30. Should Be Next

30

SHOULD BE NEXT

" D id you have a great time?" Raine's mother asked her Friday afternoon. Patty Scarsdale didn't work as much as she used to. Just the early morning and lunch crowds during the week. Raine and her brothers would love her to not even do that, but her mother swore that she needed to keep busy.

River and Emma offered to have her watch Drew and they'd pay her, but her mother laughed and said no way. She wanted to enjoy her grandchild like a grandparent should do, not worry she was crossing the line to raise one.

But her mother had offered to babysit when they were in a bind or nights or weekends for River and Emma to go out.

Raine understood what River was doing trying to get their mother out of the diner, but she also knew Patty enjoyed her job. Talking with the regulars more than anything.

"It was fabulous," she said. "Everything I dreamed a vacation would be like with a guy I love."

"I'm so happy for you," her mother said. "And you look so tan and I love the three braids in your hair."

"They hurt getting done. I'm not used to someone yanking my hair that hard to get it tight, but I thought they were cute with the beads at the end. I'll keep it for a week and then take them out. The kids will like it."

"How much did you buy for the kids?" her mother asked.

"Not a lot. I got shells and shark teeth, stickers too. I'll come up with something fun for them to do," she said. She'd been trying to think and decided that everyone could draw a beach picture and use one or another and then present and tell a tiny story of what their picture meant.

"You always do," her mother said. She got a jar of cookies off the counter, brought them over, and then made them each a cup of coffee.

"I want to know everything you did there. I can live through you."

Raine sighed. "Or you and Dad could go one year. Maybe an anniversary gift from your three children?"

"Never," her mother said firmly. "That is way too much money and River and Emma have a family now. Ivy and Brooks will most likely be starting one too. If things are going well, you should be next."

It was the way her mother said that. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Patty said, putting the creamer on the table for them. "Why did you ask that?"

"Because I can see it in your face that something happened. Or you think something will. Maybe you think Aster and I won't last. I'm not sure. Do you know something I don't know?"

There might have been times she thought Aster was holding back. Not really keeping secrets, but not forthcoming either.

Like the pain in his arm and his fingers. She'd brought it up one more time when they were away and he did tell her that she had nothing to worry about.

A clean bill of health was what he got, but like anything in life, there were side effects. He had scar tissue, not just from the surgery but also the bullet blasting into him.

When she thought of it, she realized he was right. River had told her that too. It's not like she had many scars on her body to know that.

Aster had some all over his body but nothing like his chest. If she asked what the scars were, he'd tell her. Most were cuts or a broken bone from during his military career.

Boy, was she ever glad that was over with.

She could handle the volunteer fireman with no problem. She knew Daphne wasn't thrilled over that, but she'd lived here her whole life and knew that anything big or major, the paid fire departments came in. Volunteers didn't get a ton of calls a year and when they did, they were nothing more than the fire in the garbage can. Sort of.

"I thought I should tell you this. I haven't told anyone else."

Her mother set the coffee down in front of her and she added the creamer. "What? I don't like the look on your face."

Patty sat after mixing her coffee. Raine hated that patience when her mother was thinking of the right way to say something.

"Colton came into the diner yesterday."

"What?! He doesn't live around here. Why was he in the diner? Did he talk to you?"

"He's around here now," her mother said. "And yes, he did talk to me. Sat at a table I was waiting on. It's like he knew he'd get me trapped that way."

Her shoulders drooped. "What did he say? I mean, he can come and go and eat where he wants. I'm assuming he's visiting and will be gone soon."

"That's the thing," her mother said. "I don't think he's visiting. He was talking all nice and everything like he didn't break my daughter's heart and I wouldn't want to ram a fork in his hand on the table."

Raine laughed over the image of her mother doing that. Patty was the least violent person she knew. Not even raising her voice much, other than when Brooks and River were wrestling and broke something.

"What did he say then?" she asked.

Not that she cared all that much, but if her mother was concerned there had to be more to this.

"He said he's divorced."

"I hadn't known Colton was married. I don't keep tabs on him and don't follow him on social media. I'm only on social media lightly. I don't have time for those things."

She'd signed up for it so that she could keep track of her high school and college friends, but the busier she got, the less she looked. Not to mention it was getting depressing to see everyone posting pictures with their boyfriends and she didn't have much to add about anything in her life.

"No kids," her mother said. "He talked like he'd only been married a few years and it didn't work out. He'd moved a few times. I lost track of where he was last, as I was working and trying to avoid the conversation."

"I'm surprised he'd said that much," she said. "Or that you stood around listening."

"I didn't have much of a choice," her mother said. "He was talking before he gave me his order. Twice I said I could come back and he just grinned."

She remembered that charming grin of Colton's. The one where he acted like you were the center of his attention and you wanted to be around him.

Patty never fell for anyone's charm. Her father was the least charming person she knew, and Brooks came in second.

In her mother's eyes, if someone was charming, they were hiding something.

Guess her mother had been right.

"So he's divorced and eating at the diner," she said. "Big deal. Lots of people get divorced."

"They do," her mother said. "But he said he got a job in New Haven. He was living with his parents right now while he found a place."

New Haven was less than an hour away. Not a horrible commute and one many made. "The sooner he gets out of town the better," she said.

"He asked about you," her mother said. "Wanted to know what you were doing. He knew you were teaching. Guess he's talked to others since he's been in town."

"How long has he been in town?" she asked, frowning.

"I didn't ask. I don't think it was that long."

Raine realized she hadn't talked to many of her friends since she started to date Aster. Most of her time was spent with him or with Ivy and getting ready for the wedding in a month.

All her other time was work related. She'd never had much of a social life and now that she had one she was running more than normal.

But she enjoyed it. Just like she enjoyed all the fun she had on her vacation and at the same time found it relaxing.

"Did you tell him I was dating someone?" she asked. "Or not saying anything at all?"

"Oh, I told him you had a big strapping boyfriend that would snap him in half if he went anywhere near you."

The smirk on her mother's face had her bursting out laughing. "Did you really say that?"

"No. But I did say you were involved with someone. I wanted to say he better hide because Brooks and River were still in the area and if your brothers saw him he couldn't run fast enough. Your father would be right in line chasing the prick."

She giggled over her mother calling her ex a prick. "That's a good thought to have. Thanks for telling me though. I'm sure nothing is going to come out of it. You told him I was dating someone and it's not like he wanted what I did. All is good."

But it wasn't hours later when she was home putting her laundry away and there was a knock at her door.

Aster was working and would be late so she didn't think it was him. It was probably some neighbor.

She opened the door and saw Colton standing there.

He hadn't changed much in the years since she'd seen him. No, that was wrong. He was more fancy-looking in her eyes.

His hair was slicked back and to one side. His shirt and jeans were stylish with dressy sneakers on his feet. She'd say he was preppy like one of those wealthy families that kept boats at the marina her father worked at.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"It's good to see you too," Colton said. "Can I come in?"

"No," she said. "I'm not sure how you found out where I live, let alone why you had to talk to my mother yesterday."

"She told you that?" Colton asked.

"She did."

"I was here earlier in the week and got no answer. I knew it was spring break and by the looks of your tan and hair you must have gone away. Darcy never said you were dating anyone."

Darcy was a joint friend they'd had in school and she knew where Raine lived. She hadn't spoken to Darcy in months and when they did talk it was more about gossip and she wanted no part of it.

The last thing she'd think Darcy would do was betray her and give her ex her current address.

"We don't talk much anymore and even if we did, she had no right to tell you anything about me."

"It's been so long since I've seen you. You look really good," Colton said.

"Thank you. I can't say the same about you. You look different. Not in a good way. Like you're trying to be someone you're not."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "That's the problem, Raine. You never wanted to change or see what didn't fit into your ideal imagination."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that I always had big plans and they weren't going to be in this small town with little to no opportunities. But as you can see, I found something not even an hour away. You didn't give it a chance to explore the world and what more was out there."

"It's not that I didn't give it a chance," she said. "I wasn't given a chance to even think about it before you said you got a job. You never discussed it with me. I think you did that because you hoped once it was a done deal I'd just follow you."

Colton's head went back and forth. "I did. I didn't want to end things with you. But I had to see what more was out there. I'm sure your mother told you I'm divorced."

"She did. It has nothing to do with me," she said.

"I thought maybe we could try again. I realized that you're the one I loved. The only one. I've been searching for it for years and couldn't find it. Maybe you were right and you can't leave, but I had to in order to figure that out."

"You're too little too late," she said and slammed the door in his face.

She put her back to the door and her hands over her face and cried.

Why did he have to come back into her life and say all the things she'd wanted to hear years ago? He'd made her feel like this horrible clingy person who was stuck in their own box and couldn't find a way out.

But she wasn't that person and never would be again.

Because she had a man she loved more than she ever knew was possible and he'd never do to her what Colton did.

He'd never blindside her like she'd been.