Read Queen of Broken Hearts Online
Authors: Cassandra King
Queen of Broken Hearts
To Nancy, who lived through it and came out even stronger. You make me proud, baby sister.
And to Patrick, who made me believe in happy endings.
Thus in the winter stands the lonely tree,
Nor knows what birds have vanished one by one,
Yet knows its boughs more silent than before:
I cannot say what loves have come and gone,
I only know that summer sang in me
A little while, that in me sings no more.
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Praise for:
Queen of Broken Hearts
At the exact moment the cash register dings and I open my change purse, the chain of bells on the front door of the coffee shop bangs together with a brassy clatter. I hear the sound of voices raised in greetings, a loud and hearty hello in response, and the bells jangling again as the door closes. Curious to see who's making such an entrance, I glance over my shoulder. When I see that it's Son Rodgers, my face flames and my heart pounds. On top of everything else that's happened today, I go to the coffee shop for lunch, and who do I run into? One thing for sure: I have to get out of here before he sees me. It would be embarrassing for me and him and the dozen or so other folks enjoying their afternoon coffee. Instinctively, I duck my head and pull my arms close as if to make myself invisible.
Barely turning my head, I look over my shoulder again to determine the distance between me and the front door. No way I can get out that way without him seeing me; I'll have to exit through the bookstore. Now I wish I'd driven to town instead of walking, even though it would've been ridiculous to drive so few blocks. But my getaway would have been easier. I could have gone through the adjoining bookstore, gotten nonchalantly into my car, and put the pedal to the metal. Instead, everyone in both stores will see me running out of the coffee shop right after my best friend's husband has walked in. I can only imagine the talk that will follow, since our small town has talked of little else all summer except what's gone on in the Rodgers household. I can hear it now: “Did you know it's gotten so bad that Clare sneaked out of the coffee shop to avoid Son? Poor Dory!”
Making my getaway is turning out to be more difficult than I thought. The lethargic, bespectacled teenager behind the counter is newâhis first day, he told me proudlyâand he doesn't know the ropes yet. He takes his time wrapping the two slices of carrot cake in parchment paper, placing them in a flat white box, then bringing the edges of the box together. When I see him searching for tape, I say, “It's fine. Don't bother taping it,” and hope that my voice doesn't sound as flustered as I feel. But he shrugs me off and says no problem, it's no trouble at all. He rings it up wrong for the second time, muttering, “Oops.” After canceling out the sale, he punches in the numbers again, glances at me over the top of his glasses, and mumbles, “Uh, that'll be eight fifty-three.”
It hits me that I used all my change by counting out the exact amount for the veggie wrap and iced tea I had for lunch, plus a tip; I left the money on the table, anchoring my ticket. On my way out, I decided on impulse to take a couple pieces of carrot cake with me, and I stopped at the counter to place my order. I have nothing but a twenty to pay with. Another glance over my shoulder, and I toss the twenty-dollar bill at Pokey. In a low voice, I say, “If you could hurry, I'd really appreciate it. I'm running late for an appointment.” Of course, I speak too softly, trying to keep Son from hearing my voice, and Pokey tilts his head sideways to say, “Ma'am?”
“Hurry with the change, please,” I hiss.
From the corner of my eye, I see that Son is working the room like a politician running for reelection, slapping backs and grinning like the Cheshire cat. His greetings are met with cries of “Heyâlook who's back in town!” and “Son! How was your trip? When did you get home?” I watch him lean over to kiss the cheek of a plump, white-haired lady who coos and giggles and puts both hands to her face in something resembling the ecstasy of Saint Teresa. He then joins a couple of businessmen from the bank who get to their feet to shake his hand and pound his back with great vigor, buying me a few seconds. Son throws back his head to laugh at something one of them says, which gives me a chance for a furtive study of him. I haven't seen him all summer, the longest span of time since he and Dory married, and that was twenty-five years ago.
Son is casually dressed in crisp, pressed jeans and a white oxford-cloth shirt, the sleeves carelessly rolled up to reveal brown, well-muscled arms. Usually he's in a shirt and tie, as befitting such a highly regarded and important hotshot. I guess he hasn't yet gone back to work in his real estate business, since he and Dory have been home only a couple of days. Even though he has a hand on the shoulder of one of the businessmen and appears to be listening with great interest, I notice that his eyes occasionally search the room to make sure he's kissed up to everyone there. When his gaze comes my way, I turn my head quickly, almost dropping the bills and change that Pokey is counting into my outstretched hand. When he miscounts and starts over, I'm tempted to tell the poor fellow to keep it, even if it would make me the biggest tipper in town. He'd probably be so surprised that he'd ask me to repeat myself yet again, and I'd end up getting caught by Son after all.
With his scrutiny of the coffee shop, it's unbelievable that Son hasn't recognized me yet, even with my back to him and the counter located at a helpful angle. It occurs to me that he hasn't seen me since I've had my hair cut. From the first day we met, Son has gone on and on about what great hair I have. It's nothing but his usual empty flattery, the only way he knows to relate to women. The truth is, my long, heavy hair has always been unruly and difficult. After struggling with it all my life, I gave up and had it chopped off a few weeks ago. Everybody tells me I look like a different person with my mass of hair gone, which must be true. Even so, I'm not taking any chances, not with the way Son keeps looking everyone over, so I drop the change into my briefcase instead of in my purse. Thankfully, the door of the adjoining bookstore is only a few feet away.
I've taken a step away from the counter when the young man clears his throat and says in a loud voice, “Uhâma'am?” My cheeks burning, I turn to see him holding out the box with the carrot cake in it. I yank it out of his hand so quickly that his eyes widen in surprise and his Adam's apple jerks up and down. I feel bad for him, but not as bad as he would feel if Son saw me and caused a scene in the crowded shop. It would
not
be a good way to end his first day at work.
In the Page and Palette bookstore, a glance assures me that the salesclerk is helping a customer in the back, so I step behind a revolving display of paperbacks in order to peer into the coffee shop, making sure I got away without being seen. To my relief, I've escaped: Son is still standing with the two businessmen and running his mouth, with a big grin on his face. The three of them bend their heads together as he relates something, and they all laugh appreciatively, slapping backs again. Satisfied that I've escaped undetected, I sling the strap of my briefcase over my shoulder and tuck the box of carrot cake under my arm, then head toward the front door.
Once I'm outside, I'm surprised to find the sidewalks still crowded with shoppers and sightseers, which is unusual for early fall. Anxious to get away from the coffee shop, I mutter my apologies as I make my way through, wondering if there's a tour bus in town. Although off the beaten path, Fairhope is becoming more and more of a tourist attraction, and it's not unusual to have several tour buses in town during the summer, but not this time of year. In an effort to avoid a cluster of people blocking the sidewalk in front of one of the street's many art galleries, I cut through a group of charming and colorful little shops that make up the area known as the French Quarter. And that's where I run into Rye Ballenger, quite literally. If I hadn't been hugging the bakery box so close, carrot cake would have gone flying.
“Clare!” he exclaims at the same time I gasp, “Rye!” Then both of us say together, “What are you doing here?”
I link an arm into his and continue my walk, pulling Rye along with me down the brick-paved lane. Out of the corner of my mouth, I say to him in a low voice, “I'm trying to get far enough away from the coffee shop so I won't be seen by a certain person who just walked in.”
Rye plays along with me, matching my stride. “Who is it?” he whispers dramatically, looking around in mock terror. “An ex-husband of one of your clients?”
“Actually, you're close,” I say with a groan. “It's Son.”
“Son!” Rye comes to such an abrupt halt that I almost trip over a protruding brick. “Did he say anything to you? Tell me the truth.”
“He didn't see me, thank God. I hightailed it out of there as fast as I could. Something tells me I'm not on his list of favorite people right now.”
With a frown, Rye studies my face. He disengages my arm in order to take my hand in both of his and squeeze it tight. “Why don't you go back and confront him, sweetheart? I'll go with you, by God. I don't like the idea of him bullying you, and he needs to hear that.”
“Your problem is, you're much too gallant,” I say with an affectionate smile. “Charging in on your white horse and defending the honor of the poor maiden.”
He snorts with indignation, his color high. “I've never been on a horse in my life, and have no intention of ever doing so. But I hate missing the chance to give Son Rodgers a piece of my mind.”
“All I want to do is avoid him,” I assure him. “I'm not interested in a confrontation at this point. Especially now, with him and Dory back together.”
“Still no idea how that miraculous event came about?” Rye asks, watching me curiously.
I shrug. “None whatsoever. But I'll see Dory tomorrow at the group meeting, and she's promised me that we'll talk beforehand. Have youâ”
Before I realize what's happening, Rye has grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me out of the way of a large gray-haired woman who barges past us, then turns back to scowl at us for blocking the sidewalk. As we watch her walk away, I send up a thank-you to whatever gods were responsible for sending Rye strolling through the French Quarter at the very moment I turned the corner. From the first day I arrived in Fairhope, the sardonic and irreverent Rye Ballenger has been one of my dearest friends, and there's no one I'd rather see now, after the near miss with Son. Certainly no one else understands my history with Son better than Rye does.