The Best Man Read online

  Andy’s window was easy to locate. It was directly across from my own, and the milky light from the corner streetlamp weakly illuminated the white siding of his house just enough for me to make out the dark rectangular frame. Instead of making my way to the opposite side of the house to see if Andy’s car was parked in their drive, I decided to take my chances and assume he was up there in his room, sleeping off a beer buzz.

  I dropped my head to scan the sodden grass below me. My feet made sucking noises as they pulled away from the mud while I walked. I knew I would find small rocks near the foundation of their home—perfect to toss at Andy’s window. They wouldn’t be heavy enough to break the glass, but they would make enough noise to wake him. He’d employed the same method to get me out of bed, just the night before.

  However, just as I crept closer to the house, I was suddenly shoved very forcefully off my feet. I might have screamed, but my back slammed so hard into the ground that my breath was knocked out of me. Stunned, I lay there for a moment, immobile. And then I started to struggle to get my arms and legs loose from the heavy weight on top of me that pinned me to the ground. I grunted in my efforts, but it wheezed out with a weak cough.

  “Not so fast,” a deep voice snarled from the dark body above me. Harsh fingers pressed themselves into my shoulders, trying to halt my efforts to get free. The figure completely blocked the streetlight from my line of vision, leaving a shadowy monster lurched over me. I tried to suck in a deep gulp of air, but the man’s knees were clenched around my midsection. I squeezed my eyes shut and fought for the small gasps of air that were the only salvation I could count on to keep me from passing out. Small white dots danced behind my eyelids. Never in my life had I ever considered the possibility of being attacked...in Astoria...in my own yard!

  The man’s hands pressed my shoulders hard into the wet ground, and I could feel the coldness of the rain-soaked grass seeping into my clothing. I started thrashing my body harder to shake him off. My throat burned with a need to get more air. The tiny breaths I managed to steal were not enough. His hands loosened their positions on my shoulders, but they were still unrelenting in their search for a new angle to hold me down.

  “You must be the dumbest damn criminal around,” the voice rasped. “Trying to break in to this house? You picked the wrong place, buddy!”

  I froze the instant I thought I recognized his voice. And he froze the instant he realized his hands were not shoving against the hard chest of a male like he had assumed.

  “Whoa! Not a guy!” he shouted. My assailant pulled his hands away from my chest immediately, and the weight was lifted from me as he sprang off my body. Still, he gripped the front of my jacket tightly and hauled me to my feet before he started to pull me toward the Daltons’ front porch. At last able to breathe, I let my feet slide behind him and took deep, healing breaths. I was shaking hard from the cold and the wet and the stress of the whole situation. He had made it to the front corner of the house when I finally felt I could push my voice through my trembling lips.

  “What in the hell are you doing? Will you stop yanking me around?” I gasped indignantly.

  He stopped his feet, and he turned back toward me, his hand still twisted into the zippered front of my jacket. The faint light from the corner was enough to turn the edges of his disheveled hair reddish-brown, but I couldn’t see his face. And even if my guess had been just that...his identity was confirmed by his next incredulous-sounding word.

  “Emelia?”

  Only one person in the world ever called me by my full first name. Samuel Dalton.

  Not even my father called me by my full name. Everyone called me Em, Emma, or Emmy. Hell, sometimes I had even been called M&M by people who must have thought it was a cute nickname. Samuel, however, had always called me Emelia. Just the sound of it took me back in time, to a cool day in April.

  I sat on my sagging back porch steps trying to hide from the world. I didn’t want to see anyone. More importantly, I didn’t want anyone to see me. My already delicate twelve-year-old self-esteem had taken its hardest hit yet—more so even than my constant clumsiness provided. I had just gotten braces.

  They hurt. And they were horrible. And I looked like a weirdo. I hated them. And so, I sat on my porch and folded my arms around my drawn knees, trying my best to bury my face in my shirt sleeves so no one would see how terrible I looked.

  “Emelia?” I heard his clear voice calling across the yard, and I groaned. Oh God. Anyone but him. I really couldn’t handle seeing Samuel right now. “Hey, girl. Why are you crying?”

  Words I knew I shouldn’t say bounced around in my mind when I felt him lower his lanky frame to sit beside me on the step. “Go away,” I told him with a muffled voice.

  “No way,” he said softly. “Not until you tell me what’s wrong.”

  “I don’t want you to look at me,” I sniffed.

  “Ah. What happened this time?” Samuel chuckled softly. “Fall down and scratch your nose? Got a black eye?”

  “Worse,” I said through a painful grimace. “I got my braces.”

  “Oh! I forgot about that.” He sat quietly beside me while I sniffled and tried to wipe my nose inconspicuously on my shirt. Great. I had braces, and I was covered in snot. “Braces aren’t so bad,” Samuel finally said. “Let me see.”

  “No,” I moaned.

  “Come on...let me see.”

  I peeked up above my arm and saw him looking at me with a caring smile on his soft, full lips. His sincere brown eyes encouraged me, and I raised my face a little higher. When the cool air touched my chin, I tentatively grimaced a short, toothy grin and hoped I didn’t blind him with the glare of my new tin smile.

  “There now, I knew you could do it,” he said. His eyes darted to my mouth, but only briefly. Then he nodded. “Emelia, I’d say you are overreacting terribly. Those braces aren’t so bad at all. And just think...in a couple of years, that teeny little gap between your teeth will be right as rain. And your smile will impress all the boys.”

  He smiled and nudged me with his shoulder. I lowered my chin back onto my arms and tried not to stare at him. He was the only boy I ever really wished I could impress.

  “Why do you call me that?” I asked, staring into the grass at the bottom of the steps.

  “What?”

  “No one calls me Emelia,” I said.

  “Well, they should,” Samuel told me. “Do you know what it means?” When I shook my head, he continued. “‘Emelia’ means ‘to work or be industrious.’ That sounds like you. You’ve never been afraid of working hard. Look at that tree house there. You helped build that, right? And your name could also mean ‘rival.’”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I looked it up.” Samuel shrugged. “I like stuff like that. Anyway, I guess I’m trying to say...Emelia is a strong name. You’re strong. Don’t ever let anyone tell you you’re not. And you shouldn’t let a silly little thing like braces get to you. They don’t look bad. Really.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Have I ever lied to you?”

  “Emelia?” he asked incredulously, bringing me back to the present. I had to admit, while standing in front of him covered in grass and mud, I didn’t feel the strength he’d once insisted I had. In fact, my legs felt weak and I was shaking. “Is that you?”

  “Yeah, Samuel,” I sighed. “It’s me.”

  “Oh my God, honey! I’m so sorry. I had no idea...”

  “Think nothing of it,” I grumbled, trying to straighten my jacket around my hips since he had so graciously decided to stop pulling me around by the drawstrings. I looked like a complete mess.

  “Hell...Mom and Dad didn’t say a thing about you being home. I didn’t expect...” He continued to explain his behavior. “I’ve lived in New York for a while now. I got kind of used to not trusting shadowy figures lurking in the darkness...”

  “I was just trying to get some rocks to throw at your brother’s window,” I explained. “I did
n’t know I was about to get tackled...”

  “Sorry about that. Are you hurt?”

  “Nothing but my pride.” I shook my head. “I’ve had worse.”

  “I’ll bet you have,” Samuel chuckled. “You always were so accident-prone.”

  “Thanks for bringing up my inadequacies,” I grumbled. “But you jumping me was hardly my fault.”

  “I said I was sorry.”

  “You’re forgiven,” I said.

  “I just...I can’t believe you’re home too,” Samuel said with a smile. I wished I could see his face. I wished I could see if his eyes still sparkled when his voice got all warm and soft like that. “How long has it been?”

  “Almost eight years,” I whispered.

  “Now, that can’t be right.” He shook his head. “It hasn’t been that long since my last visit. I’ve been home almost every Christmas.”

  “But you haven’t seen me,” I said quietly. I remembered the last night I ever saw Samuel Dalton.

  I was sixteen years old and had never been so thrilled to find out our holiday plans had changed. My father and I had been spending Christmas break in Florida with my grandparents for the past several years, but Gramps had finally gifted Nan with tickets for a senior cruise she’d been hinting at for a while. Finally, I would be able to attend the big Christmas get-together the Daltons hosted each year. Better still? Andy told me Samuel was coming home! I was so excited to see him. I picked out a very pretty skirt and a bright red Christmas sweater that fit me well and made me feel very grown-up. My braces were off, and I couldn’t wait to smile at him and show him how much I had changed while he was gone. I sat with my knees at the foot of the bed, not wanting to go over for the Daltons’ Christmas party until I knew Samuel was there. I had a whole fantasy entrance planned in my mind.

  I sat up high on my knees when I saw a cab pull up in front of the Daltons’ house.

  I could see Samuel leave the vehicle, carrying bags in each arm toward his front porch. Something must have caught his eye, and he turned his head toward my window. And then, even though his features were blurred by the distance between us, I saw him smile widely. He placed the bags he was holding beside him and raised his hand to wave in my direction. I put my hand on the cold glass window beside my face and smiled back.

  But then he turned to look over his shoulder, and I saw that someone else had stepped from the cab. It was a girl. The smile slid from my face when I saw Samuel move in her direction. My hope that she was merely a friend was quickly dashed away when Samuel put his arms around her and stood to kiss her in the middle of his sidewalk. I slumped back to rest heavily on my calves. Samuel had brought a girl home with him, to meet his parents over Christmas break. And every one of my childish romantic dreams was destroyed.

  Dad came to check on me. My red face and puffy eyes were enough to convince him I was sick. I claimed to have the flu, and Dad didn’t think to question my haggard appearance. He went back to the party without me, and I lay curled in my bed, crying over a broken heart.

  Joy sent leftovers to the house. I pretended illness for Samuel’s entire visit. It was easy to fake. I felt and looked ill. By the time the new year started, Samuel and his girlfriend had gone back to school, and I was able to say I was finally over my silly little girl crush.

  “I started spending school breaks with Nan and Gramps in Florida,” I continued, shrugging the sad memory away. “I guess we just missed each other.”

  “I guess so.” Samuel nodded.

  “What are you doing home now? Andy didn’t tell me you’d be here.”

  “Well...I’m not sure he knows. Mom and Dad asked me to come spend a couple weeks with him.”

  “They did?” It was news to me.

  “They said he needs my guidance but wouldn’t say why,” Samuel said, scratching his cheek. I smiled in the darkness. “They said they’d let Andy be the one to tell me.”

  “I think I have a pretty good idea, but yeah...you should talk to your brother.” I was guessing Samuel didn’t know about Andy’s engagement. I wasn’t going to be the one to break the news.

  “He’s all right?” Samuel frowned. “We haven’t really been in touch for a while now. I’ve been so busy with school.”

  “He’s fine. He isn’t in any kind of trouble or anything, if that’s what you’re worried about.” I was unsure about what else to say. We both stood there in the darkness, facing each other. Even though I knew he couldn’t see me any better than I could see him, I was terribly self-conscious about my ruined clothing and generally sloppy appearance.

  “Did you want to come in?” Samuel asked. “We could make some coffee, maybe catch up?”

  “No...I should get back over to the house.” I shook my head. “It’s really very late. I don’t want to wake your parents.”

  “Yeah, my plane was delayed for the fog,” Samuel said. “I haven’t even been in the house yet. My luggage is still on the porch.”

  “Neighborhood safety patrol comes first,” I replied. He chuckled a little, and I turned to go.

  “I’m sure we’ve made enough noise to chase away any real threats in the area.”

  “Consider yourself a hero, then,” I said over my shoulder.

  “Sleep sweet, Emelia. Sorry I tackled you.”

  “Good night, Samuel. Welcome home.”

  The morning sun put up a losing fight while it tried to force its way through the dense fog that still shrouded Astoria. I got up and dressed quickly. Because I knew the weather would be cold and damp, at least until the fog burned away, I dressed in a heavy sweatshirt and sweat pants for my morning run.

  “Where are you off to this morning?” Dad asked over his cup of coffee. I twisted my hair back into a ponytail and then turned and straddled a chair across from him at the table.

  “Meeting Andy down at the diner for some breakfast before a run on the beach.”

  “Need a lift?” my dad asked, and I nodded. He stood and finished the last of his coffee before putting his mug in the sink and turning toward the door. The drive was a short one, and I smiled over at him when he pulled up in front of the diner.

  “Going to be gone all night?” I asked, familiar with his strenuous shift work.

  “I don’t start my overnights until tomorrow. I know I’ve been working a little more than usual, but Stan is looking for retirement soon.”

  “They’ll make you the chief.” I nodded. “I get it. You’ve been working for this a long time, Dad.”

  “I hate being gone while you’re home for vacation.” Dad frowned.

  “I’m a big girl,” I reminded him. “And it’s not like I could forget how rough your schedule can be. I’m fine. Promise.”

  “I’ll be home by six. Joy and Larry are having a barbeque. Did you know Samuel is home too?”

  “Yeah. We, uh...ran into each other.” I nodded.

  “Maybe you could make some of that potato salad of yours?” Dad suggested. “It’s always been one of my favorites.”

  “Sure, Dad.”

  “See you later, kiddo.” Dad waved and drove away to work.

  I stepped into the diner and glanced around. Andy wasn’t there yet. I frowned. I had been worried he might have had to wait for me. We’d had an earlier start the day before.

  “Hey there, Emmy.” The cook greeted me by waving a short steel spatula over the service bar that was cut in the wall between the kitchen and the dining room. “Want some breakfast this morning?”

  “Just some wheat toast, please. I’ll get my own drink.”

  I skipped behind the counter and slid open the door to the deep cooler that I knew housed an assortment of bottled juices. Cheery containers of orange juice were nestled in the ice right on top. I would probably have to dig a bit to find something else. I wasn’t a fan of orange juice, which always made people laugh for some stupid reason. I guess since I lived in Florida, I was automatically supposed to enjoy it.

  I pushed up the sleeve of my sweatshirt and plunged my ha
nd into the ice. Gritting my teeth, I leaned the top part of my body into the cooler and stretched my arm out as far as it would go. I heard the faint jingling of the bells on the door that indicated someone had come in, but I was intent on my task. My fingers had finally found a smooth glass container, and I began to pull it free from its icy confines.

  “Cranberry is at the bottom,” a warm voice said in front of me. I stood with a start and hit my head loudly on the countertop above me.

  “Ouch! Shit!” My hand flew up to rub the spot where I was sure to get a lump. Samuel sat on the stool in front of me, trying not to smile.

  “I’m sorry, Emelia,” he said through twitching lips. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “You didn’t. You just...surprised me, is all.” I shook the water from my juice bottle in his direction out of spite before placing it against the tender spot at the back of my head.

  “That’s two injuries I’ve caused in as many days...”

  “If you are referring to my cracked ribs, that incident happened after midnight. So technically, you’ve caused two injuries in one day.”

  “Let’s not try for three, shall we?”

  Samuel’s eyes flashed up at me from under his lashes, and I stood there stunned for a moment. Despite our unfortunate encounter the night before, it was the first time I had really gotten a good look at him. To say he had become more handsome with age would be an understatement.

  His hair was darker, less chaotic, but styled in a way so that those stubborn cowlicks looked intentional. The cinnamon color still teased the edges when he moved his head. It worked for him. His shoulders were broad, his forearms that rested on the counter were thicker, strong. I realized then that since the last time we had seen each other, Samuel had made the transition from boy to man. And from the looks of things, he had done so quite nicely.

  “Are you okay?” His eyes still held the same warm concern. I wrinkled my nose and smiled.