Sara's Promise (14 page)

Annie stared at William in disbelief. She knew how it felt to be unloved by your own flesh and blood, but to have your own parents shun you, that was unbearable to think about. "That's so sad," she said, reaching out to place her hand over William's. "Sometimes people don't understand how hurtful their actions can be."

William nodded before continuing. "When they came out for Sara's funeral, they blamed me for her death. Both her father and mother told me that I didn't take good enough care of her, that I didn't love her enough to let her have a life of her own. They said I'd taken her art away from her and because of that, she'd died."

Annie gasped. "That's awful How can anyone be so mean?"

William stared at the table. "In a way, I believed them. I didn't take good care of Sara. I let her take care of me and the kids. She never did get to finish her paintings either. She'd start to paint and life would take her away from it. Our life together did take her away from the one thing she loved to do, paint."

Heartbroken by William's words, Annie reached out and gently caressed his face with her fingertips. Their eyes met. "You know that isn't true. Your house is filled with Sara's love and reflects how much she loved you, the kids, and her life. She would have eventually found time to finish her paintings, if she'd lived. Her parents were wrong to say those things to you. They didn't know how much love you and Sara shared."

William reached up, cupping Annie's hand in his. "Thank you for understanding. Most women wouldn't put up with me talking so much about my deceased wife. But you understand. Thank you for listening."

Annie smiled. "I could help you plan Sam's party, if you'd like me to. I've never done anything like it before, but it can't be too hard to find a caterer and order a cake. I can talk to Sam and see what type of food he'd like."

"That would be wonderful," William said, the sadness in his eyes dissipating. "Are you sure you don't mind? I don't want to intrude on your time."

"It's not an intrusion, I offered. I'll talk to Cherise. She'll have some good ideas, too. Just let me know the date and time, and I'll put something together."

That evening, after spending the afternoon with William at the beach and talking with Sam about his party, William drove Annie home to her condo. She began looking up information about caterers online. She still had two months before the graduation in June, so she felt she had enough time to put something together. William had wanted her to stay the night again, but they both had meetings early Monday morning, so they decided it would be best to stay at their own places.

After jotting down some notes for the party, Annie took out her camera and downloaded the photos she'd taken on the trails at Multnomah Falls, and some she'd taken at the beach in front of William's house today. Several of the shots at the falls were stunning, so she decided to place some on her website as samples of her work. Although she acquired most of her assignments through referrals from the many magazines for which she freelanced, she did occasionally receive inquiries from potential clients who viewed her website. She hoped to branch out from photographing homes and landscapes to possibly working with travel magazines or websites, so the shots from the waterfalls would be good advertisement.

Just as Annie climbed into bed, William called to say goodnight. Annie smiled into the phone as William told her what a great weekend he'd had and how much he already missed her. "I can't wait to hold you again," he told her as Annie snuggled in bed with her head on her pillow.

"Me, too," she said, feeling happy and content. "Maybe tomorrow night?"

"Until tomorrow night then," he said before they both clicked off their phones.

Annie fell asleep feeling for the first time ever that she had finally found a man she could seriously consider spending the rest of her life with.

William lay in bed, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts that wouldn't let him fall asleep. He missed Annie's warm body beside him. The realization that he missed her this much hit him like a brick. He'd spent five years sleeping alone and had eventually become used to it, but after only two nights with Annie, he missed the closeness and comfort of having someone beside him throughout the night.

His thoughts turned to the night before, when they had made love. Annie surprised him. She was intelligent, hard working, and serious, yet sexy and playful, all rolled into one adorable package. She couldn't be any more different from Sara than night and day, yet his feelings for her had grown so quickly, he was surprised. He wondered if he was falling in love with Annie. He'd only been in love once in his life, true love, and he never thought he'd find another woman to love again like he'd loved Sara. Maybe he'd been wrong. Maybe the idea that a person could have only one soul mate in a lifetime was wrong. Although he used to chuckle at Sara's insistence that they were connected forever, deep in his heart he had always wanted to believe it. But forever was a long time, and William didn't like the idea of being alone for the rest of his life.

William didn't know for sure if what he felt for Annie was true love, but he did know that he couldn't wait to see her again. With thoughts of Annie, William finally drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Chapter Twelve

After their long weekend together, Annie spent most nights over at William's house in the warm embrace of his arms. If either of them had to be up early for work, she stayed at her own place. The arrangement worked out well, allowing them the space they needed to pursue their work, yet the time they wanted to build their relationship.

Annie loved staying with William and being in his house. From the very beginning, he made her feel welcomed and she felt happy and content staying there. The first morning, she ran into Sam in the kitchen. She was still in her nightshirt, and he was just ready to walk out the door for school. She noticed he didn't look startled by her being there.

"Are you okay with me staying here?" she'd asked Sam outright. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable in your home."

Sam had smiled shyly. "My dad hasn't been this happy since before Mom died," he told her. "You make him happy, so I'm okay with you being here."

Annie couldn't help but run over and give Sam a big hug. "Thanks, Sam. But be sure to tell me if I annoy you in any way, Okay?"

Sam chuckled, sounding so much like his father. "Okay," he'd said before slipping out the door, his backpack slung over his shoulder. After that, Annie didn't feel self-conscious about running into Sam when she stayed overnight.

She'd also come upon William's housekeeper, Alma, several times, usually in the morning. Each time, Alma smiled and said hello, never batting an eye at the fact that Annie was there. Alma was an older woman who was short and quite round, but she amazed Annie at how easily she accomplished all of her tasks with such great efficiency. 

It wasn't until the second week she'd been staying overnight that Annie saw Sandy. It was a Friday night, and Annie had been awakened by the color dream around two in the morning. Unable to sleep, she quietly slipped out of bed and went downstairs to the kitchen to make herself a cup of hot cocoa. When she was a little girl, her father made her hot cocoa to warm up after an especially cold day outside on a wintry day, and he drank one along with her. It was one of the few happy memories she had of him and, even after all these years, drinking hot cocoa helped to soothe her.

Just as Annie sat down at the cozy breakfast nook table, the yellow mug filled to the brim, the kitchen door opened. Sandy stepped in, carefully closing and locking the door behind her. After Sandy clicked the deadbolt, she looked up and saw Annie sitting there in her nightshirt. Their eyes met and locked.

"Good morning," Annie said, trying to sound friendly. She noticed that Sandy looked disheveled, her makeup was smeared, her hair was falling out of its ponytail, and her clothes looked to have been put back on hastily.

"So, you're spending the night now, huh?" Sandy said, walking unsteadily over toward Annie.

"Does that bother you?" Annie asked in an even tone.

Sandy shrugged. "Why should I care?" She pulled out the chair opposite from Annie and sat down.

Annie kept her voice calm. "Like I told Sam, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable in your home. So if my being here bothers you, tell me now."

Sandy stared at her for one long moment before answering. "My dad hasn't had much to be happy about since my mom died," she said. "If having you here makes him happy, then it's fine with me."

Slowly, Annie smiled. She hadn't expected Sandy to be so accepting of her relationship with her father.

"So, what are you doing up?" Sandy asked. "Waiting for me to come home?"

Annie chuckled. Sandy did know how to provoke. "No, believe it or not, I couldn't sleep. I made some hot cocoa to help me relax. Do you want a cup? It's still fresh."

Sandy looked at the yellow mug filled with cocoa and marshmallows. She noticed that Annie was using her mother's mug but didn't say so. "What is it, that crappy instant stuff?"

Annie feigned offense. "Are you kidding?" she asked, standing up and heading over to the stove. "This is the real thing, the way hot cocoa is meant to be made. Real milk, cocoa, and sugar all heated up in a pan on the stove." Annie opened the cupboard next to the stove and pulled out a Disney mug with a princess on it.

"That's how my mom used to make it," Sandy said. "Sure. I'll have a cup."

"Good." Annie carefully poured the hot liquid into the mug, then dropped three large marshmallows into it. "The only way to drink cocoa," she said as she placed the steaming mug in front of Sandy. "Fresh, hot, and with three marshmallows on top."

Sandy stared with narrowed eyes at the mug of cocoa, the marshmallows floating on top, then back at Annie who sat down in her chair.

"Something wrong?" Annie asked, taking a sip of her cocoa.

"How did you know that I liked it with three marshmallows? And that this was the mug I used?"

Annie frowned. She had no idea how she knew, but she thought quickly. "Well, I'm guessing that Sam doesn't use a princess mug. And if it's your father's mug, then maybe I should be worried."

This brought a slight smile to Sandy's lips. "Ha, ha. What about the marshmallows?"

"I've always used three large marshmallows in my cocoa," Annie said. "My dad made it that way for me."

Sandy picked out one of the fluffy treats and popped it in her mouth. "It's the way my mom always made it for me, that's all." After taking a sip of cocoa, Sandy looked back up at Annie. "Are you even old enough for my dad? You look like you're in your twenties."

"Well, thank you for the compliment. I think. I'm thirty-six, so you don't have to worry that your dad is robbing the cradle."

"Oh," Sandy looked at her mug. "That's how old my mother was when she died."

A chill ran up Annie's spine upon hearing this. Sitting there, for just a moment, Sandy looked like a little girl lost. Annie's heart went out to her. She understood the feeling completely. Annie placed her elbows on the table, her chin on her clasped hands, and leaned in closer to Sandy. "Can I ask you about your mom?"

Sandy shrugged. She took another sip of the hot drink. "What do you want to know?"

"How did your mother die?" Annie asked.

A tiny crease appeared between Sandy's eyes. "Didn't my dad tell you?"

"No. We've talked a lot about your mother, but I never asked him how she died."

Sandy fiddled with her mug a moment, grasping it with both hands and rolling it gently between her palms, absorbing its warmth. She let out a small sigh. "Mom wasn't the type of person to say if she felt sick. She just kept going about her business, even if she didn't feel good. So the day she died, no one had any idea she was in so much pain until it was too late."

"Too late? What happened?"

"My mom's appendix burst, but we didn't know it until hours after it happened. My dad and Sam had been at the driving range, and I was in my room. When Dad came home, he saw Mom on the sofa, looking deathly pale. He took her to the emergency room as quickly as he could, and they operated, but it was too late. She died during surgery." Sandy pushed a stray strand of her blonde hair behind her ear and stared down at her mug. The marshmallows were melting and becoming gooey.

Annie sat in silence, thinking back to when her appendix had burst, and she'd also been operated on. Just by the luck of the draw, she'd survived, and Sara hadn't. "Were you and Sam there, at the hospital?"

Sandy nodded. "Maybe if Dad hadn't gone to the golf course with Sam, or if I'd come out of my room earlier that night, maybe we would have been able to help her in time. But we didn't. Mom took care of us, not the other way around."

Annie reached out and touched Sandy's arm. She was relieved that Sandy didn't try to shrug away. "It wasn't anyone's fault. It's just one of those awful things that happen. I had a similar experience a few years ago. My appendix burst, and I didn't know what was causing the pain until hours later. Your mother probably didn't know why she was in pain."

Sandy lifted her eyes to meet Annie's. Staring at Annie, she was reminded so much of her mother's eyes, of the mother she'd lost.