The Escape Collection: (The Escape Collection) (54 page)

“Everything.” Jason pushed himself off the shelf and walked closer to the fridge. And me. “Eddie provides us with all the dairy, some of the eggs, and most of the produce. He has an organic farm down the valley.”
 

“Again,” I said, trying to control the waver in my voice. “What does that have to do with Saturday?”
 

“The thing is, Ol’ Eddie doesn’t like to leave the farm. He’s a little paranoid. Probably did a few too many drugs in his day,” Jason said. “So he only leaves the property on Saturdays—something about good cosmic energy.”

I looked back at the bare fridge. “Seriously? I can’t get anything for two more days?”
 

“Check the freezer. There’s usually there’s something in there.”
 

There was. I found some chicken breasts and a pork cutlet and tossed them into the basket.
 

“Most of the meat is from right here in the valley. Sheena likes to buy local,” Jason said.

“Let me guess—organic?”

“Absolutely,” he said. His eyes sparkled with flashes of gold when he smiled. Not that I normally noticed that type of thing. It must have been the way the light reflected in the store. “The bread is fresh, too,” he said. “Baked this morning by Moonbeam.”

“Moonbeam?”
 

“What can I say? Rainbow Valley is full of old hippies. There’s good karma in the valley, though.” He grabbed a box of cans from a pallet on the floor and began lining them up on a shelf while I watched. “Watch out for the brownies,” he said, over his shoulder.

I shook my head and turned down a different aisle. I needed space. Jason’s presence made me nervous, but more frustrating, I didn’t know why. He was sexy, there was no doubt. But it was more than that. Good-looking guys didn’t usually make me act like a total idiot. But then again, I didn’t usually get much attention from men, especially ones that looked like Jason.
 

I turned my attention to the shelves, taking my time picking out a variety of foods and toiletries that I’d need. I tried my best to ignore Jason, who’d finished with the cans and had moved on to sweeping the floors. I didn’t look. I didn’t need to. I could feel him watching me.

“Don’t you have something to do?” I asked, after a few moments of unsuccessfully ignoring him.

“I’m doing it.”

The bells over the door jingled, and Sheena, loaded down with an armload of what looked like more batik and tie-dyed cloth, burst into the store. “Jason, come grab these. I need you to take them up to the cabin for Be—”

Jason barely had time to drop the broom and catch the bundle Sheena thrust at him. “She’s right here,” he said. “You can give them to her yourself.”
 

Sheena spun around, noticing me for the first time. “For Lord’s sake, Sunshine. I didn’t see you there. I’m so sorry. I thought I had more time.”

“Time for what?” I asked.
 

“To get things organized,” she said. “I thought you’d sleep a lot longer.”

“I don’t think that’s possible,” I said, trying to laugh. The sound came out as a mixture between a strangle and a squeak.

“You needed a good long rest,” Sheena said, ignoring my strange noise. “It looked as if you hadn’t slept in quite a while. I expected you down here late afternoon. I wanted to be here to help you get what you needed.”
 

I stared at the other woman and goosebumps popped up on my arms. Her eyes gave away nothing and her smile was warm, but I still couldn’t shake the unnerving feeling. I turned my attention to the few contents in my basket. “I’m fine,” I said after a moment, and turned back towards the shelf. I didn’t need these strange people knowing anything about me or why I was here. “I just forgot a few things.”

“It looks like you forgot more than a few things,” Sheena said. Her voice was kind and soft. It really wasn’t fair of me to be rude to her. I looked up and shrugged.

“I hope Jason’s been helping you out.”

“He’s been...he...he told me to stay away from the brownies.” I could feel the burn flame to life on my cheeks again.

I didn’t even have to look to know he was laughing at me.

“Well, I’m glad he was helpful.” Sheena glanced between us, a smirk of her own on her face.

“Sheena, what do you want me to do with these?” Jason raised the bundle in his arms.
 

“Right,” she said, remembering. “I brought you some things to wear, Becca. They should fit you fine and get you through the next few days.”
 

“Really? I don’t…you didn’t have to—”
 

“Nonsense. It’s the least I can do.” Sheena grasped my arm and gazed into my eyes. I blinked hard and looked away, squirming out of her grip.
 

“It’s been fun,” Jason said. “But I have to run.”
 

 
“Of course,” Sheena said, and just like that, the strange tension was gone. “You have things to get to. Just put those on the counter. I’ll take care of them myself. Thanks, love.”
 

“Bye, ladies. I’ll see you around, Becca.”

After the door swung shut behind him, Sheena said, “Jason will be out at your place later, if that's okay? We thought the house would be empty for a bit longer, and he has a few projects that need to get done. I am sorry about the disruption, but he’s promised to stay out of your way and leave you alone.”

“It’s fine, really,” I said, trying not to sound disappointed. The last thing I wanted was a strange man, even a gorgeous one—okay, especially a gorgeous one—hanging around. “I'm not really doing much up there, anyway. It'll be fine.” I forced a smile that I’m sure Sheena could tell was fake and returned to my shopping with a new urgency. The faster I finished, the faster I could get out of there and back to the solitude of the cabin.

***

It didn’t take me long to get totally overwhelmed by the store. It wasn’t so much that there were too many things crammed into the small space, even though there was. It was that I had absolutely no idea what to buy when I was cooking only for myself. I didn’t have to worry about catering to three other, somewhat picky, people. I didn’t have to concern myself over tomato sauce versus a creamy sauce. Or crusts on the bread. Or putting onions on only half the pizza. No, it was just me. I could eat whatever I wanted. And faced with nothing but options, I couldn’t think of anything I wanted.
 

I ended up grabbing a few packaged pastas, cans of soup, and a loaf of fresh bread. After the sandwich I’d had that morning, I figured I could happily live on bread. My shopping finally finished, I hauled my basket to the counter, where Sheena was wrapping bundles of fresh lavender with satin ribbons. The sweet fragrance hung in the air like a gentle cloud.

I took a deep breath, letting it fill my lungs. “That smells divine.”

“Grown right here,” Sheena said. “In my back garden. Lavender is very relaxing to the senses. I'll toss in a bundle for you.”
 

“Thank you, but that’s not…” I didn’t bother finishing my thought because the kind smile on Sheena’s face stopped me. I looked away so she wouldn’t see the embarrassment that must have shown in my eyes. “What’s this?” I asked, picking up a small pillow embroidered with tiny purple flowers.
 

“I make those sachets for babies. Lavender is the perfect scent for the little ones because it naturally soothes.”
 

I lifted it to my nose, inhaled deeply, and asked, “Do you think it works on children as well?”

“Of course,” she said. “The power of lavender works on everyone.”
 

I looked up and met her eyes. They were full of concern. She reminded me of someone I knew. Connie, maybe. She looked at me that way a lot. Like I might breakdown at any moment.
 

“Is there any way I can send this to someone?”
 

“Of course,” Sheena said. “For a friend or family?”
 

“No.” I dropped the sachet. “I mean, yes.”
 

Seriously, I was losing my mind. It wasn’t like Sheena could have known I had abandoned my children. I took a deep breath, picked up the sachet, and said, “It’s for a friend. And this as well.” I picked up a small bottle of lavender oil and put the two items to the side of the counter. Maybe Jordan would like it.

“Why don’t you leave me the address and I’ll take care of it for you? The mail is usually picked up after lunch. It can go out today.”

I nodded and scratched down my home address, putting Kayla and Jordan’s name at the top.
 

“You look like you could use some air, Sunshine,” Sheena said, when I was finished. “Take yourself outside, and I’ll finish up in here. The fresh air will do you some good.” She reached for my basket of shopping, and like a little girl, I did what I was told. I handed it over with a sigh of relief, and went outside.
 

As soon as I stepped outside, I could feel my head clear. The air was heavy with the sharp scent of pine, and the sun warmed my skin. I sat on the log bench in front of the store window, leaned my head back against the glass and looked up into the cloudless sky.
 

I rolled my neck, stretched, and stared down the empty road. There was no where I had to be, no schedule to keep, no one to look after. It was just me, alone. My head spun with the thought. I was completely free.
 

Except I wasn’t.
 

The dizzy feeling of freedom was short-lived as the familiar guilt pain crashed through me. I’d left Kayla at school. Jon didn’t know where I was. What kind of mother did that? What kind of person did that?

I dug through my purse for my phone and powered it up. The red message light started blinking right away.

Ignoring the messages, I dialed the numbers for Jon’s cell phone, and then hesitated, my finger hovering over the Send button. After a moment, I hit End, clearing the numbers from the screen.
 

The message light flashed relentlessly. It was hypnotic with its blinking rhythm. How many times had he called?
 

Only one way to find out.

I punched in the code to my voicemail.
 

“You have six messages,” the computerized voice said. “First message.”

“Becca, it's Jon. Why aren't you answering your phone? Do you know how worried I am? And what about the girls? For God's sake. You can't just run away from your problems. Come home. I don't even know where you are.”
 

“Second message.”

“Becca?” Steph's voice came on the line. “Good Lord. What's going on? Jon called and said you left him. That you abandoned Kayla at school, and just took off. Is that true? Call me. He said you didn't take anything with you except your purse. I'm worried. Call me, okay?”

“Third message.”

“Becca, for Christ's sake, answer the phone. Kayla's been screaming for you all fucking night and Jordan’s going on about some guy. What the hell am I supposed to tell the girls? Answer the goddamned phone.”

“Fourth message.”

“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled. I'm sorry, I'm just so...Becca, come home. I love you.”

I entered the code to erase the rest of the messages and dropped my phone into my purse. I closed my eyes and tried to block Jon’s voice from my head.
 

“Becca?”

I snapped my eyes open to find Sheena watching me with two large paper bags at her feet. I hadn’t heard her come up.

“Are you okay, Sunshine?”

“I’m fine.” I rubbed my eyes, trying my best to look normal. “Why do you call me Sunshine?” I asked, changing the subject.

Sheena smiled. “Does it bother you?”

“No.” I shook my head. “I just don’t understand. There’s so much I don’t understand.”

She placed her hand on my leg and patted gently. “I don’t know if I can help you with all the answers you seek,” she said, “but at least I can help with this one. I call you Sunshine because there’s a light in you. It’s trying to break free, just like the sun.”

I looked up from my lap and stared at her. “There’s a light in me?”

Sheena nodded.
 

“Ha. I don’t know about that. I’m certainly not feeling very light or sunshiny right now.”

“It’s not always easy,” she said. “I understand if you don’t want to talk about it.” Sheena’s voice was warm and kind. “Sometimes it helps to talk,” she said, and sat on the bench next to me. “Talking about your problems releases them to the spirits so they have no control over you in the physical realm.”

I wasn’t exactly sure what she was talking about, but I had a strong urge to lay my head on her shoulder and let her comfort me.

Instead, I pointed to the bags and asked, “How much do I owe you?”

“Not a thing, Sunshine. Your money is no good here.”

“How did you know her? Vicki, I mean. Who was she?” The questions came out so suddenly, they even shocked me.
 
“I mean, I didn’t even know about this place until the other day. Dad never said anything and Connie never mentioned it.”

“No.” Sheena shook her head slowly. “I imagine they wouldn’t.”

“But why?”

She didn’t answer but just shook her head again and the action irritated me. “I don’t understand. Why so many secrets?”

“I can’t answer that, Sunshine.”

“Can’t? Or won’t?” I jumped up, no longer able to sit still. “I can’t stand all the lies. All the…” I stopped myself. It wasn’t fair to Sheena to direct my anger at her. “I have to go.” I snatched up the bags and started to the car.
 

I put my groceries in the back seat and turned to apologize to Sheena, but she was gone.
 

Chapter 13

It didn’t take long to unpack my bags at the cabin. After all that shopping, I still didn’t look like I had much. But at least it was something. The second bag held the clothes Sheena had lent me. I took it into the bedroom and dumped it on the bed. A sprig of lavender lay among the items and the sweet smell permeated the room. I lifted it to my nose and inhaled deeply.
 

Maybe lavender did have soothing properties.