The headboard was an intricate iron piece she'd found outside the house. At first she considered using it for the garden gate, but after cleaning it, decided to move it inside. Now refurbished and painted in rich black, it contrasted with the soft colors in the rest of the room in a way that made the bed the focal point of her bedroom. The bedding was all done in buttery yellows and off-white lace trimmed throw pillows.
Tesha stretched and her hand touched something cool. She'd slept with Adam's key ring. The heavy metal with nothing but three keys on it was large hanging from her slim fingers. One was a house key, the second probably for the shed in the back. The third was a car key. She'd not noticed a car other than the truck.
She trudged into the bathroom and caught sight of her reddened eyes in the mirror. The last weeks she'd been so involved in the house and Adam, she'd allowed time to go by without her usual bevy of hair and nail appointments. Her hair had grown a bit longer and barely resembled the pixie cut she normally wore. It was time to either find a beautician in Nashville, or travel back to Atlanta to her usual hairdresser.
She studied herself, for some reason expected to look different. Her eyes were still a light brown; her dark coffee colored hair, although tussled fell just past her chin in the front and shorter in the back. Her eyes traced her body, she'd not gained weight, although her arms were more defined from the physical work.
She studied her face. Other than her swollen eyes, no changes, everything exactly the same in spite of a new heartache.
Mr. Shanty and Jerry Pike did not come to work that day. It was Saturday and she insisted they not work on the weekends anymore. The job was almost done, most of the plumbing and wiring completed for the second floor. She suspected the men didn't mind spending time at her house because of her biscuits and the fact they didn't have a follow-on job. Mr. Shanty offered to help her with painting after the wall patching was complete and she considered it. Perhaps she'd come up with another job for them, they were nice to have around.
Later that morning Tesha was outside in her garden. The dirt was soft as she dug a hole to plant the white climbing roses she'd bought from Mrs. Miller. If she were lucky, the weather would not get too hot in the next couple weeks and the plants would have a chance to settle before the heat of summer hit.
Hers would be a calming garden, mostly white flowers to give the space a calming atmosphere. Once both rose plants were in the ground on both sides of her newly built arbor, she began the delicate task of tying the young vines to the bottom of the trellis training them to grow up the structure.
She sat back and admired her work after several minutes. Although most of her plants were still very young, it was easy to tell once they grew in, it would be a wonderful result. A smile tugged at her lips until she glanced through the fencing toward Adam's house.
That afternoon Mrs. Miller and her friends planned to come over. She knew the request of a tour of the house was an excuse. She'd put off meeting the group, not sure if she was ready to make friends and share her life. It was a big step for her; she'd always been the type to keep her circle of friends small.
But today she was glad for the distraction from constantly wondering what Adam was going through. Mrs. Miller and two friends planned to come over and she'd told her they'd bring tea and she'd provide dessert. Not in the mood to bake, she decided to try the new cupcake bakery in town.
* * *
Sweet Indulgence was nestled between a boutique and a gift shop. The store had a welcoming green and grey awning to match the lettering on the cupcake shop's door, which was done in large curly letters.
As soon as she opened the door, Tesha was assaulted by a myriad of amazing aromas. Sweet and appetizing scents mixed to make a wonderful bouquet. Tesha loved the interior immediately. The counters were done in pale blue and yellow and the background wall a dark chocolate with soft polka dots of pink, yellow, blue, and green. There were three ice cream shop style table and chairs sets as well as a large glass display showcasing a wide array of cupcakes.
The intricate design of the toppings was breathtaking. The young girl behind the counter smiled at her. "I'll be right with you." She was busy with another customer, which gave Tesha more time to study the flavors and décor of the tiny cakes.
"Can I help you?" The girl moved closer to where Tesha stood still undecided at what to choose. She was taller than Tesha, with dark auburn hair that was pulled into a long ponytail. Her green eyes sparkled as she looked down to the cupcakes Tesha had been studying. "Those are my strawberry banana marble." She lifted one from a plate and held it up for Tesha. "I use two kinds of batter. One has banana pulp and the other strawberry flavored cream."
"It sounds delicious. Who owns this place?"
She held up her hand. "I do."
Tesha couldn't keep the surprise from her voice and expression. "You look so young."
"Cassie Tucker." She held out her hand. "I'm almost thirty. I may look younger thanks to the fact that I rarely have time to put on any make up and spend so much time in here that the sun hasn't touched my skin in months." She laughed. "And any wrinkles probably melt from the heat of the ovens." She laughed and shrugged. "Thanks for the compliment..."
"Tesha." Tesha liked Cassie already. "I'll take a couple of those strawberry cupcakes and what is this?"
They continued on for a bit until Tesha was finally able to choose a dozen cupcakes. She watched Cassie pack them. "I haven't met too many women yet, so Mrs. Miller is bringing her friends over to my place on Magnolia Street tonight for some fun. Would you like to come?"
Cassie's face lit up. "Oh, that's right, you're the one who's redoing the old Victorian on Magnolia aren't you?"
"That's me." Tesha held her hands up. "Guilty as charged."
"I'm also new to this town. I moved here about a year ago to care for my grandmother after grandpa died."
"That's commendable."
"Not really. It all happened at a time when I needed to leave Nashville and try something new. Bad relationship," Cassie explained.
Tesha decided it was best not to share her own tale of woe. "Please come tonight. They will be there at seven." She paid and lifted the box and then placed it back down. "Can I have one of the red velvet cupcakes for the road?"
Chapter Thirteen
Exasperation was heavy in the air. Both Adam and the psychologist knew it was a colossal waste of time. Each session was the same. A rehashing of every detail that kicked off the not so wonderful movie that his mind insisted on replaying and before the credits finished rolling, the previews began again.
They were in his parents’ house, in the den. The familiarity of the space should have put him at ease, but it didn't.
It would be a good idea to tell the older man he wasted his time. Actually the doctor seemed to be a good guy and should call it off himself.
He had to give it to Doctor Mitchell. He maintained a cool reserve, not been at all condescending, and never seemed to lose his patience, even when Adam refused to talk. Or should he say repeat the same shit again. Tired of sitting, Adam slid down a bit and stretched his long legs before him.
Yes, it was juvenile, the posture telling of his boredom, but he couldn't help it. For three weeks, he'd been meeting with this man daily. Every day had turned into something akin to Groundhog Day. Very few variables.
Damn his brothers for bringing him to their parents’ house. In the state he'd been in that night, he'd not realized until morning where he was. A flash of brilliance on his brothers' part, but at the same time not a great idea since it hurt their mother to see him that way.
She'd burst out sobbing so hard he'd been shocked into reality. In that instant he'd heard her crying, Adam pulled himself back and tried to console her. But she'd recoiled from him, not sure if he meant to hurt her, his brothers had attacked in force throwing him to the ground and pinning him down until the doctor shot him up with sleepy time crap.
Had to give it to them. They knew what would work. Adam would
never rebuff his mother. The next morning he'd woken, Mariam Ford sat at his bedside holding his hand. Her beautiful pale blue eyes welling with tears as she apologized for her reaction the night before. Before she could finish the request, in that instant, he promised to stay as long as it took and agreed to any treatment they decided to try.
"Adam?" Doctor Mitchell frowned. "What are you thinking about?"
"My mother. How heartbroken she'll be when this doesn't work."
"It's too soon to give up, don't you think?" His words grated up and down his skin like sandpaper.
"So this treatment will last longer?" Adam looked past the doctor to the picture on the wall of him and his brothers. It was taken one summer when Tristan had turned eighteen and was ready to leave for college. They'd taken one last family vacation to the gulf coast.
"How are the flashbacks?"
"Same."
Doctor Mitchell made a note. "How many a week?"
"I have to keep them at bay daily."
"Hmm." He wrote another scribble. "Any full blown ones?"
"Not since the other night."
They were silent for a few minutes. The doctor seemed at a loss and Adam agreed with him. It was probably best to stop the waste of time and money.
Doctor Mitchell looked at Adam for a moment. "It occurs to me that we've discussed the rescue. When the medics and injured were struck by sniper fire. You saved four men and flew them to safety." The doctor teetered a pen between two fingers. "Then it stops there, you don't tell me what happened next."
He'd flown half an hour before realizing he was shot. Too scared to look behind him to see if Vince was breathing, he refused to give in to any injury. Vince had been shot up pretty bad. A bloody mess, his face had been unrecognizable when Adam grabbed him and dragged him to the chopper. "I flew them to the medical unit in Kandahar."
"Did you stay?" Doctor Mitchell remained in a relaxed position, but he stopped flipping the pen and was poised to write.
"Yes." Adam laid his head on the back of the chair and looked up at the ceiling. "Look, Doc. It's been almost an hour..."
"How long?"
"What?"
The doctor checked his watch and made a quick note, not seeming to be paying Adam much attention. He looked over at him. "How long did you stay at the medical unit? Why were you there?"
"Two weeks, maybe three. Shot twice in my thigh."
"Hmm." The pen flew across the room. Adam frowned and waited for whatever the doctor planned to do next. Had the man lost it? Adam pushed up and sat upright in the chair. The doctor stood and went to retrieve the pen. "I think we're on to something here."
"Throwing pens?" Adam kept an eye on the doctor's progress in case he decided to throw it his way. "I don't see what that does to help, but you're the doc."
"Sorry, I threw the pen because I'm irate with myself not to have explored this sooner." The doctor sat on the edge of his seat. "Tell me about the hospital."
Adam exhaled. "I had to go under so they could get the bullets and fragments removed from my upper thigh. There was some damage to my side, but it was mostly flesh wounds."
Several questions later, Adam had relaxed into the chair. The doctor was back to flipping the pen and finally it seemed their session was coming to an end. Doctor Mitchell looked at his watch. "What about your friends? Did they all survive?"
"Only one of them was my friend. The other three I didn't know."
"Did he live?" Doctor Mitchell no longer held the pen, but had laid it on top of his notebook.
"No. He did not." Adam's chest constricted, he had to open his mouth to catch a full breath.
The doctor persisted. "Did you speak to him before he died?"
"Yes." More tightening. He had to get out of there.
"What did you talk about?"
"Doc, I have to go." He would have stood, but his legs trembled from the effort of maintaining his breathing under control. The air became scarce and beads of sweat tricked from his forehead down his temples. "Nothing happened."
"But you did speak to him. What did he say?"
Vince had been so pale, his skin almost translucent. The usual easy grin was gone, the light in his eyes replaced by dullness. There were so many wires, tubes and machines. The noise annoyed Adam to no end. Especially when Vince tried to talk. It was hard to hear. "He thanked me."
"For saving his life."
"I didn't save his life."
"You gave him a few precious days. Perhaps time to talk to loved ones."
"His dad, yeah."
"So, that was something."
Adam squeezed his eyes shut. The pounding in his ears would not be quieted. If he were alone, he would sit in the corner and cover his head and hum or something. "I suppose."
"Your friend..."
"Vince."
"Your friend, Vince, did he ask you anything?"
Adam didn't want to remember the conversation. He'd relived it too many times in his mind already. His heart began to hammer against his breastbone and his breathing became shallow. The doctor neared and spoke slowly. "Take a deep breath, Adam." He attempted twice before he was able to breathe almost normally. "Now look at me and focus on this." The doctor held the pen between his fingers and swung it slowly like a pendulum.
"Tell me now, what did Vince ask you?"
"To finish what he couldn't. Renovate the house. Restore the car. The trifecta."
The doctor sat back down. "So your friend had a life plan."
"That's all he talked about."
"Did you do it?"
"Two of the things, I did. I finished the house and restored the damn car. I love that damn car." Adam actually chuckled. "It's a '65 Ford Fairlane."
"Nice." Doctor Mitchell nodded and smiled. "What about the third item on the list?"
"He planned to find a hot girl and marry her. She'd fall in love with him after seeing the car and the house."
Doctor Mitchell frowned. "Seems a lot to ask don't you think?"
What the fuck did this guy know anyway? Adam wanted to punch him. "No, I don't think so. He died. I couldn't save him. He died. I failed him. So it wasn't too much to ask."
"What about your life? What did you want to do when you returned from the war?"
"I have my life."
"Who killed Vince?"
"I think our time's up, doc."
Doctor Mitchell crossed his legs. "I don't have any plans, so no hurry. I would like a cup of coffee in a bit though." He cocked his head and studied Adam. "Who killed Vince?"
"The fucker hiding in the fucking rocks."
"That's correct. So how did you fail Vince?"
"I promised him to finish the trifecta. It was his last request."
"Let’s say you found a woman and married her. Moved her into the house and drove her around in that fancy car. What then?"
"It's not going to happen. I can barely function; much less bring someone else into the house. I won't subject a woman to my night terrors and flashbacks." He hated that an image of Tesha came to the forefront of his thoughts. He hated to not know how she was. He missed her.
"Even without PTSD, you can't live Vince's life for him. He wouldn't have wanted you to."
"You weren't there. He said ‘You have to make the most out of your life. Live not just your life to the fullest, but mine for me, too."
"Was your friend a selfish man?"
"No. Of course not."
"Do you really think he intended for you to sacrifice your dreams and plans for him? Do you seriously believe Vince wanted you to move into his house, drive his car and marry the woman he may have married?"
His body deflated. Almost as if someone let all the air out of balloon, Adam melted back into the chair.
"Answer me, Adam. Is that what Vince wanted?" The doctor jotted a quick note. "You see, I think he was encouraging you to have a good life. But did not intend for you to give up your life for what he planned."
"He left me the house and the car."
; "Because he cared for you. He gave you what he treasured the most."
It made sense. He and Vince were very close and relied on each other for everything. He'd never make another friend like Vince, no matter how long he lived. Tears welled in his eyes and he didn't try to hide them. "I miss him. It was his day off. He came along for the ride to help out and..."
"He did it because he was your friend."
"We planned to hang out afterwards." Tears trailed down his face. "It's not fair."
"What did you plan to do after the war?"
Adam wiped the back of his hand across his face and let out a breath. "Go back to Nashville. Help my brother at Ford Industries. Buy a new Jag. Date a hot girl."
"So there you have it. Your own trifecta."
"I suppose so. Damn. I hadn't thought about that." Adam sniffed and tried to hide it by clearing his throat. "What about Vince's house?"
"That part he left up to you." The doctor let out a breath. "I didn't know Vince, but it seems to me, he wanted to give you options. Did not mean for you to finish his plans."
The doctor gazed past him and it was then that Adam saw the look he recognized.
"Who did you lose?"
"My son was killed in a roadside bombing in Iraq." The doctor gave him a sad smile.
"I would have given anything to have had the chance to say goodbye. Do you understand what a gift you gave Vince and his father?"
It took a minute for it to sink in and Adam nodded. "Yes, sir, I think I understand."
Chapter Fourteen
Tesha opened the front door to four women. Mrs. Miller and two friends along with Cassie who held a box of cupcakes. "Surprise! Happy birthday!" they yelled in unison.
They each hugged her as they traipsed in. Cassie pushed Tesha into a chair. "You relax. We brought the party."
Wine was poured. Mrs. Miller arranged the cupcakes on a tray while the other two ladies piled Chinese food onto plates that were passed around. Before long, the women were laughing and prodding Cassie to share her now famous bad date stories. Tesha looked around the table at Mrs. Miller, her friends Carol and Debbie and lastly to Cassie who waddled around imitating some guy's walk, and her heart expanded.
Even Heroes Cry, Fords of Nashville, Book 1 Page 10
