Bridget Anderson - The Only One For Me

“That’s your friend Rollin’s place, right?”

“Yes sir.”

“Umm-hum.” Nathaniel picked up the box and examined his handiwork. “Isn’t he the one whose sister was in the car with you when you totaled it last year?”

Chris usually kept his dates to himself, but everyone in town probably knew about that accident. “Yep, that’s him.”

“What’s his sister’s name?”

“Corra.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen her around. She’s the manager over at Save-A-Lot, isn’t she? Or she used to be. Haven’t seen her around lately.”

His father did a lot of the grocery shopping for the family and he’d probably run into Corra on several occasions.

“Have you?” Nathaniel asked.

Chris shook his head. “No. I haven’t seen her since I’ve been back.”

“Why not?” Nathaniel asked, as he put the box down and cleaned up his work area.

Chris shrugged. “Haven’t had time. Opening the call center is a lot of work. Besides, I’m probably the last person she wants to see.”

“I thought you said you were on good terms with her when you left town?”

“Yeah I was. We even talked on the phone a couple of times after I left, but then I got busy and she never called me back. I haven’t spoken to her in months.”

“Son, I know you feel bad about the accident, but it wasn’t your fault.”

“I know. But if only I’d let her ride with her friends instead, it might not have happened.”

“Or, the drunk driver might have hit them and the accident could have been much worse. You can’t play what-if, or place blame anywhere other than on the drunk driver.”

“I hear you, but it’s still hard not to feel responsible. Especially when I wasn’t hurt, and she could have been killed.”

“Look at it this way. At least you two have something in common.”

Chris stood up laughing. “Yeah, that’s one way of looking at it.” He followed his father back inside the house.

Once Chris had his father, mother and Pamela in the den together he decided to spring the good news on them.

“If you guys have a second I’d like to fill you in on something,” he said, as he sat in one of the side chairs next to the couch.

His father had washed his hands and took his place in his favorite chair opposite his wife’s. Pamela lay across the couch, still heavily engrossed in some television show.

“Sure, what is it?” His mother readjusted herself on the lounger.

Chris clasped his hands together. “Remember the old Whitfield place?”

“Of course. James Whitfield used to be the richest man in the county. That property has a helicopter landing pad out back for when he’d fly back and forth to Louisville. That was back in his heyday before they had to shut the plant down.” Nathaniel crossed his legs, ready to go down memory lane. “I used to make a delivery up there a couple times a year. You might not remember, Chris, but I used to take you with me.”

“Yeah, I remember going up there. I also remember peering out the window every day as the school bus passed the property. In the winter after the leaves fell from the trees you could see the house pretty good. I always said one day I was going to own that house.”

Pamela sat up on the couch, fully at attention now. “No, you didn’t!” she said.

“Chris, you bought that old place?” his mother asked.

Chris nodded. “Yes, I did.” He looked at his father who was sitting back in his chair, and thought about how hard he had worked for the Whitfields all his life and never got as far as the entryway of that house.

Nathaniel smiled from ear to ear. “Son, I’m proud of you. You’ve really made some strides in this town.”

Chris smiled and hoped his accomplishments would impress a certain woman who now weighed heavily on his mind.

Chapter 3

“I can’t believe we sold every single tote with the state emblem embossed on it.” Corra pointed to the empty display.

“You don’t have any more in the back?” Kyla asked.

“No, I thought I had enough to get us through the month. But with the Kentucky Derby coming up, I guess I underestimated. I need to order more, quick.” She moved the display around, highlighting other bags.

“Mrs. Rita sent me over here to remind you about the sales guy coming at noon.”

Corra looked at her watch. “Thanks, I forgot all about that.”

“Yeah, she figured as much. She said you’d be at the front desk by now if you’d remembered. Tayler’s not back yet, and Tracee had car trouble this morning, so I’m helping out with lunch today. Got a full house.” Kyla turned to leave.

“Oh, Kyla, let me ask you something. Did Rollin say where he was going?”

“Nope.”

“Okay, normally any time Rollin and Tayler are gone, they’re usually together. Do you know where she went to this morning?”

“Nope. Rollin just said she had some business in town. Why? You think they’re planning on eloping?”

The excitement in Kyla’s eyes made Corra laugh. “Of course not. They wouldn’t do that to us. I’m just curious about where they went to, that’s all. Tell Rita I’m on my way over. I’ll close the shop for a little while.”

As Corra closed up she rethought the idea of Rollin eloping, but quickly dismissed the notion. He wouldn’t deprive her of the joy of watching them take their vows. She only wished her parents were alive to witness the ceremony. Her own courthouse ceremony was not a proper wedding in her opinion. This one they would do up right. She locked the door and hurried over to the house.

The dining room was abuzz with all the guests fixing their plates and discussing this morning’s events. Corra smiled and continued walking until she reached the private quarters of the house. In the office, she kept a pair of high heels she changed into when she worked the front desk. After a quick bathroom check of her makeup, she walked out and took her place behind the counter. She sat on a stool and turned on the computer. First, she answered a few emails, then logged into the program they used to manage guest check-in. Although she didn’t use the program every day, she knew how to use it. She quickly familiarized herself with what she could.

The front door slowly opened and Corra rose. The Coleman House might be small in comparison to other bed-and-breakfasts in the area, but they were known for their first-class hospitality, which had paid off in repeat business and referrals. She’d treat this sales guy like a potential customer.

When the door opened all the way and Christopher Williams stepped in, Corra almost fell backward off her stool. She hadn’t seen Chris since his last visit to her hospital room seven months and three weeks ago, to be exact. Afterward he called her a couple of times, but kept the conversations brief.

He closed the door and glanced around the entrance, smiling, before he noticed first the front desk, and then Corra. The look on his face was priceless. She crossed her arms and couldn’t hold back the sarcasm.

“Well, look what the cat dragged in.”

He recovered quickly and ran a hand over his mouth. “Corra, I didn’t expect to see you here,” he said, as he approached the front desk.

“Same here.” She tried to hold on to her sarcasm although she wanted to grin from ear to ear. Chris was a six-foot-two-inch, two-hundred-and-something-pound precision-honed man who looked like he could pick up a football today and get back in the game. He was still as handsome as ever. He locked his grayish-brown eyes on her as he crossed the floor, giving her a big smile. Her heartbeat raced.

“I’m scheduled to meet Rollin at noon. But I have a feeling he’s not here.”

She rose from the stool. “Nope. I’m your man, or woman. Whatever you planned to show him, you can now show me.”