Happy New Life (14 page)

“I will answer any
question you want.” He opened the door for her.

The house was filled with
decorated live Christmas trees. They helped to create a warm glow and smell to
go along with the freshly baked apple pies resting on the wood-burning stove. A
lovely lady and child were sitting next to the fireplace reading a book. A
couple of people were having coffee at the kitchen table while others were
gathered in the family room watching television.

Liz ran her hands across
the countertop, remembering the first time they made love.

Everyone smiled as Liz
entered the room.

“You must be Elizabeth.”
An older lady stood and greeted her with a hug. “I’m Cole’s mother-in-law. We
are so glad to finally have him home.” She placed one hand on Liz’s arm and one
hand on Cole’s arm.

Liz was unable to speak.
She nodded.

“I’m Sarah’s sister,
Amy.” She extended her hand. “Cole has told me so much about you. I didn’t
think I would be meeting you tonight.”

“I didn’t know I would be
stopping by.” Liz said.

Cole handed her a mug of
coffee. He was catering to her again like he had over the past couple of
months. She could tell he wanted her to be comfortable around Sarah’s family.
They were his family, regardless of the past.

Liz enjoyed the company,
even though there were still several unanswered questions. A couple of months
before, she had been picturing a big Thanksgiving here. She’d never dreamed she
would see that picture come to life at Christmas.

“Can we go now, Uncle
Cole?” Dalton, tapped on Cole’s leg.

“Okay, buddy.” Cole
picked him up. “Where’s your coat?”

Dalton jumped out of his
arms and ran off to get it.

“That’s Amy’s son. We’re
going on a sleigh ride to a special place.” His eyes spoke to her soul. “I’d
love for you to see it.”

“I…” Liz still had a
while before she had to pick up Hayes from Jack’s house, but she didn’t want to
intrude.

“We’d love for you to
join us.” Amy gently touched Liz’s arm.

“Yes, I’d love to.” She
didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stay—forever.

Everyone put on their
coats, and one by one, Cole helped them up into the sleigh.

“You can sit with me.” He
patted the small leather seat that was a little higher than the seats where everyone
else sat.

“Oh, the driver’s seat.”
Her eyes danced at the thought of being close to him.

He placed his hands
around her waist and hoisted her up, giving a little squeeze just before
letting go. She felt wrapped in an invisible warmth.

He pulled himself up and
sat next to her. He pulled out a Navajo blanket and laid it over their legs. He
took hold of the reigns, clicked his tongue, and off they went.

Liz hadn’t seen any of
his property other than the house and clinic. Using the cold air as an excuse,
she snuggled up close to Cole and joined in on the Christmas carols Dalton had
started.

They passed by a wooden
dock on a small lake. Tied to the dock was a motor-boat, a canoe, and a paddle
boat. Just beyond the dock sat a small, rustic cabin. It was decorated in the
same fashion as Cole’s house.

“We’re here.” Cole pulled
on the reigns to stop the sleigh in front of the cabin. Everyone jumped out,
and Cole helped Liz off.

Silently, they all filed
into the small one-room structure. Inside, there was a family portrait of Cole
and his family. Standing next to Cole was a beautiful woman with black hair and
an exuberant smile.

Sarah.

Amy kissed the tip of her
fingers, and touched Sarah’s face.

“I know this probably
seems strange to you.” Amy glanced at Cole. He nodded for her to continue.
“Sarah loved to come to the lake and read. Cole built her this cabin so she
could be here during the day while he was working. We scattered her ashes over
the lake because she loved this place so much.”

Amy stopped. Tears were
flowing down her cheeks.

“Christmas was her
favorite time of the year. Last year, we couldn’t face Christmas, but we
promised each other that no matter where our lives took us, we would always
meet here for Sarah.” Cole finished what Amy couldn’t.

“I shouldn’t be here.”
Liz felt like she was intruding.

“Yes.” Amy nodded. “Sarah
would have wanted Cole to find someone like you if she was gone.”

Cole took out a bottle of
champagne and flukes. They toasted to Sarah and sat in a few minutes of
silence. One by one, they filed out of the cabin.

Cole held Liz back as the
others left.

The mere touch of his
hand sent warm shivers throughout her body.

“You have no idea how
much it means to me that you came here tonight.” His large hands took her face
and held it gently. “I love you, Liz.”

She quivered at the sweet
tenderness of his kiss.

His eyes made love to her
right then and there.

“Come on, you two.”
Dalton tugged on the corner of Cole’s jacket.

“Okay, buddy.” Cole bent
down and hoisted Dalton on one shoulder after kissing Liz one last time.

Blood was pounding in her
head, her heart was trying to leap from her chest, and she felt weak at the
knees.

“Are you okay?” He took
her by the hand to lead her out the door.

“Perfect.” She whispered.

But his story still haunted
the back of her mind.

They rode back in
silence, his hand moving up and down her thigh increasing her desire for him.

She wanted the ride to
last, but it was over too soon. She knew it was time to pick up Hayes.

“I have to go. Hayes is
waiting.” Liz wanted so desperately to get Hayes and come back. But she knew
she still didn’t have the answers she needed.

“Thank you for coming.”
Cole stood facing her on the porch. “I know you came here for answers and you
are leaving even more confused. I will answer all your questions when you are
ready.”

Liz shook her head yes.
“They truly are amazing.” She bit her lip, fighting back tears.

“I love you Liz,”
was all she could focus on.

She hurried to her car to
escape the cold air.

“Liz?” Amy yelled,
stopping her. “Can I have a word with you?”

“Yes, get in the car.
It’s cold out here.” Liz turned the heat up as far as it would go. Amy got into
the passenger seat.

“I am sure that you find
our situation a little strange, with the accident and all. Cole is a good man.
He was a great husband. You should know that.” Amy wiped a tear from her cheek.

“I am confused. Can I ask
you a question?” Liz was hoping she could get some answers from Amy.”

“Of course.”

“How could you forgive
the man that killed your sister? How could you welcome him into your family so
soon after he gets out of prison?”

“Liz you are mistaken. He
didn’t kill anyone.” Amy said.

“What are you talking
about? He was driving the car.”

“Liz, he didn’t tell you?
Is that why you too aren’t together?”

“He hit my best friend’s
husband. He never told me what happened. He knows that Jenna is my best friend.
He kept the secret from me.” Liz’s voice accelerated. She was becoming all
confused again and mad at herself for having let the romantic atmosphere get to
her. “I’m in love with him and he didn’t tell me.”

“Do you think that he
would be out of prison if he killed two people?”

“Jenna said that he got
out early.”

“He did get out early. He
wasn’t driving that morning. He was drinking a lot. Sarah did call Jenna to take
Samantha to Hazel’s so Jenna could talk with Cole. Unfortunately, Sarah did
find him at The Thirsty Turtle. She wanted an intervention with Jenna and Dan.
Cole couldn’t stand up, much less drive. Sarah was driving.” Amy stared at Liz.

“What?” Liz whispered.

“Yes. Sarah was driving
the car.” Amy confirmed what she said. “By the time the cops got there, Cole
had dragged Sarah out of the car and was trying to resuscitate her. The cops
smelled the alcohol on his breath and assumed it was his fault. He was so
distraught by Sarah’s death, he told the cops that he was driving.”

“How can he prove he
wasn’t driving? You believe him?”

“Yes I believe him. When
they investigated the car, Sarah’s shoe was on the driver’s side by the gas
pedal. And the distance between the seat and the pedals was too short for Cole.
It was the exact length of Sarah’s legs.”

Liz buried her head in
her hands. This was so much more than she could’ve imagined.

“Cole didn’t want to live
without Sarah. He wanted the death penalty. He lost his wife and his best
friend. He didn’t want to live without them. Even if the accident would’ve
happened without him, he would’ve still wanted to die.”

Liz was having a hard
time understanding the legality of the situation. “Why doesn’t Jenna know all
of this?”

“I don’t know. The
lawyers called her several times. They left message after message on her
answering machine. We were surprised when she didn’t show up for the appeal.”

Liz had a lot to think
about. She had to research all that she had heard. If she was going to tell
Jenna, then she better have good evidence.

“Listen, Liz, I just
wanted to let you know that we love Sarah. We miss her, but we also love Cole.
He did drink too much, but he always treated Sarah wonderfully. He is part of
our family.” Amy played with her gloves. “When I saw him today, I could tell
that he was in love again. There was a light in his eye that hasn’t been there.
The same light I’ve seen before. It was fate that we met tonight.”

Amy got out of the car.
Before she shut the door, she bent down.

“Liz, I know what I said
was hard for you to understand since you have been under a different impression
of Cole. If you want to research it, you will find that everything I’m saying
is true. I can give you the number of our lawyer. He will explain everything.”

Liz handed Amy a scrap of
paper from her glove box and pen. Amy scribbled the name and number down before
handing them back to Liz.

The Christmas cheer, the
smells, the sites, the sleigh ride, the kiss and I love you were all jumbled up
in her mind. Helping her forget about the reality of the situation.

With Hayes in the car,
Liz put the night in the back of her head. Her heart was a little warmer than
it had been over the past week. She slept better that night than she had all
week long.

SEVENTEEN

“There is
no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love.”

~Bryant
McGill

All week long, Liz played
with the piece of paper Amy had given her. Several times She picked up the
phone and dialed, only to push the end button.

This time she was going
to make the call. This time she wanted the answers.

No time like the
present
.

She punched the numbers
in and waited for the ring tone.

“Hello?” Liz heard some
noise, but no one said hello.

“Hey, stranger.” Jenna
was on the other end. “Who were you calling?”

“What?” Liz looked at the
number again.

“I called and you picked
up the phone and started dialing. Weird, huh?”

Yeah, weird
, Liz
thought. Or was it fate?

“The benefit is tomorrow.
Everything looks good. The decorating committee really outdid themselves this
year.” Jenna sounded excited. “Are you ready to get into that gorgeous ball
gown?”

“I can hardly contain
myself.” Liz definitely wasn’t ready to spend another New Years alone,
especially when she had a willing man patiently waiting on her.

“I wanted to touch base
and make sure that you were going to be there early.” Jenna was good at giving
commands.

Liz decided that once the
New Year started, she was going to start a new life. She was going to get the
answers about Cole and tell Jenna the truth. Until then, she would put on a
smile and be one of the best hostesses she could be.

Until tomorrow, she was
going to keep herself busy finishing up paperwork for the New Year and hanging
out with Kristen.

Kristen had volunteered
to help out with the benefit, which was really just so she could spend time
with Liz. Liz knew that her sister wanted to be there for her. And it comforted
her, even though she wasn’t sure how she was going to tell Jenna all she had
learned about Cole and the accident.

EIGHTEEN

“To
understand everything is to forgive everything.”

~Buddha

Liz spent the morning of
the benefit getting her hair done, and getting a manicure and pedicure.

Trying the dress on one
more time after she was all dolled up gave her the confidence she needed to get
through the night. After all, starting tomorrow, she was going to build her new
life.

She had a little more
giddy-up in her go since learning that Cole hadn’t been driving the car that
fateful morning. He really did pull Sarah out to save her, but he couldn’t.

“Wow, you look great.”
Kristen peeked her head into Liz’s room.

Liz really did feel good.
And it was showing.

“So?” Kristen sat on the
edge of Liz’s bed waiting to hear all the details of Christmas night.

Liz recalled how
unbelievable everything was and all the events that took place. She even began
to tear up while talking about the memorial for Sarah by the lake. She loved
Cole, and knew he was going to be in her life—somehow. She only prayed she was
everything Sarah would want for him, just like Amy said.

“What?” Liz was
questioning the look on Kristen’s face.

“You are glowing. You
mention his name and you’re like a light bulb,.” Kristen said.

“He does make me happy. I
vowed to make a new life for myself this coming year. I am going to get this
all figured out tomorrow and tell Jenna everything all that I’ve learned.”