Remember Love (19 page)

Katrina bit back
her smile, even though her neighbor wouldn’t see it. Funny, but thoughtful
wasn’t an adjective she’d ever use for the young version of Alec. "He’s
very thoughtful."

"Did he take
you to the Fall Festival?"

Katrina’s gaze
whipped upwards to Ms. Lincoln’s sightless eyes. "Yes, he did."

"Good."
The older woman nodded her head as though Alec’s act had satisfied her to the
marrow of her bones.

Katrina slid Ms.
Lincoln’s audio book into a lavender sack. Cheeks hot, she focused on the
process. "Did you ask Alec to take me?"

 "I remember
you two as children. Alec could never be told to do anything he didn’t want to.
More stubborn than a donkey at bathtime."

Surprised, a
chuckle erupted from Katrina. "That’s an interesting way to put it."

Ms. Lincoln
smiled at her even as she rapped the floor with her cane. "Douglas, I’m
done."

"Oh, my."
Ms. Douglas skipped to the counter, cheeks flushed bright pink, arms full. "There
are so many to choose from. I’ll take these." She giggled.

Grin stretching,
Katrina rang the books up. The women thanked her and left, arguing to the door
about Ms. Lincoln’s new purchase. Apparently, it put Ms. Douglas out of a job.

Katrina picked up
her tea for another long sip.

Alec drove into
the parking lot as the women were leaving. She watched how he opened the car
doors for both the ladies, how they hugged him and patted his shoulder. A good
man.

They’d fought so
much before the wedding. Teenage drama. Why had she let herself forget Alec’s
kindness?

As she mused on
her willing blindness, Alec opened the store door and came in. His face looked
drawn. Before she could ask if the widow had been home after all, he came and
lounged on the stool beside her.

"You look
happy with yourself."

"With life."
She’d woken this morning refreshed and at peace. Outside, the sky carried not a
cloud and its bright cerulean landscape was softened only by a gentle breeze
passing through. Fall was here at last, though few trees had changed color.

A new season. And
she was ready. Surrendering to her love for Alec had not been painful, as she’d
feared it would, but liberating. She scanned him now, noting the way his hair
brushed against the collar of his black cotton shirt, the casual length of his
legs stretched in front of him, and knew that no matter what, she would love
him forever.

The thought made
her stomach fluttery. Excited. Young. She’d almost forgotten that feeling.

The bell over the
door jingled as her neighbor Maria Rivera came in. "Hola, Katrina.
Necesito un libro."

"El nombre?"

They lapsed into
comfortable Spanish while she located the book and then rang it up.

"Adios."

Maria left and
she filed the receipt.

"Since when
do you speak Spanish?" The look on Alec’s face was comical.

"Since four
years ago."

"Unbelievable."

"I don’t
know why you’re so shocked." She sat on the stool next to Alec and
swiveled so that she faced him. "Languages have always been a passion of
mine."

"Did you go
to college?" He sounded mystified.

It amused her and
she couldn’t keep the humor from her voice. "No, I hung out in the
southwest part of town. There’s a Mercado pueblo there and a small restaurant."
She shrugged. "You speak French."

"I lived in
Europe."

"And I live
in Florida."

They eyed each
other. She saw the admiration in his expression. A ticklish thrill wiggled up
her spine, made her want to jump up and dance. Laugh until her throat hurt.

"You didn’t
give up all your dreams," he said.

"No, I just
prioritized."

He nodded, his
eyes fastened on her. Dark, focused. She felt heat in her cheeks but didn’t
look away.

Would he kiss her
again? Should she kiss him? A pool of warmth gathered in her belly. Her breath
shallowed and her toes tingled with anticipation. But he didn’t move, only
studied her with that single-minded, hooded expression.

An onslaught of
feelings rushed over her, warm and prickly, as she remembered their intimacies
as teenagers. Face burning, she broke the connection and popped off the stool.

"You dropped
off the books?" She put a pen back into its holder, the spot between her
shoulder blades hot as if his stare burned into her.

"The widow
took them herself." His voice sounded subdued but she didn’t look over for
fear she’d start thinking about their relationship in high school again.

"That’s
good." Had she said something to him? An insult? He acted tough but the
widow obviously touched a raw nerve in him. Thanks to her most of the town
would never believe he’d told the truth. Even if they did now, it wouldn’t
change how he’d been treated. She whirled around and saw that he was indeed
still staring at her.

The look in his
eyes dried her mouth. Awkwardly, she wet her lips and swallowed. "I
should’ve taken them. I’m sorry. I know how you feel about her."

Alec nodded and
looked to the front of the store, effectively dismissing her apology. "You’ve
been busy today."

"Some days
are like this." Some days weren’t.

"You need to
start making a profit." He glanced over, eyebrows lowered. "And stop
doing that with your cheeks."

"Don’t
worry. Tourist season is coming in March. Things’ll pick up then."

Katrina was
concentrating on fixing her cheeks when the front door slammed open so hard
that a book fell out of the bookcase closest to the entrance.

CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN

As soon as the
front door opened, Alec knew there’d be trouble. Some animal instinct rose
inside, prickled the back of his neck, propelled him upwards to shove Katrina
behind him.

The man’s hair
hung in his face, falling over a ratty and gnarled beard. And he smelled like
rotten meat. Dingy clothing hung on his half-starved frame and his wild brown
eyes darted to Alec before focusing on the feisty woman behind him.

Alec tightened
his hold on Katrina’s wrists, ignoring her attempts to yank them back.

There was no way
she’d get loose. If she got hurt in any way . . . He pressed her against the
wall behind him and eyed the guy who stood heaving in front of them, spittle
escaping in tiny bubbles from his mouth. He could have a gun. Or a knife.

Or rabies,
judging by his demeanor.

"Is there
something I can help you with?" Alec asked, his tone deliberately low and
cold.

"I wanna to
talk to Katrina." The man rasped the words out, then swiped at his mouth
with a hand browned by grime.

"Take off
your coat."

Surprise
registered on the guy’s face, quickly replaced by a sneer. "Who do you
think you are? Quit hiding Katrina. I’m not going to hurt her."

Behind him,
Katrina had stilled. Alec could feel her warm, quick breaths at the base of his
neck. With his thumb, he stroked her inner wrist while he aimed a frigid stare
at the man. "Coat off. Then she’ll talk"

The guy paused,
then struggled out of his bulky jacket and whipped it to the floor. Beneath he
wore only a stained t-shirt. No visible weapon.

Alec let go of
Katrina’s wrists and moved forward. His chest stopped aching and, with
surprise, he realized he’d been holding his breath.

Rubbing her sore
wrists, Katrina came out from behind Alec and squared her shoulders. She hadn’t
recognized the stranger until she’d heard his voice. Giving the bedraggled man
in front of her a pitying stare, she took a deep breath. "Steve."

Steve moved to
come closer but Alec stopped him with a simple shift in stance. Katrina’s gaze
slid to Alec and she saw what Steve did. A man ready for violence. And she saw
more. A flash of silver. Alec’s iPhone. In his hands, below the counter.

Her attention
moved back to Sharon's husband. Emotions played across his gaunt face. Fear, in
the widening of his eyes. Rage, in the twisting of his lips.

Like an animal
cornered. And everyone knew a cornered animal could be the most dangerous of
all.

"You stole
my family." He bared his teeth. "I can’t find them. I can’t think or
sleep." His hands remained balled at his sides. The stale, bitter stench
of alcohol and body odor filled her small store.

"Steve, let
us help you. Have you been home at all?" Though she didn’t feel sympathy
for him, she tried to inject softness into her words.

"Oh, you’ve
helped enough. Filling Sharon’s head with nonsense until she left me."

"You hit
her. You stabbed her with a knife." Why was she arguing with a crazy guy?

"She lied.
That woman’s no good, a waste of time. She’s lucky I want her." He stepped
forward.

Katrina didn’t so
much see as feel Alec’s body tightening beside her. Swallowing, she set her
chin. "I’m sorry you’re having such a rough time."
Not
. "But
I’m going to ask you to leave before I call the police."

Steve laughed, a
harsh, grating sound that made her blanch. "You filled her head with lies,
telling her Jesus loves her and wants to take care of her. Filth."

He spit on the
floor, then scooped up his coat and, moving backwards, swiped at a rack of
books. In a flurry of pages, they thunked to the floor.

"You’ll be
sorry, Katrina Ross." He whirled to leave just as the front door opened.
Grant Harkness pushed in, palming the butt of his gun.

"Hands on
your head," he barked.

Steve lifted his
hands slowly, shooting her a spiteful look. The police officer following Grant
cuffed Steve and then hauled him out the door while reading him his rights.

Katrina grabbed
the counter and lowered herself to the stool, knees shaking.

"Alright
guys. I’ll need to get your statements." Grant gave her a cool stare
before nodding to Alec. She ignored Grant’s attitude. She hadn’t felt this
helpless in a long time, not since Grant had showed up at her door and informed
her that Joey and her mother were in the hospital.

She shivered and
wrapped her arms tightly against herself, wishing the memory had faded over time,
and the feelings with it. Goosebumps popped up on her skin.

"Let’s go
through this." Grant leaned against the counter, notebook in hand. "Steve
entered the store at what time?"

 Somehow she made
it through the statements and finally, after Alec insisted on a police officer
to guard her house, Grant left.

A void of silence
settled in the store. Emotional exhaustion seeped through her, sapping her
mental resistance to a police guard.

Why had she let
Alec get rid of the couches? Her back ached from huddling on the stool and she
longed to go home, soak in a bubble bath, and banish from her mind the fear
that refused to leave.

Alec pulled the
blinds down and then he flipped the sign on the door to closed and twisted the
lock.

"What are
you doing?" Her voice sounded weak, thready.

"You need a
break." He stalked toward her. "I’m going to take care of you,
Katrina."

An alarm clanged
in her head. Hadn’t he said those exact words ten years ago? No going down on
one knee and professing his undying love, but a pronouncement that he would
care for her. At the time, it had made her feel safe and protected. But now she
only wanted to escape the shackles that chained her to the past, as tight and
cold as the handcuffs Steve wore.

"C’mon."
Alec grabbed her by the shoulders and propelled her to the office. She sank
into her chair and wished the memories would disappear.

"What’s
going on?" Alec perched on the edge of her desk, his tan slacks straight
and wrinkle free. His eyes looked worried. "Your face is the color of paste."

How could she
explain it to him? What words could possibly describe the unbelief and then the
killing pain she’d experienced that night? She shuddered and tightened her
fingers in her lap. She had to get a grip. She took a deep breath and met
Alec’s concerned gaze.

The old Alec
would be hounding her. This one sat quietly and waited for her to speak.
Whether the change was due to God or to learned business tactics, she didn’t
know.

"I’m not
sure how to explain it," she began, then paused until she felt she could
talk without her voice wobbling. "Grant was the one who. . . who came to
the house and told me about the accident." Her chest hurt. She hadn’t told
anyone, not even Rachel, about that night.

It had seemed
private, something no one else would understand.

There was a
tell-tale whiteness about Alec’s lips. So he was fighting his emotions. For
some reason, it gave her a feeling of kinship.

He should hear
about that night from her. His pain would be different than hers, but did it
matter? He was Joey’s father and he deserved to know.

"It was
raining," she said, her voice sounding as though it came from a great
distance. "Mom and Joey went to pick up the pizza we’d ordered. We’d gone
to Disney World that day and got home late, starving. The pizza place was
almost closed but Lynn took our order." She swallowed. "Joey was
laughing when he left. A little over-tired and hyper because of the long day."

Alec’s jaw
clenched so tight his teeth ground. He should have been here. It would’ve
changed things. Somehow.

Katrina looked
away, her face sagging beneath the weight of grief. "Mom made him take the
umbrella so he wouldn’t get her car wet. She hugged me before walking out the
door. I can count on one hand the times she’s hugged me." Her voice shook.
"They didn’t come back. An hour later Grant showed up, dripping wet and
for once looking at me with kind eyes. And pity. I thought, an accident,
they’re in the hospital." Her eyes shimmered as they met his and it took
all of Alec’s willpower not to slide off the desk and hold her.

But he couldn’t.
The way her face looked tore into him. How could she want him closer? If he’d
bothered to answer one phone call, maybe Joey would still be alive.

"I don’t
remember what words he used to tell me. Later I read they were crossing the
bridge and the other car smashed them into the rail. And then they were gone,
slipping away from me within days of each other. There was nothing I could do.
Just like today." She trailed off, her eyes silver pools of sorrow.

Alec cleared his
throat and blinked quickly to rid his eyes of the burning. "You weren’t
helpless today, Katrina. I was here. Steve won’t hurt you."

Her gaze cleared.
"I felt helpless, but you’re right. I wasn’t. Because of you. Because of
Jesus." She wet her lips. "The Lord is my helper, whom shall I fear?"

"Quoting
scripture again?"

A small smile
lifted her lips and the drawn look melted away. "Thank you, Alec, for
bringing me in here. I haven’t let myself think of that night in a long time,
but I’m glad I could share it with you. You’ve reminded me of who gives me
strength." A little laugh escaped, at odds with the teary brightness of
her eyes.

"I’m so
sorry." Alec stood and went to her. He wished he could so easily rid
himself of the guilt that suddenly plagued him. Was this how she felt about the
secret she’d kept? He slipped his arms around her, inhaling the fresh scent of
her hair against his cheek.