Chapter 12
Cori
I sit across from my two best friends, contemplating telling them everything. I open my mouth to tell them just that, but the door to Seven Heaven, Shadow Cove’s popular breakfast spot, opens, and he walks inside. He finds me immediately, but I look away and decide to keep quiet. At least for now.
When I look up again, it’s to see his retreating back as he goes into the kitchen to pretend to wash dishes. That’s one of the things I should have asked him about, but forgot. Since I don’t intend to see him again, I guess I’ll never know.
“You won’t believe this shit,” Eden says.
“What did your trifling-ass sister do now?” Selene asks.
“She’s looking for a job, and my mom keeps hinting about helping her get a job where I work as a receptionist or something.” Eden rolls her eyes. “Mom also asked me to ask you if Mr. Armstrong had anything available.”
“That’s a big hell no. Even if he did, I would not ask. I can’t stand your sister.” We all raise our coffees and toast to that.
“I was at the house the other day and overheard her whining to Mom about how she has no friends and, other than her and daddy, she has no one.” Eden takes a deep breath.
“Thank goodness I’m an only child,” Selene says.
“You lucky bitch,” I say to my cousin. “Dad has planned a family dinner on Friday night at Paulene’s.
I don’t want to go. I already know it’s going to be about how we should all pitch in and help Devin and Ruby.
They’re gonna be disappointed when I tell them again that I ain’t helping him with shit. ”
“You’ve given up enough,” Selene snaps.
“Yeah, you have,” Eden agrees. “I still can’t believe—” Eden’s words cease when a shadow hits our table.
I grimace at the sight of Lexi Carmichael.
We’re all the same age, and we’ve known her all our lives, but we could never stand her.
Lexi puts her hand down and glares at Eden, who stares back, unfazed.
“Man stealing whore,” she hisses. “He was mine first.” Lexi straightens and yells loud enough for the entire restaurant to hear, “I fucked Ripley King first.”
Eden nearly leaps out of her seat, but Selene is just as fast. She stands between the girls.
“Lexi, trust me, you don’t want this. Go. It won’t just be the beatdown from Eden that you’ll have to deal with. Ripley will come for you.”
“Yeah, he sure did come for me.” Lexi eyes Eden up and down before turning on her heels and walking away.
“Don’t worry about that bitch,” I say. “Anyone who would make a fool of themselves over a man who doesn’t want them isn’t worth it.”
“She has one more time,” Eden warns.
“Tell me about your trip, Eden. What are you guys going to do?” I’m relieved Selene changes the subject.
As much as Lexi deserves a beatdown for her disrespect, I don’t think she’s worth it.
More importantly, the last thing I want to delve into is the past with my family, but the truth is, the trajectory of my life changed after my parents were involved in a nearly fatal car accident almost a decade ago.
They were coming home after a town hall meeting my dad was running.
As the mayor of Shadow Cove, Dad has these meetings every six months.
This one ran late. Afterward, my parents went out to dinner with another couple.
There was a mixture of rain and snow on their way home.
My father lost control of the car and collided with a concrete barrier.
Dad sustained a fractured wrist, but Mom’s injuries have been life-altering.
The accident left Mom with excruciating pain in her lower body. She was unconscious when the first responders arrived, but she was awake by the time they pulled her from the wreckage and rushed her to the emergency room.
The initial scan revealed fractures to her pelvis and femur. She was later diagnosed with deep soft tissue injuries and nerve damage, which only exacerbated her pain.
Surgery to stabilize her broken bones was recommended.
She needed plates, screws, and rods to align her fractures, but she had complications with swelling, soft tissue, and scar damage.
Her recovery was nonexistent, and she suffered from constant nerve pain, which significantly limited her mobility.
Months of physical therapy and rehab had little positive effect, forcing her to use a wheelchair. It was later revealed that the scar and nerve damage were made worse after the surgery, making it less possible for her to walk for any length of time.
That meant she needed me more, and my plans to leave Shadow Cove to attend New England School of Design were impeded. I became her primary caregiver. The money I managed to save for school went toward her medical bills once my father got a second mortgage on the house.
I was told I was needed at home, and they couldn’t do it without me. It was my job to help my mom do everything, including taking her to physical therapy and other appointments. I became the housekeeper and cook.
They didn’t say it to me directly, but there was immense pressure on me to defer my plans to attend design school.
Years ago
“I love it,” I whisper to Eden over the phone. “I’ll be there next week to see it physically and sign the lease.” My best friend squeals into the phone. “And I’ll drive you home for summer break.”
We talk for a few more minutes before my mom calls me, and I hang up. I assist her out of the shower and, after helping her dress, set the table for dinner. Devin, now a junior in high school, comes in hours after school lets out. Mom lights up when she sees him.
“Go wash up for dinner. Your father will be home soon.”
Thirty minutes later, we’re seated at the table, enjoying the baked chicken I helped Mom cook.
“It’s small, but there are two bedrooms with plenty of space for Selene when she visits.
” I practically rub my hands together at the thought of leaving Shadow Cove and following my dreams. “I’m pretty sure it was the wedding dress that got me in.
I think that’s what I want to focus on. Wedding dresses, and maybe later on, bridesmaids’ and mother of the brides’ gowns.
Just wedding stuff.” I sigh and smile at the same time. “I love love.”
Devin rolls his eyes as he scrolls through his phone, but my parents look at each other.
They don’t speak. They’ve known I wanted to go to design school since I was ten.
They’ve encouraged me. When my grandmother’s arthritis got too bad, my dad was the one who asked her to give me her sewing machine.
Not only was she happy to do it, but she also taught me everything she knew.
Considering she had no formal training, she taught me a great deal.
“I’m proud of you, baby,” my mom finally says. I see tears brimming in her eyes. Certain they are tears of joy, I put my hand on hers.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“But, Cori, there’s no money for us to help you.” Dad looks away as if he’s shamed by that admission, but I don’t blame him for it. The money my parents had put aside went to my mom’s bills, which I understand.
“Don’t worry about that.” I wave my hand as if that would make my Dad’s anxiety disappear.
“I have financial aid and enough loans to cover it.” The small college fund my parents had for me wasn’t much to begin with, which is why, after high school, I decided to work for two years to save my own money for school.
“And you know our insurance won’t pay for your mother to have a medical aid come to the house. She’s still in therapy and needs help.” My heart drops at the sound of that.
“Devin will be here for another year.” My brother’s head finally snaps up at the sound of his name. He looks like a deer in headlights as he looks from my father to my mother.
“What?” he asks.
“You can’t expect your brother to help your mother in and out of the shower. He can’t help her get dressed, Cori,” Dad says.
“Why not?” I ask. “If you were the one in mom’s shoes, you’d expect me to help you with those things, wouldn’t you? And what about male nurses? They do that all the time. What’s the big deal?”
“Of course, I would not expect my daughter to help me out of the shower,” Dad says, but that’s a lie. After the accident, he had a broken wrist, and I was the one who drove him everywhere and helped him with whatever he needed. “And your brother is not responsible.”
Dad lovingly rubs the back of Devin’s head. Devin pretends to be offended, but he only chuckles.
“He would be if you gave him some responsibility,” I counter.
“I just feel more comfortable with you, baby,” Mom says.
“Why? Devin is just as much your kid as I am.” I blow my breath upward, but don’t say any more. I have about three months before I can leave and get away. I’ll have my car, so I’ll visit often, but the past few years have been daunting.
Balancing work, taking care of Mom, and managing the house has felt like a third job.
“Your mother’s insurance has approved her for another surgery,” Dad announces. The table goes quiet. Tears spill from mom’s eyes. “This can help with the nerve damage and possibly get her out of that chair.”
“Mom, that’s amazing.” Excited by the news, I hop out of my chair, hug her from behind, and rain kisses on her cheek.
“It’s with a specialist,” Dad says. “She has to have some workup before the surgery, but we’re going to need you, Cori.” Dad snatches my hand. “Your mother will need you. All we’re asking is that you defer for one more year. That’s it, honey.”
Now
I shake my head and clear it of those thoughts. That was a lifetime ago. In the end, the surgery was not successful. In fact, it made things worse. I had to quit one of my jobs to spend more time at home, and the plan to defer for a year turned into an indefinite amount of time.
“Guess what?” I say as a way of changing the subject. “I put my favorite wedding dress on sale.”
“You mean the Queen Corine?” That’s what Selene calls the wedding dress that I model on my site.
“Yeah. Guess how much?” When they both look at me and wait, I say, “Fifteen thousand dollars.” I burst into laughter. “No one will ever buy it.”
“That’s what you want,” Selene says. “You don’t want to sell it.”
“I love it too much, which is odd since I don’t ever plan on getting married.” I shiver at the thought. “Love sucks.”
“Someone will buy it,” Eden says.
“You and that man of yours getting married?” I tease.
“Um, no. I’m happy with how things are, but your dress is beautiful, and your site gets lots of traffic. You sell whatever you put on sale.” Eden says.
“Yeah, but I’ve never priced anything that high before.”