Happy New Life (11 page)

Why the warning about Cole? If it was so bad, why didn’t Jenna just
spill the beans? Maybe he was a serial killer? Nah, the way his gentle hands
caressed her body. No way could he hurt anyone. Not a chance.

Liz pulled into the driveway, then moved the folders to the back seat.
Tramp would destroy them when he jumped in if she didn’t.

“You ready to go Tramp?” She opened the door and waited to hear claws
clicking across the floor. “I can’t leave you here alone.”

Scary silence.

Not again
. Her heart fell and she bolted in the door.

He wasn’t budging from his dog pillow in front of the hearth. Normally,
when he heard the rattle of the keys, he was up and ready to go.

She hated to disturb his rest, she knew he needed it. She needed to get
Hayes and she promised that she would stay for a coffee with her sister.

Picking Tramp up off the floor just about broke her back.

The door flung open without her touching it. Nearly falling out, she
and Tramp tumbled right into Cole’s arms.

“Let me have him.” Cole lifted Tramp from her arms.

Liz shook her arms out to get the blood flowing again.

“Where are you taking him?” He asked.

The look in his eyes she’d seen when they were making love wasn’t
there.

“I let Hayes stay with my sister in Cincinnati, remember?” How could he
forget their conversation or their night? “Or do you remember last night?”

Liz opened the car door, laid Tramp’s blanket on the seat, and stepped
aside to let Cole lay him down.

“Please send me a bill for your services.” She wanted to make sure he
didn’t think she was free loading or worse—offering herself for payment.

She tried to get in the car as fast as she could, but he grabbed her
before she bent down to get in. Spinning her towards him, Cole looked into her
eyes. She glanced down the street avoiding eye contact. She didn’t want to
break down in front of him. She had questions, but now wasn’t the time.

“What services do you mean? Tramp or making love?” He had her by the
wrists.

The more she tried to wiggle free, the harder he gripped.

At that moment she couldn’t tell if she wanted to slap him or kiss him.
Before she could make that decision, he took her into his arms and placed his
mouth securely over hers. Her body responded well to his. He was exploring
every part of her mouth.

Letting all of their senses take charge, all the outside world faded
away.

“Well, well. Isn’t this cozy?” Startled by a car door slamming, they
turned their heads. Jenna stood next to her car holding a big dog bone with a
ribbon tied around it.

“I was hoping to catch you and give Tramp some get well treats, but it
looks like I caught you and the good doctor instead.” She handed Liz the bone
and left.

Jenna sped away.

Cole and Liz stood there in silence. Without a word between the two of
them, Cole walked away.

“Where are you going?” Liz pleaded.

“I…I.” He stammered, clearly holding something back.

She wanted answers. And she wanted them now.

“Spit it out!” Liz screamed exhausted by the games.

“I’ll spit it out!” He walked backwards pointing his finger. “I
shouldn’t have come here. You are dangerous for me and I need to get this under
control.”

This was not the way she wanted this to happen. She wanted to tell
Jenna somehow, but now she’d lost both of them.

Liz stood where he left her. Paralyzed next to her car, she couldn’t
wrap her mind around what had just happened. She watched his truck disappear
around the corner.

TWELVE

“When sisters stand shoulder to shoulder, who stands a
chance against us?”

~Pam Brown

Kristen’s two story red brick Georgian style home was breathtaking. The
beautifully landscaped yard was to die for, even now when covered by snow.

The six-foot tall nutcrackers on each side of the red front door set
the tone for how Kristen had decorated the inside.

She rubbed some lip gloss over her lips, noticing her eyes were still a
little puffy from the past two hours of crying. She spent the drive up trying to
sort out how to fix the situation she’d gotten herself into.

Her life was going well up until she’d seen Cole at the coffee shop
that day.

Kristen ran out of the house to greet Liz

“You look like you haven’t slept.” She rubbed her hands on her apron.
“Come in. I just made lemon squares.”

Liz pointed to the back seat. “I can’t stay, Tramp is ill. Attempted
suicide by toilet bowl cleaner. We’ve been up all night.” Liz was unable to dam
up the tears. “I’m exhausted. We were up all night.”

Karma…karma
…Liz thought in the back of her mind, as she blamed
her lack of sleep and puffy eyes on the dog.

Please don’t bite me in the butt,
Liz begged.

Kristen wasn’t going to take no for an answer. She was determined to
visit with her sister. “We hardly get to visit any more. If he made the trip
up, he can stay for another hour.” Kristen opened up the back door to get Tramp
out.

Without a fight, Liz gave a silent sigh. She needed her sister, even
though she wasn’t going to tell her the truth about those puffy eyes.

Even though the hour was filled with small talk, and a lot of kid
interruptions, it was an hour free of thinking about her life.

Hayes didn’t stop talking once during the entire two hour drive home.
Liz pretend to listen, but the closer they got to Grandberry Falls, the more
she thought about Cole and what they had been doing less than twenty-four hours
ago.

Deep down inside, she was just a woman wanting to be wanted, a woman
wanting to be loved.

Maybe Jenna’s right
, she thought. She could avoid Cole. She’d
never ran into him before. She just needed to avoid the places she knew he
would be. They could go to another pet store in a neighboring town.

“Mom?” Hayes touched her arm.

“Yeah, buddy?” She smiled over at the most handsome face she’d ever
seen.

“You aren’t listening to me.” His eyes turned down.

This was it. Liz knew it was time to draw the line. She knew that once
Hayes was affected by the Cole situation that it needed to end. She would never
compromise her relationship with Hayes. She made it a point to always listen to
him. She wasn’t going to stop now.

“Honey, I am so sorry.” She reached over and stroked his beautiful
brown head of hair. “I am thinking about all the fun we’re going to have during
Christmas break.”

Getting Hayes to bed was much easier than usual. He was exhausted from
the party and the long ride home. Liz couldn’t get the memories of last night
out of her mind. It had left her emotionally drained. The anxiety made it hard
for her to settle down.

When the phone rang, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

“Hello?” She was sure it was Kristen. Her older sister always called to
make sure Liz made it back to Grandberry Falls safe and sound.

“Let me in. I’m outside your door.” Cole demanded more than asking.

“Why are you here? Hayes is in bed.”

“Open the door. I will be quiet.”

Without hesitation, Liz got up and threw on her robe. He was standing
at the door dressed in faded jeans, a University of Kentucky sweatshirt, a
baseball cap pulled down over his eyes, and cowboy boots. This was a really
cute look.

She had to fight the overwhelming urge to be close to him.

“Are you incognito?” She asked, and pushed up the bill so she could see
his eyes. The smoldering flame in his eyes told her everything.

“I needed to see you.” She watched the words fall from his lips.

She looked into his eyes.

He had fallen for her, just as hard as she had for him.

Without realizing it, he had picked her up and carried her to the
bedroom. They made love until dawn without saying a word or ever thinking about
what they were getting themselves into.

THIRTEEN

“The best smell in the world is that man that you love.”

~Jennifer Aniston

Cole’s scent lingered in her room long after he’d left. Liz picked up
the pillow and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath. She didn’t care when she
was going to see him again. His scent was overwhelming her senses, her
emotions. They were two people who needed to be loved. They needed each other,
even if it was just for a few hours.

Liz smiled when the phone rang. She could feel that Cole was on the
other end of the line.

“Hello, beautiful.” Cole’s voice was low and smooth.

“Why did you run off so soon?” she asked in a slow silvery voice.

“I don’t want you to have to worry about Hayes getting up.” There was a
pause, “I don’t want to have to explain why the dog trainer was in his mom’s
bed. I just wanted to thank you for last night.”

“Tramp?” Hayes yelled down the hall, bringing her back to reality.

Suddenly she felt conflicted. It was as if she was living two separate
lives.

“Tramp!” Hayes yelled louder.

“I hear Hayes, so I’ll call you later.” Cole assured her before he hung
up.

Liz dreamily went about her morning ritual. Rushing Hayes out the door
was one of her specialties.

“Mornin’!” Kerry Ann filled up Liz’s coffee cup after she sat down at
The Fatted Pig.

“Good morning. Mamie off today?” Liz looked around the diner.

If Kerry Ann was there, it was a sure sign that Mamie or someone else
had taken the day off.

“Yep. She’s attending the chamber meeting about that eminent domain
case.” Kerry Ann pushed her glasses up her nose. “Being nosy if you ask me.”

Liz laughed, amused by Kerry Ann’s frankness. Or maybe deep down, she
was feeling good because she’d just slept with Cole.

“Did you get your hair done?” Kerry Ann narrowed her eyes. Liz shook
her head. “Well, something’s different about you.”

“Nope. Have you seen Jenna?” She looked around, but didn’t see her.

There was something different inside her, and she felt it. She wondered
if the old saying was true,
love makes your soul crawl out from
its
hiding place?

Her soul was alive. There was a deep connection between her and Cole
that she couldn’t begin to even figure out.

“I haven’t seen her all mornin’.” Kerry Ann took the pen out from
behind her ear. “We got some gravy and homemade biscuits right out of the
oven.”

“Sounds great.” Liz checked her cell to see if Jenna had called. It was
so unlike her to be late.

She slipped it back in her purse. Jenna hadn’t called.

Liz watched the faces of the other customers in The Fatted Pig, and the
holiday crowd walking along the snow covered sidewalk of Main Street. There
wasn’t any room in front of the waterfall.

She smiled, remembering all the times she’d stood there, and how much
money she’d spent throwing pennies into the falls, hoping her dreams would come
true.

Maybe they are
. She grinned.

The waterfall was what she fell in love with when she first came to
Grandberry Falls.

Mesmerizing.

She’d come to Grandberry Falls to buy a rare table she’d found on
Craigslist that was perfect for the foyer of the house in Cincinnati. She’d
left Grandberry Falls with more than a table. She walked away with an instant
love of the town.

Now that same table was sitting in the office of The Mole Hole
Interiors.

“I’m sorry I’m late.” Jenna sighed, putting the benefit folders on the
table.

There was something sad in Jenna’s eyes. But Liz was afraid to ask, for
fear it was about Cole.

“What’s wrong?”  She asked, once Jenna got situated.

“It’s the anniversary of the crash.” Jenna’s lips began to tremble.
“Celia Briggs from The Ladybug Florist put together a beautiful floral spray
for the tombstone. So I got Samantha to school and went to visit Dan.”

“I am so sorry, Jenna. I couldn’t imagine losing my husband to a drunk
driver.” She clasped her hands over Jenna’s. “I bet the flowers are beautiful.
Celia does a great job.”

Jenna ran her hands through her hair. “Stupid coffee.” She looked up
with a blotchy face. “We were out of coffee. I’d forgotten to get it from
Benton’s IGA the day before.”

“He sounds like he was one in a million.” Liz didn’t like seeing her
friend in pain.

“He is. . .was.” Jenna looked to the ceiling as if she was looking up
to heaven. “I should’ve told you all about it before now. It’s important that
you know the details.”

Jenna’s phone rang. She answered, spoke briefly, and hung up.

Liz’s heart was hurting. She couldn’t imagine how Jenna must be
feeling.

“We need to talk about it later when there aren’t so many people
around.” Jenna clearly didn’t want to talk about it now. “Besides, I’d look
silly crying in a coffee shop.”

“Mamie told me you were back in town.” Kerry Ann was always louder than
anyone else in the diner.

Liz looked to see who Kerry Ann was talking to. It was a man holding a
to-go bag.

She would have known that body anywhere.

Cole.

Her heart sank.

Seeing him in public was going to be harder than she’d thought. She
moved to the chair next to Jenna, not only to console Jenna, but to
conveniently move out of Cole’s line of sight. He wouldn’t have a clear visual
of her from there.

There was no way she could look Jenna in the eye knowing she’d betrayed
her best friend. Plus, she wasn’t good at concealing her emotions. Cole and
Jenna would both be able to see right through her.

“I am going to go clean up my mascara.” Jenna got up from the table.

Thank God
. Jenna didn’t notice Cole as she walked past him. It
was obvious he’d noticed her by the way he strained his neck looking in the
direction from which she’d come.