Waiting for You (4 page)

Her fingers trembled as she gripped the package in her hands. She walked over to the nearest bench under the large oak tree and sat down. She stared at the envelope like it was a Viper rearing to bite her. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest as the anxiety threatened to engulf her.

Suck it up
she chided herself.
You have been through worse. This is the end of it. This makes it final
.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before ripping off the seal and withdrawing the wad of papers. She browsed through the now familiar words. Dissolution of marriage. Cited reasons, criminal convictions, irreconcilable differences and cruelty. She shut her eyes and breathed in again, this time a breath of relief. It was over. It was finally over. She was free. The heaviness in her chest eased.

She lifted her head and found herself staring across the street at the bakery. Definitely in need of a sugary treat to celebrate.

She scooped up her freedom papers and headed across the street, an added skip in her step and a lightness in her chest. The bell above the door chimed as she entered the store, the sweet smell of melting chocolate and vanilla wafting up to greet her. The bakery was a small quaint building which had obviously been re-done in the years since Audrey had left Crystal Valley. The walls were painted a dark brown with pastel pink and green décor. It looked light and happy and definitely a place one would go to, to find their decadence. All around the store were glass cabinets lined with trays upon trays of deliciousness. From cookies to cakes, pastries and tarts. Audrey’s mouth watered and her fingers tingled with indecision.

“Audrey Kelly?” the feminine voice behind the counter questioned.

Audrey turned and came face to face with her childhood friend. “Emma?”

The blond beauty’s face broke into a grin as she came around the counter. Audrey was a little surprised when Emma rushed toward her and enveloped her in a warm hug. The embrace was foreign and yet her body craved and accepted the closeness. She snaked her arms around the other woman and returned the hug.

“I can’t believe you are back in town,” the bombshell announced as she pulled back. She regarded Audrey from head to toe. Audrey expected to feel sized up, instead all she got from Emma was appreciation. “You look amazing. Wow New York certainly suits you.”

Audrey blushed and pasted on her society smile, not wanting her friend to see through her façade. “Look at you!” she countered in an attempt to take the focus off herself. “You look just as stunning as you always did. And you’re working here now?”

“I work here, I bake here, and I sometimes sleep here. Comes with the territory of being the owner.”

“You own this place?” Audrey’s pride for her friend bloomed and she was surprised by the foreign emotion. “You always did have a flair for confectionary. It looks stunning Emma. You did a great job.”

Emma’s cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. “Hard work and years of sample tastings,” she joked. “People in this town love to eat but they love to eat free more than anything else. So every time something new is created, I send out my freebies and just like sheep to the slaughter, they come back for more.”

Audrey’s lips turned up in a smile and she was surprised that it was actually genuine. Listening to her friend’s ease made her happy. Being in Emma’s presence was like a breath of fresh air.

“So, what brings you to Crystal Valley? Is Grandpa Joe ok?” Emma’s brow furrowed in concern.

Audrey waved her manicured hand in dismissal as she watched Emma work the coffee machine and round up some treats on a plate. “Oh no, nothing like that. Grandpa is fine. Fit as a fiddle for his ripe old age. You know him, never can sit still, always wanting to keep busy with this or that. I just came by to visit.”

Emma placed two cups of coffee and the plate of goodies on a small table and gestured for Audrey to sit.

Audrey almost declined, not wanting to have to answer questions about her return to Crystal Valley but the aroma of the fresh coffee and pastries enveloped her and she found herself sinking into the chair involuntarily.

Emma pushed the plate of tarts toward her and Audrey tested a custard and chocolate fold over. She took a bite and actually moaned out loud as she closed her eyes and savored the amazing flavor. The smooth custard with the creamy chocolate was an orgasmic combination. When she opened he eyes, Emma was regarding her expectantly.

“What do you think?” she prompted anxiously.

“Oh my God, Em, these are amazing.” She took another bite, wanting more but not wanting to finish the pastry altogether.

“Yes?” Emma smiled, her blue eyes lighting up. “It’s a new concoction. You’re the first to try it. I was hoping you wouldn’t get food poisoning.”

Audrey smiled. “Yeah, lucky me.” She sipped her coffee and the combination of custard and chocolate in the pastry made her happy. In all the years she had been in New York and had been exposed to fine dining of every level, Audrey had never tasted a blend that good. Emma had a gift. “It’s my new favorite thing.”

“I’ll be sure to wrap some up for you. Consider it your welcome home gift.”

“Em, you don’t have to do that, I’m happy to pay for them. They are definitely worth every penny.”

“Don’t be silly, I want to do this. You can get the next one, just make sure it’s a large order,” she winked and any lingering unease slipped away.

Time flew as Emma and Audrey caught up, regaling each other with stories of their misspent youth. It was as though none of the years had passed between her and Emma. Her old friend stripped Audrey’s walls and made her feel like a teenager again, with a simple cup of coffee and a sugary treat.

“So, why are you really here?” she asked quietly, searching her friend’s eyes.

“What do you mean?” Audrey sipped her coffee to hide her face, not wanting to let anyone see her failure.

Emma reached for her hand and covered it with her own. “I know you Audrey. The years may have passed with us apart but I know you. I know how much you couldn’t wait to leave Crystal Valley and make a life for yourself in New York. I know that the little we kept in touch during the early years, you were happy there and had no desire to come back. Even when your grandma died, you didn’t stay long. So why are you here now?”

Her gaze cast downward, bursting to tell talk about it just have someone on her side, to let anyone in but the fear of admitting failure froze her. She stared at Emma, not knowing what to say.

The blonde beauty smiled at her and squeezed her hand, “When you are ready to talk, I will have two ears, a tart and a coffee ready for you.”

Audrey smiled back, conveying her silent thanks to her friend for not pushing her when she wasn’t ready.

“Hey,” Emma beamed suddenly. “You should join us for our book club meeting next weekend.”

“I don’t know Em, you guys are probably already settled and pages into your books-“

“Nonsense,” she interrupted. “Book club is just our front for getting together, drinking wine and getting up to mischief. And you my dear friend, look like you could use a little of both.”

Emma’s eyes sparkled with a promise of a naughty good time and Audrey couldn’t help but agree to meet them.

An hour later, with a box of treats tucked under her arm, Audrey left the bakery, feeling lighter than she had in years.

Chapter 4

O
ver the next few days Audrey kept herself busy trying to care-take of things in her Grandpa’s house. She had done a proper spring cleaning of the two-story home in two days and by day three, the house was sparkling, not a speck of dust to be found.

So then she decided to tackle the garden. Thankfully she hadn’t bumped into Adam again. She put on a pair of shorts, a tank top and adorned her head with her grandma’s favorite summer hat. The sun shone down with a vengeance as she put on some garden gloves and started on turning the soil all along the flowerbeds around the house.

There were a lot of dried and dying plants that she had to remove and it made her sad thinking of how this had been her grandma’s prided hobby. She would spend hours elbow deep in the garden. Audrey hoped that despite the disappointment she brought her family that her Grandma would at least be smiling down on her from heaven, proud of the work she was doing now.

The day before she had gone into town to visit the local nursery and had picked out a variety of beautiful seedlings she knew her grandma would have loved. There were bright orange California poppies, cerise monkey flowers, island bush snapdragons and every color of rose bushes she could get her hands on.

Audrey wasn’t used to the manual labor of gardening, it certainly wasn’t a hobby she indulged in New York. Geez she only just realized what a snob she had become; picking out and instructing what to do rather than enjoying the elements and doing it herself. She had lost a big part of herself in the city and was just now starting to regroup. An early mid-life crisis. She smiled to herself at her inside joke.

As she took that stance, her muscles ached and squeezed as she handled the toiling tools and then carried heavy bags of fertilizer as she needed. Grandpa Joe had offered his help of course but Audrey had insisted she wanted to do this on her own. She had seen more creepy crawlies than she had been comfortable with and instead she sucked it up. There may be thousands of species of insect life in the world but she was almost certain that at least two thousand of them lived right here in her Grandma’s garden. This was her getting out of her comfort zone.

Hours had passed as the garden started to take shape and Audrey understood the joy her Grandma experienced as she lost herself in this sanctuary. It had become a place where she could work out her thoughts and feelings. It was a place where she could reflect and talk to her Grandma. She really did miss her so. Her Grandma was the only mother figure that had mattered to her and had taught her right from wrong. Grandma also taught her mannerisms and kindness and how to give back to the world around her. The day Audrey walked out of Crystal Valley she had started to lose sight of her grounding. And more and more of herself had chipped away since then.

She swiped a hand against her cheek to sweep the loose tendrils of hair away as she stood back and surveyed her work.

She smiled as she soaked in the beautiful arrays of color all along the house edge. Her Grandma would be so very happy. Audrey’s eyes misted up at the memories.
No tears
she chided herself. Big girls don’t cry.

Hands on her hips, clothes streaked with dirt, she stood proud at her first task as a divorcee. She was definitely a Kelly again.

****

Adam stepped out of his truck and took in the difference of the Kelly house. It was a burst of bright colors; almost like it had appeared in the old days. The way he remembered it when he had lived next door.

Before him stood a very dirty woman. Adam approached her warily, not knowing what mood she would be in.

She turned around sharply as his boots crunched on the gravel, clearly startled by his presence, her dark eyes darting around nervously. When her gaze settled on him, she almost sagged in relief. Or did he imagine that?

Her beige clothes were now brown with soil, her face was streaked with dirt and her hair hung loosely around her face. She looked exhausted yet happy and so beyond beautiful. Her eyes held a fierce glint of … pride?

When she locked her gaze with him, a little fire ignited behind them, like she was ready to go into battle.

“Hey,” he started tentatively.

“Hey,” she parroted, eying him out.

He gestured to the flourishing flora, “You did a great job.”

Her face softened slightly as she turned back at her handiwork. “Thanks. Something my grandma would have wanted.”

“She couldn’t have done it better herself.”

This warranted an almost full smile out of the brunette before him, but not quite.

Again, Adam found himself wondering what happened to the girl that lived here before. What had changed so much for Audrey for her to become the person standing before him now? So cynical and guarded.

“I hear you got married, congratulations.”

She squinted up at him sharply, her eyes narrowing as she searched his face. Yep, there it was.

“Thanks,” she said finally, and Adam was left wondering about her reaction. Was she trying to keep her marriage a secret? That couldn’t be it, he was pretty sure someone had said it had made the society pages. She was married to some business tycoon or the other. He didn’t make it his business to know the details.

Thankfully, he was saved the awkwardness when Grandpa Joe approached from around the house. “Hey son,” he greeted, “what do you think of my Audrey’s work?”

“It’s taking shape.”

Grandpa Joe smiled affectionately at Audrey and something pinched in Adam’s heart for his own father.

“I’m going to wash up and start on dinner Grandpa,” Audrey addressed the older man. Her soft, loving tone was not lost on Adam. “You going to be alright out here?”

“Of course
filho
, Adam and I are old timers at this.”

Audrey didn’t respond, just touched Grandpa Joe’s arm. She cast a wary glance at Adam before she turned and went into the house. What was that about?

Adam and Joe discussed the logistics of the roof tiles for a few minutes before Adam climbed the ladder and got to work. He was suddenly feeling frustrated and the hard labor was just what he needed to blow off some steam.

****

Later that week Audrey found herself back at Emma’s bakery. She couldn’t explain why but she knew it was more than a sugar craving.

“Hey babe,” Emma greeted from across the store as Audrey walked in. “Wow don’t you look gorgeous today,” she gushed taking in Audrey’s floral hi-low summer dress.

“Oh this old thing, I don’t even feel pretty in it.”

“Are you kidding me?” Emma asked incredulously. “You do own a mirror right? You look stunning! I mean like runway beautiful. Besides, when someone gives you a compliment, you accept it graciously.” She smiled and Audrey’s mood began to lift. She could always count on Emma’s presence to do just that.

It was hard for her to accept a compliment in reality. Her New York friends had been fake and superficial that any compliment given, as nice as it sounded on the surface, was a snide quip that the rest of the girls would recall and dissect when Audrey wasn’t around. She wasn’t used to genuine kindness. Well, actually that was a lie, she had forgotten what it was. Crystal Valley was reminding her of it, a little bit more each day.

“It’s yours to borrow anytime you want,” Audrey offered generously as she sat at the table opposite Emma.

“I will definitely hold you to it,” she countered with a wink.

“I actually have an agenda today.”

“Ooh dish,” Emma’s eyes sparkled and Audrey couldn’t help but smile at her easy personality.

“It’s my Grandpa’s birthday in a few weeks and I was thinking that I’d like to throw him a small party. He’s turning eighty and it’s such a milestone. I’ve missed so many and I’d like to make this one extra special for him. I was hoping you could do his birthday cake.”

“Oh of course!” Emma jumped out of her seat to grab her notebook and proceeded to take notes as they discussed in detail exactly what Audrey had in mind for her grandpa’s birthday.

“So,” Emma started tentatively awhile later, “Does this mean you are staying in Crystal Valley?”

Dammit Emma didn’t miss a beat. Her eyes appeared serious and concerned as she searched Audrey’s face. As far as Audrey could tell, Emma wasn’t asking out of any selfish need for gossip and Audrey so desperately needed to share this burden.

A few minutes passed before she began, “Do you remember the first day I came in here?”

Emma nodded, her blonde ponytail bobbing up and down.

“Do you remember the brown envelope I had with me?”

Emma averted her gaze in thought. She nodded again.

“Those were my divorce papers.”

Emma’s eyes immediately reflected her sympathy as she reached out to cover Audrey’s hand. “Oh honey, I’m so sorry.”

Audrey shook her head no, her dark hair swinging around her. “Don’t be, it was a long time coming. He wasn’t the one, I just realized it far too late.”

“Well better late than never right?” she smiled at Audrey and that somehow gave Audrey some courage and she returned a brave smile of her own.

“Right.”

She was liberated. For the first time in years she had opened up and shared her burden with someone else. Granted Emma didn’t know the gory details but Audrey didn’t have to go around and lie to everyone to keep up appearances.

“Does your Grandpa know?”

“No,” she replied, deflated. “I need to tell him but how can I when it will bring him such great sadness.”

“Aud, trust me, your grandpa is tougher than you think. Plus you have always been his pride and joy, your happiness has always trumped anything else in life. So, if you are divorced to make a better life for yourself then that is all he will take away from it. There is no shame in being a divorcee.”

Audrey contemplated Emma’s words. She was right. She didn’t want to keep up the pretense with her grandpa, each day that passed, she surmised like she was lying to him.

“You know what this means, right?” Emma grinned from ear to ear.

“That look spells trouble.”

“Singles Party!”

“Emma, no,” Audrey chided, “this is so new and I don’t want to advertise it just yet.”

“Honey, this is Crystal Valley, the rumors must be flying already. Besides we don’t have to broadcast it, just you and I will know. Embrace it. You are single again,” she grinned and Audrey knew she had no hope in hell of changing Emma’s mind but the last thing she needed was another man in her sphere.

****

Adam sanded down Mrs. Naylor’s shelves, the repetition of the work taking his mind to faraway places. One of which was into town and onto Grandpa Joe’s property and the granddaughter that was always forbidden. He still couldn’t peg why Audrey was back in town. Sure, Grandpa Joe was old and becoming frail but he didn’t yet need someone to care for him. Adam knew the girl that left Crystal Valley and she would not have come back unless she had a reason. A very good reason. And where was her husband anyway? Just the thought of her husband made him sand harder than necessary. His frustration was unwarranted, he had no claim over her, nor did he want to. Audrey had become one hell of a high maintenance princess and the last thing Adam needed was a woman in his life.

He glanced up at the clock and took in the time, 04:00am. This project had taken up over four hours now. Adam had been agitated and irritable and couldn’t get to sleep and after tossing and turning had decided to try and shut old lady Naylor up by getting some work done on her units. Even the hard physical work did nothing for his racing mind.

Tomorrow-scratch that-today was his father’s death anniversary. Every year to the day he got like this. The first year had been the worst and instead of dealing with it like an adult, he had gone looking for trouble like a teenager. That day he had drunk himself into oblivion and then had proceeded to pick a fight with a bar full of bikers. He had gotten through quite a few of them before Oliver arrived and dumped him in a drunk tank to sober up. He had come to consciousness feeling disgusted at himself and pretty sure that his father was observing him with disappointment.

He’d cleaned up his act since then. And instead chose to get out of town or keep himself occupied to try and forget. It didn’t help much but he had to try and honor his father’s memory.

He threw the sand paper in the corner and walked inside to grab his towel. There was only one way Adam knew how to clear his mind.

He was in desperate need of the ocean.

****

Audrey awoke with a start to the sound of buzzing. Momentarily disoriented she searched her surroundings in her sleep filled state before her gaze landed on her phone lighting up. She viewed the display.
Mom.

She picked up the phone and read the time. Way too early to deal with her mother

She swiped and answered groggily, “Hello?”

“Oh Audrey!” she greeted brightly. “Did I wake you?

“No mother, I always sound this sprightly at 04:30 in the morning.”

“Is it that early?” she chirped on, oblivious to Audrey’s caustic sarcasm. “Well, your father and I are hands and feet in with the people in Africa. I can’t even tell you where exactly we are right now because it’s so off the map but we are making such a great difference. The people here just adore us.”

Her mother went on for a few more minutes about how revered they were and Audrey started to doze back off to sleep.

“Audrey, are you listening to me?”

“Yeah, I’m here, what’s that?”

“I was saying that it must be so nice in New York this time of year. How is that dear Michael?”

Her mother was so clueless. How did she still think Audrey was in New York? She was certain that she had mentioned her pending trip to visit her grandfather a few weeks back, on the odd occasion her parents did check in.

She listened with half an ear as her mother gushed about her ex-husband.

What the hell? She had met him twice!

Audrey knew it was time. She needed to come out with it and just tell her parents that truth, the whole truth.

“Mom, I need to tell you about Michael. He—”

“Oh I have to go now, dear,” she interjected, as though Audrey hadn’t even spoken. “Your father sends his regards. “Goodbye dear.”