Chapter 8 Rae
RAE
My mother wasn’t a fan of the attitude I had developed overnight, specifically minutes after Davis had left. She aggressively washed the dinner dishes, and ignored my offer of help, all while muttering about manners and how I had been ruined by New York.
Eventually I left, wandering outside, and finding my way to Nora’s front door.
My best friend had grabbed a box of wine and sat on the front porch with me, while I poured out the story of Davis coming to dinner.
She’d stared ahead, unblinking, while sipping. We both had, long enough that the light had waned and the streetlights blinked on. There really wasn’t much to say. The strangest and weirdest twist of fate had landed right in the center of my back with a metaphorical blade.
Now it was Saturday, and my distraction had arrived in the form of delivering meals and groceries up the mountain.
I carefully read over the list in my hand, tracking the items on the shelf as though the two could line up.
“Mouthwash, hair gel, deodorant…” I placed each brand specified in the cart and headed toward the food section, but at the last aisle, my phone started vibrating, and I paused to pull my cell free.
Nora: I have a dare for you.
Smiling at the screen, I stood in the middle of the aisle and punched out a reply.
Me: What did you have in mind?
Nora: Throw something random in one of the orders, something that will make whoever gets it laugh.
Peering around the items on the shelf, my face heated.
Me: I’m staring at a rack of condoms.
Nora: Perfect!
Me: You’re an idiot.
I pushed away from the spot and continued down the lane, when my phone buzzed again.
Nora: Think of the kick they’ll get out of it! Obviously pay for it yourself, but this should be your thing...add one surprise item to each order.
Biting my lip, I thought it over and considered that maybe she was right.
Maybe while I was home, I could carve out a fun little existence for myself.
Maybe one day I’d start stealing lemons and collecting teddy bear figurines, too.
I turned my cart around and veered back toward the condoms, smiling at the glossy box as I tossed it into the cart.
I stopped at the restaurant before I plugged the addresses into my phone.
Right as I was about to tug the back door open, I inhaled a sharp breath.
I hadn’t walked through this door for years.
When I had visited over the past few holidays, I never once came to the diner—not when there was a chance Davis might visit it.
I walked through the large kitchen that was bustling with people, nervous that no one would recognize me here.
People in town seemed not to, and I wasn’t sure the same would be true for most of the people I’d been around since I was a little girl.
A few familiar faces appeared, a few polite smiles and waves were given, until they were followed by gasps.
“Oh my goodness!” I heard someone mutter, and a clanging sound that would indicate a dish had been dropped.
“That can’t be Millie and Roger’s little girl!”
“My heavens, she’s all grown up!” I smiled as the polite smiles turned into watering eyes and wobbling lips. It made my chest warm with familiarity and comfort. It was peace in the midst of the chaos that had been the last four years of my life.
“Rae, my goodness, my girl!” Claudia, an older woman that I had known since I was ten, corralled me into a tight hug.
I patted her back, embracing her with a smile.
Her greeting caused a few more to chorus through the kitchen, until my eyes locked with a pair of warm gray ones, and my heart faltered.
Carl was standing there, like an oak tree—just ready to protect me from the world.
I thought over how happy he was for me when I had moved to New York—we’d talked about how good it would be for me to spread my wings.
He’d even come to visit me a time or two over the years, and of course he was always present when I was home visiting, but he’d been gone the last time I came.
Once Claudia released me, I took careful steps toward the man I knew as a second father, feeling tears well up, and suddenly his arms were around me.
“String bean.”
“Hey Car-Car.” It was a nickname I had used ever since I was a little girl. Feeling a burn behind my eyes, I realized I was going to cry if I didn’t pull away soon.
“I can’t believe you’re back.” He let me go and stared down at me.
Giving him a light punch to the arm, I accused, “I can’t believe you were already hunting when I came home! Dad said you wouldn’t be back until tomorrow.”
Shaking his head, he let out a small laugh and then messed up my hair by rubbing my scalp, like I was seven again.
“Sorry, kiddo. Bad timing. Let me make it up to you—your dad just baked this delicious pie. You came to eat, right?”
I took in the graying hair that filled in all the dark brown he used to have. It hadn’t completely consumed his hair, but it was starting to. Shaking my head, I looked over my shoulder. “I’m here to help with mountain deliveries.”
His bushy brows bunched in confusion right as my dad came up and interrupted us.
“Here, honey…it’s all packed up. I’ll have Carl walk it out and load it into the back.”
Carl grunted, and I tried to decipher the odd look on his face, but I was distracted by the delicious smells all around me.
I eyed the pies, the scones, and the cinnamon rolls, and my stomach let out an audible grumble.
My dad chuckled. “Hungry?”
I watched as my father gently rolled the dough out on the counter and sprinkled flour like it was gold.
I had missed this. All my life, I had sat on a stool and watched him roll out dough and sprinkle flour, magically turning raw ingredients into the most delicious treats.
“No, I ate earlier.”
Lifting his eyes, he smiled. “Well, I packed a sandwich for you just in case, plus water and a bag of chips.”
“You’re the best.” I pulled him into a hug, inhaling the smell of sugar and butter.
He kissed my forehead and led me out of the kitchen. “Best get on the road if you’re going to make it back before dinner.”
The rear hatch to my parent’s SUV was open, so I walked around the car, watching as Carl’s bulking height maneuvered under the hatch that was oddly low.
I tried to push the hatch up a little further, but it wouldn’t budge. “Wow, that doesn’t raise up much at all, does it?”
Carl let out a huff. “It actually has a nickname. We call this car the “goose egg” because so many people who’ve helped load it have hit their head on this piece of junk door.”
I laughed, even though I probably shouldn’t, but the image of person after person falling prey to this car was too much. “Have you told Mom and Dad to take it in to get it checked?”
Slamming it shut, he clicked his tongue. “You know I have, but your dad says it’s fine.”
“Of course he does,” I sighed.
Carl set his large hands on his hips, watching me closely, like he was hesitant to address something he’d been thinking about for a while.
“You sure you’re ready for this?”
I met him with a wide smile. “Yeah, of course I am.”
Why wouldn’t I be?
He ducked his head, stepping closer. “I just want you to be okay, String Bean…I still remember what you went through, and…” He looked over my shoulder, speaking quietly. “I know the real reason you left home.”
His eyes searched mine, as though I would spill the beans about Davis. Carl had known about my crush all those years ago, but he didn’t know what had happened in that library, so he couldn’t know the real reason I had left. Only Nora did.
Smiling up at him, I shook my head. “I just left for college, no big mystery. Mom and Dad need my help—that’s why I’m back.”
He watched my eyes, as though he was sensing that I wasn’t being entirely truthful, then let it drop.
“Just be careful up there and don’t give him more than just a polite hello. He hasn’t earned more than that—and call if there’s any issues whatsoever.”
Giving him a firm nod, I veered toward the front and tugged on the door. As I settled into the seat, I tried to let go of the strange sensation taking root in my gut.
Who was he talking about?
I took a few clarifying breaths and tried my best to shake off Carl’s words. But even as I pressed my foot to the gas, his words echoed in my ears.