Three Days of Rain Page 10

  Dr. Garmen’s words were soft. “It isn’t your fault, Jake. She hasn’t been eating very well either. Her iron is low, her weight is down, and she’s depressed.”

  “Depressed? What the hell does she have to be depressed about? She’s having a baby. Isn’t that a good thing?”

  “It is, for most. Maddie has dealt with depression in the past. She’s acted out, she’s used drugs, drank in excess. It’s just good we caught it now. I’ll be expecting her to come in weekly from now on out. I’m going to need you to keep a closer eye on her. If anything seems off, I want you to call me. Anytime. Day or night.”

  Leaning back in the chair, Jake closed his eyes. A mixture of anger, sadness, and disappointment bubbled inside him. A familiar sense of dread filled him. Balling his hands into fists to keep them from shaking, he looked at the doctor. “Can I see her?”

  “Sure. She’s asleep now, Jake. Remember. Addiction is a disease. She may not have been able to stop. This might have scared her straight. It might not have. All we can do is be supportive and help her through this. If not for her, for your son.”

  Sincerity poured from the doctor and Jake was grateful for it. After all the lies and secrecy he needed a dose of honesty. “Thanks doc. I’ll remember that.” With that he forced himself up from his chair and walked into Madison’s room.

  He pulled a chair close to her bed. There was nothing he could do but sit and watch and wait for her to wake up. He wasn’t sure when she’d be moved out of her ER room or if she’d be awake for it.

  Tears filled his eyes as he gently reached over and put his hand on her small but growing belly.

  “A boy,” he whispered to himself. In spite of today’s drama, all he could think about in that moment was he’d get to paint the nursery blue.

  ***

  Jake’s eyes stung from the memory as he stood and walked down the hall. Opening the door to the room he never entered anymore, he was blinded for a moment by the soft blue paint on the walls, the yellow curtains, and the cherry wood crib. In the corner, the rocking chair that had once been his grandmother’s sat with a handmade blue and white blanket draped across the arm. A large gray elephant lay on its side in the middle of the floor next to dozens of unopened presents.

  Memories of Madison always jolted him, always came out of the blue. But memories of the baby that should have been his twisted his gut. He never knew what triggered any of them, but thoughts of the baby were the hardest of all.

  If he was going to get past any of this, he knew he had to open up. He needed to acknowledge the pain in order to heal.

  He walked over to the drawer and, with shaky hands, opened it slightly. From inside he retrieved a tiny green hat that he’d picked up. Maddie had loved the color. Funny how one second she was happy and carefree and the next she dissolved into an emotionally-unstable mess. Funny how one second she was here and the next she was gone. As far as he’d come in the past few weeks, Madison still held tight and wouldn’t let him go. Until he got the closure he needed, he figured, she’d always be there while he held tight to the memory of a child he’d never had the chance to know. A child whose life was cut short by circumstances beyond anyone’s control.

  CHAPTER 15

  While Jake was reliving the past, Lily was looking toward the future, at least the immediate future. With camera in tow, she drove an hour on a lonely road full of natural beauty, stopping every now and then to snap some pictures. She knew the photographs would be amazing and she’d been meaning to replace those on the walls at her uncle’s place with local shots instead of the ones from Connecticut.

  After a couple hundred shots, Lily jumped in her Jeep and drove the twenty miles to the next town. It was small and quaint, with tourists and locals mixing seamlessly. Driving through, she noticed a cluster of shops located on what she assumed was the town’s main street. She easily found a parking space at the end of the last block, checked her watch, and made her way toward the one store in particular that caught her eye.

  The jingle of the opening door caught the attention of the owner as Lily walked in.

  “Good morning. Can I help you find something?”

  Lifting her sunglasses and resting them on top of her head, Lily smiled. “What kind of store is this? You have so much here.”

  “Well, some folks call it an antiques store and some call it a pawn shop. Generally, we get items from estate sales and such. Occasionally, I’ll purchase something someone brings in. Is there anything in particular you’re looking for?”

  Lily walked to the front window. “I saw this camera. What is it? A Brownie Box?”

  Impressed, the woman walked over to Lily. “You must know your photography.”

  “I do. I studied it in college. I have a job waiting for me in Atlanta at the end of the summer.”

  “Well, this here was donated a few months back. It’s a little beat up and I’m not sure if it works but you’re more than welcome to check it out. Price is one hundred.”

  “Thanks. I’ll think about it. Mind if I take a look around at what else you have?”

  “Be my guest. I’ll just be in the back if you need anything.”

  Lily walked through the shop touching and holding everything she could. She loved old relics and knick-knacks. She thought the camera might be a great addition to the apartment she had waiting for her in Georgia.

  When the woman walked out from the back, Lily turned. “I’ll take the camera.”

  “Excellent choice. I’ll go in the front and grab it for you.”

  Still looking through the store’s treasures, Lily noticed something sticking up behind a pile of boxes.

  Pointing, she asked the owner. “What’s that?”

  Putting on her glasses, the woman placed the camera on the counter and walked over.

  “Oh that? It’s a guitar. Gibson, I think. Are you interested? Let me check for you.”

  Sifting through piles of boxes to get to the guitar proved to be a little difficult for the older woman, so Lily took it upon herself to help move them.

  Reaching back and grabbing it by the neck, the woman pulled it out. It looked to be in perfect condition, not that Lily knew much about guitars.

  “Yes. It’s a Gibson. It needs new strings but if you’re interested, Walt across the street can put them on for you. He’s the local music teacher. The man can play anything and has the voice of an angel. Mind you, he can’t hear so good anymore.”

  “How much?”

  “Well, considerin’ it needs some strings, I’ll sell it to you for, let’s say one-fifty.”

  “For a guitar?”

  The chuckle that spit from the woman’s lips highlighted her amusement. “Some would say the same thing about your camera.”

  “I only brought two hundred with me.”

  “Ah, well. Maybe you can come back next time and get the guitar.”

  “Yeah. I guess so.”

  Disappointed, Lily grabbed for her wallet and took out a hundred dollar bill and laid it on the counter. As the woman reached for it, Lily grabbed her wrist.

  “Wait.” Lily was hit with an idea. She wanted to buy that guitar. Who cared about a silly old camera that would probably just sit on the shelf? “I want the guitar.”

  “But you said—”

  “I know what I said. I’ll take the guitar and come back for the camera.”

  “You sure?”

  With a smile on her face, Lily laid another hundred on the counter and replied, “Absolutely.”

  With the guitar slung across her back, Lily made her way across the street to a gray haired man named Walt who strung up the guitar and, even with a bit of a hearing issue, tuned it beautifully.

  Excited by her purchase, she ran to her Jeep and headed back. She had a few more hours until she would meet Jake at the beach and she knew just how she was going to surprise him.

  Her foot heavy on the gas, Lily turned up the radio and sang at the top of her lungs. Maybe Georgia didn’t look so good after all.
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  CHAPTER 16

  By the time three-thirty hit, Jake had done what he’d always done with his memories, shoved them aside to deal with later. He didn’t want anything to ruin the plans he had with Lily. These were, after all, his issues and he didn’t need to bring her into them just yet.

  As he checked his bag, he mentally went over what he needed. Once he knew he was square, he grabbed his keys and headed out the door. He needed time before she arrived to make everything perfect.

  Lily was setting up a blanket on the beach at precisely the time Jake was leaving his house. Her stomach was churning with excitement. Fingers drumming on her knee, she decided to tamp the excitement with a quick swim. Checking to make sure the guitar was wrapped enough to look like a pile of blankets, she undressed down to her suit and dove into the waves.

  Washing away the sudden anxiety in the pit of her stomach, Lily thought about the past month. She’d grown closer to Jake than she’d intended. A frown pulled at her mouth when she wondered whether or not they’d crossed into sibling territory. It wouldn’t be terrible if that was the relationship they’d developed, but it wasn’t what she was looking for, even if she was leaving at the end of the summer.

  She shook the thoughts from her mind as she floated on her back. Every now and then she needed to remind herself to deal with life by accepting what it offered daily and not to look too far into the future. If she and Jake were meant to be, then it would happen. If not, she could at least tell herself she had met someone important.

  Jake walked over the dune and saw that Lily had already set out a blanket. She was floating in the ocean, her skin sparkling with moisture. Her hair splayed out around her head reminded him of a mermaid. She was beautiful. Not just to look at but, as he’d begun to realize, everything about her was beautiful.

  She hadn’t noticed him so he quickly walked over to her blanket, dropped his things, stripped off his shirt, kicked off his flip-flops, and ran into the ocean. The water felt amazing. It was warm and clear and relaxing.

  As he quietly swam to where she was, he noticed her eyes were closed and she had a look of pure contentment on her face. A look he was beginning to familiarize himself with again.

  He quietly ducked his head under the water and swam underneath her. Reaching up he grabbed her leg.

  “Oh my God! Holy shit!”

  She flailed her arms, kicked her legs, and darted her eyes around for the culprit. When Jake popped up in front of her, she screamed.

  He laughed. “You should have seen your face!”

  Slapping him on the shoulder, she tried to be angry. “Jesus, Jake. What the hell?”

  “Did you think it was a shark?”

  “So what if I did? You shouldn’t scare people like that. There are real enough things to be scared of in the ocean without you giving me a heart attack, you know.”

  His voice was teasing and playful. “Aww. Don’t be mad. I was just having fun. Besides, no one’s seen sharks around here in at least, oh, four or five days.”

  “Yeah? Well how would you like it if I scared the crap out of you?”

  Treading water, Jake stared at her with an amused look on his face. Eyebrow cocked, he replied, “I don’t think I scare quite as easily.”

  As she swam closer to him, Lily’s eyes danced mischievously. “Is that so?”

  “That’s exactly so.”

  “I bet I could scare you.”

  “I bet you couldn’t.”

  With one stroke Lily was nose to nose with Jake while he contemplated his words. Despite the coolness of the ocean breeze and comfort of the water, he suddenly felt hot.

  She whispered. “Care to wager on that?”

  He knew what was coming and she was right, it scared the crap out if him.

  Lily leaned in and kissed Jake on the lips, softly at first, then with a bit more purpose. It wasn’t until he allowed himself to close his eyes that he felt the healing power of her kiss. All the pain he’d buried, surfaced. He flinched inwardly at the ghosts rushing to the surface. And, as if she knew, Lily’s kiss deepened. She pulled all his fear, all his pain, forward. Electricity shot through into her heart. When they finally separated, she stared into the ache that filled his eyes and the tears that threatened to overtake them. By the look on Jake’s face, she knew he felt it, too.

  The intensity was more than Lily had imagined. Her hand flew to her mouth as Jake pulled back.

  His voice quivered. “What was that?”

  “I think it was a kiss.”

  Staring at her with new eyes, Jake smiled. “I think it was more than that.”

  “I think you’re right.”

  “Should we be doing this? You’re leaving at the end of the summer. And I don’t know if I—”

  Lily placed a finger on his trembling lips. “Shh. It’s okay, Jake. We don’t have to. It’s my fault. I must’ve misunderstood.”

  He watched as she tucked a curl behind her ear and replied quietly, “You didn’t misunderstand.”

  She whispered gently, “I’m not her, Jake.”

  “No. You’re not.”

  “C’mon. Let’s get out of the water.”

  She swam the few yards to shore in long strokes, then she turned to look at him and held out her hand. As if on autopilot, he joined her on the beach.

  He grabbed her hand and, before she could lead him to the blanket, jerked her around. He wasn’t going to let the past interfere with this moment like it had minutes ago in the water. With his hands tangled in her hair, he returned the kiss. This time, the shock of it didn’t hold him back. His skin sang with excitement, his head threatened to explode, and his stomach tightened into a knot of anticipation. It didn’t feel quite as awkward as the first kiss. There was more to it than that. With each touch of her hand, her lips, her tongue, he grew less anxious, less frightened.

  Nothing needed to be said as they slowly sank to the sand. Lily matched his intensity with her own. Jake’s weight on top of her covered her like a security blanket as they both let go.

  Jake pushed her hair away from her face. She smiled as he kissed her forehead, her eyes, and her nose.

  “Not so scary, now.”

  Jake returned the smile as he reached down and untied the strings of her bathing suit. “Nah. Not so scary.”

  Her hands pulled him towards her. “I’ll have to try harder next time.”

  He lifted her to him. “You do that.”

  Their eyes locked with an anxious and heightened familiarity for a few seconds. As a small moan escaped her lips, Jake covered her mouth with his.

  Neither felt the tide come in. Neither felt the temperature drop as clouds covered the sun. Neither felt the small drops of hesitant summer rain. In those moments, all they knew was each other. No past. No future. Just that moment.

  CHAPTER 17

  After the rain stopped, Jake walked back to his truck to grab dry blankets, smiling to himself. He changed into the dry clothes he always kept in his truck and tucked and extra T-shirt under his arm. He dropped his head against the window of his car and closed his eyes. He remembered every touch, every kiss, every feeling of the past hour. His heart lifted and opened in a way it never had. He didn’t know where any of this was going, but he vowed to himself to hold on to it for as long as he could.

  He turned to Lily’s Jeep and opened the bag in the backseat looking for the jeans she’d said were inside. When he found them, he saw tucked underneath was a small portfolio of photographs and a letter from a magazine based in Atlanta stating how excited they were that Lily would be joining them in September. Caught up in the moments they shared, the fact that she was leaving had fallen away from him. He wasn’t sure if he was enough of a reason for her to stay.

  While Jake was at the car, Lily stared at the ocean waves as they rolled in and out. His touch lingered over her like soft feathers. She thought briefly about the fact that her time here wasn’t permanent. The thought pierced her before disappearing behind thoughts of Jake.


  “I got your jeans,” he said, coming up behind her. “I also grabbed one of my shirts for you to wear. It’s long sleeved so it should keep you warm enough. And a couple of extra blankets.”

  “I thought I had you to keep me warm.”

  She stood as he handed her the clothes. With a grin on her face, she said, “I’d ask you to turn around but I guess that ship has sailed.”

  She took off her bathing suit and pulled on her jeans, all the while keeping eye contact. He reached over and buttoned them for her as she slipped on his T-shirt.

  He kissed her gently. “You keep doing that, you’re gonna be the death of me.”

  Her laugh covered him. “We wouldn’t want that, now would we?”

  “Probably not. Are you hungry? I brought some sandwiches. Hopefully the short rain didn’t ruin them.”

  “I would love a sandwich. I brought some beer.”

  She popped the caps off two bottles and handed one to Jake as he passed her a sandwich. They sat comfortably on the dry blanket across from each other, legs crossed. Jake rested his hand on her knee.

  “So what’d you do today? You said you had errands.”

  “What? Oh yeah. Well I wasn’t really running errands, per se. I took a drive south along some lonely road and took some pictures for my uncle. His birthday is coming up and I wanted to get some new photos for him to hang up on the wall. The ones there now are shots from Connecticut. I thought he’d like something local.”

  “Those pictures are amazing. I always wondered about the niece that sent them to him. I’ve looked at those pictures for years. You have a real talent.”

  “Thanks. I do mostly landscapes, nature, stuff like that. I got some beautiful shots today, then I kept driving to some small little town about an hour and a half away.”

  “Did you take pictures there too?”

  “A couple but actually I went to a few stores. I saw an amazing camera from the early 1900s that I was gonna buy.”

  “Did you buy it?”