“Sorry you had to go through that.”
“Don’t be. Even though it drove me crazy, it was nice to see other points of view. To be asked about it and get to tell them what happened. They didn’t have a blow by blow from their dad or mum.”
Anna fell silent and stared out of the window.
“What else did you get up to?”
“Nothing much. I did party some. My friends took me to a night club for my twentieth birthday. I get drunk and ended up throwing up round the back. A nice man who owned the club was kind enough to send me home.”
David was entering the town. Anna glanced all around, surprised that nothing had changed.
“Would you drive around so I can see everything?” she asked.
“Sure.”
“Here we are on the CapeFalls tour, hosted by David Steer.” She burst out laughing as he deepened his voice. “On the left we have the diner. They still serve greasy burgers and fries. However, they added a caramel sauce to the desert menu. Very risky if you ask me.”
Anna laughed at his sarcasm.
As they passed each shop, he added some dialogue. After ten minutes, Anna was laughing so hard she was begging him to stop. “And here we’ve got the library where the books are. I don’t know if they’re vetted anymore, but last time I checked there were only tame romances allowed to the female populace.”
“The town wouldn’t want us to learn how short-changed we are on the male species,” she said. “Wow. Nothing has changed. I wonder how long I’ll be saying wow for.”
“Come on. Let’s grab your clothes and get some breakfast. I want a greasy breakfast with bacon, eggs, sausages and all the works.” He pulled up at a parking bay. Anna joined him at the boot as he unlocked it. She grabbed the bag and waited for him to lock up. They walked down the street together.
Several people stopped them on the way to the second-hand store.
“Looking forward to the party,” one said.
“Great plan to celebrate your birthday and your return,” another said.
After the sixth or seventh person stopped them Anna was getting tired of it. “Next time, don’t bother throwing me a party.”
“I’m actually thinking of agreeing with you. I don’t know half of these people, and already they’re annoying me.” He opened the door to the second-hand shop.
“Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in. Little Anna Myers. Come here girl,” Amy Grant said.
In no time she had Anna in a hug and was squeezing the life out of her.
“I need to breathe.” Amy had been friends with Anna during high-school. They’d lost touch when Amy married the school nerd, not for any reason other than Amy was starting a family. And all the while Anna had been trying to get the Steer brothers to see her as a woman.
“Sorry. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. About five years.”
“Yeah. How’s....erm....” Shit. She couldn’t remember the name of her husband.
“Steven?”
“Yes. Your husband?”
Silence met her answer.
“Steven is no longer in the picture. Would you like to look around, or are you dropping things off?” The change in the other woman was instantaneous.
“I’m dropping off. I didn’t mean to upset you,” Anna said.
“You didn’t. It just made me realise how different our lives turn out.” Amy took the clothes and put them in the back.
Anna didn’t know what to do. She glanced at David and saw he was uncomfortable.
“Erm...Amy. I’m supposed to be having a party tonight....”
She didn’t get chance to finish. “I know. I got an invite, but I can’t leave the kids. I’m pleased to see your safe back home.”
They left the shop as Amy started dealing with a customer. “What was that all about?”
“Don’t. I’ll tell you over breakfast.” David took her hand and led her to the diner. Considering it was still early in the morning, the place was heaving with customers. David got both of them a seat in the back. People stopped her and wished her well as she passed. Anna didn’t like the attention. She’d been happy to pass through most of her life being invisible. A waitress took their order, served coffee and left.
“Wow, the customer service has gone downhill since the last time I was here,” she said.
David reached across the table and took her hand.
“I’m really glad you’re back, Anna.”
She smiled. Being with him while trying to forget about the past made her realise how much she wanted to be home.
“I’m happy to be back.” She meant every single word.
****
His heart lifted. Seeing her smile meant everything to him. David held her hand, his thumb stroking her fingers. Touching her felt like a dream. The pleasure from simply being closer to her affected him far more than it ever had in the past.
What had changed in the last three years besides him getting older? Where Paul was nine years older than Anna, making Paul thirty-two, David was only twenty-nine. The age difference was smaller.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“Nothing. I don’t want to get all sappy over you.” He broke contact as the waitress came back with their order. They had both ordered a full breakfast. Anna, like old times, passed him over the extra helping of bacon and took one of his sausages. He enjoyed watching the easy way she dealt with him.
“Spill the beans. What have I missed?”
He’d forgotten about Amy working in the second-hand shop. The whole scenario had been one of the biggest scandals since the Dean and Laura.
“What do you want to know?” David hated gossiping, and Amy had her own demons to fight.
“David, do me a favour and answer the question.” She cut her sausage in half and began eating. Anna sure knew how to eat. Watching the meat disappear between her luscious lips was actually making certain parts of his anatomy swell.
For f**k’s sake, man. It’s a sausage!
“There’s nothing getting past you, is there?”
She shook her head. “I’m back, and I’d like to know what’s going on.” He took a swallow of his coffee and set his knife and fork down.
“This isn’t my business, and I imagine at some point you and Amy will talk. About a year ago, Steven was arrested. Police were called to the house. He’d beaten Amy to within an inch of her life. Apparently, she’d been suffering at the hands of her husband for some time. The kids were unharmed, but they testified against their father in court.”