Love Me to Death (22 page)

“Seriously?”

“Yup, I told you, it’s a secluded town. Don’t worry you can sleep in the car,” she chuckles.
Yeah, I think I might.
“Pops!” I hear her scream before she leaves my side. I watch as she runs into the arms of a tall man with silver hair. He is just a little under my six feet but is built very lean. Even at his age, I wouldn’t want to get into a fight with a man like him. He has the odd wrinkle but nothing major. His face lights up at the sight of Ned and the biggest smile fills his face as he holds her tight in his arms. He squeezes her for a few moments before his caramel eyes — which are identical to Ned’s — scan her face.

“How are you, Pumpkin?”

“I’m good, you look well. You still chopping up wood for the fire with these big muscles of yours?” She laughs. She looks so relaxed.

“Of course. Boy, have I missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too but there is someone that I want you to meet,” she says before her eyes fall on me. She has a genuine smile on her face as she links her arm through her dad’s and pulls him toward me. “Dad, this is my boyfriend, Cole. Cole, this is my dad.”

I put my hand out ready to shake his but I am surprised when he pulls me toward him and gives me a hug. He pats me on the back a couple of times before letting me go.

“It’s great to meet you, Son.” His eyes are warm and they remind me of how my father used to look at me. A long time ago.

“You too, sir.”

“Right, let’s get your bags loaded in the truck, we’ve still got a way to go yet,” he says taking Ned’s suitcase from her. She looks over her shoulder and smiles at me before turning all of her attention back to her dad.

“So, Pops, how’s work?”

“Not bad, Pumpkin. Old Bill retired last week so we got a new recruit in. You know Sally’s eldest son, Phillip?”

“Yes,” she says.

“He’s not that fast yet but I’ll have him whipped into shape in the next week or so. The poor boy tried to off himself a month ago when his wife up and left him and his kids. He just needs a little help but I can’t be too soft on him.”

“Pops is the manager at Neville’s, it’s the biggest store around here. He’s worked his way up over the years,” Ned says proudly.

“That’s great,” I say.

“Started as a cleaner,” he says with pride. He takes my bag and puts it in the back of his navy blue pickup truck. Ned and I both sit inside as he carries on with his story. She takes a hold of my hand for a moment and squeezes it before letting go. I know without asking that she’s thanking me for coming. I smile before averting my attention back to her dad. “It wasn’t easy either. Johnny, my manager back then — God rest his soul — he worked me hard but he was the kindest man I’ve ever known. He taught me everything I know and I keep passing it on.”

“What do you sell?” I ask curiously.

“Everything, food, tools, clothes, gardening stuff … we pretty much got it all.”

“Cool.”

“What about you, Cole, what do you do?”

“I’m an actor, sir.”

“Call me, Eddie, Son. So are we going to see you on the big screen one day then?”

“It would be nice,” I smile.

“If you want it you got to go for it. No matter what, you don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t and you’ll make it. Isn’t that right, Pumpkin?”

“Yes,” Ned nods.

“Thanks,” I say quietly in thought.

“Your mom hasn’t stopped babbling about you flying over. You know how excited she gets whenever you’re in town. I think she just likes the idea of cooking for more than just me.”

Ned laughs.

“I’ve missed her and her cooking too.”

“Well, she’ll be glad to hear that. And I hope you’ve been feeding this man of yours.”

I cough and she hits my leg. “Well, I’ve tasted her pancakes,” I say, winking sneakily at Ned.

“Oh, those pancakes are pretty good.”

“If you liked my pancakes, wait until you taste my mom’s.”

“I look forward to it.”

“Pancakes are great but make sure you’re feeding the man some real food too. You let me know if she’s slacking, Cole.” Her dad has a slight smile on his face.

“I’ll be sure to let you know.”

“Pops! Don’t encourage him; he’s hard work as it is.” She laughs.

“All men are hard work, Pumpkin. It’s just deciding which ones are worth the work.”

Her eyes glance at me and she smiles. “Yes, Pops, I know.”

“Good. Now tell me all about those fancy rings of yours?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” She chuckles.

I fell asleep in the middle of Ned telling her dad about the new factory she may have in Paris. I blame Jerkson for his unnecessary and ridiculously early call this morning. I feel a slight tap on my shoulder and the beautiful sound of Ned’s voice calling my name. My eyes flutter open and I see a green sign that says
Blue Creek
through the truck window.

“We’re nearly there,” she whispers.

I look around and remember where I am.

“Sorry, I must have been more tired than I thought,” I mumble in a sleepy voice.

“It’s no worry, you didn’t miss much anyway,” Eddie says.

I look around and I can tell that I am nowhere near New York anymore. The road is quiet and there is grass everywhere, and hills, and trees. It’s amazing.

“So this is where you grew up then?”

“It is,” Ned beams proudly. “It’s beautiful, right?”

“It is indeed,” I say.

“Five minutes till we get there now,” Eddie informs me. I nod and just continue to sightsee.

Eddie was right when he said five minutes because that’s exactly how long it takes before we arrive at his home. I honestly have never seen a home like it but I really like it. It’s a little wooden cabin surrounded by nothing but green grass. There isn’t another house in sight. I did see one a couple of minutes ago when we were driving but that’s it. Ned wasn’t kidding when she said that where she lived was secluded. No wonder she likes to escape here. I can’t even count the number of times I could have done with a place like this when I needed to escape my dad in that last year in California.

“This is amazing,” I whisper to myself.

“My dad built it.”

“Seriously?”

“Yup, he’s a man of many talents, come on,” she says. That’s the first time that I realize her dad is already out of the truck and hauling our bags inside. The man looks like he’s deep into his late fifties but he moves with the speed of a racecar.

“Let me take one of those,” I say, rushing up behind him.

“Nonsense, you’re a guest, go and settle in. Ned will show you around.”

“Thank you.”

“No need to thank me, Son.” Then he disappears through the front door of the cabin.

“Hey, you ok?” Ned asks, walking up behind me.

“Yeah, your dad is a cool guy.”

“He is, isn’t he? He seems to like you.”

“Well that’s a good start,” I smile, pulling her toward me by her waist.

“Yes, it is,” she says as she curls her hands around my neck. “You, Mr. Cole, are worth every penny.” She winks.

“You make it sound so dirty,” I tease. She laughs and my eyes flit down to her lips. I feel myself moving closer.

“As much as I’d love to break the terms of the contract by letting you kiss me I can almost guarantee that my mother is watching from the window. I’m pretty sure you would prefer her first encounter with you not to be her witnessing you in a lip lock with her daughter.”

“I think she’d understand, she has a very hot daughter whose lips desperately need kissing,” I whisper.

“Cole.”

“Kidding, babe. I will behave, for now. Lead the way,” I say pulling back and taking her hand in mine. I love the sound of her laughter as she pulls me toward the door. When I step inside it feels like home. That sounds crazy but it does. It’s warm and cozy. I step straight into the living room where a cozy fire is burning and a fluffy rug separates the two couches. In fact, I’m pretty sure Ned has the exact same rug in her penthouse. She pulls me straight through an arched doorway at the back of the room. I am now standing in a long hallway — a lot longer than I expected it to be — and I can see several doors on the left and right. Ned drags me through the first door on the right.

We step into the kitchen. The cupboards all have wooden doors and there is a small table right in the center. And standing at the far end, placing dishes on a rack, in front of a window is the woman that I am guessing raised Ned.

“Mom.” She beams dropping my hand and running toward her. Her mom spins around and engulfs her in her arms tightly.

“Sweetheart, I have missed you.” She breathes into Ned’s hair as she keeps her eyes closed tight as if this might all be just a dream if she opens them. “You smell like strawberries and cream,” she says making me laugh.

“That would be my shampoo,” Ned chuckles. She kisses her mom’s cheek for a long while before moving back and taking her hand in hers. “Mom, I want you to meet Cole.”

“This must be the young man that you told me about on the phone. Isn’t he handsome?” she says turning to Ned.

I step forward and stretch out my hand. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Mrs. Waters,” I say politely.

“Oh, you silly boy, we’re huggers around here. Come here,” she says beckoning me toward her with her hands. As I step forward she holds me against her tightly as if her hug is saying so much more than just hello. “I am so glad that you came along with Neddie to see us.”

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” I say honestly.

“Isn’t he a charmer?” She winks at Ned before turning back to the dishes that she was sorting. “You should have kissed him out there when you had the chance, Neddie. Lord knows I would have.”

I laugh and probably go red too.

“Mom, you haven’t changed a bit,” Ned chuckles.

“And you wouldn’t want me to. Now go and show Cole to his room and hurry back, we’ve got loads to catch up on. It was lovely meeting you, Cole.”

“You too, Mrs. Waters.”

“Oh dear, do call me Nora, you make me feel so old otherwise,” she giggles. She sounds just like Ned; I’m just hoping her giggling isn’t a result of flirting too. I smile at her as she looks at me and it’s the first time I realize how much Ned looks like her. She just looks like an older version with streaks of gray in her hair. At least, I get to see what Ned would have looked like one day. It gives me a tiny sense of peace.

“My parents are a little old fashioned so you’ll be sleeping alone tonight, buddy,” she says as we step into the hall.

“You make me sleep alone anyway.”

“I let you in last night didn’t I?”

“No, I forced my way in actually.”

“Well it still happened, didn’t it?”

“I suppose … after I did all the work.”

“I feel like I’ve just walked in on an encrypted sex talk so excuse me while I disappear.” I turn my head and realize that the last sentence came from Eddie.

“Dad! We are not talking about sex,” Ned says embarrassed.

“Nothing to do with me, Pumpkin. You’re an adult now.”

“Dad, it was not about sex.”

“It really wasn’t,” I confirm.

“Not. My. Business.” He laughs as he backs up into the kitchen leaving us alone. We look at each other and then burst out laughing.

“I see where you get your personality from, after having met both of your parents.”

“Good, then I can’t be blamed.”

“That’s questionable.”

“Whatever,” she says before pushing me through one of the doors in the hall. I step inside to find a double bed, two small nightstands, and a closet. “This is where you’ll be sleeping,” she announces. I look in the corner of the room and notice that my bag is already here.

“Ah, tradition,” I say, pointing toward the bag. She looks at me in complete confusion. “Is this the room that all of your boyfriends sleep in?”

“No, because you’re the first boyfriend that I’ve brought here.”