Angel Over My Shoulder (12 page)

Leslie reached out and clutched the sink, crying out in the grips of a climax as the vivid memories faded. Her body continued to drum rhythmically until she finally caught her breath and her heart beat quieted. She stumbled into the shower and allowed the water to wash away the evidence of the memories that her body still retained of her first and last love.

She slipped on a silk robe and picked up the folder that contained some locations faxed to her by a real estate agent in New York. He had found a great location for her next shop in a small area of Connecticut that was easy to reach. She had wanted to move to Lower Manhattan but he had warned her that due to the rebuild it was no place to start a business.

So she settled on Bridgeport. She had eventually sold Missy and Derrick the store that Missy had been managing. The remaining two were now being managed by James. When he had learned of her plans he had tried to talk her out of her move. He even leaned in and kissed her passionately.

“Leslie, please. Stay. You know how I feel about you. I watch you live your life alone…and I do too. I know that I’m no pretty boy like the ones you go out with but no one could ever love and respect you more than I do.”

Leslie had intertwined her fingers with the older man’s. James was her friend; a good friend but she didn’t want anything more from him then that. Her look told him his answer and he had walked away sadly.

She needed to get to New York, and that was her only goal. She had three years and she didn’t even know exactly how she was supposed to start this search…three years.

~2008~

She had looked at a map of the Jersey shore and it had been so big. But she had known instantly that this is the place where she and Angel would one day hold hands and stand together. Almost every weekend she would come to Jersey and walk the shore. Sometimes she would rent a little blue umbrella and just sit among the crowd of people and daydream. Other times she would be frantic as her eyes scanned her surroundings for anything familiar. In her memory there had not been any other people, and now she had to picture it devoid of human life which was difficult to do when a three year old was circling your leg as he ran from his older brother.

Tired, she walked back to her car and drove to the shop. It was Saturday but James would still be there. He had told her that he was going to be working on recipes for most of the day. She had sent for him to help her manage the new store and to get staff trained. He had dropped everything to come.

‘James,’ she had said when she picked him up from the airport, ‘You don’t need to worry about getting a place. I have plenty of room. Stay with me while you’re here.’ That night she had climbed into his bed nude. He didn’t seem surprised, just very happy.

When she got to the shop she let herself in and headed for the kitchen where he was busy mixing ingredients. She stared at the controlled chaos, even his flaming red hair was dusted with flour.

“Wow. I would have never known that you were so messy.” She said. He gave her a half smile. James was a burly lumber jack of a man. An ex-biker he had long red hair that he kept pulled back at the nape of his neck and beneath a net that he hated. Since he was alone he didn’t wear any head covering; other then the flour.

“I confess, I’m a pig. I faked being neat by getting one of the kids to keep everything tidy for me. You busted me.” He came over and placed his soft lips on hers. “I thought you’d be in Jersey a lot longer.”

“Mmm…” She lingered into the kiss. “I got bored…and hungry.”

“For?” He asked seductively.

She chuckled. “Um food.”

“Damn.” He smiled. “Well let me get cleaned up and we’ll grab a bite.” She helped him put everything in order and the concoction that he was working on went into the walk in refrigerator.

“Where to?” He asked as he slid into the driver’s side of the car.

“Lemongrass. I’m in the mood for Thai.”

“Sounds good. Which one?”

“Up for a trip to Manhattan?”

He chuckled. “Not sure why you didn’t just move to Manhattan as much as you like hanging out there.”

She smiled and turned on the radio. They argued over whether or not to listen to oldies or jazz. He won when an Eagles song that she liked began playing.

They got to Lemongrass before the dinner rush but still had a bit of a wait. James rubbed her wrist with his thumb as they walked hand in hand to the restaurant. She sighed in pleasure.

As they sat on a small bench consulting the menu while they waited for a table, Leslie allowed her hand to trace a trail down his back, along his spine and he shivered and smiled at her. He turned back to the menu and placed his hand around her hip. His fingers snaked beneath her shirt and he stroked the flesh there lightly until she felt herself tremble.

“How about we get this to go?” He said pressing his lips to her ear.

“Mmm, sounds like a plan.” They placed their order while discreetly touching. They hurried to the car wondering if the food would get eaten first or last.

Leslie didn’t see the young man across the street that pushed through the crowd of people rushing to get to their homes. He strained to catch another glimpse of her; he even started across the street before the screech of tires caused him to jump back in the nick of time before he was flattened on the streets.

He saw her turn around at the sound and he screamed out her name. “Leslie!!!” She turned and slipped into the car with the big red headed man and drove off.

~2009~

She hadn’t been to the Jersey Shore in ages. It seemed crazy to roam along the beach all alone when James was back home waiting for her, or at the shop doing things that she could be helping him with. James had moved in with her permanently and for the first time in her life she was sharing her life with a man. She no longer restlessly roamed the rooms of her house. His larger than life body made her house into a home.

But now he was flying out and they would be apart for the first time in a year. Her first two stores were suffering a decline in sales. She had been receiving reports that the products were subpar. There was even a comment card complaint from a customer that had been sold a burnt scone. Leslie was appalled. When she was there no one would have ever dared to sell a subpar item; not even at a reduced price!

James was returning to set some heads rolling and to whip them back into shape. She would join him in a week after she made sure that everything was in order here. Their Connecticut store had quite a following, but not the same popularity as the ones back home.

She was considering returning home for good. She really missed Derrick and Missy and the girls were teens now! Besides, her reasons for being here seemed cloudy now. She was pushing forty and she was waiting for a boy that she’d never met--one that would be impossible to find; and waiting for him to come of age so that she could resume some fantasy relationship with him.

Angel had been such a wonderful crutch, but now she was a mature woman that was with a man that fulfilled all of her needs. James loved her, they shared the same interests and he was real. Grimly she made the decision that had been bouncing around her mind for months now; it was time to let Angel go.

She dropped James off at the airport. “Call me tonight.” She said. He gave her a kiss.

“I will. Don’t work too hard, beautiful.” He hurried into the terminal and Leslie drove off, not wanting to linger in the crowded drop off point. She sighed wistfully, missing him already.

Knowing that soon she wouldn’t be able to find Thai as good as they served at Lemongrass, she decided to head there for one last lunch. Alone, she enjoyed her meal and the sushi appetizer, and when she was all paid up, instead of rushing home, she decided to walk around Tribeca. She sure would miss Manhattan and the home that she shared with James.

She valued their life together, but wasn’t sure if that was love. He had already asked her once to marry him and she had declined. At that time she had not been ready to give up the ghost…

Her mind wandered as she absently looked at vintage clothes and scarves in a trendy second hand shop. After a moment, she felt as if she was being watched and she looked up into the eyes of a woman who was indeed staring at her. She was about her own age, maybe slightly older. And when Leslie met her eyes, the woman gasped and took a stumbling step back.

Leslie looked around, wondering if perhaps she was mistaking her for someone else. She had never seen this woman before. Leslie turned away with an uncomfortable shrug. There were too many crazies in Manhattan.

“Excuse me?”

Leslie glanced up again, seeing that the woman had approached her.

“Yes?”

She didn’t look like a panhandler. She was actually pretty normal looking; a white woman with light hair that was very nearly blonde. She was dressed in nice khaki slacks and a simple blouse covered by a suede jacket. She had been shopping herself. Her hand clutched a shopping bag.

“Do I know you?” Leslie asked with a frown. She really just wanted to be done with her shopping now and to get home, or maybe even sit down and have a cup of coffee.

The woman was frowning. “I-is your name Leslie?”

Leslie stared at her even harder, trying to place her face. “Yes…do I know you?”

“No.” The woman’s voice had cracked and she seemed pale.

“Are you okay, Ma’am? How do you know my name?”

“From my son Alan.”

“Alan?”

“I think you know him as Angel.”

Now it was Leslie’s turn to stumble and the woman reached out and actually grabbed her by the arm, keeping her from hitting the floor. Several people turned to look at them and distantly she thought that the woman was stronger then she looked.

Leslie righted herself and the woman reached down and picked up her dropped items, handing them back to her slowly.

“I know this will sound crazy,” the woman said slowly. “Oh hell maybe it won’t to you, but can you come back to my house? I know you don’t know me…but I have something that I have to show you. You can follow me in your car…” Even if the need for Leslie to agree hadn’t been so powerfully evident on the woman’s face, Leslie would have still agreed. In fact, she would have followed the woman if she had tried to get away!

The two women headed out of the shop. “What’s your name?” Leslie asked suddenly.

She looked at her. She was still too pale and there was a nervous crease between her brows. “Nancy. Nancy Zeigler.”

There was so much crowding Leslie’s head but she didn’t know what to say, where to start so she followed Leslie to her car and then pointed out her Escalade; big truck needed to make big deliveries.

Leslie carefully followed Nancy, cursing herself that she hadn’t got a phone number in the event that they got separated. Trying to follow someone in New York traffic was damned difficult. But whenever they got separated Nancy pulled over long enough to for Leslie to catch up.

Leslie was shaking, she was so nervous. Alan. Alan Ziegler.

Soon they were in Jersey and driving into a pretty town. She wasn’t familiar with New Jersey but the big pretty houses spoke of its affluent residents. Nancy pulled her own car into the drive-way of a traditional style home with perfectly manicured lawn. Leslie pulled alongside of her in the double sized drive way and took a deep breath.

Nancy waited for her and offered her a smile. The ride must have calmed her because she wasn’t freaking out as she had been before. Had she phoned…Alan stating, ‘I found her! I found her!’?

“Thanks for coming. “I’m sure this is as strange for you, as it is for me.” She led her up the porch stairs and unlocked the door. They stepped into a pretty home that was both traditional but homey. These people had nice things, they were evidently comfortable. Nancy looked around impressed with the artwork. She looked at Nancy nervously.

“Is…is he here?”

Nancy shook her head. “No, he’s at school. I want to show you something.” She led Leslie towards a short hall and before she had taken two steps to follow her hands flew to her mouth. She swallowed back a gasp.

She was staring at the mantle where there were pictures; photos of several family members; boys and girls, a husband and a wife. But one picture in particular showed a little boy with bouncy blonde curls. He was grinning a snag tooth smile and appeared all of six years old. She spotted each instance of Angel as Nancy watched curiously. There was Angel with another boy that was clearly his brother, they were about twelve and were climbing up the side of a hill, there was a 15 year old Angel in what appeared to be a school picture, and there was Angel at the age she’d last seen him; looking studious and solemn as if someone had snuck up on him and snapped his picture.

“God…” She breathed. “I can’t believe this.” She looked at Nancy. “How is it that you know about me?”

“It’s…I didn’t. I thought you were a figment of my son’s imagination…or…I don’t know what I thought.” She swallowed and seemed afraid.

Leslie frowned in confusion. “But, how did you know it was me?”

“Oh.” Nancy offered her a crooked smile. “That was the easy part.” She headed back to the hallway. “Follow me and I’ll show you.” Leslie did, curiously. They passed several closed doors but they got to one and Nancy opened it and held it open for Leslie to enter.