Welcome to Last Chance

by Cathleen Armstrong

  Her heart swelled as she looked around the room at the faces she had come to love. Les and Evelyn Watson had moved from the back corner to a spot by the window near the piano. Rita, with her ever-present sheaf of papers she needed to see somebody about as soon as the service was over, caught Lainie’s eye and mouthed something Lainie couldn’t follow while making incomprehensible hand gestures. Lainie smiled and nodded. She’d find out soon enough what Rita was talking about.

  As the hymn drew to a close, Lainie spotted Chris Reed sitting across the aisle toward the center of the pew. Lainie was confident he’d find in Last Chance the same loving acceptance she had.

  A rustle and shuffle filled the sun-washed room as everyone settled into their places and Brother Parker moved to stand behind the pulpit. His booming “This is the day that the Lord has made!” filled the well-scrubbed sanctuary. And just as it did every Sunday, the congregation answered, “We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

  He opened the Bible, and Lainie settled in to listen. Focusing on his message gave her something to think about besides leaving. But the sound of his deep voice, rich in Western drawl, only served to remind her that this was her last Sunday among them. She determined again that she would not cry, but how did leaving get so hard?

  Elizabeth peered into Lainie’s red and swollen face. “Are you sure you don’t want me to drive? If you don’t mind my saying so, you’re a mess. Can you even see?”

  Lainie slid behind the wheel of her almost-new Toyota and sniffled. “I’m okay now. And I was doing okay in there until the final hymn.”

  “Caring about folks is nothing to be ashamed of, especially when they care about you like we all do. I’d have thought you’d know that by now.”

  “Caring is one thing, falling apart completely is another.” Lainie tried to smile at Rita, who was waving good-bye from her car. “Oh, shoot. I was supposed to see Rita after the service.”

  “She’s coming over after lunch this afternoon. I talked to her while you were in the bathroom.”

  Lainie pressed cool fingers against her puffy eyes. They felt dry and grainy. “I hope I didn’t knock her down trying to get out of there when the service was over. What did she want?”

  “Well, she wanted to talk about the wedding shower on Thursday, but I told her since it’s going to be a big barbecue at the ranch, she didn’t need to trouble herself anymore about that. We’re certainly capable of throwing a party. But there’s still the rehearsal dinner, the wedding itself, the reception, and whatnot. I’m sure every last detail is organized to a fare-thee-well. But you know Rita.”

  Lainie pulled into the long driveway behind Elizabeth’s truck. Elizabeth gathered her Bible and purse and opened the door. “Why don’t we just make some sandwiches for lunch and see if we can sneak in a nap before Rita gets here this afternoon. I think I’m going to need more strength than I have right now to go over those wedding plans again.”

  A low rumble of thunder in the distant hills woke Lainie from the Sunday nap she had learned to enjoy. Her hand dropped to Sam the cat, snuggled in the curve of her hip. He rolled onto his back, stretching his front paws over his head, and turned on the purr. As she lay absently scratching Sam’s ear and chin and trying to decide whether to go back to sleep, she became aware of voices from the living room. Rita. Elizabeth must have decided to let her sleep and taken on the meeting by herself. With a smile of contented gratitude, Lainie turned over and closed her eyes. A few seconds later she opened them again. Sleep was not going to happen. She sighed and swung her feet over the side of the bed. Might as well get this over with.

  Lainie winced at the sight of herself in the mirror across the room. Her eyes were still slightly swollen and her hair hung lank to her shoulders. The little makeup she usually wore had been completely cried off at church and not repaired. To top it off, she had obviously slept on her arm, because a red crease ran from ear to jawline. She shrugged and caught her hair back with a rubber band. “Deal with it, Rita. If you come visiting during naptime, you take what you get.”

  She smiled to herself as she walked up the hall toward the living room. Elizabeth was talking and had yet to take a breath. No matter what she said about the chattiness of others, Elizabeth could give anyone in town a run for their money. Her voice rose in a question and paused for an answer just as Lainie reached the end of the hall. She froze as a familiar voice murmured a response. Too late, she took a step back into the shadowy hall. Ray, sitting on the piano bench across the room and slowly twirling his hat between his knees, raised his head and met her gaze.

  Whatever he was saying died in his throat. His hat hung loose on his fingers, and he attempted a smile. “Hey, Lainie, how’s it going?”

  “Oh, it’s you.” Lainie eased into the room and lowered herself onto the nearest surface, the arm of the sofa. “I thought you were Rita.”

  “Rita? Nope.”

  “Isn’t this a nice surprise? He just got here a minute ago.” Elizabeth beamed at her. “I was just on the way to the kitchen to get us some iced tea.”

  “I’ll go.” Lainie jumped to her feet, but Elizabeth waved her back and headed toward the kitchen.

  “No, no. You stay put. I’ll do it. I think there are some cookies left too.”

  “Can’t I help?” Lainie heard the desperation in her own voice and could have kicked herself, but with a final dismissive wave, Elizabeth had disappeared into the kitchen. There was nothing left for Lainie to do but turn to Ray and say, “So, how are you? It’s been a while.”

  Ray shrugged and began twirling his hat again. “Fine, I guess. You?”

  “Fine.”

  In the kitchen Elizabeth clinked glasses and opened the refrigerator door.

  “You came early. No one else is coming till Wednesday.”

  “Yeah, well, I need to spend some time cleaning out the cabin. I left behind a bunch of stuff that I need.”

  Silence filled the room again, and Ray dropped his eyes to the hat slowly twirling between his knees.

  “Here we are!” Elizabeth came back in the room carrying a tray with three ice and amber–filled glasses. “And we had just enough cookies for each of us to have one.”

  Lainie took a proffered glass and stood up. “I think I’ll just take mine back in my room with me, if that’s okay. I need to start getting it ready for Fayette when she comes Wednesday.”

  “Oh, you can put it off a little while.” Elizabeth pulled her tray back as Ray reached for a glass and turned to frown at Lainie.

  “No, you guys need some time to catch up, and I really need to start sorting through all my stuff.” Her smile felt painted on when she turned to Ray. “See you at the barbecue Thursday, I guess.”

  He nodded again, without smiling, and Lainie turned and willed herself to stroll back down the hall to her room, taking a sip of her tea as she went, and gently closed her door behind her. Once inside her room, however, her careful control deserted her. A splash of tea marred her dresser and the glass rattled when she set it down

  “You are such an idiot!” the puffy-eyed girl with the tied-back hair hissed at her from the mirror. “Why are you acting like a teenager? Ray was history when he walked out months ago.” Lainie stared back at the face in the mirror until it softened a bit. “It’s been a rough day, but the worst is over.”

  Lainie was surprised at how quickly she was able to pack up everything and how few containers it took to hold it. Her new suitcase and a few cardboard boxes held her life. For a while, as she had allowed roots to begin sinking into the sandy soil of Last Chance, it had been hard to tell where she left off and Last Chance began, but now the boundaries were clear. They consisted of a few pasteboard enclosures and the click of a suitcase lock.

  She turned away from the dresser and looked around the room that had been home to her for nearly a year. In a few days Fayette would be staying there, then after the wedding it would revert to Elizabeth’s guest room. Lainie picked up a cardboard box to carry to the sewing room. “
Thanks for giving me the guts to go, Ray. This could have been hard.”

  Saturday morning, the door to the sewing room cracked open and Fayette peeked in. When she saw Lainie awake, she came in and sat cross-legged at the foot of the daybed.

  “This is the day! Can you believe it? I’m really getting married.” Wild, springy blonde hair framed Fayette’s scrubbed and freckled face, and her happy grin made her look like a little girl. “The kindest, gentlest, strongest, most wonderful man in the world is in this very town, over at the Last Chance Motel with my son and half the city of Albuquerque, and in just a few hours, he’s going to marry me!”

  Lainie flipped the hem of Fayette’s flannel pajamas. “Has he ever seen you looking like this?”

  “I should say not!” Fayette sat up straight and pushed her hair from her face. “There’s no way he’d ever see me first thing in the morning until after we’re married. You know that!”

  Lainie pulled her robe out from under Fayette’s leg and put it on. “Smart move.”

  Fayette’s face fell into another grin, and she grabbed Lainie in a hug that nearly knocked her off her feet. “Go ahead, try to throw cold water on my day. It’s not going to work” She planted a big, noisy kiss on Lainie’s cheek. “Because I know you’re just as happy as I am. And you might as well go ahead and smile, because trying not to is about to kill you.”

  The smile Lainie had been trying to suppress burst through, and Lainie returned Fayette’s hug. “Of course, I’m happy for you. I couldn’t be happier. Ken is one lucky man, and I hope he knows it.”

  Fayette slipped her arm around Lainie’s waist as they headed to the kitchen. “You know, he does think he’s lucky, at least that’s what he tells me. Can you believe it?” A soft smile played around her lips. “I never thought I’d find what I had with Bud again. I mean, I knew everyone in town and all the good ones were married. Come to think of it, even the downright peculiar ones were married. Ray and old Mr. Calhoun were the only single men in town.”

  Lainie was silent, and Fayette gave her waist a squeeze. “Well, that was real sensitive, wasn’t it? I’m so sorry. I guess I have bride brain.”

  Even Lainie could hear how false her cheer sounded when she turned a bright smile on Fayette. “And why shouldn’t you have bride brain? You’re entitled.”

  Fayette faced Lainie, placing both hands on her friend’s shoulders. “Seriously, how are you? You could have blown me over when he stopped in to see Matthew on his way to Santa Fe. Of course, he wouldn’t tell me anything, but whatever it was that broke you two up, I’m sure it was his fault.”

  Lainie shook her head. “No, it was pretty much all me. He could have listened, and maybe I could have explained, but I think he was done with my explanations.”

  Fayette muttered under her breath. “Well, he always was a jerk.”

  Lainie smiled. “You are such a friend. He’s not a jerk and you know it. He put up with more this last year than anyone could be expected to—from Steven, and from me too, I guess. He just got done.”

  Fayette slipped her arm around Lainie’s waist again. “Well, I think you’re being way too easy on him. Remember, I’ve known him all his life. Have you seen him since he’s been back?”

  Lainie nodded. “Yeah, he came by to see Elizabeth when he got here last Sunday, and of course I saw him at the barbecue at the ranch Thursday, but not to talk.”

  “Well, all I can say is you two need to get together and work this out.”

  “Yeah, right. That’ll happen.”

  When they entered the kitchen, Elizabeth turned from the stove and sang “Here Comes the Bride.” Fayette grabbed a dish mop and held it in front of her like a bouquet, handing Lainie a spatula as she half-stepped across the kitchen floor. “Come on, maid of honor, let’s have a wedding.”

  Lainie took the dish mop and pulled out a chair at the kitchen table just as the phone rang. “As maid of honor, my first duty of the day is to tell you to eat your breakfast and then go start getting ready. You’ve got a lot of work to do.”

  “Get the phone, would you, Lainie?” Elizabeth didn’t even turn around. “I’m up to my elbows in pancake batter.”

  “If that’s Ken, tell him I can’t talk to him before the wedding. No, let me talk to him.” Fayette pushed away from the table. “No, tell him I love him, but I’ll see him at the church.”

  Lainie waved her back into her chair and picked up the beige receiver of the kitchen wall phone.

  “Lainie? Is that you?”

  “Yeah, this is Lainie. Who is this?”

  “It’s Lindsay. Listen, I need to talk to you.”

  Lainie stretched the curled cord around the corner into the living room and dropped her voice. “Lindsay? How did you get this number?”

  “Oh, Steven gave it to me when you were here. I was supposed to call him, but it got buried in my purse somewhere. I just found it last week.”

  “Steven’s not here anymore, if that’s why you’re calling.”

  “No, there’s something else. I’ve been going back and forth and back and forth. Sometimes I think I should call you, but then I promised not to. I just didn’t know what I should do.”

  “Lindsay, what are you talking about?”

  There was a long pause, and then Lindsay blurted, “Nick called again.”

  Lainie felt her knees slowly give way, and she found herself sitting on the floor, back against the wall, knees under her chin.

  “Before you say anything,” Lindsay continued, “you need to know that he still loves you. He’s never given up trying to find you.”

  She waited briefly for Lainie to say something before plunging on. “He told me that girl you saw him with wasn’t anyone, just a girl he knew, and if you had only waited, he could have explained everything.”

  Lainie found her voice. “What did you tell him?”

  “Well, at first I didn’t tell him anything. You’ve been my friend a long time and if you ran out on Nick, I’d say you probably had a reason. But all he could talk about was how much he loved you, and how long he’d been searching for you, and how much he wanted you to forgive him.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “Lainie, he even cried. I didn’t even know Nick knew how to cry.”

  “Lindsay, what did you tell him?”

  “I told him you had been living in Last Chance. Are you mad?”

  29

  Dear Elizabeth,

  Yes, I’ve gone. I hope you forgive me not saying good-bye, but I found out this morning that Nick knows where I am. That means he’ll be here soon, and for your sake as well mine I have to go. I’m so sorry. Tell Ben Apodaca that Nick is not quite six feet tall, real muscular, and has a tattoo of a panther on the left side of his neck—so he can be watching for him. I hope I can come back someday, but with Nick out there, I don’t know if I can. Meanwhile, I want you to know how much living with you in Last Chance has meant to me. No one has ever loved me like you do.

  I love you,

  Lainie

  Lainie finished her note and looked around the sewing room for a place to leave it where Elizabeth would be sure to find it. All the belongings she had accumulated during her stay in Last Chance and everything she had brought with her were packed and ready to go. All she needed to do was find a moment to slip away from the reception, swing by the house to grab her stuff, and she’d be gone before they missed her.

  She put the note on top of the sewing machine cabinet, trying not to think about what Elizabeth would think of her when she found it. On impulse, she dug around in one of the boxes until she pulled out her Mickey Mouse snow globe and set it on top of the note. Elizabeth knew how much she cherished the memento. Maybe she would understand how hard it was for Lainie to go.

  “Lainie, honey, are you about ready? We need to get the bride to the church.” Elizabeth tapped at her door.

  “Coming.” Lainie took a last look at her image in the full-length mirror on the wall next to the sewing machine. The p
ale yellow dress Elizabeth had made for her floated around her like summer itself and made her eyes look even bluer. Squaring her shoulders and pasting what she hoped was a festive smile on her face, she left the sewing room, firmly closing the door behind her.

  “My, don’t you look a picture.” Elizabeth, in her cornflower blue dress with a matching lace jacket, took both Lainie’s hands and leaned back to admire her. “That is just your color. Let’s go find our bride and see if she needs any help.”

  Lainie swept her into a long, tight hug that Elizabeth first accepted, then struggled slightly against. “Mercy, honey! Is everything all right?”

  “Everything’s great. I just get all gooey at weddings, that’s all.”

  Elizabeth nodded, already distracted, and headed down the hall to Lainie’s old room where Fayette was getting ready. “Mmm-hmm. Go get the flowers for Fayette’s hair out of the refrigerator, will you? We need to be at the church in twenty minutes if we’re going to get her out of sight before the guests start arriving.”

  “How’s it going in here?” Rita popped into the crying room off the vestibule where Lainie, Elizabeth, and Matthew waited with Fayette. “Good news, Fayette. The groom turned up.”

  Fayette’s early exuberance had long since faded into hand-twisting nervousness, and she answered Rita’s teasing with a weak smile that Rita didn’t even notice.

  “Well, it’s standing room only in there now, so come on with me, Elizabeth. Time to get you seated, then I’ll be back for the rest of you.” She popped out again, leaving nervous silence in her wake.

  “Tell me I’m doing the right thing.” Fayette spoke to no one in particular.

  “Mom, you are so doing the right thing. Ken’s awesome.”

  Fayette’s eyes filled with tears. “Are you sure you’re okay with this, Matthew? For so long it’s been just you and me. Are you ready to let someone else into our life?”