A Letter for Annie (7 page)

“Frankly? Relieved. If she wants to die at home, that is my wish, as well. Money isn’t an object.”

“I can only imagine how hard this is for you. She’s a valiant lady.” The doctor plucked a pen from the pocket of her lab coat and made a notation on the chart. “I’ll send up a social worker to talk with you later this morning.”

The wheels are in motion,
Annie thought, as she watched the doctor walk briskly down the corridor. And she was powerless to prevent the inevitable.

W
ALKING OUT
of the office toward his truck, preoccupied with thoughts of Geneva Greer, Annie and the day ahead, Kyle was surprised when Pete’s sister Margaret stepped out of her parked SUV. “Got a minute?” She stood stiffly, arms wrapped protectively around her waist.

Kyle shrugged. “Sure. What’s up?”

Margaret glanced around the parking lot as if fearful of discovery. “This won’t take long. Could we talk in your truck?”

He let Bubba out and held the door for her. “Be my guest.” She sat in the passenger seat, hands folded, her fingers working nervously.

Rounding the back of the vehicle, Kyle wondered what this was about. Margaret, the mother of two children, rarely came to Nemec Construction and even more rarely engaged him in more than perfunctory conversation.

Once in the truck, he turned to face her, his arm draped over the steering wheel. “Well?”

She didn’t bother with pleasantries. “I want to know about Annie Greer.”

The question was loaded. Keeping his tone neutral, Kyle said, “What exactly are you talking about and why me?”

“You, because you’ve been around her pretty constantly. And what exactly? How dare she come back here and stir up all these memories? It was easy enough for her to prance out of my brother’s life without so much as a fare-thee-well. Never a word, a letter, a phone call. Nothing. She broke Pete’s heart and never looked back. The thought of her being here in Eden Bay makes me sick.”

Kyle took a deep breath. Margaret’s anger was palpable—and understandable. She was eighteen months older than Pete, and they had always been extremely close. She had been his champion, supporting him in athletics, paving the way for him with teachers and delighting in his brotherly pranks, even when she herself was the target. Pete’s death had devastated all of the Nemecs, but Margaret had had a particularly rough time accepting the reality of it and she’d never forgiven Annie for causing Pete so much pain.

“She’s in town to care for Geneva Greer.”

“I know that. But wouldn’t you think since she’s shown up, she’d have the decency to tell us why she blew Pete off and left him heartbroken? Any caring person,
anyone,
would have had the decency to put him out of his misery and explain to him why she’d left in such a hurry. He’s not here to listen to whatever her story is, but we are. She owes us at least that. And then she needs to leave Eden Bay and never come back.”

What was there to say? Kyle had nursed those same thoughts. Why had Annie disappeared without any word to the young man she had claimed to love? In some ways, he wished he could lose himself in righteous indignation the way Margaret had, but then Annie’s face swam before him, and he knew their relationship was far beyond a simple solution. “What is it you’re wanting from me, Margaret?”

She buried her head in her hands. “I don’t know.” Seconds passed. “Maybe I’m hoping that if I just had an explanation, I could move on. But…” Her voice trailed off. When she lifted her head, her face was streaked with tears. “I miss Pete so much.”

Steeling himself against the ache in his chest, he laid a hand on her shoulder. “So do I. Every day.”

She turned toward him, her face ravaged. “Then how can you spend time with
her?
”

It was a question he’d asked himself. Was there an explanation? Not one that would satisfy the grief-stricken woman sitting beside him. “She’s hurt, too.”

An incredulous look hardened Margaret’s features. “Give me a break, Kyle. Don’t tell me you’re falling into her trap?”

Was that what it was? A trap? “Wait and see, Margaret. Right now Annie’s consumed with caring for her great-aunt. Maybe, with time…”

“Right. And I believe in the Easter bunny, too.” She swiped a hand across her face. “I’m sorry to have burdened you. I was out of line.” She grabbed the door handle.

He stopped her. “Don’t apologize, please. Grief hap
pens. I know that all too well. But give it more time, okay?”

As she left the truck, all he heard her say was “Whatever.”

C
AROLEE WAS
a few minutes late and breezed into the cafeteria, full of apology. “Sorry to keep you waiting, but we had a last-minute emergency.”

“Not…”

“Oh, dear, no. Not your great-aunt. In fact, her friend Frances is with her now.” She turned and eyed the serving line. “What looks good?”

“The special today is meat loaf. You eat here often. What’s your opinion?”

“First-class comfort food. Let’s go. I’m starving!”

The special came with potatoes and gravy and green beans. Back at their table, Annie stared at her plate, not sure if she could eat a bite. What did Carolee know about her? About Pete?

“My kids don’t like meat loaf, so this is a real treat.” Carolee was clearly having no difficulty eating.

Annie asked about her children, then managed a few bites of the remarkably good meat loaf while Carolee bragged about her three sons and her husband, who was a physical therapist. It was hard to resist Carolee’s amusing descriptions of her family and her hearty laugh. Gradually Annie found herself relaxing, caught up listening to Carolee, who finally paused and said, “Well, enough about me.” She set down her fork and leaned forward. “I’m so glad you’re back, Annie. I’ve thought of you often through the years. A confession.
When we were dance partners, I so wanted to be your new best friend.”

“You did? I think I would’ve loved that. Why weren’t we?”

“Um, I don’t quite know how to put this. Oh, what the heck. Frankly, I don’t think your mother thought I was quite good enough for you.”

Annie’s mouth dropped. “Oh, Carolee, I’m so sorry. What made you think that?”

“My mother invited you to my fifteenth birthday party.”

“I don’t remember that at all.”

“For good reason. You weren’t there. I’ve always suspected your mother intercepted the invitation. Anyway, she called and said that you couldn’t come, but didn’t give any reason. And you never said anything about it.”

“I’m so sorry. I would love to have come.” Annie shoved back her half-eaten plate. “Unfortunately, that sounds like my mother.”

“Well, that’s in the past. The thing is, I’m really glad we’ve reconnected.”

Annie tensed. Carolee didn’t know about Pete. She couldn’t. Annie would be as thoughtless as her mother if she let this charade continue. Beneath the table, she wrung her napkin into a coil. “You realize I left Eden Bay right after graduation.”

“Sure. And broke Pete Nemec’s heart.”

Annie gulped. “You know?”

“Everyone does. But, Annie, that was years ago. We’ve all moved on. I hope you have, too.”

Annie sat in stunned silence. Was it possible, just possible, that there were others in Eden Bay who had
moved on, as well? Who might, someday, be able to forgive her?

“Annie, what’s the matter?”

Damn. She didn’t want to cry here in the middle of the cafeteria. “You’re being so very kind. I…I…”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

If you only knew.
“Being back in Eden Bay is very difficult for me.”

“I understand. Your aunt—”

“Beyond that. Not all of my memories of this place are good.” She felt the truth bubbling up, choking her. But this was not the time, not the place. Carolee’s sympathy was weakening her defenses.

“Do you want to talk about that sometime?”

“No!” Annie’s stomach cramped. “I mean, I’m sorry. You’ve been so understanding, but I’ve worked through all of that.”
Liar, liar, liar!

“Enough said. On a lighter subject, I’ve enjoyed our lunch together. I’m wondering if we could do it again sometime?”

Carolee’s acceptance of her made Annie long for what might have been. “Maybe.”

Carolee gathered the remains of her lunch onto her tray and stood. “I need to get back.” Then she paused and smiled at Annie. “You call me. Anytime.”

Then she was gone. Annie sat nursing her iced tea. She couldn’t remember when she had felt such warmth and welcome. A far cry from her encounter with Margaret on the beach. Carolee was offering friendship—something Annie desperately wanted. But how could she risk it?

K
YLE HAD THOUGHT
he would enjoy working on the Greer cottage roof with no one at home. He was wrong. All day he’d felt unsettled, expecting Annie to come out the door at any moment or Geneva to remind him of one more exacting task he needed to complete. The old lady had endeared herself to him on that very first visit when she had shared her commitment to maintaining the craftsmanship of the place. Her demise would be the end of an era. Not many of these early coastal houses were still in the hands of their original owners, and certainly few people had much interest in preserving the houses as they once were. These days it was more about adding a workout room or floor-to-ceiling glass on the ocean side.

He gave a final tap of the hammer at the ridge line, then sat back, legs outstretched, to watch the sunlight play over the whitecaps crashing against the rocky shoreline. A view like this was beyond price.

He was loading his gear into the truck bed and letting Bubba stretch his legs when he noticed Annie’s Honda cresting the rise. She had to be exhausted. As she got out of the car, she gave him a weak wave. Coming toward him, she looked defenseless and forlorn, and every single one of his protective instincts surfaced.

He kicked at a pebble. He felt sorry for her, sure, but he had to put a lid on his feelings. Even without his encounter with Margaret this morning, he knew that being around Annie was dangerous. Everything argued against any involvement with her—his loyalty to Pete, his position with the Nemecs and especially his anger with her for walking out on Pete all those years ago. It would take
more than a pitiful whimper to defuse that. If she could be so cavalier about leaving Pete high and dry, wouldn’t she treat Kyle the same way?

He waited, color rising to his face. The more he tried to put a lock on his emotions, the more intense they became. She stopped in front of him. He steeled himself. He wouldn’t, no, he wouldn’t, put his arms around her. The wind stiffened and she hugged herself.

“Well?” he finally said.

She pulled up the hood of her sweatshirt and shrugged. “The news isn’t good.”

“How do you mean?”

She looked at the sky then straight back at him, her eyes brimming with tears. “I’m bringing her home to die.”

Afterward, replaying the scene on his way home, he wondered what in hell had happened to his resolve, his high-and-mighty thoughts about steering clear of Annie Greer. All he knew was that no power on earth could have kept him from gathering her into his arms and rocking her in rhythm with the surf and the storm of her sobs.

Finally, her emotions under control, she’d invited him in, fixed sandwiches and told him about the plans to bring her great-aunt home and about her chance meeting with Carolee. No sooner had they finished eating than he could see she was anxious to return to the hospital.

He’d walked her to her car. “If there’s anything you need, anything I can do…” His words hung impotently in the cool night air.

“I’ll be fine,” she assured him. Neither one of them believed her.

“Here,” he said, digging out his business card. “Let me give you my home contact information, too.” He scribbled his home address and phone number. “But you can almost always reach me on my cell.”

“You don’t have to go to all this trouble on my account.”

“If Pete were here, it’s what he’d do.”

She gazed out to sea. The name echoed in the silence. Pete—the issue that lay between them, the pain that never went away.

When she turned back to Kyle, her eyes were clear, her shoulders straight. Then she’d left for the hospital without saying goodbye.

Before he even got into bed that night, Kyle knew the dream would come, insistent and unrelenting. He saw Bubba, sprawled at the foot of the bed, waiting for him, and Rita’s words came back to taunt him. Yep, for a bed partner, he had a beast, not a woman. Honesty, like a knife, sliced through him. The only woman he wanted was off-limits to him. Annie Greer.

Kyle counted sheep long after Bubba was snoring contentedly. Then he tried counting backward from a thousand by sevens. Still, his muscles remained tense, his eyes grainy. Wanting Annie was like coveting your brother’s wife. Not acceptable. He knew that. He knew, too, that none of this made any sense. The very last woman on earth to whom he should be attracted was the love of Pete’s life.

And until he knew what had really happened between Pete and Annie, he could not allow his feelings to take
control. But would she ever tell him? If she never did, then all this sleeplessness and preoccupation was an exercise in futility.

Finally, his eyes closed and he could feel himself descending into the black hole of sleep.

At three in the morning, he awoke with a jolt and sat up in bed, his face drenched, the clunk of the ax falling on Pete’s neck reverberating in his brain. He went into the bathroom and doused his head under cold water. Slowly the room came into focus and the nightmare faded to gray, then black. He stood staring into the mirror, his eyes sunk deep into his face.

Okay, okay. He’d put it off long enough. He returned to the bedroom and flicked on the small lamp on his dresser. Opening the third drawer, he searched with his fingertips under his socks. At the back of the drawer, he finally felt it. The edge of an envelope. Extracting it from the drawer, he dropped it on the dresser top. Its wrinkles and smudges bore mute witness to the fact it had been carried around in his pocket for many months. Through the years, Kyle had done his damnedest not to think about what was inside.