Acting Up (3 page)

The descending sun set the lake's glossy surface ablaze, and she shielded her eyes from the glare. Ahead was the road, which would take her through town. She hit the brakes, tires squealing against the asphalt. A memory of a little ice cream shop surfaced. Aunt Ruth had taken her there nearly every week. They used to sit at a little iron table on the sidewalk and share a bowl of homemade chocolate chip ice cream. Addison had dined on gourmet desserts made by the world's best master chefs since then, but none of them had ever been able to match the taste of
Scoops & Dips
.

A memory of the sweet taste tickled her tongue, and on a whim, Addison turned the steering wheel to the right. At the intersection of Main Street and 1
^st
Avenue was Covington Park, a grassy little knoll with benches surrounding a multi-tiered fountain. City Hall and the main library formed sentries on either side of the park, and wide sidewalks lined with cute-as-a-button shops fanned out from there. Each storefront sported colorful awnings and creative window decorations celebrating Valentine's Day. The most romantic day of the year had come and gone she realized with shock. Nothing seemed to have changed. The thought was comforting, and a bit frightening, as if time had stopped at the city limits.

Then a striped pink and white awning captured her attention. She slowed the car. The cast iron tables remained, though now they were black instead of white. Decorated Valentine's hearts marched across the window. With one last wistful glance, Addison drove on.

Leaving the downtown area, Addison noticed her gas gauge was hovering on empty. If she remembered correctly, there was station ahead. Yep, the
Gas Up
, right where it always had been.

Her legs protested as she levered herself out of the car. A perusal of the machines revealed Covington Falls had yet to graduate to pay-at-the-pump service. Meaning, she had to go into the store. Hoping to sneak into town undetected, she'd dressed down in her oldest jeans and sweater and pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail. With a sigh, Addison lowered her sunglasses and kept her head down as she walked across the parking lot.

Inside, a dead ringer for Bo and Luke Duke's Uncle Jesse manned the register. Addison approached him, pretending to read the cover of a magazine in the rack below the counter in order to avoid direct eye contact.

Without a word, Addison passed over her money. “Twenty on pump number two.”

“You don't have t' pay first around here,” the cashier said, even as he took the money.

“I'll remember for next time.”

He continued to stare until Addison started to squirm.

“You're not from around here, are ya?” he asked.

“No.”

His eyes widened, and he slapped his hand on the counter. “You're Ruth's lil' niece.”

Addison dredged up a smile. “Guilty.”

He grinned and leaned closer. “The sunglasses gave you away. Made me think you were hidin'.”

Feeling her cheeks flush, Addison whipped off the sunglasses.

“Well, didn't you grow up to be the pretty one?”

“Thank you.”

“It's all over town, your homecoming.”

“Is it?”

“Adelle Pruitt over at the hospital was in here the other day.”

Ah, the small town grapevine. Better communication device than any modern marvel designed. “And she told two friends. And they told two friends,” Addison muttered under her breath.

“You comin' for a visit is surely the biggest news in town since Miss Meredith came home from New York. Maybe biggest news ever.”

She wasn't sure who Miss Meredith was, but Addison nodded anyway. “Can I still make visiting hours at the hospital?”

He checked his watch. “If you're quick.”

Taking him at his word, Addison hurried outside as an SUV pulled up on the other side of the pump. A man's leg emerged, encased in dark dress slacks. The rest of him unfolded from the car like a delicious road map. Well over six feet tall, shoulders big enough to make Atlas green with envy, and a full head of blond hair shot with gold and wheat. The dress slacks were topped with a blue shirt, unbuttoned at the collar.

He was a walking men's catalogue. When had they started growing gorgeous men in Covington Falls? She'd have come back sooner if she'd known. Her insides did a little twisty thing, which a long dormant part of her brain recognized as attraction.

They reached the pump at the exact same moment, and he looked up.

Zap!

Whoa, had that been in her head? Or a real crackle of electricity?

He had amazing eyes. A primordial forest with flecks of golden sunlight filtering through the leaves. A person could become lost in those depths. The green eyes widened, and Addison sent him a casual smile. At least she hoped the curve of her lips was casual.

He stared. She stared. He frowned.

Like an old abandoned house, his eyes became shuttered and distant. With one more puzzled glance, he veered around her and headed inside to pay. Once he'd gone, Addison took a deep breath.

Weird. Note to self. Do not flirt with local boys.

He'd seemed annoyed after the initial
yowza
moment, which made no sense. She didn't think she'd imagined the instant connection. Unless he had a
Mrs.
at home. Addison had been too distracted by his eyes to look for a wedding ring. Perhaps he was ashamed about reacting to another woman. Well, he could rest assured she wouldn't be making any plays for him in the near future. Or any other man. With a shake of her head, she jumped back in her car and headed to the hospital.

Her presence at the registration area caused something of a commotion. The two women manning the desk nearly passed out. Everyone else in the vicinity came to a halt, like rubberneckers trying to get a glimpse of a car accident.

“Hi, I'm here to see Ruth Carlson. I'm her niece,” Addison said. “Can you tell me what room she's in?”

Eight people shouted, “I'll show you!”

In the end, the youngest and fastest nurse got to Addison's side first. As they walked down the hall, the nurse kept glancing over out of the corner of her eye. They reached the end of the corridor and stopped in front of one of the rooms.

Addison flashed a thank-you-but-I-need-to-be-alone smile, and the young woman took the hint. With one last lingering look, she hurried down the hall. Addison opened the door to the room and peeked in.

An old woman rested in the hospital bed. An old woman who'd somehow taken over her aunt's body.

Wires and tubes protruded from her arms and hands. And beeping. Mechanical, methodical beeping from the heart monitor by the bed. Addison's own heart flipped as she stared. The woman she remembered was robust and buxom, full of life and laughter. Now she was thin to the point of emaciation. Her hands were fragile, covered with paper-thin skin dominated by ribbons of dark-blue veins.

A wave of shameful heat swept over Addison's entire being. She'd let so much time slip by. How often had she promised to visit, only to let something else take precedence? A dinner, a charity event, or a vacation?

As if sensing a presence in the room, Aunt Ruth's eyes fluttered open. For a moment, she seemed confused. Then her eyes widened, and a delighted smile spread across her face.

“Alice.”

Hearing her real name on her aunt's lips was a sweet endearment. No one had ever said it with such warmth or pride – not since her father had died.

Addison gave up trying not to cry. Aunt Ruth held out her arms and Addison hurried across the room. She hesitated by the bed.

“You won't hurt me.” Aunt Ruth's voice came out thick, guttural, and unused.

Addison sat on the side of the bed and leaned over. Aunt Ruth's arms might be thin, but they were still strong. Still able to soothe and protect. Her familiar lemon and sunshine scent washed over Addison's bruised soul. When Addison would have pulled back, Ruth held on.

“You had your life to live,” she said. “Dreams to pursue. Don't ever feel guilty about going after what you wanted.”

Aunt Ruth had always been a mind reader. The words didn't relieve the burning in Addison's heart, however. The beeping monitor turned into a nagging complaint.

Bad niece. Bad niece.

“I could have visited,” Addison said.

“Stop it. You're here now.”

“I know, but—”

Her eyes sharpened. “No, enough guilty talk. I don't resent anything.”

Addison took a deep breath and let out a dry chuckle. “Okay, the role of martyr will now be played by someone else.”

“Good girl.” She ran a searching gaze across Addison's face, perhaps looking for traces of Alice. “You're so beautiful.”

The lump in Addison's throat threatened to choke her. “It's been a long time since I felt beautiful.”

“Your husband was such a fool,” she said, squeezing Addison's hand.

“Ex-husband. As of forty-eight hours ago. The papers came—” She bit her lip.

If Addison hooked herself up to the monitor, would the machine stop beeping altogether? How could a heart remain beating when it was damaged beyond repair? Her aunt's voice pulled her back from the hypnotic pulse.

“Listen to me, Alice Faye Jones — and don't tell me not to use your real name because you'll always be Alice to me — you will be whole again. Your heart may be bruised—”

“Broken, shattered, stomped on.”

Aunt Ruth nodded. “Yes, all those things, but you are a strong woman. You have to rely on God, and everything will come out right in the end. I know it's hard to see now, but He has wonderful things in store for you.”

A spark of annoyance flickered to life, echoed by the incessant
bleep-bleep
. “Are you telling me God orchestrated Merrick cheating on me with Angela as some sort of master plan? What passage in the Bible covers things like a co-star stealing your husband?”

Bad niece! Bad niece! Why are you attacking a feeble, old woman? Your issue is with me.

Great, now the machinery was talking back. She'd heard of voices in a burning bush, but surely God wouldn't choose a heart monitor as a communication device.

Aunt Ruth pursed her lips, a sign she was trying not to reveal she'd been hurt. Addison recognized the signal from her childhood days.

Releasing a gust sigh, Addison stroked her aunt's hair. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you.”

“And I should have known better than to offer platitudes when you're still so raw.”

“The truth is I'm not sure I can rely on a God who would let my life implode like an old Las Vegas hotel,” Addison said. “Why did He allow my marriage to be destroyed?”

“I don't know, honey.”

Bleep-bleep. Bleep-bleep.

Stupid, mocking beeper machine.

“You must be exhausted after your trip,” Aunt Ruth said. “Why don't you go on home and get some rest?”

Addison kissed her aunt's cheek one more time and stood to leave. “All right, but I'll be back tomorrow morning. I want to hear a full report from your doctor.”

“I'm so glad you came back.”

“Me, too,” Addison said, turning to leave.

“Alice?”

She glanced over her shoulder.

“Buildings are imploded for a reason,” Aunt Ruth said. “There's structural damage, or the facility is outdated and doesn't serve its purpose anymore. When that happens, a better one is always built in its place.”

“Do you think she's dead?”

“Nah, she's breathing. See, her chest is moving.”

“Poke her and make sure.”

“
You
poke her.”

Addison had been dreaming of Merrick and Angela cavorting on a sun-swept beach, so it took a moment to register the new voices belonged to someone else. Still groggy with sleep, she pried her eyes open to find two faces looming over her.

Cursing, Addison jerked back, managing to flip herself out of the hammock and onto the ground.

Two grubby little boys stood in her aunt's back yard. Identical, grubby little boys. Unless she was still dreaming.

“Lady, you said a bad word,” one of the boys said.

“Daddy'd tan our butts if we said that,” the other echoed.

Addison shook her head, but the double mirage remained. “Please tell me there are two of you standing there.”

The boys grinned. “I'm Jason,” the one on the left said. “And he's Carson.”

Addison sat back on her heels as she surveyed the pint-sized interlopers. Central Casting would snap them up in a second. They were adorable, apple-cheeked and rumpled with the kind of towhead blond hair actresses paid over two hundred dollars to possess. Two pairs of green eyes stared back at her with intense curiosity.

“How old are you guys?” she asked.

The boy on the left, Jason she thought, spoke first. “Seven. We just had a birthday party. With a cowboy and balloons and water-gun fights and everything.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“We wanted a pony, but Daddy said that was excessive,” the other boy said.

“A pony is excessive? Let me tell you, your daddy hasn't seen excessive until he's gone to a celebrity kid's birthday party. I know one parent who rented a whole circus.”