Chapter 18
Esther double checked that she had the correct wiper blade in her hands for the fourth time as she waited at the service desk at Drummonds.
She had put this task off long enough. That half-flapping, half-hitting the windshield on the passenger side wiper needed to be replaced.
Sooner, rather than later. If the weather reports were correct, they would all be enjoying a white New Year’s.
She looked at the door to the shop as it opened.
It wasn’t Fred, which caused her to sigh softly.
Secretly, she had hoped he would be the mechanic they would get to help her install these.
Maybe he had seen her and passed it on to someone else.
She wouldn’t blame him. He still thought she was dating Steve.
“Hey, you’re Esther, aren’t you?” the mechanic said.
“I am.”
“Fred’s friend?”
“Yep, that’s me.” Or it had been. And she hoped it could be again. Maybe after the holidays were over and the fact that she wasn’t dating Maddie’s dad circulated through the parents’ gossip circle.
“Parker.” The guy stuck out his hand to shake hers. “We sort of met at the Waterwheel.”
“Oh, you sing in that band.” She had a fuzzy recollection of meeting him that night before they left the pub. It had been a quick introduction. “You look different in your coveralls. You were there with your aunt, weren’t you?”
“I sure was.” He grinned. “Aunt Patty’s been my mom for many years, and she actually co-owns the Waterwheel. So she never misses a gig.” He pointed to the wiper she held. “You need that put on?”
“I do. I figured I should have two working ones before the snow hits.” She handed it to him. “Fred has always taken care of this sort of thing for me before.”
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Fredster’s not falling down on the job, is he?”
He wasn’t. She had just messed things up where Fred was concerned. But did she want to try to explain that to Parker? Not really, so she shrugged. “It’s complicated.”
He chuckled and motioned towards the door before starting to walk that direction. “Probably due to you having a boyfriend. How come you didn’t get him to do this for you? Please, don’t tell me he’s not a car guy.” He clutched his coveralls above his heart dramatically.
Esther couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t know if Steve is a car guy or not. I never asked him.”
“Well, that should be the first question you ask him – right after are you single and do you live with your mom. Which I am and I do.”
Again, Esther laughed. “Steve’s a divorced father of one. Not living with his mom. Definitely single. A really great guy, but no longer my boyfriend.” Her cheeks felt warm despite the bite of the late December wind.
Parker had just removed the old blade and paused before starting to replace it with the new one.
“It was my choice.” She was certain that was the question written in his expression, but he was too polite to ask. “He just wasn’t right for me.”
While he worked, Parker’s head bobbed up and down as if he completely understood what she had just said. Not that she had given much information.
He snapped the new wiper blade against the windshield as he returned it to its working position. “You’re set for the storm,” he said.
“Thank you. Is… is Fred here today?” She tried to keep her tone nonchalant, as if she was just mildly curious and not trying to deduce if he was just ignoring her or if he was busy or what was going on.
Parker shook his head. “He had a meeting with his contractors and realtor at his house today – something about checking out options for what to do with it – not that I’m supposed to know that, but I listen.
I’m a good listener.” He winked as if this was something that only she and he knew.
“I heard him telling Sean about it before the two of them left for the Marydale store.”
“Wait? What?” Any feigned nonchalance that had been nearly successfully portrayed earlier fled. Fred was thinking of selling his house? Before it was even finished? And why was he going to the Marydale store? “He’s thinking of selling his house?” Why would he do that?
Parker nodded and propped himself up on one hip against her car. “Mr. Drummond – or more accurately, Scotty and Fred – are opening a mechanic shop at the Marydale store. Drummond is going to need someone to head up the department, so I’m guessing Fred might be in line for that position.”
“Fred?” Her Fred was thinking of moving away from Hatfield Falls?
Her hand moved of its own accord to cover her heart – likely to make sure it stayed where it was supposed to be rather than galloping off with anxiety.
Change always did that but never – ever, in her whole life, had it hit her as hard as this.
“He’s really good, and whether he wants to admit it or not, he’d make a great team leader.
” Parker pushed off from her car. “I’m just speculating about the position, but it’s the only thing that makes sense to me about why he and Scotty are going to be hiring and training all the staff over there in the new year. ”
Esther blinked. This was a lot of anxiety-inducing info to take in. “But Fred said he’d never leave Hatfield Falls. All his life, he’s said that.”
Parker shrugged. “People change.”
Not Fred. At least, not like that. He was the most constant person she had ever met.
He loved Hatfield Falls. He loved his family.
He loved his friends. He had always known what he wanted to do and then did it.
He was as steady as the ticking of time.
He wouldn’t leave Hatfield Falls willingly.
He just wouldn’t. He didn’t leave the things he loved. Except…
He was leaving the worship team. Because of her.
She sucked in a deep breath. Because of her. Oh, no! He was leaving Hatfield Falls and everything he loved because of her!
“Do you know how long he’ll be at the other store today?” she asked.
“I would imagine until six or so.” Parker smiled as if he understood the thoughts going through Esther’s head – the ones where she ran after Fred and begged him to not leave Hatfield Falls and her. “How’s your washer fluid? Do you have enough to battle the salty slush on the road over to Marydale?”
Apparently, he did have some idea about what she was thinking. “The light hasn’t come on yet.”
“Do you know how to fill it?” Parker asked as he walked away from her.
“I do,” she called after him. “Why?” She watched him pick up a bottle of purple washer fluid.
“Then, I’m going to insist that you take this jug with you, just in case. That storm is supposed to start with flurries tonight, so you know the brine trucks have been out already – prepping.” He brought it over to her. “My treat.”
“But I’m sure I’ll be fine. Marydale is only forty-five minutes away.”
“Nope. Nope. Nope. I insist. Between you and me – and only you and me – I don’t want Fred in Marydale. I need a guitarist.” Again, he winked at her as if they were sharing a private joke.
“Well, okay, then, but I think you’re worrying too much.”
“Did Fred make sure you had good winter tires on your car?” He moved to look at them.
“Of course, he did. I got a whole new set last year, and he said they’d be good for at least one more season.
” He always saw to it that she was as protected as he could possibly make her.
Oh, she had been so stupidly blind. Fred had loved her for years.
No, he had never said it. No, he had never asked her out again after the hayride incident.
But his love had been there for one and all to see in all the little things he did for her.
“Are you okay?” Parker asked her. “You look a bit like you’re in pain. Did you turn your ankle or something?”
“No,” she replied on a sigh. “I just realized how stupid I’ve been. It’s nothing to worry about.” She smiled like she did when one of her students was anxious, and hoped it was enough to keep any further questions at bay.
“If you say so.” He didn’t look convinced.
It seemed he was not as easily calmed by a smile as the kids in her class.
Oh, well. It would have to do to leave him still somewhat confused.
She had an errand to run in Marydale. A very important errand.
Likely the most important one of her life.
So, she opened her car door. “Thank you for your help, Parker.”
“You’re welcome. Drive safe.”
And with that, he returned to the garage while she started her car and then, typed:
Were you going to tell me that Fred was moving?
No.
Esther blinked at Tiffany’s reply.
That’s his to tell. Not mine. Tiffany added.
Esther could understand that.
I don’t want him to move.
Then, what are you going to do about it?
I’m on my way to Marydale to talk to him. I’ll talk to you later.
A heart-eyes emoji was Tiffany’s only reply.
She hit call. “Okay, so I can’t wait until later to talk a bit,” she said when Tiffany answered her phone. “But I can’t text and drive.”
“Are you sure you want to talk to me about this and not Rosalie or Mandy? They know your history with Fred better than I do.”
“You know as much as they do after that movie-night intervention the three of you staged.”
Tiffany laughed.
“But if you’re busy… I didn’t think that you might be with a client or doing paperwork or whatever before calling,” Esther said as she waited at a stoplight. One more of these – once she passed the church – and then, she’d be headed out of town toward Marydale.
“I have a few minutes, but let me close my office door.”
Esther waited until she heard a door click closed on the other side of the conversation.
“You don’t think it’s too soon after breaking up with Steve to start a new relationship with Fred, do you?
I don’t want it to look like I moved on too quickly because then, people might think that I was dating him while I was dating Steve or something. ”
Tiffany sighed. “People will always think what they want to think. You can’t prevent the Negative Nellies from finding things to gossip about.”
“Thanks. I just needed to hear that. I mean, I know I’m doing the right thing here, but…” This doing the right thing path felt bumpy and uncertain – and everyone who knew her knew that she didn’t do so well with uncertainty. God help me with that, she prayed silently.
“Doing the right thing isn’t always the easy path.
I know that from experience. I left a big mess back home when I moved here, and then, when I got here, I was a bit of a grump about having to be here – until I met you and Rosalie and Mandy – well, really, it’s been you and Rosalie who have been the greatest influence in a positive direction.
Don’t get me wrong. I love Mandy, but she can be less uplifting than you and Roz. ”
“Yeah, she can be.” Esther turned onto the road towards Marydale. “You know, I haven’t been to Marydale in years, and then, it was just to the high school for a band thing. I’m going to have to pull over when I get closer and start my maps app so I can find Drummonds.”
“You could be lost in Marydale for about fifteen minutes before you knew where everything was. It’s not big.
Take the main road in, and you’ll find it – even without a maps app.
” Tiffany paused and then her voice turned sweeter – like a child hoping to not have to do part of an assignment.
“You know, there are some really cute houses over there. I’ve got one listing there right now that I think you’d like. ”
She was trying to sell her a house? Esther shook her head. “I’m not planning to move to Marydale.”
“Not even if Fred gets a job over there? And you’re married to him?”
Esther huffed. Her friends could be pushy at times, but then, she understood why they were.
She often needed a nudge to do things that scared her.
“I haven’t even told him that I love him yet.
I think jumping to marriage and buying a house in a different town is moving a bit too quickly.
I don’t know how they do things in Ontario, but here in Nova Scotia, we take our time going from ‘Hey, I like you’ to ‘I do.’”
Tiffany laughed. “Girl, we know it’s going to happen.”
Esther sighed. “I hope so.”
Tiffany’s tone was serious again. “All I’m saying is that if he needs to be there, I will make sure you have a lovely place to raise your family. And it’ll be big enough for us to have girls’ nights. We’ve got you. You just need to focus on getting Fred. Is that enough of a pep talk?”
Esther chuckled. “Yes. It was just what I needed. You know, I’ve been so stupid.
I should have known he loved me all along.
I should have seen it in the little things he did for me.
Like… even just before Christmas when he came to play for our school practice and then helped me cut out circles.
” She likely wasn’t making much sense. “You know I graduated with honours, right? How could I be so dumb?”
It was Tiffany’s turn to laugh. “They say love is blind, and I’ll add that it makes us stupid sometimes, too.”
“Thanks for –” The rest of Esther’s words were knocked away with a loud bang, and her car lurched to the right. “Oh no! No, no, no, no, no!” She struggled to keep the car from going into the ditch.
“What happened? Are you okay?”
“Just a minute.” Esther brought her car to a stop.
“Let me look. I think a hidden pothole took out one of my tires.” With shaking hands, she opened her door, climbed out, and rounded the front of her car to look at the mess that remained of her front passenger side tire.
“Oh, this looks bad. The tire is gone, and who knows what it did to the alignment and suspension.”
“Spoken like a lady who should be dating a car guy.”
Esther smiled at her friend’s attempt to lift her mood. “I’m going to call CAA and see how long it will be before they can come help me. Then, if it’s too long, I’ll attempt to change it myself.” She knew how, but she really didn’t want to.
“Are you okay?” Tiffany asked.
Esther blew out a breath. “No, not really.” She was feeling jittery. “But nothing’s hurt. I’m just shaken.”
“Call me back once you know what’s up with the roadside assistance. Or just if you need to hear another voice.”
“I will.”
“Esther, I’m praying for you.”
“Thanks. I’m sure I’ll be fine.” Eventually. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too long. She pressed end on her call with Tiffany, and then scrolled to find the number for the emergency roadside assistance company as she sent her own prayer for safety and guidance heavenward.