by Lorin Grace
Abbie accompanied the roommates back to the house. The apartment above the garage was crowded with just her and Alex. Add her father and the other security men traveling with them, and it was uncomfortably small. With Colin staying in the Crawford’s guest room, Mr. Hastings had given her the night off to go find more suitable accommodations.
Araceli was more than happy for the extra company. With Tessa in New York again, she needed the buffer between the cousins and their questions.
However, the bodyguard did not keep Candace from following Araceli into her bedroom. “Spill it. You’ve managed to avoid me since the pizza came.”
“I wasn’t about to say anything during Mandy’s reveal party. The look on Daniel’s face when he unwrapped boxes and boxes of pink! Did you know?”
“I don’t even think Abbie knew. Mandy must have ordered everything online. I know Daniel was upset he couldn’t be there for the ultrasound. This mess with the company in China has had him tied in knots. I am glad it is over.” Candace moved a pile of things from the chair and took a seat.
“How does Colin feel about it?”
“Relieved. Anytime they divest the company of one of their father’s interests, Colin always feels like a weight has been lifted. I think he would be happier if he had about a tenth of the income he has.”
“If he did, he would be living in his mother’s basement, hacking into the DOD, CIA, or MI6.”
“You mean as opposed to sitting in his penthouse and hacking?”
“I was joking. He doesn’t, does he?”
“Not since he was a teenager. I think the only thing that saved him was his father’s connections.”
“No way!” Araceli moved a couple of her piles, keeping an eye on the one Candace had moved. She knew her roommate would never believe she was organizing and dejunking.
“Have I let you distract me long enough? I asked what you were going to do this summer, and you got a very peculiar look on your face. So tell.”
Araceli held up her hands. “Right now I don’t know. Last night I was making plans to go back to Haiti for three months to be a house mom at the orphanage.”
“And who was going to be the house dad?”
“Kyle.”
Candace jumped out of her seat. “Are you engaged?”
“No, we kind of danced around that part of the arrangement. And before you ask anything embarrassing, there is no way we would live together and not be married, especially at the orphanage, but there are some options where we wouldn’t be sharing the apartment.”
“Do you want to be?”
Araceli shuffled the papers from her freshman year headed for the recycle bin. “I did, but I don’t know. What if I am making another one of my flighty decisions? What if I’m not really in love?”
“Do you think you are in love?” Candace pulled off her wig and fixed the strands.
“I don’t know. I like him. He is amazing with the kids, and when he is at fault, he owns up to it. Well, until today. Today he is off-grid. I texted Marci when you were hanging the pink curtains. She still has his phone and couldn’t tell me where he was other than ‘out driving.’” Araceli added air quotes for emphasis. “He has been gone for nearly twelve hours. I know Texas is a big place, but I’m worried. What if he drove off the road and met a rabid armadillo or something?”
Candace drew Araceli into a hug. “I don’t think you need to worry about a rabid armadillo. More likely one of the suicidal skunks they have down there. In some places, you can’t drive more than five miles without finding one in the road. Especially in the spring.”
“Have you been to Texas?”
Candace stepped back. “A few times. Mom and I spent time at MD Anderson in Houston. The flight made Mom so sick she made Dad drive down there. That was when we took the photo of us in the bluebonnet field. We were lucky they only bloom in March. Don’t ever tell, but I picked one for my scrapbook.”
“Why would I tell?”
“For years I heard it was illegal to pick the state flower, but it isn’t. At the time, I did it because I wanted to be a bit of a delinquent. I think part of me wanted to be arrested. But who was going to give a ticket to the teenager puking her guts up after chemo? One look at Mom and I and the officer might have picked us a huge bouquet.”
“The photo you have hanging above your bed, isn’t it.”
“Yup. The last family photo. Mom and I in our brand-new wigs. My sister caked makeup on both of us. But it turned out nice. I think Mom knew when she planned the session it might be the last one.”
Araceli didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t often Candace opened up about her life. It was no big secret she was a cancer survivor. She was one of those rare people who’d acquired a chemotherapy-induced Alopecia that remained for nearly a decade. Candace had embraced the condition with bright, outrageous wigs and the occasional scarf in public. Around the house, she would often go au natural, especially in the studio. But she rarely spoke of her mother, who’d passed away from complications from her cancers.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
Araceli cut Candace off. “You didn’t. I needed the perspective for a moment. I have been a bit too deep in my own head today. It is worth waiting for Kyle to contact me before I go back to talking to my teddy-bear boyfriends.”
“You would have to dig them out anyway.” Candace gestured to the pile in the corner. “But for what it is worth, since I have only met him by video call, I think he is good for you.”
“I kind of think so too.” At least she hoped so. Seeing Mandy and Daniel tonight reminded her that having patience to work through things was the better course of action.
Kyle’s glimpse of the Gateway Arch as he turned to cross over the Mississippi and into Illinois wasn’t enough. He added visiting the landmark to his bucket list. His phone rang.
“What is this about you driving a thousand miles for a girl? You know, when I was your age, there was this song about walking five hundred miles for a girl.”
“I know, Dad. There are some great covers for the song. Marci listens to one of them daily.”
“So what are your intentions, exactly?”
“I know it’s fast, but I have been seriously thinking marriage.”
“How seriously?” His father’s voice lost the joking tone.
“Driving-sixteen-hours-across-the-country-to-apologize serious.”
“You should know Rich Williams called me awhile ago.”
“Celi’s dad? Why did he call you?”
“He watched the video of this morning’s interview. He wanted to know if you were going to break his daughter’s heart. You know how I felt about the idiot doctor who dated Cassie?”
“The one you wanted to report to the ethics committee for violating the ‘first do no harm’ thing?”
“I wanted to do more, but that was the only thing I could legally do. Well, Rich feels the same about you at the moment. If you are considering a proposal, I think you need to get his blessing pronto. Is there a place you can pull over?”
Kyle looked for an exit and saw a green sign. “There is an exit in two miles.”
“Then I’ll text you his number. Don’t delay. It’s an hour later there.”
“Will you text me Celi’s number, too?”
“Not until you get Rich’s blessing.”
Of course. But at some point he needed her number or he wasn’t going to be able to find her when he did get to Indiana. “Thanks, Dad.”
The next BP gas station beckoned. Kyle parked the truck and took a deep breath before dialing the number his father had sent.
“Hello, Mr. Williams? This is Kyle Evans.”
twenty-five
At 4:20 a.m. eastern time, Kyle pulled into a Walmart parking lot five miles from the art college. This was as cl
ose as he could get without an address. Rich Williams had refused to provide his daughter’s address, telling Kyle to think of it as a test of his dedication. Apparently, driving 1,087 miles was not enough.
Even if he knew Celi’s location, he couldn’t go there now. He had left without even a toothbrush and dribbled cola down his shirt near Kokomo. Kyle had never had much cause for twenty-four-hour shopping, but he couldn’t be more thankful for the bright lights of the supercenter. As he got out of his truck and headed for the door, a structure off to the side caught his eye. It looked like a vast, empty carport. It must be the Amish parking Celi had told him about in one of their phone chats. He’d noticed the buggy caution signs as he’d gotten off the main highway.
Kyle loaded his basket with travel-sized toiletries, two shirts, and more energy drinks than was strictly healthy, then he wandered down the snack aisle looking for sunflower seeds and anything crunchy for the drive home. His first meeting wasn’t until 11:00 a.m. on Monday, but it was a client he could not skip out on. The drive back would be brutal. He could fly and have his truck shipped, but a Texan just didn’t leave his truck.
This early on a Sunday morning, only a few picked-over flowers remained in the display. Thankfully, a couple of the bouquets looked more alive than dead. If he combined them, he could get a decent-looking bunch. He was glad he followed Marci’s advice and picked up the chocolate and denim bear. Still, it didn’t seem like he had quite the right things, so he wandered around the aisles looking for something to round out his gift.
It wasn’t perfect and cost less than twenty dollars, but if they were going to be in Haiti for three months, she would want it. Kyle debated between two different styles, choosing the one with the delicate curve. Guessing the right size was another problem. Hopefully Marci’s size would work.
The sleepy-eyed cashier looked up when he came to the last item on the belt—the flowers. “Man, I’d at least wait until sunrise before you give her these.”
“I plan to.” Kyle paid and went to brush his teeth.
Araceli glared at her phone. 7:10. Why would Mandy be calling?
“Hey, Mandy, what’s up?”
“We had a security breach, and . . .” Mandy paused while she laughed. “And, I think you need to get over here.” Mandy’s laughter came again. “Remember last night when I told Alex he could hit the next guy who came to the door?”
Tossing the covers off, Araceli sat up and rubbed her face. “Over the pizza delivery.”
“Alex wants a reason why not to hit this trespasser again. After yesterday, you get the final say.”
“Is this a pregnancy thing? You aren’t making any sense.”
Mandy was laughing so hard she couldn’t answer for a minute. Araceli stood and tossed her pillows back on her bed while she waited. Finally, Mandy spoke. “Kyle is here.”
Araceli shook her head. “What did you say?”
“Kyle is here.”
The bed spring creaked as Araceli collapsed onto it. “How? Why?”
“How? He drove here. Apparently you mentioned I lived behind the Crawford Family Community Center, and he didn’t have your phone number or address. As for why, you will need to ask Kyle. How soon can you be here?”
The reflection in her mirror begged for at least an hour to tame her bedhead. “Give me twenty minutes.”
“Okay, see you in twenty.”
“And, Mandy, don’t let Alex hit Kyle until I talk with him!” Araceli ran to the bathroom.
Abbie met her in the hall. “My father called. There has been an incident at the house, and I am to drive you up there as soon as you are ready.”
“I know. Mandy called. Give me fifteen.”
Araceli shut the bathroom door to the sound of Abbie’s laughter.
Twelve and half minutes later, Araceli watched out the window as Abbie hurried her truck along the quiet streets. Few ventured out this early on a Sunday.
Abbie’s phone beeped, and she tapped the Bluetooth in her ear. Her one-word answers gave no clue as to the conversation, but from the quick glance Abbie gave her, Araceli was sure someone was discussing her. Abbie drove past the road they usually took to Mandy’s and the Crawford mansion, turning on the next street down.
“Where are we going?”
“The back gate to the old property. Daniel still owns much of the land, including the pond. They wanted me to drop you off at the gazebo overlooking the pond.”
“What is going on?”
“You know as much as I do.” Abbie turned the car into a security gate and pushed a button above the mirror. The gate opened for them. She drove to the end of the road, where Alex stood, arms crossed, next to a truck with Texas plates.
When Abbie parked, Alex came over and opened the passenger-side door, then handed Araceli a whistle. “Mandy made me promise to stay here, but if anything goes down, you yell or use this. I’ll be over the hill faster than Usain Bolt running the two hundred in the Olympics.”
Araceli lifted the whistle in a salute and headed up the path.
Alex called after her. “And the bruise on his cheek was an accident!”
Okay, then . . . Araceli bit her lip and continued up the path.
The ducks startled at the sound of car doors slamming. Kyle turned his attention to the top of the hill. As soon as he saw Celi, he wanted to run to her like some old movie or cheesy commercial. Instead, he walked. A breeze caught some of her hair from her messy bun, making it dance in front of her face. She tucked it behind her ear only to have the wind catch it again.
Kyle hurried his next few steps. As he took the errant strand of hair in his fingers, everything he’d rehearsed fled on the breeze. He didn’t have words. She was there, the faint smell of her citrus shampoo or lotion filling the air around him with the essence he hadn’t realized he missed for the past three weeks until he smelled it again. He smoothed the hair behind her ear and let his hand linger, cupping her head, his thumb tracing the top of her cheekbone.
As she looked him in the eye, he thought he saw a thousand unanswered questions. Keeping his hand on the side of her head, he moved closer. Celi’s eyes fluttered closed, and he tried to answer all of her questions with a kiss. But the first brush was not enough. Neither was the second. He moved his other hand to her waist and pulled her closer. Celi matched his next kiss with answers of her own.
Kyle pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. “I was going to start by giving you flowers and apologizing for yesterday. I got thinking about you in the interview, wishing you were there. I didn’t realize until I watched it on my phone this morning how it looked and sounded. I was such a jerk not to correct the host, and then Jade and the kiss. And then—”
A finger on his lips stopped him. “You brought me flowers?”
He kissed the finger. “It is your birthday. And I brought you chocolate and a bear but no cake.”
Kyle stepped back and took Celi’s hand.
“Oh, he is adorable!” Celi dropped Kyle’s hand and picked up the denim bear. “Where did you find him?”
“At this quilt-and-souvenir shop in the Ozarks. The chocolate was from another shop near Springfield. The flowers are from the Walmart down the road. I thought of getting you something from every state, but by the time I thought of it, I’d already missed Oklahoma, unless you want my burner phone. And all the roadside shops were closed in Illinois other than the gas stations. And somehow getting you a coffee cup touting ‘The land of Lincoln’ didn’t seem romantic.” Kyle knew he was rambling, but he couldn’t stop as he led her down to the gazebo.
Celi played with the bear’s ears. “I can’t believe you drove here. Isn’t that like a thousand miles?”
Kyle nodded. He would drive a thousand more.
The flowers lay on the table in the center of the gazebo. Araceli picked them up to
smell them again. Underneath lay gray fabric. She picked up the shirt. “What is this?”
Kyle blushed a full-on blush. “Um, something that seemed perfect last evening that looks rather stupid in the light of day.
She read the shirt twice. “What a terrible pun. ‘Missouri without you.’ Were you?”
Kyle moved closer, and Araceli stepped into his arms. “Both literally and figuratively. Marci wouldn’t give me your number, so I couldn’t even call. But it gave me time to think.”
“About what?” She picked up the bear again. He would be so perfect for her collection. She didn’t have anything like him.
“About the fact that I should have driven to DFW and flown—gas prices go up as you get farther from Texas. And about how Indiana has really odd names, like Miami, Nead, and Tippecanoe—that last one is funny. I imagined a couple of different ways it got its name. And about how your father isn’t as scary as I think he pretends to be. And about how I have to be back in Irving by 11:00 am tomorrow. But mostly about you and us and things.”
Us. The word echoed inside Araceli’s head. Us felt right. Dad isn’t scary? Wait, what? She looked up to ask him at about the same time she felt something hard in the pocket that covered the bear’s chest. It felt like . . . No. It couldn’t be.
Araceli pulled a silver ring out of the pocket.
And Kyle was down on one knee. “I know this ring doesn’t have a real diamond, but it doesn’t mean what I feel isn’t real. Araceli Williams, will you be my wife?”
Tears formed, but unlike the ones she’d indulged in late last night, these were welcome tears. “Yes. Yes!” Her shout was loud enough to disturb the ducks in the pond. As Kyle stood, she launched herself into his arms, igniting a kiss that confirmed her acceptance of his proposal.
Kyle pulled back before one kiss melted into ten. “Let me put it on your finger.” He slipped the ring on her finger.
“You talked to my dad?”
