We Interrupt This Date (30 page)

I scrubbed at my face as I walked. The tissue was
shredded by now. The horses clopped by and the years rolled back
until I was reliving the time Daddy took me for a carriage ride. I
sobbed softly, using the sleeve of my sweater to dry my eyes. I was
quickly reminded that acrylic yarn is not the most absorbent fabric
on the planet. I dug around in my purse and found a handful of
napkins.

If only I could talk to Daddy, I knew he’d
understand. I found a bench and sat alone under a tree. I closed my
eyes and imagined my father sitting beside me with his arm around
my shoulders as I poured out my troubles and silently told him all
the things I’d say if I could see him one more time. I told him
about my life, everything major that had happened since he’d gone
away so suddenly. I didn’t leave out the part about my bad marriage
and how I’d stuck around way too long. And I told him how I’d made
a lot of other mistakes, too many to talk about.

“I wish you hadn’t died before you took me for
another carriage ride like you promised,” I whispered. “I wasn’t a
good girl that day and for a long time I thought that was the
reason you never came home again. But now I know better. Except,
maybe I knew logically, but I didn’t really know inside
myself.”

There. I’d admitted the truth to myself. Something
felt different inside me. I glanced up and was startled to see the
horse drawn carriages returning to their stand. Had I really sat
here for nearly an hour?

The tears stopped and I leaned back against the
bench, letting the clopping of giant hooves against pavement soothe
my soul. I was sorry I’d taken so long to figure out who I was and
what I wanted—and didn’t want. I was sorry I hadn’t figured myself
out before I made Jack angry and made so many other mistakes with
my life. And sorry I’d have to quit the ghost tour job, but it
would hurt too much to see Veronica and Jack together all the
time.

Of course, without another job my savings wouldn’t
last long. I’d have to sell the house and DeLorean and Cole would
have to crowd in with Mama at the condo. If I didn’t find another
job before I started running out of money, I’d move to a different
city where prospects might be brighter and the cost of living
cheaper. Maybe I’d take up studies at a community college and
prepare for an entirely new career, something to do with plants or
flowers. After all, I loved gardening. Or there were courses in
paralegal, real estate secretary, practical nursing. Forty wasn’t
too late to go back to school and start a new career.

I rubbed my last dry napkin across my face and forced
a smile. I had a million options. I was going to be okay.

I still wasn’t ready to go home, but I’d pulled
myself together enough to take to the sidewalks again. I stood and
stretched. Then I tramped along, my head up, basking in a sense of
peace that I hadn’t felt in years.

My cell phone rang four times and I didn’t bother to
answer, or even look at the caller ID. Mama and DeLorean, no doubt.
Well, they could call all they wanted. If they had problems, they’d
have to cope on their own. New house rule. And if all they wanted
was to complain about my earlier meltdown, too bad. I had every
right to speak up on my own behalf. Even late bloomers eventually
flower.

I found myself approaching the familiar grounds of
the Blackthorn House. I turned in at the walkway and sat on the
front steps. Regret filled my thoughts. After my initial doubts,
I’d truly looked forward to running the ghost tours. Veronica would
either have to scrap the whole idea or find someone to replace me.
Maybe when I resigned I’d suggest she contact Patty. I chuckled to
myself at the thought of Patty working for Veronica.

In the house across the street a light went off in an
upstairs window. I yawned so big my jaw ached. It was late. Time
for me to go home. I’d talk to Mama and DeLorean in the morning and
tell them my plans. If they thought the Susan they’d seen this
evening was a temporary aberration, they were in for a reality
check.

I rubbed a cramp out of my shoulders, not paying
attention to the car that slowly turned the corner and eased along
close to the curb until it stopped in front of me. My heart
signaled alarm. What if these were the kidnappers Mama was always
warning me about? Then I recognized Veronica’s silver BMW. Though
she was almost the last person I wanted to see right now, I sighed
with relief.

“Thank God, Susan.” She opened her passenger door.
“I’ve been looking all over town for you.”

“What’s wrong?” I said in clipped tones.

“You know very well what’s wrong. We need to
talk.”

I snorted. Is there anyone on the planet who enjoys
hearing that phrase? “Can’t it wait till tomorrow?”

“Will you please get in? Come on, I’ll give you a
ride back to your car.”

I didn’t want to get in the Beemer with her. On the
other hand, the parking garage where I’d left the Cadillac was a
long way off, it had gotten chilly, and the streets were now
practically deserted. Besides, if I told her tonight that I was
quitting, I wouldn’t have to bother coming in to work in the
morning and taking a chance on running into Jack.

“Thanks,” I said casually, getting into the car. “I’m
parked in that big public garage over on Broad.”

She u-turned in the parking lot next to the house and
headed back toward the center of town. “I tried reaching you on
your cell, but you didn’t answer.”

“I was busy.” I stared out the window, pretending to
be fascinated by a stray cat sitting on the sidewalk. The poor
thing looked like it was going to have kittens any second. “Do you
think I have to be hooked to an electronic leash for your
convenience simply because I’m running your ghost tours?”

“You know better than that. Now aren’t you wondering
why I called?” Her expression went intense and her face was more
square than I’d ever seen it. Positively box-like.

“Not really.” I shrugged. It was obvious she’d talked
to Jack or she wouldn’t have known to go out looking for me. He
probably told her all about my evening at the Budget Motel dealing
with my mother’s problem du jour. Then after they’d spent an hour
or so laughing, Veronica must have suffered a few jabs from her
conscience. She’d want to explain why she didn’t see anything wrong
with hooking up with Jack, it wasn’t like he was interested in me,
and besides the relationship with Walter had cooled, so it was time
for a new man. She’d tell me she knew I wouldn’t be ticked off at
her, we’d been friends too long, and I’d want her to have the best.
Maybe she’d even suggest I take Walter for my starter boyfriend and
get her off the guilt trip, though of course, I’d have to
understand she had absolutely no reason to feel guilty and I needed
to get over myself and move on with my life.

“You don’t understand, Susan. You don’t understand
one single thing that’s going on and I am quickly becoming
exasperated with you.”

“I understand everything. That’s why I’m resigning
from your ghost tour business. Effective now.”

She braked, swung the wheel over and parked in front
of an antique store. “You do
not
understand. Now stop being
silly or I’ll climb out of my seat and shake some sense into
you.”

“You can’t expect me to keep the job after what’s
happened between you and Jack.” I did not look at her, though I
wondered if she’d at least have the grace to blush over her
betrayal of our friendship.

“You idiot, nothing has happened. There
is
no
me and Jack. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Jack called me a
few hours ago and told me you were under the mistaken impression
that he and I were dating or madly in love and I knew I had to find
you and get you to believe the truth. To tell you the truth, my
feelings are really hurt that you’d believe I’d go after Jack.”

“Call it what you will. Lunch with Jack. After
quitting time get togethers in my office with Jack. Dinner with
Jack. Hmmm. I’m not Sherlock Holmes, but I’m not stupid,
either.”

She made a growling sound that Mama would have
disapproved of. “I’d hit you if I thought it would help you start
thinking straight. I admit I haven’t always been the easiest
friend. I’m usually running around with fourteen different irons in
the fire, too busy thinking about what I’ve got going on to pay all
that much attention to anyone else. But I love you. You’ve always
been there for me and I’ve tried to be there for you. After all our
years as best friends, do you really think I’d go out with the guy
you’ve been mooning over since high school?”

“I have not been mooning.” I swiveled in my seat to
face her. “I was happily married for almost twenty years. I never
had thoughts of another man and don’t you dare accuse me of
infidelity. No thoughts of any man but my husband. Not for one
single second.”

“Maybe not until things went sour with T. Chandler,
but once you realized your husband was cheating and you realized
the marriage was over, you wondered what would have happened if
you’d married Jack instead of him. You wondered if you’d be
divorced now, and then you knew you wouldn’t be because Jack isn’t
T. Chandler.”

“I never…”

My cheeks blazed. How did she know? I hadn’t told
anyone that, not even myself. Not until this very moment. God, she
was right. How could I have kept a secret like that from
myself?

“Jack and I have never been more than good friends,”
I said making my tone sound neutral. Tried to, anyway, but I could
tell Veronica wasn’t buying my story for even a fraction of a
second. “Lately we can’t seem to agree on anything. We don’t have
the least bit of attraction for each other—we never did.” Sure and
the moon was going to dance in the sky tonight over Fort
Sumter.

“Ha! I guess you still believe your own lies. Not
only do you owe Jack and me a huge apology, but you need to do what
you should have done years ago and tell him how you feel.”

“No! I mean, okay, I apologize. I should have known
you wouldn’t do anything to hurt me.” I felt like slime. I wouldn’t
have blamed her if she fired me. Wait. She couldn’t. I’d already
quit. But she’d probably dump me as a friend and that was exactly
what I deserved. “Next time I see Jack, I’ll tell him I’m sorry,
though I’m not talking to him about feelings. I have no reason
to.”

“You are so stubborn.” She started the car and pulled
out of her parking spot. “Exactly like your mother.”

“I am not like Mama,” I muttered, crossing my arms
over my chest. “Not one bit—just ask her.”

“You are great at hiding things from yourself, too.
Admit it.”

I wasn’t. Yes, I was. Failing to analyze myself made
life a lot easier for me, made it so comforting to simply coast
along in neutral. Until now.

We rode another few blocks in silence. A light breeze
ruffled the fronds of a palm tree as we passed. The streets had
quieted, most of the tourists in for the night.

“Here’s your garage.” Veronica signaled a turn.

I put my hand on the door handle. “Thanks for the
ride. You can leave me off here.” I had a lot of thinking to do and
I was still wondering why the gods had smiled on me and given me a
friend like Veronica. I certainly didn’t deserve her, not after the
way I’d jumped to stupid conclusions about her and Jack.

“What level are you on?”

I started to protest, but figured if I did, she’d
accuse me again of being like my mother. “Three,” I said.

She grabbed a parking ticket. The gate rose and the
Beemer smoothly rolled forward and up the ramp. She took me to the
Cadillac, the only car on level three and practically the only car
left in the parking deck. Before I could get out of my seat, she
put her hand on my arm. “By the way, I’m not accepting your
resignation. I’ll expect you in the office at eight tomorrow. You
don’t have to worry about seeing Jack at the Blackthorn House since
he’s going to be over in Ashley looking at another building for me.
In case you’re wondering, the Ashley job was the only topic of
conversation in your office after you left, you dope.”

My face flushed. “Love you, mean it,” I said. “See
you tomorrow.”

I watched her drive away. Veronica was right--I was a
dope. About a lot of things. I was glad she’d cleared things up and
glad she hadn’t let me quit my job and run away from home. But
after thinking about it all evening, I still wasn’t sorry about my
little show of attitude in my kitchen.
Big
show. It was past
time for me to put a stop to the “let Susan handle it” routine.

But of course, even after I apologized to Jack, I
couldn’t expect him to want me to be more than a casual friend.
He’d only been back in town a few weeks and already we’d managed to
clash. The high school years when we’d been best pals were nothing
but a collection of sweet memories.

With a deep sigh, I started the Cadillac and slowly
rolled down the ramp to the exit. It was almost midnight. I was
wide awake, but I knew I’d be sorry for the late night when I had
to get up for work.

When I got home, I parked at the end of the driveway,
instead of putting the car in the garage. Then I slipped off my
shoes before I stepped into the house. I’d tiptoe upstairs so I
wouldn’t wake anyone.

Unfortunately Brad didn’t have my reservations about
disturbing the rest of the family. He hadn’t made a sound when I
drove up, and I almost forgot he existed. No, Brad politely waited
until I pushed open the front door before he started raising holy
hell. Both Chihuahuas leaped out of their bed and, snarling their
displeasure, made a beeline for my ankles. The light in the
upstairs hallway came on at the same time as the family room
light.

Mama, unable to climb the stairs on her bad ankle,
had been sleeping on the couch. I’d forgotten about that. Now she
sat up and called, “Susan, is that you?”