Mistletoe & Kisses (41 page)

Chapter Two

SHE WAS BARELY paying attention to the time as she drove, and found herself feeling at ease with the idea of seeing her cousin Daniel, Aunt Susan’s son, who had been like a brother to her.  The rest of her family had died over the years.  Daniel, although he has his mom and her house to take care of, still lives in the house Isabella grew up in.  He’s been keeping it up and taking care of it while she was off living the “privileged” life, as he would say. 

When her dad died, Isabella just couldn’t bear to handle everything.  She never wanted to sell the house.  She’d hoped to one day be able to take her own family there for a quiet vacation.  Never had she expected to spend four full years away, but then again, she also expected to have a family by now.  Sadly, she’s further from that dream than ever. 

When the sun starts to set, Isabella realizes she’s been driving a long time.  Her stomach is growling again and she’s exhausted.  She exits the freeway at the first motel she sees, and vows not to lose it while checking in this time.  After a few cleansing breaths while she parks the car, she goes in.  The lobby is deserted and she manages to not make a fool of herself this time.  Thankfully, she won’t have to spend any more money on hotels, since she’ll be able to drive the rest of the way home tomorrow. 

The room at this motel is even worse than the first, but she doesn’t want to waste money. Eric made her get used to the finer things in life, but now she has to readjust to a normal life, without all the luxuries.  Despite not needing them, she sure is used to them now.  It takes everything in her to get into the old, dingy shower, but she knows the spray of the water will help wash away some of her sadness. 

She takes the fastest shower in history, then gets dressed, pulls her hair into a ponytail, and heads out for dinner.  Lucky for her, there is a Del Taco right next door to the motel.  Not wanting to eat in the dirty hotel room, Isabella dines in the restaurant.  It’s vacant and lonely, but then so is everything about her life right now.  The loneliness isn’t new, though; she’s been feeling this way for at least a year. She’s positive that is when Pam entered Eric’s life and he exited being present in hers. 

As she sat and ate her dinner alone yet again, she remembered the first time she felt he was cheating on her. 

Moving the laundry to the laundry room, although Eric hated that she insisted on doing the laundry herself, she was making sure the pockets of his jeans were empty before throwing them in the wash.  That’s when she found the first hint of things.  It was his business card with a name and number on the back.  She didn’t think anything of it and just set it aside for him in case it was important.  His reaction when she gave it to him when he finally came home two days later is what made her curious.

“Why were you snooping in my pockets?”  He snarled at her.  She remembered feeling a pit in her stomach, but did her best to shake it off, hoping he’d just had a rough week. 

“Answer me!”  He screamed. 

She knew this wasn’t a normal reaction, but she didn’t know what to say.  She just explained that she was doing laundry.  He made her feel like she’d done something wrong, packed his things, and left.  It was a full week before she heard from him again.  Deep inside, she knew that that number wasn’t for business, but she didn’t say a word.  She hoped that he’d come home to her and forget about this Pam chick. 

Once back in her room, the exhaustion hits her like a ton of bricks, so she goes straight to bed without even turning the television on.   Her sleep is easy, deep, and uninterrupted, which is unusual in a strange place. 

When the sun starts to shine through the curtains, Isabella wakes up and glances at her phone. She sees the time and notices there are still no calls or texts from Eric.  Either he hasn’t been served, or he doesn’t care, which digs into the open wound a little more.  Although she wouldn’t go back and try to make it work, it hurts to know she is expendable to him. 

It doesn’t take her long to get dressed.  After packing her things into the car, she checks out, and runs through the Del Taco drive through for a breakfast burrito and much needed coffee.  Once she’s back on the road, Isabella finds a pop radio station to listen to in hopes of bringing her spirits up.  She is a little happier today, with the knowledge that she’ll see Daniel again.  It’s been four long years.  They’ve talked a little online, but Eric was pretty insistent that she stay offline, saying it was dangerous because people would try to get to her because of him.  She never truly understood, but never spoke up about it. 

As she sang along to some upbeat songs, she tried to push thoughts of Eric aside.  The last six years of her life had been all about him, but it was time to find herself again.  Isabella is ready to spread her wings, and there isn’t anyone on earth she’d rather have at her side than her cousin Daniel.

She’d left home to go to college in New York; she wanted to be amid the hustle and bustle.  After living in small town Illinois all her life, she wanted to see more of the world.  The moment she learned she’d been accepted into New York University, she jumped at the chance to get away from home.  Her parents were strict and she was ready for the independence that came with being on her own. 

She’d only been at school for a few months when she met Eric.  While walking from one class to another, she was busy studying flash cards when she literally ran into him, causing her to stumble, and her cards to fly through the air.  When she looked up to see who broke her fall, she saw this picture-perfect man.  He was tall, strong, with beautiful copper eyes, tanned skin, a prominent jaw line, and a bright smile.  She was so taken aback by his beauty that she had to shake her head to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. 

Then he spoke to her with that voice of silk.  “Are you okay Miss?”  A simple question that sent tingles through her body. 

Unable to respond, she just shook her head and tried to get up.  Things progressed quickly from there.  He was in town visiting his little brother who also went to NYU.   Eric was from California and was a junior partner in a big Los Angeles-based law firm that had satellite offices all over the world.  He was rich, and spent the week showering Isabella with attention and gifts.

When the week ended, Isabella’s heart was broken.  He was going back to Los Angeles and she would never see him again.  Yeah, they’d exchanged numbers and all, but she knew he was a busy man and would find someone much closer to his age and his home.  The age difference didn’t bother her, but she was sure with his position at work, he’d want his permanent woman to be closer in age.  Dating someone nine years younger was not the way to climb the work ladder.

She was wrong, however. A few days after Eric left, he called her.  She was overjoyed when she saw his name on her Caller ID.  He begged her to come see him for Thanksgiving week, since he knew she’d have a break from school.  When she agreed, his excitement seemed genuine.  The trip was wonderful, and she was on cloud nine when she went back to school with a return ticket to spend her entire Winter Break with him. 

By the end of freshman year, Eric had convinced Isabella to leave NYU for UCLA, and to move in with him.  She thought she was living a fairy tale, that her prince had arrived and swept her off her feet.  And for the next two years, it felt just like that.  He’d done everything she could dream of, took her on trips to exotic places, bought her fancy clothes and beautiful jewelry, and gave her the wedding of every little girl’s dreams.  She was just shy of twenty-one when they married. She had no college degree, but was living the high life. 

The next year was wonderful too, they just spent less time together.  He was promoted to partner just after the wedding, and that meant a lot more hours. By year four, he was gone more than he was home.  There were no more flowers, no mid-day calls or texts, and barely any time alone together.  The last year was worse.  When Eric did come home a few times a week, he always smelled of perfume, and barely acknowledged Isabella.  She even found receipts now and then for flowers and jewelry, but none of it had been given to her. 

Finally, she’d had enough.  Isabella called Daniel and told him she was coming home, but gave him no details.  Embarrassed she’d made such a huge mistake, she packed her car and left a few days later, then filed the divorce papers and paid for them to be served.  Eric hadn’t been home in days, and she was done caring. 

The miles go on and on while she reminisces.  The memories are less painful than they were yesterday, but it’s still hard for her to believe she was so naïve for two whole years.  How in the world would she explain this to Daniel when she arrived?  She didn’t want to hear, “I told you so,” from him.   

Chapter Three

DRIVING THROUGH HER childhood town brings tears to her eyes.  She can’t believe that she didn’t come home to see her dad after her mom died.   As she looks around, memories of her growing up make her heart ache all over again.  She can’t believe she didn’t spend more time with him once she’d met Eric.  How could she allow herself to be so controlled?  She had always thought she was strong and independent.  Turns out, she was too easily persuaded.  That will never happen again. 

When she finally reaches the stop sign at the top of her street, she sits a little longer than necessary.  There isn’t a car in sight, so she takes the time to gather her courage.  Going home to admit she failed isn’t easy.  Daniel’s disappointment isn’t going to hurt nearly as much as Aunt Susan’s will.  I hope Daniel hasn’t mentioned my trip to her yet. 

A quick series of honks startles her out of her thoughts, and she turns down her street.  Isabella feels nauseated as she pulls into the driveway of her childhood home.  She closes her eyes and takes a few deep cleansing breaths, hoping to muster little self-worth before heading inside.  She steps out, grabs her suitcase, and turns to face the house.  She’s surprised to see that Daniel has put a lot of work into it.  It’s beautiful, freshly painted, with a completely manicured yard.   It was in need of work, but she didn’t expect him to have done so much. 

Daniel had planted the most beautiful fall garden she’d ever seen.  The Joey Pye Weed were dying, but she could imagine them at their fall best under the large picture window in the front.  She loved the way he’d sprinkled in the Ornamental Kale and Peppers underneath.  The bluish purple popped under the browning bush.  Her favorite were the Black Eyed Susans and Russian Sage in the raised planters along the side of the driveway.  Asters were dying slowly throughout the other planters, but she could see the love and care he’d put into making it beautiful. 

She stops at the porch and just turns to admire the yard.  Of course, memories of running around in the yard as a child flood her mind.  As the sun sets, the beautiful colors maker her a little more emotional. She feels like her parents are telling her they are happy she’s home.  Her dad never said as much, but she knew he didn’t like Eric either. 

The sound of the door opening startles her, and she stumbles off the step, almost falling into the planter. 

“I don’t remember you being so clumsy,” a deep voice jokes. 

She recognizes the voice instantly and lets out a little laugh.  Just hearing his voice is calming.  Daniel is home to her, and her soul knows it.  Not living near him was torture at first, but she got used to it.  Now she realizes how much she has missed him.

She straightens back up, and turns to look at him.  She can’t believe how much he’s changed since her dad’s funeral.  He’s grown a few more inches and filled out.  Whatever he’s been doing, he looks good.  And happy.  There’s no sign of stress or worry on his face.  Oh, how she hopes she looks that joyful one day.

“Izzy, you okay?” 

“Oh, yeah.  Just can’t believe how grown up you look.  You look good, Daniel.”

“Not to be mean, but you look like shit, Izzy.  What is wrong?”

“There is so much to tell.  I’m not quite ready, though.  Can I just come in and get settled?”

“Of course.” 

Daniel takes her bag and opens the door for her.  When Isabella gets inside, she looks around in awe.  Daniel not only took care of the outside like it was his own, he completely renovated the inside as well.  He took down the awful wallpaper that her mom loved so much.  Her dad had refused to let her take it down after she died.  But Daniel did, and the result is breathtaking.  It opened the entry way and living room so much.  It feels bright and warm now.  The window looks like it’s sparkling, even in the dimming evening lighting. 

“Wow, Daniel.  You’ve worked so hard on the house.  It’s beautiful.”  Her eyes are glowing with excitement. 

“I didn’t do that much, you just haven’t seen it in forever.” 

He never did like attention, but definitely deserved this praise.  “Daniel, that’s not it at all.  This looks amazing. Why did you sink so much money into this house?”

“I’m not sure we should talk about why right now, but I enjoyed it.  I loved working on mom’s house, so when there wasn’t anything more to do there, I started here.  I didn’t spend much, I promise.”

“Don’t you work at the garage?”

“Nope. Well, not really.  I actually own it now.  And three more in the state.”

“What?  When did this all happen?”

“You’ve been away for a long time, Bella.”

With a deep sigh, she responds, “I know.  Too long.  I’m home, though.”

“Home?  This hasn’t been your home in years.  What’s going on, Bella?  I knew something wasn’t right when you called.” 

He could see the pain in her eyes and knew this wasn’t going to be an easy conversation.  “Come sit.  I’ll grab some coffee for us.  Are you hungry, too?”

“No, but coffee sounds wonderful.  Thank you.” 

Daniel leaves to grab their drinks and Isabella sits on the sectional that takes up most of the room.  She can’t fathom verbalizing how much she’s failed in life.  No degree, no job, no husband, and no idea who she is. 

Daniel is back quickly, and hands her the coffee. “I don’t want to push you”—Daniel pauses as he takes a drink of his coffee—“but what happened? Why are you here?”

That is all it takes for Isabella to lose it, and the floodgates open.  Knowing she is going to have to admit to it all is just too much for her to handle. 

Daniel immediately scoots over and wraps his arms around her.  “Shhh . . . I’m not judging you, and I’m not going to force you to say more than you are ready for.  I’m here for you, whatever you need.”