Just a Love Story Read online

  She wasn’t like this all the time. Give her a crowd and the function of a teacher, singer, or musician, and Shae had no qualms putting herself out there as the center of attention. Why? Because she was offering something of value to the audience. Lessons. Inspiration. Entertainment. One-on-one was what she had a problem with. Life had taught her a valuable lesson; her worth lay in the intangible things she could give others. Not her for herself.

  She wasn’t physically appealing to men, not that she really tried to be. The work she did as a bookkeeper and church secretary didn’t warrant provocative clothes. She dressed conservatively and only owned three pairs of low-heeled dress shoes – black, brown, and cream. There wasn’t a garment in her closet that cost over fifty dollars. People in her little backwater town didn’t dress up. Only the blue hairs went to a beauty salon. No, she was about as boring as boring could get.

  Truth be told, Cathy was the only person she was really close to. The rest of her acquaintances were what she called ‘church friends’, which were a whole different ball game. They were just familiar people she associated with during church sponsored activities. Other than Cathy, she didn’t have anyone to take shopping or out to eat and with her friend’s family responsibilities, those occasions were few and far between. Usually, Shae spent her evenings alone or with her grandmother.

  No wonder she spent half her life living in a fantasy world.

  Ding!

  Once she reached the bottom floor of the Sand and Sea Hotel, Shae left the elevator and made for the outside. The beach was just across Seawall Boulevard, all she had to do was wait for an opportunity, then race over the asphalt and down the steps of the seawall to have her toes blessedly covered in sand.

  “Ah, now I can breathe.”

  She held up her arms and embraced the sky full of stars. Night had fallen, and she could prance unnoticed and unobserved to her hearts content. There were a few others on the beach, but for the most part, she could have some blessed solitude away from the giggling teens they’d brought on their final outing before buckling down to their studies in the new school year.

  Heading west on the beach, she kept her eye on Pleasure Pier. Last night, they’d taken the kids to the historical amusement park and the little rascals loved it. Shae had enjoyed herself also. Eating at Bubba Gump Shrimp. Riding the roller coaster called Iron Shark. Crashing around in the bumper cars. But mostly she loved the scary ride, Texas Star Flyer, the one that flung its riders out two-hundred-fifty feet over the ocean. She’d squealed like one of the kids.

  Such glorious mayhem.

  There’d been so much activity, so much noise and motion that she hadn’t been able to properly appreciate the totality of the experience.

  Now, from a distance she could view the magical lights, the myriad of colors, the reflection of the glorious spectacle in the waters of the Gulf.

  Yes, from a distance.

  As she walked, kicking sand, Shae grew introspective. She spent most of her days viewing life from a distance. To be so immersed in the activity of a community, she existed as an outlier in many ways. Even though they observed her week after week, sitting behind the grand piano in the church sanctuary, most knew very little about her – the real Shae St. John.

  And that sorta sucked.

  Keeping her eyes on the glittering display of Pleasure Pier, she followed the lights like a beacon. There were a couple of jetties separating the expanse of the water she walked by from those occupied by the historical pier. Over the years, the pier had been home to two amusement parks and the first hotel built entirely over water. The original amusement park, which featured an aquarium and a ballroom was destroyed by Hurricane Carla in 1961. The grand hotel, the Flagship, was destroyed by Hurricane Ike in 2005. Shae wondered how long before the next storm blew in and destroyed everything she was seeing. “Man, their insurance has to be astronomical.”

  Because another storm would come. They always did. It wasn’t a matter of if, only a matter of when.

  Usually, Shae loved bad weather. Feeling the power of the wind. Watching the rain fall, the lightning flash. Hearing the roar and roll of the thunder.

  She just didn’t want to be in the direct path of such a storm.

  “Help! Help!”

  Immediately, her attention flew out into the dark water. Someone was in trouble.

  “Help me! Dad-dee!”

  A little child’s voice.

  With adrenaline pumping in her veins, Shae slung down her things, and ran straight into the surf. “Where are you?” she screamed. “Keep yelling!” God, this was impossible. Dark. She knew there were riptides by the jetties. Deadly riptides.

  “Help! Help!”

  Shae fought the current as she swam. “I’m coming!” she called.

  “Oh, God, my daughter! She fell off the pier!”

  A voice met her ears from some distance away, but she didn’t take time to look around. Shae swam, then every few yards, she let her eyes search the waters around her. People standing on the end of the nearest jetty were shining flashlights like beams of hope into the darkness. She used those faint pools of light and the slight illumination of the quarter moon to locate the child. “Oh, lord, help me,” she whispered as she spotted a little hand held up in a breaking white cap, a last flag of desperation. Pushing herself, she dove underwater and began feeling frantically in front of her. Where are you, she thought? Let me find her, please, she prayed.

  Shae refused to give up, she refused to rise above the waves and waste the time for a gulp of air – knowing the child probably wouldn’t resurface again.

  Left. Right. Up. Down.

  She thrashed through the water that was about fifteen feet deep at this point. Riding the surge, she kept searching frantically – until her fingers touched the hem of a small garment. Closing her fist tightly, Shae yanked and paddled furiously, pushing herself to the surface, towing what she’d caught below the waters.

  When she broke the surface, Shae pulled the child up into her arms. She didn’t know whether the little girl was breathing or not.

  “My daughter! Oh, God! Let me have her!”

  A man came swimming up to them, grabbing for his child. Shae relinquished her, swimming on toward the beach. “I hope someone called 9-1-1. Bring her up, I know CPR.”

  By the time they got to shore, and the little girl was placed on the sand, people were gathering around. Shae didn’t hesitate. She felt for a pulse, then began breathing into her mouth as the father instinctively did chest presses. After a few moments the little girl coughed, and Shae turned her head sideways so she could spit out the seawater.

  “Are you okay, baby?” For a couple of long seconds, their faces were close. Shae looked into a pair of beautiful eyes, that looked steadily back into hers.

  “Are you an angel?” the girl asked softly.

  “No, baby. I’m not.”

  In the next heartbeat, her father snatched his child up into his arms and looked toward Shae. “Thank you.” The shadows were thick, the moonlight was pale, and the flashlights of curious bystanders created very little visibility. She couldn’t make out the details of the man’s face, but what she could see of his expression told her he was kind and very grateful.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “You saved her. How can I thank you?”

  “You don’t. Rescuing her will be one of the things that makes my life worthwhile.”

  The next second, they were separated as EMT’s arrived to take control of the situation.

  Relieved and out of breath, Shae rose to retrieve her things from where she’d dropped them, then headed back down the beach while the surf rolled and the endless breeze blew.

  * * *

  Derek

  “She seems fine, Mr. Alden. I don’t think we need to take her in.” The medic stood from where he’d been kneeling by the small girl. “What happened?”

  Derek combed trembling fingers through his hair. He was having a hard time catching his breath. As relie
f swept through him, the adrenaline leaving his body made him weak in the knees. With the wave of a hand toward the fishing pier a few dozen yards away, he searched for words. “We were walking along the jetty. I, uh, was baiting her hook. I turned my back on her just a moment and she…disappeared.”

  The medic smiled down at the adorable little girl who seemed oblivious that she’d experienced such a close call. “What’s your name, honey?”

  “June Bug.”

  “Just June, honey,” Derek said, finding the strength to chuckle. The cool breeze coming off the Gulf felt warm on his skin that was still icy with panic. “She’s four.”

  Four! His baby was four and she’d almost died.

  “She’s a lucky little girl. You were on your toes and saved her. You’re a good dad.” The medic began to pack up his gear.

  Derek groaned, picking up his child when she held her arms up to him. “I didn’t save her, there was this woman who got to her first.” He looked around but didn’t see her. “She must’ve left.”

  “She was nice, Dad-dee. She saved me.” June laid her head on her father’s shoulder. “I like her. She had a pretty smile.”

  “What was her name?” Derek asked her. “Did she say?”

  “I asked her if she was an angel, but she said no.”

  The medic picked up his case, handing it to his partner to load in the emergency vehicle. “Well, you’re fortunate this woman was at the right place at the right time.”

  “Fortunate, yes, very,” Derek answered, cradling June close.

  “June! June! My baby! What did you do, Derek?” A frantic, willowy blonde came rushing up and grabbed June from her father’s arms.

  “She’s fine, Blair. We had a close call, but she’s fine.”

  “No, thanks to you, I’m sure!” she screeched at her husband.

  The medics eased out, appearing to choose to get away while the getting was good. Derek didn’t blame them. An upset Blair was someone to be avoided at all costs.

  He put a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “Let’s just be thankful she’s okay.”

  “Weren’t you watching her?” Blair turned on him viciously. “What were you doing? Flirting with some woman?”

  Derek glanced around self-consciously. Other people were moving down the starlit strand of sand, some stole curious glances at them. “I was watching her, it was an accident. And no, I wasn’t talking to anyone.”

  “I don’t believe you!” she screamed so loudly that June squirmed in her arms trying to get down.

  “Come on, let’s go back to the hotel. There’s no need to cause a scene.” He attempted to steer his family farther down the beach toward the hotel where they were staying.

  “I am not causing a scene!” she shrieked. “Yes, I’m going back to the hotel, but you’re not welcome. You’re a failure as a father and a husband!”

  Blair stalked off and Derek stood where she left him. Seeing June hold her hand out for him, tears streaming down her cheeks almost broke his heart.

  Hell, maybe Blair as right.

  He was a failure.

  * * *

  Blair

  “Mommy, I want Dad-dee.”

  “Hush. You’re too young to know what you want.” Blair stormed across the beach, then waited impatiently at the crosswalk until the light changed. As she hurried across Seawall Boulevard, her phone rang.

  Seeing the identity of the caller, she couldn’t help but smile. Raising the phone to her ear, she smiled. “Hey, I found her. He almost let her drown. I don’t know how much more of this I can take. When can I see you?”

  “Patience. I’ll see you in class,” a deep voice told her. “Use this. When the time comes to put our plan into motion, Alden needs to be out of the picture.”

  “Are you sure it wouldn’t be better to just let him have her?” Blair climbed the steps to the hotel, ignoring her daughter’s insistent tugging on her collar.

  “I want Dad-dee!”

  She slapped at the little girl’s hand. “Stop it.”

  “No. She’s your child, Blair, therefore she’s mine. I want to be surrounded by my family.”

  “The classes aren’t enough. I need more of you. I can’t wait to learn all about your plan. A man with a gun is so sexy. I love that picture you sent me.”

  The man chuckled. “I love my AR-15. Almost as much as I love you.”

  Blair almost purred, “Oh, you say that to all your women.”

  “Yea, I do. All men should have a harem. Bring me another candidate and I’ll give you a reward.”

  As Blair entered the hotel lobby, she shivered with delight. “What kind of reward?”

  “You can be my favorite. When I come into my kingdom, you can sit by my side.”

  “I have to get rid of my husband first. Mr. Straight and Narrow could ruin everything.”

  “No worries. We can set him up and you can file for divorce. I’ll take care of the rest. After all, Bastrop is my county. I rule here.”

  Blair patted June’s back to quiet her. “Yes, Judge.” Powerful men were such a turn-on. “I’ll do whatever you say.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Shae

  “Shae, it’s your grandmother. Hurry. A neighbor found Coretta lying by her mailbox. She’s been taken to the hospital.”

  Not stopping to thank the pastor, she quickly shut off the computer where she’d been preparing the Powerpoint presentation for Sunday service. After grabbing her purse, she ran out the door of the Church Life Center and flew to her car. Jumping in, she threw her bag to one side. While fastening her seat belt with one hand, she pushed the Start button on her car with the other and peeled out of the church parking lot. Gunning the Subaru, she headed east out of Longleaf toward Hempfield.

  If she wasn’t so worried about Coretta, she’d take the time to laugh at the absurdity of the town’s name. In an area so back-woodsy the residents prided themselves in their lack of sophistication, people who routinely practiced a broad condemnation of anything progressive, especially something like marijuana – that the founding fathers of the community chose ‘Hempfield’ as the name of their county seat just made Shae shake her head. Ridiculous. Unfortunately, most of the residents of the county probably never realized the irony of the situation.

  With focused intent, she hovered on the brink of breaking the law as she sped through town and set out on the narrow farm-to-market road linking the two communities. Not too many years before, this seven-mile stretch of road cut through a dense virgin forest of longleaf pines, where wild cats and black bears roamed. Now, a shaved wasteland was all you could see. The lumber conglomerate who owned all the surrounding tracts of land and operated the sawmill which employed almost everyone in the area, had systematically raped the countryside. She often thought the area now resembled the iconic pictures she’d seen of the ruined Siberian tundra in the Russian Tunguska valley after a meteor crashed into the region in 1908, flattening 770 square miles of forest.

  Only this wasn’t a natural occurrence, this disaster was manmade.

  Unlike most of her neighbors, she believed in things like environmental responsibility and climate change.

  Yea, she was a fraud.

  She loved her church, the children, and the whole concept of serving one another and seeking a greater good – but she didn’t believe everything she heard from the pulpit. She couldn’t be judgmental, she couldn’t believe everything she was told blindly, and she couldn’t condemn people to hell just because they didn’t believe the same things she did.

  And she certainly couldn’t be honest about those things with her grandmother.

  The truth would give the sweet old lady a heart attack.

  “Oh, no. Please, no.” Here, she was just yammering in her head as she drove like a bat out of hell, racing to be with Coretta who had indeed just suffered a heart attack or a stroke!

  The hospital was located just outside Hempfield on the same road she now traveled. When she came to the correct exit, Shae didn’t even put
on her blinker, she just whipped in and parked in the first vacant spot. Grabbing her bag, she ran from the car, not even bothering to shut the vehicle door.

  When she arrived at the automatic entrance, the doors didn’t open fast enough for Shae and she danced in place, waiting the eternity until she could rush in. “Grandmother!” Her cry brought several nurses into the hallway. Their county clinic was small, usually any patient with anything more serious than a broken bone or a bad cold was transported to one of the bigger hospitals thirty to fifty miles away. The only redeeming quality about this situation was that the nurses recognized her and immediately came to escort Shae to the ER where Coretta Lee St. John lay with an oxygen mask over her face.

  “Oh, no.” Shae immediately began to cry. “How is she?”

  Dr. Windemere was working over her and looked up when she came in. “She’s suffered a stroke. I’m having her life-flighted to Angelina.”

  Shae stood there, holding back the sobs. After losing her parents, her grandmother was all she had in the world. “How bad is it?”

  The doctor shook his head. “She needs tests.” He put out his arm to draw Shae close. “I’m so sorry, honey.”

  Hearing the doctor sound so hopeless almost brought Shae to her knees. “Can I kiss her?”

  “Of course.”

  She moved to the bedside and kissed Coretta’s crepey cheek. “Please get better. I don’t think I could go on without you.”

  A flurry of activity in the hall heralded the arrival of the helicopter. Shae stepped back, moving out of the way. She could hear the whump-whump sound of the blades whirling as the life-flight landed.

  As she watched, they rolled her grandmother out. Breathlessly, she ran alongside the gurney as they hurried to the waiting chopper.

  “Shae, there’s no room for you, sweetie,” one of the nurses told her with a sympathetic voice. “You’ll have to drive over and meet them there. They’re headed to the Medical Center on First.”