Dreaming of Forever (2 page)

“I can give you the rest of the day off. You're going to be working most of the weekend. That's the least that I can do.”

Ashley let him go first so that she could lock the door behind them. “So where are we going to eat for lunch?” she asked him as they headed out of the building.

“Same as usual. Chinese,” he said, getting into the driver's seat of his car.

Chapter 2

Once the plane landed Ashley couldn't wait to get to the rental car. She went to the counter at the airport in Denver and got the keys. 

Getting behind the wheel of the white four door she noticed that it had a GPS.
If only I had Sara D’Angelo’s address.
Driving south out of the airport she looked at the clock and saw that it was almost 7:30pm.

She typed in restaurants into the GPS for Pueblo, Colorado and one popped up that was called Larry’s Diner. She set it as her destination.

Ashley couldn’t miss the red sign lit up outside it. It was a small diner with only three square tables, all covered in a red and white checkered tablecloth. There were four wooden chairs at each table.

The second Ashley sat down at a table a thin black haired woman came up with a menu in her hand.

“You must be new around here. I'm used to seeing my regulars,” the woman told her, giving her a welcoming smile.

“I’m from Chicago,” Ashley answered warmly.

“While you’re looking over the menu I’ll get you a cold glass of water.”

A cheese burger looked pretty good with some greasy fries. Julia came back with a glass of water and a pitcher of water and ice that she put on the table in case Ashley wanted more to drink while she waited. “Are you ready to order?”

“A cheese burger and fries please.”

“Is there anything else that I can get you?” Julia asked, before walking away to go into the kitchen.

“I have a question actually. Is there a horse riding school around here? I’m looking for an old friend and was wondering if you knew the name of the place or at least where it was?” Ashley asked her. She knew that she would tip Julia well since she was so friendly and quick with coming back to the table for her order, even if she didn’t have the information she needed.

“If you keep driving south for another fifteen minutes you will bump right into the riding school. I believe it's called The Pueblo Horse Riding Academy. You can't miss it. Just fifteen minutes down the road. There should be a sign for it.”

“Thank you so much.”

“Not a problem. My daughter went to that riding school just a few years ago. She loved it. Are you looking to learn how to ride while you're in town?” Julia asked her, always wanting to make conversation.

“No. I’m just looking for a friend that I haven't seen in a long time. I’m hoping to surprise her,” Ashley said; a little white lie.

“That's nice. I'm going to put your order in. You must be hungry after your flight.”

“Thanks again.”

Once Julia walked away from the table she got out her notebook and looked over the questions she was going to ask Sara once she got the chance to sit down and talk with her face to face.

How long had she been working at the hospital before working on Zach Ellis's shoulder? What had gone during the surgery? Why did she leave town instead of sticking up for herself and fighting?

Those three questions would give her book a massive boost if she could get them answered. She was feeling anxious about tomorrow knowing that she might have come all this way for nothing. She put her notebook away as Julia brought her plate of food over.

Ashley brought her bill up to the counter and paid. “I have one more question for you,” she said to the waitress.

“What's that?” Julia asked.

“Do you know of any cheap hotels around here?” she asked, hoping that there was one that wasn't too far away.

“A few minutes down the road from the Horse Riding Academy. Probably ten minutes past it.”

“Thank you so much for all your help.”

Ashley pulled out of the diner and heading south once again looking for a sign for the horse riding school.
There it is.
It was a rustic looking sign with The Pueblo Riding Academy carved into the wood. She looked down the winding dirt road. She could just about make out a barn at the bottom of the hill. She didn’t want to cause any suspicion in case Sara saw her car and wondered who was showing up so late at night. She would make her surprise visit the next morning.

Now that she knew where it was, she continued on the main road to find the hotel that Julia had said was just a little ways further on.

She found The Late Night Inn easily enough. She didn’t care how much it cost because it was just down the road from where she needed to be.

The receptionist took her credit card and charged it $40 for the night. She got the key card and brought her small duffel bag up to the room. Ashley opened the door and saw that the room wasn’t much bigger than a closet.

“It'll due for tonight,” she whispered to herself as she pulled the covers back and put her bag on the floor beside the bed.

Ashley had forgotten to close the curtains in her room last night so once the sun came  up at six-thirty she was awake and wishing she could go back to sleep.

“Another hour would've been great.” She glared at the sun as it creeped further into her room. Thinking that she was going to have a busy day she got up and headed for the shower.

Coming out of the bathroom with black slacks, her comfortable heels and a white tank top that fit her well she got dressed and put on her black blazer.

Ashley smiled as Pueblo Horse Riding Academy came into view. In the morning light it was easier to see where she was going. She turned left onto the dirt and pulled up in front of a large red barn. She wondered if she had come to early but then she saw a woman fixing the fence that ran along the dirt road to the side of the barn.

“Hello.” The woman looked up from the fence she was working on to greet her.

“Good morning,” Ashley said, shutting the car door and walking up to the fence to talk to her.

“Are you looking to get some horseback riding lessons today?” she asked Ashley.

Ashley looked at her for a moment, noticing how attractive she was. Ashley had a secret that she kept for everyone including her family. She was into women. She knew that her family wouldn't be impressed so she kept it to herself. Jason didn't even know that she was a lesbian.

Ashley looked at her long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and saw that her jeans and shirt were dirty, probably from working all morning around the barn. Her eyes were a beautiful hazel and they seemed to look into Ashley's soul.

“Uh, no. Not today anyway,” Ashley answered.

“What can I help you with then?” she asked brushing some hair that had come loose from her ponytail out of her eyes.

“I was hoping to be able to talk with Sara D'Angelo for a moment or two. Is she around?” Ashley asked, hoping this woman couldn’t tell she was being completely checked out.

“I'm sorry but you missed her by a few weeks. She’s traveling around Europe. Sometimes I wish I could get out of this town,” she joked lightly.

“Well that's kind of a letdown.”

“I can give her your name and number if you want. That way when she gets back she can call you. I hope that you didn't waste too much time and trouble to find this place,” the woman said when she saw the disappointment on Ashley’s face.

“It’s okay. Let me grab my pen and paper and I’ll leave you my info,” Ashley told her, turning around to go back to her car.

Rummaging around in the car she found her notepad and pen on the passenger side seat. She hadn't expected Sara to be out of the state, let alone the country, when she came to talk to her.

Ashley wrote down her name, cell-phone and her office phone so that way she wouldn't miss any call that might come through for her. “Here you go. Can you tell her that it's really important that I get a hold of her please?” Ashley asked the brunette, almost making it sound like an emergency.

“I will deliver the message first hand and let her know. Sorry that you came all this way. Where are you from?” she asked Ashley.

“Chicago. I was hoping to be able to get an interview with her actually for a book I’m writing about Zach Ellis,” Ashley explained.

“I’ll give her the message the second she arrives,” the woman assured her, giving Ashley a small smile before going back to work on the fence.

Getting in her car, Ashley felt like crying. She really hadn’t expected this. She knew that it was going to be a setback. She would be going back to Chicago with nothing at all on Sara. She knew that Jason would have something to say about not being able to find her.

Once she got home and settled back in Chicago she looked at the clock. She should've taken Jason up on his offer to go to the Bears game. The more she thought about the woman she met at the riding school, the more she felt attracted to her. She just might go back there some weekend just to spend time with her. The one thing that she forgot to ask for was her name.

Chapter 3

The following weekend Ashley decided that she was going to fly to Los Angeles and talk with Zach Ellis again. She hadn't talked to him in almost three years. It was time to get some new information on him so that the biography was completely up to date.

It was going to be a fun part of the project because now she was going to get to know Zach's family and find out what he was doing now. Ashley also wanted to get some pictures of him when he was a kid.

Zach and his family lived in a two story white house with a beautiful garden. Getting out of the taxi she walked up the front steps and knocked lightly on the front door. She waited a few seconds. Maybe she hadn't knocked loud enough. Just as she brought her fist up to knock again she heard the door unlock.

“Hello, I'm looking for Zach Ellis. I have an appointment to follow up with him. My name’s Ashley. He's expecting me,” Ashley explained to the woman who answered the door.

“Yes, he told me that you would be visiting today. Please come in. My name’s Emily. This here is our daughter, Laura. She just turned two.” Emily led her in through the house and Ashley took a seat on the living room sofa.

Laura’s blonde hair and blue eyes reminded her of her father but she could she some on Emily’s features too. Emily left the room and walked in with a tray of drinks.

“I thought that since it was pretty hot outside that you would want something refreshing to drink. If that's not enough ice just let me know,” she told Ashley, sitting the tray down in front of her so that she could take her glass of lemonade.

“Thank you,” Ashley said, taking her glass and taking a sip.

“It's nice to see you again.” Zach sat down on the sofa beside her.

“You too. I know it’s been a while since I have come by to talk to you. I was just wondering how you and your family were doing.”

“We are actually doing pretty well. I’m a history teacher now. I love it,” he told her as she took out a notebook and pen and began taking notes. She also left her tape recorder on the coffee table.

“I’m so glad that you’re moving on with your life,” Ashley said.

Zach nodded. “I'm a part time coach for the football team too. I figure since I can't play football I can at least make a difference with these kids. In the beginning they were shocked that I was helping coach their team,” he laughed.

“That’s great!”

“I would like to become head coach but maybe later on down the road. Laura just turned two a few weeks ago and I want to make sure that I’m around as much as I can be. They grow up so fast.” He looked over at Laura and gave her a smile as she was playing with her doll on the floor.

“Are these the photos I asked you about?” Ashley asked him, pointing to the shoe box on the coffee table.

“Yes they are. That’s all the pictures I could find.”

“Here let me get this tray out of your way.” Emily told them, taking the tray and bringing it back to the kitchen.

“Great. I knew that you wouldn't forget. I just wanted to make sure that's what it was,” Ashley said, lifting the lid on the box.

“Have a look through them and if you have any questions at all I’ll answer them for you,” he told her as Emily came back and sat on the arm of the chair so that she could sit next to Zach.

Ashley thumbed through the photos. She stopped at a Christmas photo of Zach when he was a boy. She saw that there were two little girls sitting with him. She smiled at the photo.

“Those are my two sisters. They’re a few years younger than I am. I love that picture.”

Ashley set the photo aside instead of putting it back in with the pictures. Looking at a few more she also set aside a picture from his high school years. He was in his football uniform and his proud parents stood behind him.

“Can I take these pictures back to Chicago with me?” Ashley asked.

“You can take them. I have the negatives.”

“Thank you,” she answered, looking through another stack of photos.

Ashley’s heart started beating a little faster when she saw a picture of Zach in a hospital bed. The woman standing beside him looked very familiar only she had short brown hair. Ashley knew that she had to be his doctor from the white coat and the stethoscope around her neck. But that wasn't what made her heart skip a beat. She could feel her cheeks warming up and her face growing red.

“Are you alright Ashley? Is something wrong?” Zach asked seeing her face flush and her jaw line flexing.

“Is this Sara D'Angelo?” she asked him as calmly as she could.

“Yes, that's her. The picture was taken almost ten years ago now. It was after the first surgery when we thought everything was going to be fine,” he answered slowly, still concentrating on her face and trying to figure out what was wrong.

“I have to go. I’m sorry for leaving so abruptly.” She stood up, giving him the best smile she could muster and took the few photos off the coffee table and put them into her notebook that she brought along. She shut off her tape recorder and pocketed it.

“Are you okay?” he asked, standing up looking confused.

“Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry that I couldn't stay longer.” She apologized to Zach and Emily both who were giving her a strange look.

“Okay, if you need to set up some more time just give me a call,” Zach told her, walking her to the front door.

“Thank you for your time.” She smiled at him as he opened the door for her and she went outside. Going down the street she opened her cell-phone to call a taxi to bring her back to the hotel she was at.

How could she stand there and lie right to her face. Sara must've thought she was a fool and that she would be easy to get rid of.

Back in her hotel room Ashley turned on her laptop. Not knowing how long she would be staying in Los Angeles she hadn't booked a flight back home to Chicago. She opened up the browser and booked a flight to Denver.