Tainted Love: contemporary womens fiction love story and family saga (Behind Closed Doors Book 1) (18 page)

And do you know what? I did. Well, I made their day, at least. They’d never seen a carnival procession before. We stopped going to the Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York when Caleb got too old, so this was something completely new to my little ones. To be honest, it was completely new to me, too.

All kinds of floats passed down Main Street from the big factory obviously employing most of the town, past the small community library with an ‘I heart books’ slogan. The high school band played music from one float. The football team stood on a float sporting a huge trophy while cheerleaders followed performing acrobatic flips and jumps. Even the younger children were in fancy dress and standing on floats. This was not the kind of parade I was used to.

After the crowd dispersed, we went looking for the diner. I figured it would be good to get them something proper to eat before the girls filled up on junk food. They’d still stuff themselves silly all day but I’d be happier knowing they’d eaten something nutritious at least once since breakfast.

Just like everything else in this town, the diner looks like it’s been bypassed by modern times. You know — red leather booths, stainless steel furniture, Formica table tops, strobe lighting, and the checkered floor tiles that give you a migraine. And just like everywhere else in this town, it was crammed full to bursting.

A table became free as we walked in, and the waitress waved us over. I think she was a waitress. She wasn’t wearing a uniform, but she was cleaning the table. After she’d taken our order, she grinned at the girls and told them if they ate all of their dinner, and I said it was okay, they could have a sundae on the house.

We sat behind a family with children the same age as Cate and Zoe. They were talking about the parade, and then suddenly I was talking to their parents, and by the time the girls finished their sundaes, I’d talked with everyone in the diner in one way or another. Everyone is just so friendly here!

Now, these are my girls, remember, so of course they entered the talent competition. Zoe, my little fireball, she knocked their socks off with a little comedy song and dance from her favorite movie. All notes and actions perfect. And Cate, again... she brought tears to my eyes. She’s nearly eight years old and has such a big voice. I believe she’ll be a star, one day, if that’s what she wants. She doesn’t say what she wants anymore but she loves to sing. Singing makes her happy. And yes, both of them got through to the final ten!

“Mom, are you going to decorate a cake?” Cate asked as we passed the other cakes in the competition. “Your cakes are so much better than these.”

That
made me feel all gooey inside. “No Kitty-Cat.” I smiled at her. “It takes a couple of hours to decorate a cake. You and your sister would be bored.”

“We could go on a few rides,” she said. “I’ll keep Fireball with me all the time, I promise. You’d win! I’ll stay where you can see us.”

You know, in that moment, D, I realized Kitty-Cat was actually saying she wanted something. She wanted space, from me. I’d been
so
overprotective, I’d started smothering her. She’s almost eight. She’s growing up and she wanted a little away-from-Mom time.

“You really need to be in the right frame of mind to pull off a competition winning cake, Cate.” She sighed, her shoulders drooped, and her eyes fell to the floor. “But…” If she felt safe enough to ask for independence, then I felt safe enough to give it to her. “We need some things for our trip, so I’ll visit the shop.” The biggest grin lit up her face as I held out a handful of coins. “Do
not
wander off this street. Do
not
talk to strangers. And do NOT let your sister out of your sight. I want to be able to see both of you at all times.”

“’Kay.” She gave me a hug and then took Zoe’s hand. “C’mon, Fireball.”

So I walked into one shop and I bought some snacks and drinks for the onward drive. You know, we’re on the road quite a lot at the moment, but I don’t think I’ve ever shopped quite that quickly before! Soon I was back on the street, scanning the crowd for the girls, and they were fine. They were riding the Ferris wheel.

I went into another shop and picked out some new clothes. Two pretty dresses that Zoe and Cate could wear in the competition. Of course, they needed new shoes to match. And Cate had been asking me for a pair of jeans for ages but I’ve never allowed them, you know — because Cal disapproved of his girls looking like anything other than perfect little girls but I decided to hell with him. I bought us each a pair of jeans, and some t-shirts — we needed to be comfortable, right?

Then I went back to the street again and scanned for my girls. They were right where I could see them and they were fine. They waved at me. So I walked towards the fudge shop because I’d had a hankering for this homemade fudge since Farmer Fred mentioned it. As I got to the door, I walked into a wall.

Well, it felt like a wall, only softer.

My purchases spilled over the sidewalk as my butt hit the deck, but that wasn’t my biggest problem. I stared into the distance and I was unable to believe what I saw. It was only a fleeting glance as he climbed into a car. My heart leapt into my throat. I must have been mistaken about the driver. He was as tall as and as wide as the man I was trying to outrun but I was definitely not mistaken about the vehicle. Oh, why was fate this evil?

“Ma’am?” I looked at the officer and recognized his face from earlier that morning. “Are you okay?”

I just pointed as an old battered bronze sedan sped away. “That’s my car!”

Chapter Forty

I couldn’t get a hold of Robert. Of course, it was the Fourth of July; he had plans with Gina and Izzy, which in that case must have included you. Did you have a nice time?

All I kept thinking was,
thank God I keep all the important documents in a folder in the backpack I carry.
But it was a public holiday, so it’s not like I could have done much. We were stuck in Hawthorne Creek, and all we had are the clothes I’d just bought and the money Robert wired into my account.

So Officer Dixon took a report as I watched the girls with the eyes of a hawk. He said he’d talk to Farmer Fred. Ten minutes later, he came back and handed me a key. I frowned.

“It’s for a room at the hotel. They’d only got one left, but I figured you’d need it. You won’t be going very far, not tonight at least.”

“Oh.” I blinked. I hadn’t even thought about where we were going to sleep. My mind was still stuck on how the hell my car got from Farmer Fred’s field to Hawthorne Creek, even though I still held the keys in my hand. “Thank you.”

“Anytime, Kimberley.”

I gathered my purchases and called the girls over. I told them we needed to shower and get ready for the dance. They were thrilled when I said we were staying for the night and I didn’t want to let anything spoil their surprise day. I was sure Robert would call my cell when he received my messages, and then we’d be as fantastic as rain in a drought.

The girls got all pretty, I put on a smiley face, and we went back out to Main Street. Everywhere we went, someone I’d already met that day smiled and said hello, or wished the girls good luck in the talent contest, or commented on how pretty they both were and asked if they’d save them a dance. I just couldn’t get over how friendly everyone was here.

Soon my car was just this one thing niggling at the back of my mind, while we talked and walked and danced. Yes, I danced with my girls! Then came the competition, and Zoe stole the show. Her little comedy routine had a few extra tricks. I’d like to know how she knows not to use her best stuff at just six. I haven’t taught her.

Then Cate, oh my baby Cate, she lifted the hairs on my neck as she sung a ballad from ten years ago. How she even knew the song was beyond my comprehension, but she did. She sung it perfectly, and received a standing ovation from the crowd.

“You’ve got them two well trained.” Officer Dixon appeared beside me.

“Actually,” I said as Cate took Zoe’s hand and walked on to the stage. “I have nothing to do with it. I can’t act. I can’t sing. I can’t dance. Although, I can make a fool of myself quite easily.”

“Let me informally introduce myself.” He held out a gigantic hand. “John Dixon, Hawthorne Creek’s only police officer turned carpenter. I come out of retirement to help on weekends like these.”

“Kimmi Frances.” I watched as the hand swallowed mine, as though eating it for breakfast. A strong and powerful grip wrapped around my hand. I didn’t like it. There were too many similarities with this hand and another hand which had fooled me for too long. “Mother of extraordinarily talented and overconfident children.”

“What do you do, Kimmi?”

“I’m between jobs right now.” I sighed. “We’re between homes, between lives, and now we’re even between cars. I never knew limbo was called Hawthorne Creek. You don’t put that on your tourist information guides.”

“Do you mind if I ask?”

“Not if you don’t mind when I don’t tell?” I replied as I met his gaze. He looked hurt, only a little, but he was being friendly and I was being a bitch. I sighed, letting go of the tension I’d been carrying since the car had been stolen. “I’m sorry. It’s just… we’re starting fresh. Clean slate and all that. Moving on. Well, we were. And now...”

“Well, you know what they say about life, Kimmi.” He smiled and stepped back. “When it throws you lemons...” He turned and walked away.

“You’re supposed to...” I called after him and he stopped. “Juggle until you drop them!”

John sent a dazzling grin over his shoulder, and then he shook his head and continued.

Well, you’re supposed to make lemonade, aren’t you? So fate had brought me to this town. More accurately, fate had stuck me in this town with no way of getting out. Fate wanted me here. I suppose the question was, did I want to make lemonade in Hawthorne Creek?

No, I didn’t.

I wanted to keep moving. I didn’t want to stay in one place too long, because he always finds us. Whether it’s a few weeks or a few months, he always knows where we are, and it doesn’t matter whether I think he doesn’t know. He does.

So if I keep moving, especially if I don’t know where I’m going, then I’m always one step ahead. I thought, I’ll talk to the insurance company and I’ll talk to Robert. We’ll sort out another car and then we’ll be on the move.

But the strangest thing happened last night, D. I watched the town’s mayor announce the winner of the talent competition. It wasn’t Zoe or Cate. They weren’t as heartbroken as I thought they’d be. They were more excited about the fireworks display. I have to say it was pretty spectacular. Afterwards, I took them back to the hotel and put them to bed. Then I sat in the chair next to the window and I watched and waited for him. For the first time in months, I actually fell asleep.

He wasn’t there.

Part Three: Saving Faith

Chapter Forty-One

Date: 09/04/2002 14:32:00 PM

Subject: Come meet my girls

D, I want you to come and visit me. I want you to bring Caleb and Georgia, because I don’t think we’re moving again. This place is so hard to describe. It’s not just another place, nor another town. The people aren’t just more faces. I’ve never felt anything like it. I really feel like I’ve found home.

Cal found us in every city but then again, where else would I go? I thought I needed the close-by amenities because I’m completely on my own, but as John Dixon said, when life throws you lemons, well, you make lemonade. And it seemed it had, because the girls woke up the morning after the Fourth of July and Kitty-Cat asked if we could live here. So now we do. I, formerly known as Faith Hawthorne, now live in Hawthorne Creek. Really! What are the odds?

There’s just something about this place that makes me feel safe. I’ve had a full night’s sleep every night since we moved here. I feel a-ma-zing! It’s a proper community where everyone knows everyone’s name. Everyone is willing to help you out. People don’t even miss church on Sunday, which is so totally weird because I fell out with the Big Man a couple of years ago. He kept sending Calvin after me.

The news got out about my car pretty quick. Farmer Fred was devastated because it was parked in his field and nothing like this had ever happened before. I smiled at him and said we’d decided we liked it here and were going to stay for a few days.

“I thought you were just passing through?” Sadie, the waitress who’d served us the day before — except she was really the owner — asked me as she topped my and Fred’s coffee cups.

Doesn’t it seem odd that after only one day, I knew her by her first name? When I think back now, considering our lives in Southampton, where we address everyone formally until told otherwise, it seems odd to me. But on this day, it seemed perfectly normal to know Sadie, and everyone else in Hawthorne Creek, on a first-name basis.

“We were,” I told her, “but fate had different plans.” The girls grinned at me. It was the first time I’d seen them happy, I mean
really
happy, about starting a new life since all this happened. I guess they must have felt the same way I felt about Hawthorne Creek. “I’m going to find a job and a house, if I can.”

“Bob?” Sadie shouted, and a voice replied from the kitchen. “Your Momma’s house still empty?” He grunted a reply. “It ain’t now.”

I’d not met Bob yet, so when a portly gentleman wearing a white t-shirt with grease stains came to the doorway and looked at me, shrugged, and turned back into the kitchen, I thought this was a bad thing.

“He likes you. Ever waited tables before?”

“I’ve cooked and served a hot meal for twenty five business executives when my ex and I had dinner parties. But that’s playing dress-up in comparison to this. I’d be way out of my league.”

“You’d handle it.” Sadie smiled. “The tips are good, the pay’s just about as good as anything else you’ll get around here, the hours are more flexible than most.” She looked at the girls. “And you can see the school building from here. What do you say?”