by Elsa Kurt
Sandy nodded and followed him into the kitchen from the garage. She didn’t feel like being alone either and would text one of the workers to take her place in the morning. Putting on a business face wasn’t in her mood.
She still kept silent when Aaron showed her the room she’d be using and the attached bathroom. She closed the door, went to the bathroom, and sat on the toilet. Sandy noticed a voice mail and a message but ignored it. She texted a co-worker named Paul to cover the Saturday shift and he volunteered to do Sunday’s too. Sandy took him up on it.
She was scared to read Clint’s message but knew it needed to be done.
Clint: Where did you go? I saw you get into a car. Are you okay? We need to talk.
Sandy thought about ignoring the message. She didn’t want to sound like a baby and call him back. She listened to the message and it repeated what he’d put in his text.
Sandy: I can’t go on with this. I don’t want your mom always thinking I’m after your money because I’m poor. Read the article. It’s all true.
She knew by admitting she had a bad past, her relationship with Clint was done. Her dreams of finding a man to love and keep were over. Sandy finished in the bathroom and flopped on the bed.
The thoughts of getting back with Aaron seemed to drift back in place. She could get over his attack in the alley and knew he wanted her. Not sure about love, but he would give her a steady life. Aaron didn’t know the full details of her past in a juvenile house, but he did know she caused some trouble. He didn’t care. He wasn’t a perfect teen, either.
To test her feelings, she got up and went to Aaron’s room and knocked. “You awake?”
“Come in. I was hoping you’d come to see me.” He sat at his desk typing and closed the program he was on. “Want a drink or food? I have a full fridge.”
“No. I don’t want to sleep alone.”
“I knew you’d crawl back to me.” He got up and unclicked his belt.
“No Aaron. I’m not ready. I want somebody by me.”
He shook his head. “I can never figure you out. It’s my place, so nobody can stop us.” He did take his belt off, but kept his clothes on, as did Sandy.
She laid on top of the bedding and used a quilt to cover her. Aaron turned off the lights and got under the quilt too. “You going to tell me why we’re doing this with nothing happening?”
“No. Goodnight.” Sandy hoped doing this would help her decide who she wanted.
Sandy felt no connection during the night. Every time she fell asleep, she woke up with Aaron’s arm wrapped around her. It felt like she was sleeping with a brother if she had one. Disgusting.
She looked at the clock and saw the time. Two-thirty in the morning. She knew it was time to go. Slowly moving to the edge of the bed to get off, Aaron half opened his eyes. “Where are you going?”
“Bathroom.”
He grunted, turned, and snored.
Sandy got her belongings and tiptoed to the kitchen. She found a piece of paper, grabbed a pen from her purse, and wrote a quick note.
I tried to feel for you again. I’m sorry but it’s not going to work.
She went to put the pen back in her purse but added one more sentence.
Thanks for picking me up.
Aaron lived on the outskirts of Northgate, so finding a taxi would be easy. She almost wished Clint knew where she was so he could pick her up like Aaron did. Sandy knew she needed to stop thinking about the man she fell in love with at first sight.
Her past would always be a black mark against her. She wanted to tell Clint when the timing was right. Sandy knew it needed to be sooner rather than later.
Sandy knew a relationship with Aaron would be for his benefit, not hers. No love. More like roommates and one would block her feelings of being used and abused for the other to get his pleasure.
Sandy’s last thought got her thinking. How did Aaron know I was in Olympia? He did say his friends were down the road, but why would he leave early? It wasn’t even eight o’clock. Is he stalking me?
She continued to trace her steps back from the night he attacked her. He sent her the roses. Sandy also felt someone was staring at her at times. She shivered. After three blocks of walking, Sandy saw a taxi parked at a convenience store.
The taxi driver came out of the store and Sandy asked if he could give her a ride. He was eating a sandwich on his lunch break, but Sandy saw in his expression he knew she needed to get home. It was a quick ride with no traffic.
Chapter 7
Sleep was a nightmare. She tossed and turned as if ants were crawling over her body. Around five thirty in the morning, a soft knock sounded on her door. “Sandy. Are you asleep?” Laura whispered loud enough to get through the door.
“Trying to.”
“Paul’s here, so I knew you were gone or sick.”
“Sick. I need to rest.”
“Let me know if you need anything. Are you okay?”
Sandy tried to hold back the tears. “No.” She could tell Laura stood for a bit longer, waiting for an explanation or an invitation to come in. She got neither and left.
Saturday afternoon, Sandy called Heather and filled her in on the past couple weeks. Heather got mad Sandy didn’t tell her about Aaron and didn’t mind at all hearing about her troubled daily life.
Since Paul said he’d work for Sandy on Sunday too, she went to Bellevue and spent the rest of the weekend with Heather. Her husband was out of town, so the two young ladies had the big house to themselves. They watched movies, went to the mall, and talked.
While there, Aaron texted twice and chewed Sandy out for leaving him after he saved her. Clint texted once and restated he wanted to talk to her. She cried.
Friday came in a blink of an eye as the café was crowded with customers and Sandy kept herself busy. She’d gone to the University of Washington to get prepped for registration the coming fall and pick the classes she wanted to take.
Laura had gone to the store to stock up for the weekend for the café. In the last hour before closing, Sandy spent most of the time in front doing tables and greeting customers, Ruth ran the register, and Paul cooked.
Only a couple of customers were left when Laura returned. After she placed the grocery bags on the counter in the kitchen and had a brief conversation with Paul, Laura came into the dining area holding a magazine.
“You need to sit.”
Sandy furrowed her brow. “Why?” She sat at the table she’d finished wiping and scooted over, as Laura wanted to sit by her.
“Look what jumped out at me at the grocery store checkout.” Laura put a tabloid magazine on the table in front of Sandy.
“That’s Clint.” She read the headline, Kylie Courier and Clint Jackson: A billionaire match made in heaven? and saw how he looked at the lady holding his hand. “He was supposed to be in Portland, not The Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony in Canton, OH with another girl. Maybe it’s a lie so he could go see his girlfriend in another state.” Sandy continued to stare at the picture in shock.
“He seemed nice when I met him, but you did latch on quickly, if you know what I mean. You could’ve been right about Clint being a user when he’s in need.”
“Excuse me.” Sandy waited for Laura to stand and got out of the booth, rolling up the magazine and putting it in a drawer under the register. “I’ll take care of it after work.” She went back to wiping tables. In the next few minutes, the last customers left and Laura closed shop.
Sandy put the mop away and received a phone call. The number was listed as private, so she almost didn’t answer, thinking it was a scam call. Something told her to answer it.
Sandy: Hello.
June: Sandy?
Sandy: Yes.
June: This is June, and before you hang up, could you please listen to me?
Sandy put pressure on the side of her face by her eye with her free hand. She could feel a migraine starting.
Sandy: Okay. I guess I need to apologize for running out.
June: You have no reason to apologize. I’m the one who spoke out of turn. It hurt both you and Clint. And before you say anything about Clint, please save it. Chet and I would like to take you out for dinner tomorrow, if possible? Then we can clear things up.
Sandy: I guess so.
June: Be in front of your café at six o’clock. Does the time work for you?
Sandy: ’Kay.
She put the cell in her pocket and went into the kitchen. “Please don’t worry if you hear a scream. All will be fine after, so don’t run to my rescue.” Sandy didn’t wait for a response and went back into the empty dining room. She took the magazine out of the drawer, looked into the eyes of Clint, and screamed.
She rolled it up again and went through the kitchen, “All is well.” She continued out the back door to her favorite place, the dumpster. It was a place to fall in love and a place to trash the same feeling. She ripped off the cover, tossed the rest of the magazine, and stared at the cover showing the man she loved, the man she slept with, and the man who tore her heart into shreds.
“How could you do this to me? You told me you loved me like you loved Brie. Do you tell your sad story to every lady you meet so she feels sorry for you? I felt sad for you. I believed you loved me for being me and not a replacement for your dead fiancée.”
Sandy inhaled, getting ready to tell the picture of Clint off before she shredded it for good. “I’m not a billionaire like Kylie or a dancer like Brie. I’m Sandy. The lady who works for a living to make ends meet. I’m the lady who still loves you when I want to hate you. My knight in shining armor. My romance in the alley. The book I never wrote but dreamed of living.”
“Please don’t scream. You’re safe with me.” Clint placed his hand on Sandy’s back.
She jumped back, gasping. “Keep your hands off me. What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to see you. I need to tell you about the cover.”
“An excuse?” She stepped back a couple steps.
“I can say you told me to take a hike when I wanted to talk.”
“You sure did jump into another relationship fast. It only took one day to make front page headlines. I should’ve known.”
“Another reason I wanted to talk to you on Saturday. Dad got sick and I went in his place to The Hall of Fame. He said it was a must.”
“What does it have to do with us?”
“Everything. I heard most of what you were saying to my picture.”
“So now you’re eavesdropping on me. I have one guy following me around and one listening to everything I say.” She pointed at Clint. “Next, one will have a mini-drone following me around and watching my every move.”
Clint put his hands into his pockets and looked down at his feet.
“Oh, and your mom called and wants to take me out to dinner tomorrow with your dad. Go figure. She did somewhat apologize for her rude comments, but I have no idea why they want to meet with me, let alone take out a poor girl with a juvenile record. Do they feel sorry for me now?”
Sandy held up the picture at eye level for Clint to see. “What’s in this picture that you want me to view? You look happy.”
“Mind if I take the cover and show you?” He took a couple steps closer to Sandy.
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She stayed put in her spot as Clint came and stood beside her, taking the cover.
“Brendan is standing next to Kylie, but they cut him off. I think they’re a couple.” He pointed to the edge of the magazine where a small part of Kylie’s arm wasn’t posted. “Some punk wanted to make a quick buck and the picture looks worse than it was. I was leaning forward because I’d dropped my voice to offer my condolences over her grandfather’s passing.” Clint handed the cover back to Sandy. “This picture was only a lucky shot.”
“You’ve never met Kylie before?”
Clint got down on his knees and took Sandy’s hand as if he was going to propose to her. “I promise I haven’t. I only know Brendan by meeting him a couple times in the past. I would never cheat on you.”
Sandy voice quivered. “I don’t know if I should believe you or not, but I want to.” She looked at the picture again. “You don’t care I had a juvenile record?”
“Are you having an adult problem?”
She thought for a moment. “If still loving you counts, yes.”
He stood and opened his arms to offer a hug. Sandy accepted. “Do you believe I will never drop you for another person?”
“I’ll take my chance.”
Chapter 8
Clint had plans for the rest of the day on Friday but confirmed his time to pick up Sandy on Saturday to take her to the Space Needle instead of his parents. Sandy was fine having the night to herself to rebalance her emotions.
As usual, she texted Heather and emphasized the part where Clint was down on his knees, almost begging for her forgiveness. How could a lady not believe a man really begging for forgiveness? Heather agreed it did sound true and to follow her heart.
Sandy worked on Saturday, grateful it was another busy day to make the time go by fast. But after one o’clock, the time seemed to slow down. She was nervous. She ended up going for a walk around Seattle to clear her mind.
It didn’t help Sandy to stop thinking about Clint and meeting his parents again. She hoped his parents would forgive her about her past even though June said she did. It could’ve been a cover to lay it on Sandy again.
Clint came on time and reassured Sandy all would be okay. They lucked out and found a parking spot by the Space Needle. “You said you’ve only been up once?”
Sandy watched the elevator going up to the top and her palms got damp. She didn’t think she’d be scared as an adult, but her childhood nerves kicked in gear. “Only once.”
“My parents are at the reserved seats by the window waiting for us.”
“Oh boy.”
“You nervous?” Clint put his arm around Sandy.
“The truth? Hell yeah.”
Clint chuckled as they made it to the ticket booth. “You’re something else and that’s one of the reasons I love you. Full of surprises.” He bought the tickets and waited a few minutes until it was their turn to go up in the elevator.
“Surprises?”
“I haven’t heard a curse word out of your month in the short time I’ve known you and to hear one bolt out of your lips I adore makes me happy.” Sandy raised her shoulder and hand in an ‘okay’ expression.
As they were led to the reserved table by the hostess, Clint’s parents stood, and June greeted Sandy with a hug. “Please forgive me. I tend to overstep my boundaries. The moment I met you on the boat I knew I liked you.” She sniffed, holding back a tear.
Sandy didn’t like to get emotional, but she felt the love in June’s hug. “It’s okay. It hurts, but I knew I needed to tell Clint before he wanted to get serious.” She let go of the hug.
“Can we start from the beginning again?”
Sandy nodded. Chet gave her a half hug and sat back down after holding the chair out for June. Clint did the same for Sandy.
The night went off joyfully and Sandy felt comfortable at the end. She was asked questions and explained more about what happened to her parents and why Sandy felt bad. She went to a friend’s house after school without telling her parents. They called around and found out where she went.
On the way to pick Sandy up, a drunk driver ran a stop sign and ran into them head-on. Sandy took the blame for years, thinking even if they were one to two seconds ahead or behind when they left, the accident wouldn’t have happened.
After counseling in the detention center, Sandy learned even if she did disobey, it wasn’t her fault her parents died. She still felt guilty at times.
They also talked about Brie. Clint was twenty-one and she had graduated from high school a couple months before they met at a business party. Brie’s brother had worked for Chet’s company and she came along for the fun.
Brie eyed Clint for th
e night, and when the music started and people danced, she was brave enough to ask Clint out. They went out casually at first, but by Christmas time they were serious. The rest of the story Sandy knew. Clint also felt it was his fault for not watching Brie at the moment she fell.
The night ended and each couple went on their merry way. Clint parked his truck by the dumpster in the alley, opened the door for Sandy, and held her in his arms by the trash.
“It stinks like high hell.”
Sandy giggled. “Yes, it does. But it has a special place in my heart.”
“It’s not the place to make memories tonight.”
Sandy expressed a curious look.
Clint smiled and led his beautiful lady into his building and up the elevator to his penthouse. He unlocked the door and let Sandy go in first. “I have a question to ask you in a moment.”
“Okay. What?”
“Wait. First I want to tell you something.” He pointed to the couch, “Want to sit?” She sat. He continued to walk around in his living room as if thinking. “I’ve haven’t had a place to call my own since graduation. It seemed useless, because of all the traveling for work, to get settled. Hotels and my parents’ house are all I know, but there was no place I could call mine.”
He went to the fridge. “I don’t have a bar set up yet, but do you want a drink? Soda, milk, water?”
“I’m fine, thanks.” She could tell Clint was nervous.
“So, as I was saying, when the opportunity came to redo this building—we got a contract for a furniture store and a souvenir store ready to open in a month.”
“Really? So fun. More business for Sandy Beach Café; might have to extend the hours.”
“Maybe. Anyway, I want a place for myself even if I can’t live in it twenty-four seven. I can call it mine and I want to share it. I’m tired of living by myself.”
