Say You'll Never Love Me (32 page)

“When I looked at her, I couldn’t speak.” He chuckled. “I know. Hard to imagine, but she was so beautiful, I lost my voice. Love at first sight. If it’d been a sunny day, and I’d not waited in the car, I would have missed the love of my life.”

Raynie took a deep breath. “That’s a beautiful story, but I don’t see how it pertains to Jared and me.”

“I remember you telling me how you met. Church parking lot, right?”

“Yeah. So?”

“Spur of the moment you walk to St. Paul’s and arrive at the same time he’s leaving. Five minutes earlier or later, you would have missed each other. Don’t fight it. The universe won’t like it.”

“You know Mr. Remmus, reading all those romance novels to Charlotte turned you into a romantic at heart.”

He rose from his seat and strolled to the bookshelf and removed a novel. “Take this one. It was my Charlotte’s favorite. Maybe it’ll change your mind about lasting love.”

“If the sweet story you shared can’t do it, I doubt this book can.” In spite of what she said, she accepted the hardback, then rose and walked to the door. “See you tomorrow.”

At three o’clock, Raynie waited in line for the school bell to sound and stared at the novel’s title.
Serendipity.
She couldn’t help but laugh. Her neighbor was driving his point home. She opened to the first page.

Allen had plans. He knew where he was going and how to get there. The last thing he needed or wanted was a complication, but that’s what he’d run into. Literally. A gorgeous, blue-eyed, dark-haired, soaking wet complication.

Raynie smiled. Was his story true or from the book? Memory goes long before age eighty. Easy to confuse fact and fiction.

As she tried to right herself, Allen reached out to help her. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“That’s okay. It was as much my fault as yours. We were both in a hurry because of the weather.”

She shivered when she said it and even though the temperature hovered in the upper thirties, Allen sweated. He held the door open, and she went inside, then turned back to him.

“I’m Charlotte.” She stuck out her hand.

He slid his palm into hers. So soft and warm. He imagined she was the same all over. “Allen. Nice to meet you. Would you like to get a coffee? I mean—if you aren’t busy. I mean—when I’m done with my appointment. I mean—if you want to.”

She giggled. A sound so sweet, it rivaled songbirds. “I’d like that. I mean, I’m not busy. I mean, I’ll wait until you’re done with your meeting. I mean, I want to.”

Raynie closed the book and pressed it to her chest. Allen and Charlotte. The characters had the same story as next door neighbor Mr. Remmus and his wife. Talk about serendipity.

After homework, a bath, and Silbie’s favorite bedtime story, Raynie tucked her in for the night.

“Aunt Raynie. Are we moving away?”

The question stopped her heart. “Why do you ask?”

“Grammy Collins said you were making me leave my friends. I don’t want to.”

Raynie walked back to the bed and sat on the edge. “You could make new friends.”

The child burst into tears. “I don’t want to move. I like it here. This is my house. If you make me go, I’ll hate you forever.”

Raynie’s stomach lurched. Grammy Bitch was ruining her life. She shook the thought away and wrapped Silbie in her arms. “Please don’t cry. We’re not moving.” Not entirely a lie. Court documents prevented leaving and depending on how the judge ruled, she might not have Silbie anymore.

“You pinkie swear?”

Raynie hooked her finger in Silbie’s. “I swear. Now go to sleep.”

Later, Raynie lay awake planning ways to get even with Grammy. Lock her in a room and blast rap music 24/7. Take her credit cards. Cancel her country club membership. Silly. But easier than thinking about her problems or Jared.

As hard as she tried, she couldn’t get the earlier conversation out of her mind. Mr. Remmus made sense. The chance meeting reeked of fate. But by now,
LuvsmeLuvsmeKnot
had the results and no call from Jared. So it really was coincidence and belonged to a random thirty-two-year-old. Or, maybe it was him and the question wasn’t about Raynie but reconnecting with Jared’s former fiancée. He’d said she was back in town.

If only the reading was his, then Raynie couldn’t deny Karma was showing her the way. Serendipity for sure.

Moving on is simple,

it’s what you leave behind that makes it difficult.

~Anonymous

TWENTY CHAPTERS INTO
the novel, Raynie discovered the sweetest love story she’d read in a long time. Not much steam, but written in 1960, she didn’t expect any. Farm boy from meager means meets city girl with family wealth. Total opposites. Wrong. He worshiped her and in return she loved him with her whole heart.

He wrote her poetry. She sang him songs. They danced in the moonlight and counted stars. He gave her flowers. She baked him cookies.

It all sounded so familiar and Raynie wanted to see Jared more than ever. With that final thought, she closed the book and drifted into sleep.

By noon the next day, she’d finished the story and waited for her neighbor’s visit. The liquor cabinet was replenished so he wouldn’t miss his regular dose of bourbon. Even bought an extra bottle, but no need offering it to the old man. His routine was as much about loneliness as getting free booze.

She took a moment to consider if she’d be alone at that age. According to Jared, she would, unless she changed. What did he think she’d done since her sister died? Raynie’s entire world had turned upside down. She’d given up everything. Home. Business. Friends. Her heart was the only thing left intact. Or was it?

Medusa strolled into the kitchen and pushed her bowl around. Metal scraping across tile must have sounded like a dinner bell because Mordecai sprinted into the room.

“Okay, okay. You’re hungry. Give me a minute.” She made quick work of opening a can and dividing organic chicken between the dishes. Couldn’t help but laugh. Kitten chicken. Funny. “Here you go.”

The pets—best decision ever. Silbie loved them and she always had playmates. If only Raynie could make up her mind about other things as easily. Especially Jared. Should she contact him?

From the window, she watched the old bourbon addict amble up the sidewalk, cup in one hand and cigar in the other. She grabbed the bottle, a glass, and went to meet him on the porch. “You’re right on time.”

“Punctuality is about all I have left going for me. Besides, don’t want to mess up your schedule.”

He sat in a wicker chair. Raynie eased into the other one and opened the bottle. “Silbie’s going home with a friend. Today, I’m all yours and I’ve decided to join you.” She filled his cup and splashed some in her glass. He took a drink, then released a breath. “Damn, that’s good stuff.” He brought the cigar to his lips, inhaled and blew the smoke toward Heaven. “Glad you’re drinking with me because we have something to celebrate. Harold got the grandparents to drop the lawsuit. You’re free to do as you please.”

Raynie’s breath caught. “What?”

“Yep. He dug up enough dirt on the old guy to get you anything you want. Seems he’s got a secret kid the wife doesn’t know about.”

“Are you serious?”

“I wouldn’t joke about this. I know how important it is to you.”

She rose from her chair and threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! For once, things are going my way.”

“So I guess this means you’ll be leaving.”

Raynie flopped onto her seat. “Not yet. Mrs. Collins broke the news to Silbie and she didn’t take it well. I sold my shop and now I don’t really have a reason to go back. Well, I still have personal things. You know, furniture and stuff. But for the last couple of weeks, I’ve hardly thought about leaving, and Silbie is so happy here. I mean, Lubbock isn’t unbearable. Dust storms only happen occasionally. And the sunsets and prairie dogs give it a certain charm.”

“Yeah, and then there’s your fellow.”

Raynie scrunched up her face and ignored the statement. “Oh, I finished the book.”

“How’d you like it?”

“Loved it. Not a coincidence it’s your story, right? So you must know Nella Summer.”

“All my life.”

“Well, I’d love for my mother to meet her sometime.”

“I can arrange that. So, back to your situation. You make up with Jared?”

Raynie knocked the whiskey back. Coughed. Sputtered. “No, I haven’t talked to him.”

“Hey, go easy on that. It ain’t a girly drink. If you’re not used to the hard stuff, it can put you under pretty quick.”

She waved him off. “I’ll be okay.”

“Whatever you say. Now, about your love-life. Want some advice? Hey, don’t roll your eyes at me. I’ve had more romance than you’ve thought about. The world may change, but not love. Everybody wants it. You’re no different.”

She appreciated his attempt to convert her, but he’d never been heartbroken. “That’s because you found happily-ever-after. Not everybody does.”

“Charlotte and I didn’t have it easy. Her family disapproved of me. And they were right. She could have done a lot better. But no man could have loved her more than this simple farm boy.”

“Oh, I know all about disapproving families.”

Mr. Remmus listened, as Raynie went into detail about her failed marriages, the divorce of her parents, and discovery of Celeste’s unhappiness. When she finished, she downed her second drink. “Fairy tale endings don’t run in my clan.”

“Chapters, Raynie. That’s the most we can hope for. I’m sure your mom and dad had plenty of them, and I’d bet so did your sister.” He held out his cup and Raynie refilled it. “Even in romance novels, there’s trouble. That’s what keeps you reading. How boring would life be if it was nothing but moonlight and roses? Nobody wants to read that crap—or live it. Besides, why do you think it’s called
falling
in love? Cause there’s always the risk of getting hurt.”

“I appreciate your insight, but the fact is, I like being single.”

The old man took a long drag from his cigar, puffed out the smoke in a slow stream. “Just one problem with that. At some point, being single turns in to being lonely.”

After he left, Raynie replayed his pep-talk. He sounded like an older version of Jared. Perhaps chapters was all she should expect. Maybe the liquor impaired her ability to reason.

Whatever it was caused her to agree to let Silbie spend the night with her friend. Raynie started to pour another drink, but she’d celebrated Harold’s victory enough. Well, it was her victory, but without Mr. R and his mean S.O.B. of a friend, she’d still be under the threat of losing Silbie. She wanted to tell Jared. Odd he came to mind before Quinn.

She could call him and invite him over. But what if he said no? All that blabber about love and romance was messing with her brain.
Serendipity, my ass.
What did an old man know? She picked up the paperback again and flipped it open to the acknowledgements. Nella thanked Allen and Charlotte for their story. That was so sweet.

She stared back at the book. Her vision blurred. She squinted. Brought the book closer. Nella. Allen. Nella. She grabbed a pencil and scrap piece of paper from the counter and scribbled the letters in reverse.
Allen. Nella. Remmus. Summer. Holy crap.
Allen Remmus is Nella Summer.

With over sixty romance novels, the old coot must know something about the subject. Yeah, how to convince women to believe in all that nonsense. Or was it? Maybe not. One thing for sure. For the past few weeks, life had been dismal. She thought it’d been about the lawsuit, but even now, knowing it was over, depression shadowed her like a storm cloud. Suddenly, everything made perfect sense.

JARED READ THE
tarot results one more time.

Seven of Wands
shows you must fight and go after what you want. Refuse to yield and convince your love interest of what is in your heart.

Two of Swords
This card signifies blocking her emotions, keeping you at arm’s length, and denying her true feelings. The biggest obstacle here is she doesn’t trust you’re meant to be together due to your differences.