Flight of Fancie Page 18

  Fancie shook her head. “I’m not. I resigned. I wasn’t sure how long I’d need to be here for….” Tripp’s words came back to her: You’re a runner. “I decided it wasn’t the right place for me. I’m a Mississippi girl at heart.”

  “So you’re back to stay?”

  “For now.”

  “That’s my fault, too, isn’t it? That you had to come back here. I’ve destroyed everything.”

  “No. It’s my decision.” Wanting to steer the conversation away from herself, she said, “You weren’t arrested. That’s a good thing.”

  “Released to my father’s custody. I honestly don’t understand that. I was going close to seventy. You know how I drive. Drove. Of course, Daddy had an attorney meet me at the hospital and I wasn’t allowed to say a word to anyone. You’re the only one I’ve spoken to. He’d be pissed if he knew I admitted I was speeding.”

  “Why are you telling me?”

  “Because I need to be honest and say it out loud with someone. I’m sure Daddy has called in a favor or two, made a sizeable donation somewhere and charges will be magically reduced. I don’t know, Fancie, maybe I want you to tell them the truth, that you heard me admit responsibility.”

  “I can’t do that for you.”

  “I know. I’m just so tired.”

  “Do you need me to go so you can rest?”

  “Not that kind of tired. Tired of being…well, of being me. Of being Daddy’s little princess, so superficial. How did you stand me all these years? Why’d you put up with me?”

  Fancie smiled. “Dammit, Ash, you’re one of my best friends and I love you.” She leaned in and pulled Ashley into a hug, easing off when she felt her friend tense. “I’m sorry. Did that hurt?”

  Ashley sniffled. “A good hurt. I thought for sure you’d never want to see me again.”

  “For a while I wondered that, too. I hope you learn from this. Maybe have your dad trade that hot little Mustang in for a Prius.”

  Ashley laughed and hiccupped. “Can you picture that? Me tooling around Columbus at thirty miles an hour in an electric car?” She snatched up a wad of tissues from a box on the table and blew her nose. “I really don’t know if I can get behind the wheel again. I went into town yesterday while Emma ran errands and I was a nervous wreck the whole time. And she’s a good driver.”

  “You’ll get over this. We’ll all get over this.”

  “I told Daddy I want him to take care of all the medical bills and replace Tripp’s truck. He says he can’t do anything until the police are done investigating or we’ll look guilty. I told him I am guilty and he told me to stop saying anything. I wish I could do more right now, Fancie.”

  “Don’t worry. Things will work out. He visited my dad the other day. They talked about coming to some agreement. Let him tell you about it. When do you see the surgeon?”

  “Next week for an evaluation. He’s coming here. Daddy’s money to the rescue once again.”

  “He loves you, Ash. You’ll always be his little princess. He’ll do whatever he can to protect you. My dad would do the same.”

  “Mikayla came by a few times at the hospital. Chastity and Charity haven’t, but I understand.”

  “I’m sure they feel torn, being family. I have an idea. Let’s have a girls’ night.”

  Ashley shook her head. “I’m not going out. What will people say?”

  “Come to my place. We can use my Grandma Bitsy’s house. You can stay over.”

  “I thought Luke was staying there.”

  “He left to return to New Hampshire and then to Pennsylvania to visit his family.”

  “He’s a nice guy. He’d be a good guy for you, you know.”

  Fancie drew her brows together. “Why do you think that?”

  “You’re both educated and work in a similar field. He’s writing a book and you want to write a book. He’s easygoing and very kind and so are you. Most of all, he’s attracted to you.”

  A blush warmed her cheeks.

  “Aha. And you’re attracted to him. It’s all over your face.”

  “I admit Luke’s very nice. I thought we might become friends, but that’s it.”

  Now it was Ashley’s turn to frown. “You thought?”

  “Well, he’s gone back up North and I’m staying right here. I have to fly up there soon to pick up my car and the clothes I left there. But I don’t see any relationship in the cards. We’re over a thousand miles apart.”

  “But if you weren’t?”

  Fancie thought for a moment. There were so many answers she could give to that question. The truth, which she chose not to voice, was, “I’d go for it.” She drained her glass of tea and set the glass back on the tray. “Hey, I didn’t come here to talk about me. And I need to get back home. I’ll check with the others about coming on Friday night. I’ll ask Mikayla to pick you up. Okay?”

  “Fancie, I think that’s a really bad idea. I look hideous. And your folks….”

  “You look like you were in an accident. My folks have already forgiven you. I was the hold out. I’m sorry about that.” She bent and hugged Ashley. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “Thank you for coming. And for being honest.”

  “We’ve both lived some illusion of ourselves, Ash. You’re not the only one. It’s time to be true.” Before Ashley could ask questions, Fancie stood and walked through the house to the front door.

  Emma met her in the hall. “Thank you for coming. I know Ashley feels terrible about what happened. It’s changed her.”

  “I can see that. I’m sorry it took me so long.”

  “It had to be a hard decision. You have a big heart.”

  “What I have is a good family and very wise younger brother. I’ll see you again, Emma. Thanks for the tea.”

  Fancie sat in the car, tilting the rearview mirror to look herself in the eyes. “You’ve been gone far too long. You said it yourself—it’s time to be true. Life can change in the blink of an eye. It’s high time you took your life back.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Tripp steadied the Douglas Fir in the base while Fancie crawled underneath to fasten the pins in the tree stand. Her father sat in his recliner and her mother in a wheelchair at his side, each suggesting Tripp move the tree in a different direction.

  “I’m tightening the pins now. If it’s a little crooked, so be it,” Fancie said. “It’ll just fit in with the rest of us.” She scooted out from beneath the tree and stood.

  “Are you sure I can let go?” Tripp asked.

  “I’m sure.”

  Tripp released the tree. It trembled slightly, but remained upright.

  “Okay, lights first. I already tested them.” Fancie handed her brother one end of the strand of large antique bulbs.

  “You know, we could’ve just gotten a pre-lit artificial tree,” he said.

  In unison, Fancie and her parents shouted, “No!”

  “Okay, okay. I’m stringing lights. My shoulder’s still a little tender when I stretch.”

  “Consider it physical therapy,” Fancie said.

  Half an hour later, Fancie and Tripp stood behind their parents, admiring the brightly decorated tree.

  “I just love those old lights and ornaments of Grandma Bitsy’s,” Fancie said.

  “Me, too, honey.” Her mother reached up to cover the hand Fancie rested on her shoulder.

  “Do you think we can bring her home for Christmas day?”

  “Best to check with the nurses at the care center. Sometimes it’s more confusing and upsetting for folks to be removed from their familiar environment,” her mother said.

  It broke Fancie’s heart to think that their family home would now be an unfamiliar environment for her grandmother. “I’ll talk to them when I go to see her tomorrow.”

  “What do y’all say we order pizza?” her father asked.

  “Sounds like a plan. We can light a fire and look at the tree,” Fancie said.

  “I hope the excitement doesn’t kil
l me,” muttered her brother.

  Later while they sat in the dim light of the fire and the glow of the Christmas tree eating pizza and the salad Fancie made, she said, “I invited my friends to a girls’ night tomorrow night. We’re going to stay out in the cottage.”

  “Ashley’s coming?” Tripp asked.

  “I hope so. I invited her.” She glanced at her parents. “If that’s okay with the two of you.”

  Her mother nodded. “It’s fine. We all have to move on. I hope she’ll come in and say hello. I’m worried that she might think we’re angry with her.”

  “I told her you weren’t. If she doesn’t come in, it might be because of her injuries.”

  “She sure can’t rely on her looks any longer,” Tripp said.

  Fancie flashed him a hard stare. “That’s an awful thing to say. She’s changed, learned from this.”

  “You tell her to come in and see us,” her father said. “We want to see that she’s okay, too, and let her know we harbor no hard feelings.” He stared at Tripp. “There will be no unkindness in this house. Understood?”

  Tripp pressed his lips together and then responded, “Yes, Sir.”

  Fancie carried their plates to the kitchen, put on a pot of decaf and filled bowls with caramel pecan ice cream for dessert. Her thoughts turned to Luke, wondering if he’d already driven to his family home and wondering what his family must be like. She decided they had to be decent and loving to have produced such a gentle, considerate son. He had been honest about his feelings for her and she had done the verbal equivalent of slamming the door in his face. Fight or flight. What if Tripp was right?

  ~

  “You know this isn’t going to be like old times,” Chastity said. “Everything’s changed.”

  Fancie finished unpacking the grocery bags into the fridge of the cottage. “There’s an up side and a down side to that. Let’s look at the up side.”

  “Y’all are handling this whole thing much better than I am. Doesn’t it bother you the least bit that Ashley is, once again, walking away unscathed with no consequences for her actions.”

  Fancie turned and stared at her cousin. “Have you seen her?”

  “What, the facial cuts and bruises?”

  “Yes. That’s part of it. She’s not the same, Chas. This was a real wake-up call for her. I was angry, too. I wanted to blame someone when my entire family ended up in the trauma unit. But if they can forgive her, so can I. I want us to get through this. I want what’s most important to matter—that we care about each other and that we’ve been friends forever. She screwed up. Thank God no one died. We’ve all made mistakes. And don’t think it was easy for me to get to this point. I was last hold out—well, apparently except for you.”

  Chastity pursed her lips. “Really? You want to call this a mistake, like your mistake with Graham?”

  “That’s hardly a comparison. Yeah, you’re right. My relationship with Graham was pretty much a train wreck. That’s a mistake I won’t make again. And I believe Ashley’s learned her lesson, too. You know her daddy bought her a brand new Mustang convertible and she hasn’t been inside it once. She can’t even think about driving.”

  “Thank God for that. We should post it on a billboard so everyone breathes easier—Ashley Colt is off the road.” Chastity removed a diet soda from the fridge and popped the tab. “Let’s just agree to disagree on the likelihood that Ashley is repentant, hell even aware of the severity of her actions. Let’s have a nice evening.”

  Fancie rolled her eyes. “That’s what I said in the first place. I’m going over to the house and get dinner on the table for Mama and Daddy. You want to come?”

  “I’ll stay here and put in our pizza order as soon as the others arrive.”

  By the time Fancie had dinner set out for her parents and had gotten Tripp to promise to clean up, Charity, Mikayla and Ashley had arrived at the cottage. Fancie walked in to find Mikayla seated on the sofa, Ashley sitting huddled in the recliner looking small and pale, and no sign of her cousins. “Hey, you two.” She walked over and gave Mikayla a hug, then pulled Ashley to her feet and embraced her. “I’m so glad you came.”

  “Thank you. I’m not sure Charity and Chas feel the same way.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Are they in the kitchen?”

  “Please don’t say anything to them. I think I’ll stay for pizza, but then I’d like to go back home. I’ve already asked Mik to take me.”

  “I will if that’s what you want, but I’d rather you stay,” Mikayla said.

  Fancie gave Ashley another quick hug. “We’ve all been friends for too long to not be able to move past this. I’ll be right back.”

  Charity and Chastity stood by the kitchen sink, each with hands on hips, bent forward face to face. “It’s none of our business as long as Aunt Alicia and Uncle James want to let it go,” Charity said.

  “None of our business? We’re family, too,” Chastity spat back.

  “Yes, and we should be supportive of what our family wants,” Charity countered. She glanced to Fancie. “Am I right?”

  Fancie stood and looked at the two of them. “It doesn’t matter who is right. It only matters what is right. Ashley took a hell of a chance coming here. She’s scared to death someone is going to attack her for what happened. Tripp recently reminded me about fight or flight behavior. This isn’t a matter of fighting, but perhaps instead of flight, it means standing with your head up and shoulders back and facing the truth.”

  Her cousins looked at each other, frowned, and then both cocked their heads toward her.

  “And your point is…?” Chas asked.

  “Ashley could have stayed at home, cooped up in her room, and avoided being with us and facing possible anger. But she didn’t. She accepted the invitation and came here to be with us. Have you considered how incredibly brave that is right now? I mean, three of us are family. And her actions hurt some of our family.”

  Chastity shook her head. “What the hell are you talking about—fight or flight—head up and shoulders back? She’s not going to war. It’s just us and we’re still a little pissed.” She picked up a tray of glasses and plates and headed through the door to the living room.

  Charity grabbed up forks and napkins and the bowl of salad. “Well—that went well.” The doorbell rang and Charity said, “That’s the pizza. I’ll get it.”

  Fancie stood alone in the kitchen. What had just happened? She thought she was breaking up an argument that was building steam. Instead, her cousins were fine and looking at her like she was the nut case. Maybe she was. Perhaps she was projecting too much onto both Ashley and her cousins. She shook her head and went into the living room. “I rented Magic Mike.”

  “All right. Let’s get this party started. Ash, you want wine?” Chastity asked.

  Ashley unfolded in the chair and leaned forward to accept a plate from Chastity. “No, thanks. I’m still taking pain meds and alcohol doesn’t mix.”

  Mikayla grinned. “In that case, can you share the meds?”

  Laughter erupted and Fancie felt a weight lift from her chest. They were going to be fine.

  ~

  Fancie’s phone vibrated just as the movie reached the end. She stood and slipped from the room. The call was from Luke.

  “Hi.”

  “Hi. Merry Christmas.” His voice sounded light, relaxed. Normal.

  “Merry Christmas. Are you already in Philadelphia?”

  “Yes. I got in earlier today. Look, Fancie, I feel bad about my behavior and how we left things.”

  “Don’t. It was as much my fault.”

  “No, it wasn’t. I waited until I was leaving to spring my feelings on you. It wasn’t fair of me to do that.”

  “I over-reacted. You mentioned compromise and my relationship with Graham flashed through my mind.”

  “I’d never want to change you, Fancie. I hope you know that. Do you think we can talk more about possibilities? In the future, I mean.”

  She took i
n a deep breath. “I think we can talk.”

  Charity came into the kitchen to retrieve the plate of brownies from the counter. She narrowed her eyes and mouthed, “Who are you talking to?”

  Fancie mouthed back, “Luke.”

  Charity smiled. “Take your time.”

  “Fancie?”

  “I’m sorry. We’re having a girls’ night and Charity just came in to see what I was doing.”

  “We can talk again. I just didn’t want Christmas to arrive without apologizing and making things right between us.”

  “I’m sorry, too. And I’m glad you called. I was thinking about you earlier.”

  “Yeah?”

  She grinned, hearing the smile in his voice. “Yeah. I need to make arrangements to fly up to New Hampshire and pick up my car and my belongings. When will you be back from break?”

  “I’m going home on January second.”

  “I’ll make arrangements and let you know. Is it okay if I bring one of my cousins along to help with the drive back?”

  “Sure. Plenty of room.”

  Charity returned to the kitchen to make a pot of decaf. “The girls want coffee with their brownies,” she whispered. “You coming?”

  Fancie nodded. “Luke, I have to go.”

  “Have fun. I’ll talk to you soon. Goodnight, Fancie.”

  “Goodnight. And Merry Christmas.”

  Charity grinned and waved a hand in front of her face. “Is it hot in here or is it you?”

  “Oh, stop.”

  “You can fill us in over brownies and coffee.”

  Fancie didn’t look forward to that conversation. She wasn’t ready to talk about whatever was happening between her and Luke. She wasn’t even sure what that was yet. And a part of her wanted to hold it close, keep it to herself until she saw what developed. She sighed and headed to the living room, prepared for a game of verbal dodge ball.

  The girls were still talking about the movie. Mikayla fanned a hand in front of her face. “Now that is one sexy man.”

  “Speaking of sexy men, I have a date for New Year’s Eve with Shelby Dawson,” Charity said with a broad grin.

  “You go, girl,” Mikayla high-fived her. “When did this happen?”