Blast From the Past (4 page)

“Do you think Brad will come back soon?” Amy asked absentmindedly. She missed her boyfriend already.

“I’m… sure he’ll be back soon. He just had some errands to run.”

“School, huh? Did I miss much? Don’t want to miss the prom.”

“You didn’t miss a thing, sweetie. Don’t you worry about that.”

Suddenly something occurred to her. “If I’m in the hospital, where’s Mom and Dad? Shouldn’t they be here to take care of me?”

Jackie clasped a hand to her face, and once more broke into tears.

“Something I said?” inquired Amy.

Her sister merely shook her head, and rose from her perch on the bed. “I… Mom and Dad will be here soon, honey. I just need to step out for a bit now. I’ll be back, I promise.”

“Hey, if you see one of the nurses, tell them to bring me some honey pops. I suddenly have this incredible craving.” She grinned. “Must be all that nookie with Brad.”

Jackie nodded fiercely, then stumbled to the door and left without another word. Weird, Amy thought. Her sister was definitely acting weird today. She decided not to give her twin another thought. Brad had been here and he’d made love to her as if it were their first time all over again. Nothing could spoil her mood of quiet jubilation now. Absolutely nothing.

She rested back against the pillow, feeling a little tired. Perhaps her sister was right. Perhaps she had been in some kind of accident and needed to recover. But then why didn’t she remember a thing? Her eyes drifted closed, and before long she was fast asleep, dreaming sweet dreams about Brad and how they’d get married soon and live together forever. And in a couple of years, just like he’d said, she and Jackie would open a store together and she’d have twins.

Yeah, she decided as reality blurred into a wispy cloud of dreams, life was pretty damn great…

Brad walked down the street, a bag of groceries on his arm, when he passed by the spot where Amy had had her accident the day before. Cars were driving past, and as he raised his head to focus on the church where he’d kissed her before the fatal leap across the road, his lips tightened. Stupid. So stupid.

Pausing for a moment before he headed to his car, he noticed the store of the Remington sisters was closed. Jackie was probably still at the hospital, he reckoned, and Amy, thinking she was eighteen again, would probably not be back for a little while.

Guiltily, he stared in through the dark display windows at the clothes on display. He knew how hard the twins had worked to open this store. His pop had told him everyone and his little brother had warned them they were fighting a losing battle, opening a store on Main Street where all others had failed.

People didn’t shop in town anymore, the convenience of the mall replacing the romance of strolling down Main Street, hand in hand with their loved ones.

Ban cars altogether, he thought, and people would be forced to shop closer to home once again, and local business would thrive. Small business owners like Amy and Jackie having a fair chance to compete with the big chain stores.

As he stared at the marquee displaying this was the place to buy the latest fashion, a voice called out from across the street. Turning to face its owner, he was surprised to find Sheriff Tucker jogging over to join him.

His heart sank. The sheriff and he had never been friends, and with the accident their relationship wasn’t likely to improve.

“Hey, Bill,” he said, holding out his hand in greeting.

“Brad,” the sheriff intoned gruffly, his expression none too friendly.

The lawman was a big guy, his rotundity prominently on display, as was his snowy white walrus mustache, the color matching his bushy brows.

“What’s up?”

“Wanna talk to you about what happened here yesterday.”

“The Remingtons file a complaint?”

Bill shook his head. “Nope. Driver did. Said this woman came storming out of nowhere like a bat outta hell and there was no way he could avoid her.”

“The driver file a complaint? What the hell for?”

“He’s afraid he’ll be sued for damages. Amy is still in the hospital. Doctors think she might have suffered amnesia.”

Brad thought back to what had happened in Amy’s hospital room the day before and his cock twitched at the recollection. “She sure has,” he commented. “Thinks she’s still a cheerleader at Jefferson High and I’m her boyfriend.”

The sheriff searched his face, his eyes narrowing. “Not thinking about taking advantage of the situation now are you, Fuller?”

“Not a chance.”

The sheriff grunted something, then took out pad and pencil. “Tell me what happened.”

In a few words Brad described the events that led up to the accident, taking care not to incriminate himself in the process.

“So you talked to her and then she ran across the road, is that what you’re saying?”

“That’s what happened.”

Bill looked skeptical. “What did you two talk about?”

“Oh, just this and that. Hadn’t seen each other in years. You know how it is.”

The other man eyed Brad sharply. “No, I don’t know how it is. Why don’t you tell me exactly what was said that upset her so.”

Brad’s jaw clenched. “She wasn’t upset, sheriff. We just talked like old friends, and she ran across the street because she had to get back to the store. In her hurry she didn’t look out and ran under that car.”

“Mh… Seems to me you told her something that made her lose her head, Amy Remington not being the kind of girl who’d run across the road without checking twice.”

“Well, she did.” He hitched up the bag of groceries. “That all, sheriff?”

“You’ve got nothing more to add to your statement, Brad? Nothing about what exactly transpired between you and Amy?”

Brad was fast losing patience with the arm of the law. “Nope. I said about all I’ve got to say on the subject.”

The sheriff tucked away his notepad and gave him a curt nod. “Thinking about staying in Buford for a while, are you?”

“Two weeks’ leave. You know the drill.”

“Yeah. I know the drill.” He suddenly stabbed his finger in Brad’s chest. “What I also know is that each time you’re in town shit happens, Fuller. Shit that pisses me off big time, like what happened to poor Amy Remington.” He brought his face close to Brad’s, his eyes shifting dangerously. “Pull another stunt like that? You might find yourself a guest of the county.”

Brad gave him a hard stare back, not budging an inch. “Is that right?”

“Yeah. That’s right. I’ve got a nice hard bench with your name written all over it, Fuller.”

“I’ll have to pay you a visit then, sheriff.”

The sheriff’s visage was coloring darkly purple now. “Anytime, asshole. Any. Time.”

Brad gave him a curt nod, lips thin and tight. “See you around, Tucker.”

“Can’t wait,” growled the sheriff, the veins in his temples throbbing dangerously.

Brad gave the man of the law a salute and ambled off, feeling only slightly disturbed by the meeting. Tucker had never liked him much and hadn’t made a secret of it either. It was true that there had been some bar brawls in the past, when he’d stormed into town, but that was a long time ago. These days he just came to visit his dad and what few friends remained, and got the hell out of Buford as fast as he could, nothing of interest holding his attention.

This year that all had changed. The moment he heard Amy Remington had come back to Buford for good, and had opened a shop with her sister, he’d discovered a sudden yearning to head on home and catch a glimpse of his long lost love.

Well, he’d gotten exactly what he wanted. He’d caught a glimpse of her and a lot more. Now he wasn’t so sure if he was happy about it. For the second time his life had collided with that of the Remingtons and he’d left his mark on it. Hopefully this time the damage would only be temporary, but it could have been worse. Much, much worse.

For the same token, Amy might not be among them anymore now. The thought horrified him beyond belief. He decided with some reluctance that perhaps he should simply stay away from her from now on. It was obvious theirs was a union that was cursed from the start.

Jackie’s harsh words sounded in his ears once again. Yes, he’d brought Amy’s family nothing but trouble. Perhaps it was time to sever the ties once and for all.

“What do you think, Mom? Should I call him or wait until he calls me?”

Amy giggled as she twirled around the room in her cheerleader outfit, her temporary sojourn at the hospital already forgotten.

“Honey, you better lie down,” her mother warned with a worried frown. “You know what the doctor said. You suffered a mild concussion and shouldn’t be up and about.”

“But I feel fine!” she exclaimed, showcasing her high kick.

Her mother clutched a hand to her heart. “I’d feel much better if you just took it easy, hon.”

She rolled her eyes and plunked down on the couch her mother had turned into a temporary sickbed, just like she used to when she was little and home with the flu. She flopped down and draped a hand across her brow. “I think I’ll let him call me this time. No need to come across all needy, right? Let him chase me for a change.” She noticed her mother looked quite miserable as she spoke these words. “What’s wrong, Mom? Don’t you like Brad anymore? I thought you said he was a fine boy?”

“As fine as they come,” repeated her mother words she’d frequently spoken before. “Only now’s not the time to think about boys, honey. You need to get well first.”

She groaned. “But I
am
well. In fact I’ve never felt better.”

“It’s the drugs,” murmured Mom. “Those painkillers you’re on make you feel all giddy. I know they had the same effect on your daddy before he—” she abruptly cut off her words and bit her lip, looking horrified.

“Before Daddy what?” asked Amy. She now wondered for the first time why she hadn’t seen her father yet. “Where
is
Daddy, anyway? He didn’t come to visit me at the hospital. Is he still at work?”

Mom’s lip trembled, and her face revealed a sadness Amy hadn’t seen there before. She also noticed wrinkles around Mom’s eyes that hadn’t been there. She looked so old all of a sudden. And her hair—didn’t she detect smudges of gray scattered along the dark brown? “Mom, you should really start painting your hair. I can see several gray strands.”

Mom stifled a sob. “Oh, honey…”

She sat up, properly worried now. “What’s wrong, Mom? Why are you crying? If it’s about my accident, I’m fine. I don’t even remember what happened. Jackie says I ran under a car but I find that hard to believe. I’d remember if I did a silly thing like that, wouldn’t I?”

Her eyes scanned the living room with a frown. More things were out of place, she felt. For instance she couldn’t remember them ever owning a fancy flat screen TV like the one perched near the window. “When did Daddy buy a new TV?” she muttered, and when her mother didn’t respond, she noticed to her horror how big, fat tears were rolling down her cheeks.

She quickly sprang up and kneeled at her mother’s feet. “Oh, Mom, don’t cry. Whatever it is, I’m sure we’ll work it out.”

Her mother reached down a trembling hand and placed it on her cheek. “Honey, don’t you remember anything? Not even…” She closed her eyes and shook her head, as if she herself didn’t want to recall the memory.

“Not even what?”

Mom swallowed with difficulty, then willed herself to go on. “Your… father. Don’t you remember what happened to him?”

Amy started to feel a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach. As if someone was grabbing it and squeezing it tightly. She didn’t much care for it. “Daddy? Something happened to Daddy?”

Mom merely nodded, her face screwed up in grief. She’d retrieved a handkerchief from the pocket of her housecoat and was now dabbing it against her cheeks. It was one of those lacy ones, Amy saw. She’d always liked them, though they were a bit flimsy and small for her taste. She liked the bigger hankies better, the brown and beige checkered ones. She could really blow her nose in those. “Tell me, Mom. If something happened to him I should know, right?”

“He was… in an accident, just like you.”

She jerked back, both surprised and annoyed. “Why didn’t anyone tell me? Is he all right? Where is he? In the hospital?”

Mom shook her head again, remaining infuriatingly silent. Getting information from her mother was like pulling teeth, Amy decided. “So where is he?”

“He’s…” Mom shook her head again, incapable of speech.

“He’s dead, Amy.”

The voice of Jackie had Amy look up. “What?” she uttered feebly. “Dead? What are you talking about?”

Jackie took a seat on the couch. “He died ten years ago.”

“Ten years! But that’s impossible! I saw him only yesterday—this morning—” She rubbed her eyes, suddenly not sure when she had last seen her father. Then she remembered. She’d been showcasing her prom dress to him, showing off the satin pink dress with the bows and the feathery neckline, and he’d whooped and hollered as she swung round and round, her skirt whirling. She smiled at the recollection. “Why, I only saw him last night. I was showing him my prom dress, don’t you remember, Jackie? He said he loved it and wouldn’t let me stop twirling around.”

Jackie’s face suddenly looked pale and drawn, Amy thought, same as their mother’s. What was wrong with the people in this house? They were all acting so strange today. “Tonight’s the night, isn’t it?” she asked softly. “Tonight is prom night. We—I have to get ready. Brad is picking me up in his car, and we’re going to have the best night ever.”

Now she remembered why her sister was so upset. Her date had fallen ill. The flu. She was forced to go alone. She spirited a comforting smile on her face. “It’s fine, Jack. You can ride with us in the car. I’m sure Brad won’t mind. The three of us can go together.”

Jackie’s eyes betrayed so much sadness it shook Amy. “But that’s not what happened, is it, Amy?” her sister slowly whispered. “Dad took me, remember? He dropped me off and when he came to pick me up he was hit by Brad’s truck when he skirted the bypass in the wrong direction. You’d been drinking. You’d both been drinking. Dad’s car tumbled off the bridge and he was slung from the car. His head hit a rock and he died instantly.”