23. Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Two
Beth
Beth climbed into Lachlan’s Ford Ranger and released a long exhale. The click of the back door signaled he’d finished cramming all her luggage. Good thing he had a four-wheel-drive.
She clicked her seatbelt and waited as Lachlan hopped into the driver’s seat. “You don’t know how much this means to me—not having to face this alone.” She offered a smile, and he returned a compassionate glance.
She bit her thumbnail. “When we meet Nick’s mother, I’ll let you start the conversation.”
“First, we need to locate her.” The engine roared to life. Lachlan flicked on the turn signal, and pulled into the narrow street. “If we can’t, we’ll stop at a police station and ask them to contact her. If Mrs. DeHann wants to speak with us, she can call.”
Lachlan merged into a highway bearing five lanes of lined-up cars. Busy for a Saturday.
“I remembered her name this morning—Nick’s mother. He had a girlfriend who called her Mamma Sue.”
Lachlan gave a solemn nod. “Susan DeHann.”
“Are your folks okay with me staying?” She frowned. “You didn’t guilt them into hosting me?”
Lachlan chuckled and changed gears. “Not at all. They’re having a family dinner tonight with my sister and brother and their children. But if you want to skip that, I can take you out for pizza until they’re all gone.”
“No, that’s okay. I would like to be around people. Maybe if you don’t tell your sister and brother the details of why I’m here, it’d be less awkward.”
“Sure.” Lachlan turned on the stereo.
A song began to play. Beth closed her eyes. The steady high-hat beat, accompanied by gentle piano, calmed her soul. The melody washed over her. Her head fell back upon the headrest and she dropped her hands to her side, surrendering control of the future.
Upon the next song, her eyes fluttered open. The mid-morning sun filtered through the cloud cover, warming her face. She smiled at Lachlan.
“You seem more relaxed.” He grinned.
“I find it amazing how listening to music can clear the sould cobwebs almost instantly.”
“That’s one way of putting it.”
She looked at him curiously. “Have you had any major crazy stuff happen to you before?”
“Not anything uncommon for someone my age. But I’ve seen the effects of trauma in others. It’s not always easy to distance myself from their pain. Often, I’d be disturbed for days. The emergency relief projects can take a toll emotionally. During the action, I’m fine responding, remaining calm for the people I help. Then there’s the aftermath, and I can’t believe what I’ve witnessed. Especially when it’s small children. Breaks your heart.”
Her dilemma seemed insignificant in comparison to what Lachlan spoke of. Another reality check. She’d get through her heartbreak. And she’d be wary of another man pushing her into marriage so quickly. How did she not see the signs? She proved her naivety—trusted too much. But that would change now. Next time, she’d have her security walls ready.
An hour later, Lachlan paralleled parked the Ford close to a beach.
“Is this Oceanside?”
“Not quite. We’re in San Clemente. I need more coffee, and the stop will give me a chance to look up Susan DeHann’s details. Then we have another twenty minutes to get there.”
Beth stepped out of the car and stretched her legs. The wind flapped palm leaves that topped trees as tall as ten people. A rickety pier stretched out to the ocean.
Lachlan stood beside her and shielded his eyes. “Remember the Rottnest Island jetty? You looked like you’d struck gold when you got off the ferry.”
She laughed. “Do you remember me throwing up on your shirt?”
“I recall the smell, yes.” He bumped her shoulder with his.
“Ew.” She grimaced. “What an introduction. Amazing you stuck around for the day.”
Lachlan didn’t answer but scratched the back of his neck. “Wanna come with me to get coffee? Or you could take a walk on the beach while I make some calls.”
She wrapped an arm around her waist. “A walk and fresh air sounds perfect.”
“Okay. See you in ten minutes.” He turned and crossed the road to the three-level SeaShore Apartments. A take-away coffee vendor stood next to a shop lined with surfboards.
Beth made her way down a staircase and crossed railway tracks to reach the pier. Several blue umbrellas bordered a restaurant and bar, but she continued down another level to the bottom step. Slipping off her shoes first, she stepped into the cool sand. Bliss. How could this be winter? An urge to run and let the wind turn her hair into a kite filled her imagination. A strange sensation of freedom flashed through her soul. She’d nearly married Nick, and there would’ve been no return. Her upbringing taught her marriage was a life commitment. You don’t easily walk away when times get tough. Boy, it would’ve been tough with Nick.
A child played close to the water’s edge, making a sandcastle while the mother sat on a beach towel, reading a book.
Beth strolled along the beach, appreciating the sparkling reflection of sunlight on the water and waves. Diamond dust. The diamond ring had a safe place in her handbag, ready to give to Mrs. DeHann. Why hadn’t Nick asked for it back? The money would’ve covered his expenses in Israel. His impulsive behavior baffled her—one day proclaiming their destiny, the next day gone. She kicked at some sand and edged toward the water to test the temperature. Didn’t Nick see that his actions contradicted what he’d been all about? And what was that? More importantly, what was she all about? Cassie had encouraged her to quiet her soul and dig deep. Had she made time to do that before being swept into Nick’s plans and rushed to another world? She’d left everything she loved to follow an empty promise.
Beth dipped her big toe. A chill shot up her leg, similar to the shivers she got when thinking about how she nearly signed her future away at a marriage registry.
“Beth!” Lachlan’s voice called from a distance.
She turned, and above the rocky cliff, Lachlan stood behind a rail and waved. His hair had grown from his Navy days. He wore it ungelled, and it had a curl to the ends, tossed about in the breeze. His white cotton shirt rippled across his sculpted chest and stomach. Her breath hitched as she waved back and headed to the staircase. Lachlan Peters. If only he’d contacted her two months ago. Too late. He wouldn’t want her now. And he’d shown no desire for a relationship with her the last two years. Chasing after a sailor, and impulsively giving her heart to a stranger had tainted her reputation, leaving her no chance.
By the time she made it to the blue Ford, she’d lost her grip on the relaxed state she’d achieved. Knots formed in her belly.
“You okay?” Lachlan frowned.
The sick disappointment must’ve shown on her face. “As can be expected.”
He unlocked his car with a remote. “Sorry.”
“You didn’t do anything. You’re my good Samaritan.”
He grinned. “Get aboard the donkey then.” He opened her door and closed it behind her.
As he reversed out of the parking lot and shifted to first gear, he glanced her way. “I have an address for a S.A. DeHann at Pacific Senior Village. It’s in Oceanside. Want to head on? If she’s not there, we can call and schedule a time to see her. I’d rather explain in person if we can.”
“Agreed.”
BETH
Susan DeHann placed the china tea set on the white-laced table, her movements fluid and unhurried. A fountain trickled in the corner of her delightful backyard, and wind chimes tinkled nearby.
“This is a lovely place you have here, Mrs. DeHann,” Beth said.
“Please, call me Sue.” The corners of her mouth creased as she smiled. “I’ve made many friends in the complex. I never feel alone.” A little tremor shook her hands as she unloaded the cups and saucers. She must be in her seventies. Waves of thin silver hair touched her drawn cheeks. Although her shoulders rounded, Sue could reach five foot, ten inches.
“How long have you lived here?” Lachlan asked.
“Eight years.” She poured the tea into three cups, then sat. “Help yourself.” She gestured to the cookies.
Lachlan lifted the milk jug and raised a brow at Beth. She nodded, and he added milk to her tea, and placed a chocolate-chip cookie on the saucer.
“So, you have some concerns about Nicholas?” Susan asked.
Beth flicked her gaze to Lachlan, and his eyes told her to be brave.
“Sue, I was engaged to your son. A swift engagement, mind you, but we had planned to get married in two weeks. Did he send you the details?”
“No. Nicholas is very protective of his personal life. He doesn’t like my nagging.” She rolled her eyes. “You said, ‘was’ engaged. He’s done it again, hasn’t he?”
Beth straightened in her chair. “He’s broken an engagement before?” She blinked. “Oh, Tracy. I didn’t know they were—”
“Married. She filed an annulment, and the court accepted her reasons.” Susan’s tone held no emotion.
Lachlan squeezed Beth’s hand under the table. He leaned toward Sue. “May I ask on what grounds it was approved, Mrs. DeHann?”
“Unsound mind. He became unwell and ended up in a hospital, a month after they were married. But he refused to stay on the medication when he got out, and Tracy couldn’t handle his moods. They hadn’t been together long before he’d proposed, and so the court accepted she didn’t know he had mental health issues prior to the marriage. He hadn’t told Tracy about past episodes.”
Beth’s pulse quickened. “He hadn’t told me either, and I didn’t know he’d been married before.”
“Annulment is as if the marriage didn’t exist.” Susan sighed. “But he should’ve told you. You can understand why he wouldn’t, though?” She shook her head. “Nicholas denies he has an illness.”
“I’m a qualified counselor, Mrs. DeHann. I’d imagine this has been difficult over the years, worrying about your son’s welfare?”
Sue’s eyes became glassy. “Yes. It breaks my heart. But he won’t listen to me. Says I’m judgemental and critical. At twenty-three, he first had clinical depression, and he wanted help then. But when the mania occurs, it’s a high he enjoys—until he crashes. And he will, eventually. Then I’ll get a phone call from someone. Pay for the damages or a hospital bill.”
Beth touched her lips. “I’m so sorry, Sue.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “He’s in Israel, I think. That’s the last conversation we had about his plans. Then he disappeared. He wouldn’t answer my calls, so I don’t know for certain of his whereabouts.”
Sue’s forehead wrinkled. “He’s visited there before, five years ago. But he ran out of money and begged me to pay for his flight home. I couldn’t say no. He didn’t sound well, and I worried he’d have an episode over there with no insurance.”
Beth bit her lip. Would Nick become unwell in Israel? She glanced at Lachlan. Concern lined his face too. He knew more about these things than she did. Lachlan had seen his neighbor go through it.
“I hope he’ll be okay.” What else could she say? Was it okay to ask more questions?
Sue took a sip of her tea and carefully placed the rose china cup onto its saucer. “It’s too much for me in my old age to worry about him. My hands are tied. Until he humbles himself enough to listen to the professionals or those who come to care about him, he’ll keep cycling through the ups and downs.” She raised her palms. “So many people have tried to help.” She shook her head.
“My neighbor has Bipolar. Medicine helps him manage it well. If Nick found a good psychiatrist willing to journey with him, it could change his life.”
A budgie chirped from inside the house. The calming sounds of the wind chime and fountain also did little to alleviate the heaviness of the conversation.
“Nicholas doesn’t like the way the medicine makes him feel. By the time he’s ended up in a hospital, the doctors have to give heavy doses to stabilize the mania.”
“My neighbor looked like a zombie his first day in the mental ward. Heartbreaking to see him that way. He had to have several adjustments before they found the right medicine for him. It’s not perfect, but he holds a job and has a lovely family. No one would know he has Bipolar. He’s stayed well for eight years now.”
“Nicholas is a caring man. So many good qualities. And he does want to help others. He’ll do okay for six months, then the signs start showing. A few weeks or a month later, he becomes driven by grandiose ideas, and soon he can’t sleep at night. Next, his mind crashes. Sometimes he burns those around him. Usually, that’s me.”
Sue met Beth’s gaze. “If he tries to get back together with you, don’t accept him unless he’s on reliable treatment—for a year, at least. He can’t keep going off his medicine and breaking hearts.”
How many girlfriends had Nick had? “I’m not planning to stay in the States. I’ll be booking my flights back to Australia soon.”
“Of course. I understand completely, dear.” Sue brought a cup to her mouth, sipped her tea, then leaned back.
“I wanted to give you the ring before I leave. It must be worth a small fortune. He didn’t hold back in splurging on me.”
“That’s another sign he’s becoming unwell. He spends a lot when he elevates.”
Beth’s mouth went dry. When would his money run out? How much did he have left before he’d need his mother to come to his rescue? She moistened her lips. “Nick gave two hundred dollars to a homeless person the night before he disappeared. In itself, it doesn’t seem a bad thing, but in the middle of the night? I was concerned for his safety.”
“During mania, he’ll be invincible in his eyes,” Lachlan said.
Beth collected her handbag from under the table and gave Sue the Pandora bracelet and the engagement ring. “I’m sorry. I don’t have a message to pass on. I thought I did, but in light of what you shared today, knowing Nick wasn’t well, I—” Tears stung the back of her eyes.
Lachlan rubbed her shoulder. Then he looked at Sue. “We better get going. It’s been a long night for Beth.”
“Of course.” Sue reached one hand out to Lachlan and the other to Beth. “Thank you for coming.”