13. The Waverlys

“We can’t stay here.There hasn’t been a car in sight for thirty minutes.” Buddy tossed a rock into the hayfield or corn or whatever green stuff was growing there. The same vegetation was viewable for miles on both sides of the highway.

“Just as we went down, I saw a town about five miles up the road.” The pilot pointed. He suffered a broken leg in the crash, but the attendant wasn’t as lucky. He remained unconscious, and we hoped for merely a concussion.

Buddy and I made it through unscathed. Physically, at least. Emotionally, I didn’t think I could ever fly again without him by my side, a simply ridiculous thought.

“I’ll walk and call for help. With any luck, I’ll be there by nightfall.” He started off. Without me?

“Wait! I’m coming, too.” I rushed in my heels to keep up with him.

He eyed my feet with a goofy grin. “Don’t you have any comfortable waking shoes with you?”

“These are my most comfortable shoes. I’ve been wearing heels for a long time. It wouldn’t surprise me if I were born in them. Besides, in the course of a workday, I probably walk our studio a few miles in my heels. I can handle this.”

One mile in, and I could die. Hot pavement burned through my soles. Bored to nearly tears, the landscape never changed, just endless fields of green, like we were lost on an uninhabited planet.

A Hollywood girl through and through, the challenges of it all awakened the whining bitch inside of me. “Okay. Enough. Leave me here. Go on. Send back help when you get to civilization,” I cried.

Suddenly, strong arms lifted me up, and I held onto Buddy tight. “My hero,” I said.

“You will be thanking me later,” he said with such conviction. I believed I would. I fought my growing attraction to this man for over a week now. My willpower depleted at last.

“I hope you were not too scared when the plane landed?” His concern touched my heart.

“Not at all. I had you to hold on to. My brave fake fiancé.”

He snorted. “If you knew what went through my head as we crashed, you wouldn’t call me that.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. We thought we were close to death. I was scared, and I don’t mind admitting it.” He huffed at this faster pace, now that he didn’t have me to wait up for. But a hundred and twenty pounds to carry couldn’t be easy on him. My strong and brave man with the solid shoulders to lean on.

“Scared of what?”

“That I have accomplished very little in my life. My dad is this amazing man. He never took his money for granted, and made it his life”s mission to give away as much as possible. When he dies, he’ll be recognized around the nation, hell, the world for all his contributions.”

“Hm. But you’re not your father.”

“Yeah, but what have I done? Sold an app, made my money, and sat on a beach wasting time. I have no purpose, nothing to be remembered for. I guess that’s where the script came from. If it makes it to big screen, at least that’ll be something.”

I chewed my cheek. With so much riding on our agreement, and dealing with Cal and whether I ended up with Dream Waves, I couldn’t exactly guarantee Buddy’s movie would make it to the big screen. As I peered into his determined face, though, I vowed I’d try harder.

He stopped for a breather and gently put me down. Doubled over, his hands on his knees, he huffed and puffed. “Even that sounds corny. Dad’s work has saved lives. I pale in comparison to him. I don’t think I could ever fill his shoes, and that’s why I’ve been avoiding him all these years.”

“Then don’t. Be Buddy and do things your way. No one else’s judgement matters. We survived today, so live your life. There’s still so much you can do.” Our eyes met and the way he’d trusted me with this in a very vulnerable time, I couldn’t help but feel so close to him.

I reached out to pat his drenched back, then thought better of it. A nice shower for both of us would be perfect. Mm, how I’d like to lather this man up.

I groaned inwardly. The Buddy Addendum would be a sure thing tonight. The next thing I knew, he straightened and hovered above me, his hands landing on my cheeks.

“Thanks for the words of encouragement. They’re exactly what I needed to hear.” He leaned in and his lips feathered across mine. Sweaty, hot, sticky messes as we were, I desired suddenly to get stickier. My heart bounced out of my chest.

Only the honking of a horn tore us away from each other. I snapped my head toward the sound ahead of us to find a classic, shiny red truck pulling up alongside with the window down.

“My word. What are you two doing out here?” An elderly woman shouted. With gray hair in a bun and bangs across her forehead, wire glasses and rosy cheeks as well, she could have been the spitting image of Mrs. Claus.

“Our plane crashed in a field a couple of miles back. The pilot and the attendant were injured,” Buddy quickly relayed.

“Well, hop in. No time to waste.” She kept talking as we got into the cab. “I’m Betty Sue Waverly. My husband Jack and I own Waverly Place, about the only thing around here for miles and miles. I was just headed out to my quilting circle. We meet once a week. But you kids need help. Good thing I came along when I did.”

An hour later, a helicopter arrived to pick up the injured ones in our party, leaving Buddy and me behind at Waverly Place to figure out how to get home.

Betty Sue’s business ended up being the cutest hole in the wall. Rustic logs and a bar made of solid oak, while worn, had been well-cared for over the years. The tables with red and white checkered cloths provided a homey ambiance. But the black and white photos on the walls were what attracted me most.

While Buddy used the phone to call for a rental car and make arrangements for some place for us to stay the night, I noticed the framed pictures sported a time capsule of days gone by. Crazy to think so many celebrities found their way to this tiny dot on the map.

Then one photo in particular stopped me in my tracks. The entire cavity of air my lungs could hold whooshed right out of me. My mother smiled back at me. She’d been here, seated in this booth right in front of where I stood, holding hands with a man I didn’t recognize.

I knelt on the cushions, scooting in, and focused on every detail. Especially one in the lower corner. My mother signed her name and dated it. One year before I was born.

“No. What the hell?” Could that be my birth father seated with her?