a moron.

  Faith pats my knee. “Now, you’ve had two women leave you for the big city. One you let go. One you’re about to let go. What are you going to do?”

  The age-old phrase “home is where your heart is” rings true. No matter where Andie is, that’s where home is.

  “I’m going to Boston.”

  “Yes,” everyone in the room says.

  Stanley holds out his Skoal can, making me laugh.

  “Yes, I love her. She’s my Skoal.”

  I stand and give each person a big hug, lingering a bit longer with Faith. “Thank you so much, sis,” I whisper in her ear.

  “I love you, baby brother. I want you to be happy. We’ll visit all the time. I promise.”

  I nod and hug her again. I let out a big sigh. “I’ve got to pack.”

  MY INTERVIEW WENT WELL, and I was shocked they offered me the job on the spot. I think I will fit right in with the group. Being a university cop is a lot like being a small-town police officer. It’s important to slow down, get to know the community, and try to keep the students from getting too crazy. It’s not Smithville, but I’ll do anything to be with Andie. I was hesitant to take the offer until I had a chance to smooth things over with her. After today, I’ll have my answer, and so will they.

  Thanks to Tinsley, I have Andie’s address. Boy, I am a huge fish out of water. They’re going to eat a simple Southern boy alive up here. At least my favorite beer is Sam Adams, so I’ve got that going for me. After three wrong turns, one missed subway, and walking right past her apartment building twice, I’m finally standing in front a brick building located a stone’s throw from the Boston Athletic Club.

  Now it’s time to grovel. I hope after all this, she takes me back. If a thousand apologies don’t work or the fact that I’m moving here for her, maybe the engagement ring in my suit po
cket will do the trick. I took a big chance on uprooting my entire life without talking to her first, but I wanted to show her how much she means to me.

  My heart races as I go over my apology in my mind. What if she doesn’t care? She could hate me by now. If she doesn’t feel the same way about me, I might jump off the dock into the Boston Harbor. Things could go south real fast, but it’s a chance I have to take.

  When I notice her walking toward me, my heart skips a beat. There’s my girl. She doesn’t see me yet, so I can enjoy the view without any distractions. And it’s the most gorgeous view I have ever seen. Her skin-tight jeans leave nothing to the imagination, and her hundred-watt smile could melt an iceberg on a cold winter’s day.

  And then she sees me.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

  Andie

  This must be a mirage. I blink to see if he’s still there. He is. He’s got on that sinful double-breasted suit he only wears to church, and he is every bit the six-foot-two yumminess that I remember. A few girls stumble as they stare at him.

  Move along, girls. He’s mine. Or at least he used to be mine.

  I try to calm my nerves as I clutch the legal documents in my hands. Only moments earlier, I signed over most of my lottery winnings to twenty different small businesses in Smithville. The police and fire department, the hospital, and of course, the church got hefty donations too. That still leaves me with plenty to live on for the rest of my life and enough to put Lily and her baby brother or sister through any college they want to go to. I don’t need that money, and neither do the developers.

  Gunnar cracks a grin and saunters toward me. I want to wrap my arms and legs around him, but I don’t know why he’s here yet. There’s no way he could know about my legal decisions. There’s no way he could have gotten on a plane that fast. The ink isn’t even dry yet.

  Only two inches separate us, but it’s two too many.

  “Hey,” I croak out.

  “Hey.”

  This isn’t starting off very well. “What are you doing here?”

  He sighs. “A couple of reasons. The first is to apologize to you. I am so sorry for the things I said. I didn’t let you explain. I took what Willow said she overheard and thought the worst of you. I hope you can forgive me because I am so sorry. I will never do that to you again.”

  I swipe a tear away. I nod in hopes that he knows I accept his apology. I forgave him the moment I saw him waiting on me, pacing in front of my apartment. “You said you had a couple of reasons.”

  He takes a step closer and slides his hands down my arms. “Stanley passed his test.”

  I drop my documents on the sidewalk. “He passed?”

  “Yep. He won’t get fired because of you.”

  I cup my hands over my mouth to keep from screaming hallelujah. “Oh my stars. That’s fantastic.”

  I bounce up and down, and before I can stop myself, I leap into Gunnar’s arms. He holds me so tight, I can hardly breathe, and I never want him to let me go.

  “He wanted you to know.”

  “That’s awesome.”

  Gunnar leans back, and my feet dangle off the ground. My whole body is pressed up against his, and it feels so wonderful. He puts me down, and I take a step back.

  “I appreciate you telling me all this, but you could have done it with a phone call.”

  “I could have, if you were taking my calls.”

  I cringe. “Guilty. I needed time to think some things through.”

  He takes my hands in his. “Besides, I already had a phone interview. Today’s was in person.”

  I cock my head to the side. “What are you talking about?”

  He pulls out his wallet and shows me a Boston University Police Department business card. “I want to be where you are, sugar. If you’re in Boston, I’m in Boston. You’re my life. I love you.”

  I bite my lip to keep it from quivering.

  He strokes my face with his hand. “Say something, please.”

  I take a deep breath. “You came here for me?”

  He waggles his eyebrows then pulls out a black velvet box, and I suck in all the air in the city. When he kneels down on one knee on the sidewalk in front of hordes of people going about their business and opens that box to show me an engagement ring, I almost pass out.

  “Marry me?”

  I can’t make my voice work. I’m hyperventilating. “You left your home for me?”

  His dimples pop out. Have mercy.

  “You want to marry me?”

  He nods then stands to slide the ring on my finger. “That’s how we do it down South.”

  I poke him in the chest with my finger. “I can’t let you do that.”

  His face loses all expression. He scrunches up his brow, and pain stretches across his face.

  “Gunnar, you are going to march yourself right back down to Smithville. I won’t hear of it anymore.”

  “But—”

  “I’m not raising a family here. This isn’t home. Besides, Mrs. Cavanagh needs an apprentice.” I plant a soft kiss on his lips. “I love you, Gunnar. Let’s go home.”

  “Is that a yes?”

  “Yes.”

  Relief washes over his face. I giggle. He kisses me with more passion than he’s ever kissed me before. I don’t care if we are in the middle of one of the biggest cities in the country. He’s mine, and I want the world to know.

  I pull back from him, holding out my engagement ring for all the strangers to see. “Hey, y’all, we’re getting married.”

  A total stranger gives me a high five, and I tug Gunnar back down for another kiss. “If you know what’s best for you, you’ll get on the phone and tell them you’re not interested in that job.”

  He pulls out his phone and makes a call. “Hey, this is Gunnar Wills. I just saw you about a position? Yeah, well, my plans have changed. My fiancée won’t let me take the job.”

  I poke him in the side.

  “Yes, sir. Southern women can be so bossy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Fittin’ in, Granny!

  He hangs up the phone. “Darlin’, let’s go home.”

  Home. I love the sound of that. Nothing has ever sounded sweeter.

  Acknowledgements

  To my awesome critique partners: Jymie Smith, Kelly Ann Hopkins, Casie Bazay, and Stacey Kuhnz. I couldn’t have done this without all of you.

  To the #amediting crew — Hugs.

  To the entire Red Adept family, and in particular:

  Lynn McNamee — Thanks for believing in this story and in me.

  Erica Lucke Dean — You are the best mentor ever.

  Alyssa Hall & Neila Forssberg, my awesome editors. I learned so much from you, and I hope I taught you a few Southern phrases along the journey.

  Jessica Anderegg – The cover is so pretty.

  To Daisy Mae, the best canine writing partner ever. We did it again!

  To Mark — Thanks for being a small-town police officer in a former life. I’m so glad you keep putting up with me.

  Maddie, I love you. Never give up on your dreams. Stay colorful.

  About the Author

  After several decades of writing medical research documents, Cindy Dorminy decided to switch gears and become an author. She wanted to write stories where the chances of happy endings are 100% and the side effects include satisfied sighs, permanent smiles, and a chuckle or two.

  Cindy was born in Texas and raised in Georgia. She enjoys gardening, reading, and bodybuilding. She can often be overheard quoting lines from her favorite movies. But her favorite pastime is spending time with Mark, her bass-playing husband, and Maddie Rose, the coolest girl on the planet. She also loves her fur child, Daisy Mae. She currently resides in Nashville, TN, where live music can be heard everywhere, even at the grocery store.

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  As a nurse and single mom, Darla Battle hides her loneliness behind a smile. But when she discovers that the new cute doctor everyone is talking about is her daughter’s father, she knows she needs to keep her distance from the man who abandoned her and their child, Stella.

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  Once Darla realizes Theo doesn’t know he’s Stella’s father, she has no idea how to tell him the truth. And the longer she waits, the more difficult it becomes. When the situation spins out of control, can the two come together for the sake of their daughter? Or is forgiveness out of reach?

  Also by Cindy Dorminy

  Left Hanging

  In a Jam