Love lies and lullabies, p.1
Love, Lies and Lullabies, page 1
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, locales, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to real life events, places or people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except in the case for brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews, without written permission from the author and publisher.
Love, Lies and Lullabies
Copyright © 2021 D.E. Malone. All rights reserved.
ISBN (paperback) 978-1-951516-08-6
(ebook) 978-1-951516-09-3
Cover designed by Blue Water Books
First Edition
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Summary: When an invitation to her class reunion arrives, big-city accountant Wynne Terry hopes the fifteen-year absence from her hometown is long enough to diminish the feelings she had for her childhood friend, the man who unwittingly broke her heart.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
24. Epilogue
A Special Gift for You
Acknowledgments
Also by D.E. Malone
About the Author
Chapter One
Trouble arrived in Wynne Terry’s mailbox two months ago and it was all she could think about since.
It came in the form of a five-by-seven postcard, which she’d promptly wedged into the frame of her bedroom mirror. It taunted her in the mornings when she dressed for work and in the evenings from across the room as she lay in bed, sunk into her pillows with a book propped on her chest. And now, the white card presented itself in the window’s reflection as she gazed at the dusky Chicago skyline. It reminded her not so subtly that the event on the postcard was imminent: her fifteen-year class reunion.
Wynne stepped away from the window and turned toward the task at hand—packing. The suitcase should have been stuffed and locked by now, but her mother was a sweet distraction.
“Help me find a dress now.” She stepped in front of her wall-to-wall closet, feeling even more paralyzed at picking something for the last night of the reunion. Behind her, Janice Terry clucked her tongue.
“I’ve been trying, but you’ve shot down all of my suggestions so far.”
She gave her mother an apologetic grin then went back to studying the closet. “Sorry. But nothing feels right yet.” Wynne had her hand over the hanger of a satin midnight-blue dress with a draped bodice, but her mother made an almost inaudible sound of disapproval.
“Not that one,” she said. “By the way, are you using all of your vacation time this weekend or are you saving some for Christmas? We’d love for you to come to Nashville for the holidays this year.” She nodded to Wynne’s closet. “How about the yellow one? It will go nicely with your hair.”
“Why do you always forget that I can take off as much time as I want?” Wynne took the hanger from her closet and held the yellow sheath dress at arm’s length. The color was more goldenrod than yellow with wide shoulder straps and a dainty bead trim along the V-neckline. Understated yet elegant. And one of her school’s colors. She’d score points for school spirit, that’s for sure.
Her mother shrugged. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean you take advantage of it. I’ve watched you work all those crazy hours for too long to know better.”
“Which burned me out.” She stepped in front of the Victorian cheval mirror and held the dress against her. “I don’t have trouble taking a day off once a week anymore.”
Janice raised her brows and gave a short laugh. “Yes, but how long are your days?”
Her mother did know her too well. Wynne pushed herself hard, always had. “Long enough,” she answered.
Her mom and dad had moved to Nashville at the beginning of the year. They were finished with Northern winters. Wynne applauded their sense of adventure, even if it meant she’d see less of them. They’d lived in Wisconsin the past eight years, just an hour north of Chicago. Her mother still visited friends in the area. That was the reason for her weeklong stay at Wynne’s apartment this time.
Wynne slipped the dress from the hanger. Folding a formal dress into her suitcase wasn’t ideal, but Wynne liked to travel light. Packing the bare minimum was an art, one she learned from a decade of traveling for her accounting firm—Brady, Buench, and Terry.
As her mom reclined, propping herself up on one elbow, Archie jumped onto the mattress next to her, turning over on his back for belly rubs. Her parents’ scrappy little Corgi mix was such an opportunist.
“Well, I’m just happy to see you finally doing something fun,” Janice said, looking down at Archie. “Do you have any idea how many from your class will make it? How many were in your class anyway? I forget.”
“Fifty-ish? And Ellen said about half responded they’re coming.” She studied the selection of shoes tucked into their own individual compartments within her closet, looking for a pair to complement the dress.
“That’s not much of a reunion.” Janice scooped up Archie and set him on the floor. Her dog would have none of it. He was right beside her again in an instant.
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll be hanging out with Justine and Ellen the whole time anyway.”
“They’re both married, aren’t they?”
“Yes. What do you think of these?” She held up a pair of wedge sandals, anxious to distract her mother from the imminent string of intrusive questions about her friends’ husbands and Wynne’s lack of even the remote prospect of a date.
Janice made a face. “Too fussy for that dress.”
Wynne studied the strappy sandals, feeling a frown tugging at the corners of her mouth. These might be a little ostentatious now that she held them in her hands. She stared at the sheath again, which looked prim and hopeful, like it anticipated its big moment. Come to think of it, the dress might be out of place too. It was Hendricks High School after all, not a big-city gala. She might not stand out if she took her black dress instead. Maybe she should opt for something a little more casual.
“Have you heard from anybody who’s coming?”
Wynne didn’t miss her mother’s side-eye and the casual lilt in her tone. Janice was pretty easy to read.
She tossed the sandals into the closet and sat next to Archie. The dog immediately repositioned himself underneath her hand. “Ellen and Justine, of course. I think Sheri, too.” Wynne shrugged, not meeting her mother’s eyes.
“Any word from Ava?”
“Haven’t heard.” That was an understatement. Wynne hadn’t communicated with Ava Linde for eight years at least. The thank-you card Ava sent in response to Wynne’s baby gift was the last contact they’d had.
“And Chase?”
Just the mention of his name made her stiffen. She couldn’t deny that seeing Chase Ford again after so long was one reason she had so much trouble choosing a dress. Wynne gave a slight shake of her head, disappointed in herself. Chase’s heart belonged to Ava; it had ever since high school. Her interest in Chase was more curiosity than anything. They had been best friends. Before Ava stepped between them.
She shrugged. “I assume he’ll be there if he’s not out of town.”
“He always had a thing for you. Even after he got mixed up with Ava, I could tell he kept his eyes on you.”
This was a recurring conversation between them. Her mother insisted Wynne was Chase’s one true love, while Wynne reminded her that he’d married Ava and was the father of their child.
“Funny, I thought he only had them for his wife.”
Janice dismissed the reminder with a wave of her hand. “It’s not real.”
That made Wynne laugh. “Just because you say it doesn’t make it so.”
“If it were real, why did they wait almost seven years after graduation to get married?” She pointed a finger at Wynne and squinted. “He was waiting for you to come back.”
Wynne looked at the ceiling and groaned. “He knew where to find me, Mother.”
Her mother’s lips were pursed, which meant there was no convincing her otherwise.
“Which do you like?” Wynne held up the black dress she’d plucked from the closet and stood next to her half-packed suitcase with the yellow sheath ostentatiously present on top.
“The yellow will catch his eye for sure.”
That was all the convincing Wynne needed to replace it with the black one. She did not want Chase’s attention in that way. She swept the yellow sheath from her suitcase and replaced it on the hanger. Yes, the black dress would work so much better for the Saturday night formal dinner. It was less…showy. She felt better already.
Whenever loneliness crept up on her, all she needed to do was stand at one of the expansive wi ndows and gaze out at the city’s skyline. It had become a common occurrence in the last year—the loneliness—so she found herself peering down at the streets more often, watching the traffic weave like little insects on the streets twenty-seven stories below. How ridiculous that she could feel so alone in a city of ten million people. Yet somehow being in the heart of the third biggest city in the country made the isolation even more acute. So even though the reunion invite filled her with anxiety, she welcomed the chance to escape from the city she’d called home for most of her adult life.
It didn’t help that problems at work had plagued her firm for the last year too. Her morale had dipped so low that she’d entertained the idea of approaching her two partners for a buyout. But surely that wasn’t the only way to fix the problem. Yes, the invitation had come at the right time. She was anxious to forget tax ledgers and corporate regulations for the next five days. Maybe soaking her feet in Lake Superior, indulging in Debi’s Donuts, and reminiscing with Ellen and Justine would ease her worries and soften the edges of her loneliness. She missed the familiar faces of her hometown.
But hoping to see Chase Ford again sat near the bottom of her wish list. In fact, ignoring the bursts of memories that popped into her head as the reunion date drew near was the wisest move. Though she once counted him as her best friend, Chase had become little more than a distant memory. She’d become quite the expert at forgetting him over the last fifteen years. Returning to Hendricks for the first time in forever would prove it once and for all.
Chapter Two
The parking lot at Ford Hardware & Lumber was a muddy, chaotic circus. Chase Ford steered the delivery truck to his usual spot in the side lot but found the space blocked by a white van. He hung his arms over the steering wheel, trying his best to stay calm, and checked the time on his phone for the umpteenth time that day. Frustrated, he blew the air out of his cheeks.
Since the freak ice storm last week, business had exploded. No one expected ice in late August, even in northern Minnesota. The store’s stock of chainsaws and parts was depleted. So were the handheld cutting tools, tarps, shovels, and what little inventory they had of salt. With roof damage repairs and tree removal in full force around the North Shore, the staff and subcontractors he and his father worked with were in high demand. Like most of the store’s cold-weather items, his patience was nearly depleted too.
When two of his employees exited the store with their arms laden with boxes of shingles, Chase decided to find another parking spot. He drove across the street, locked the truck, then hoofed it toward the busy store.
One of the guys helping load the white van apologized when Chase passed him near the entrance.
“Sorry about your spot being blocked. This guy showed up demanding we get his order together pronto,” he said. “Said he would have scheduled a pickup time, but he couldn’t get through on the phone.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s the price of being the only hardware store within fifteen miles, right?” Chase clapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks for taking care of it.”
Inside, a line ten deep formed at one of the three checkout stations. Chase didn’t see his father, who usually hovered near the front of the store when it was this busy.
“Mason isn’t here.”
The assistant manager, Joel, had snuck up behind him.
“Where is he?” Chase couldn’t believe his father would take off without telling him. One of them should be here with the store this crowded. Deliveries had kept Chase on the road for most of the day.
“He said your mother needed him. She asked if he could check out a leak at the arts center.”
Chase glanced at the checkout lanes. Customers slowly inched their way through the line, but more customers poured through the sliding doors. He checked his phone again, even though it was only five minutes since his last glance. He had less than an hour to get home, shower, and drive to Red’s in Hendricks for the class reunion kickoff. That his mother didn’t call a plumber and instead pulled Dad away from the store in the middle of the workday didn’t surprise him.
“Can’t we get someone to cover the other register?” He didn’t see any employees in the vicinity aside from Joel and himself who could give Kara, the lone clerk, a hand.
“I keep trying to jump in, but I can’t step away from the phone today. It’s been ringing off the wall with pickup orders. And Jeremy went home sick.” The phone behind the counter rang as if on cue.
“Stay by the phone. I’ll take care of customers.” Chase sighed. He dialed his father’s number as he made his way to the vacant checkout lane.
Mason Ford answered on the first ring.
“It’s nuts here. When are you coming back?”
On the other end, Chase could hear his mother’s voice in the background. Her words were indistinguishable, but her distress was crystal clear. “What’s wrong with Mom?”
His father cleared his throat and talked in a hushed tone into the phone. “She slipped in a puddle here at the center. A pipe burst in one of the restrooms. Nothing’s broken but her tailbone hurts, she says.”
“Okay. Don’t worry about it. I’ve got everything covered here.”
“Are you sure? I’m going to take your mother home, get her settled. Then I can come back.”
Chase hesitated. He could tell his father he’d be late for the reunion. He knew his dad would make every effort to get back to the store, even if it meant deflecting the not-so-subtle hints from Helina that he should stay with her. Sometimes Chase thought the store offered his father a much-needed escape.
“Nah, I’ve got it. We’ll be closed in ninety minutes anyway.”
It had been a while since he worked a register. Kara smiled with visible relief when he took his spot at the register next to her. He fumbled through the first few transactions, hitting the wrong keys, tormenting the poor machine so it blinked and beeped at him in vexation. At one point, he asked Kara to show him how to void a case of fluorescent lights he’d rung up three times by accident.
An hour flew by the time the lines dwindled. He closed out his register and took the tray back behind the customer service counter. He’d count the money, put it in the safe, then leave Joel to finish the rest. Kara had control of the customer flow once again.
“Thanks for jumping in,” said Joel as he replaced the phone on the wall only to have it ring again. He watched Chase sort coins.
Joel’s comment made him lose track, so he started a recount. When Joel spoke into the phone, Chase stopped. His concentration was shot. The more he rushed, the further he fell behind.
Joel coordinated another supply pickup then hung up again. He stood at Chase’s shoulder, watching.
“You seem a little…flustered,” he said.
The mad rush they’d worked through for the last hour was partly to blame. But he’d been preoccupied all day. Until Joel mentioned it, he didn’t figure it was apparent to anyone but himself.
“Class reunion tonight.” He cocked a brow at Joel.
“In town?”
“At Red’s.” Chase glanced at the clock on the wall. “Started twenty minutes ago.”
Joel’s expression morphed into a sympathetic one. “I can finish here. You should go.”
“Are you sure? I’m almost done counting.”
Joel chuckled softly. “You’ve been trying to get through that pile of pennies for five minutes. Seriously. You should take off.”
Chase stepped away to let Joel take over, chuckling. “I owe you one.”
“No, you don’t. You’re the one who hired me, remember? When I didn’t have a twenty-dollar bill to my name and no retail experience.”
Chase clapped the younger man on the shoulder. “And now look at you. Best assistant manager we’ve ever had.”
“Appreciate that,” Joel said. “Now go. Before Red runs out of beer.”
