Wish You Were Here (Postcards From Paradise)

  Wish You Were Here

  By

  Amanda McIntyre

  Content copyright @2013 Amanda McIntyre

  All Rights reserved.

  Cover copyright 2013 Amanda McIntyre.

  Cover Art by P and N Graphics, LLC

  Dedication

  To my childhood memories of the wonderful summer spent at my grandmother’s house, of our frequent visits to the library, and the fun in discovering the joy of reading.

  Dear Reader:

  I love short stories. I liken them to pulling back the curtain for a glimpse into the lives and/or particular circumstances going on in the lives of the characters. Some situations strike a familiar chord, while others give us insight, perhaps, or escape/adventure to things, places we’ve never experienced before. Cutting my literary teeth on the short works of Alfred Hitchcock and Edgar Allen Poe, and later when reading fairytale stories to my children, I rediscovered the beauty of these condensed gems, and hope you will, too.

  ~Amanda

  Chapter One

  “That son-of-a-bitch.”

  Maggie smiled. It helped that her bestie since third grade, the one she’d saved from the “big mean dog,” understood her pain. But she couldn’t allow him to go through with what he was planning. He was engaged to be married and she was quite certain his fiancée, no matter how in love she was, wouldn’t take kindly to the idea of him traipsing cross-country, even out of friendship.

  “Don’t worry about me. I have to put on my big girl panties and realize that I was blind to what Stephen was really like. I knew he loved his job, but enough to let me go when it came to accepting a position in Japan? I didn’t see that coming.” She picked at her fingernails, a habit when she was nervous. “I’m lucky it was called off before I legally bound myself to the man. He was kind enough to tell me I could do whatever I want with the Key West honeymoon package.”

  “Like stuff it up his idiotic ass?”

  Maggie smiled. “Good idea, but why waste it? I mean, don’t I deserve a little pampering? Besides, I’ve already taken off work. I think I need a little time to recuperate, don’t you?”

  “Of course you do, Mags. You know I never liked that guy.”

  “And why didn’t you mention that before now?”

  “Because you’re my best friend and you said you loved him.”

  “I thought I did, but I think I was in love with the idea of settling down, being married, you know? But enough about me. How are things going there? Only two months before you’re taken off the most eligible bachelor list, my friend.”

  His deep laughter soothed her weary soul. “Yeah, right. Honestly, I never knew there were so many decisions to make and how crucial women found every detail.”

  “You have a very detail-oriented fiancée. That’s very good for you, Josh. You know they say you find someone who has the qualities you lack in your own persona.”

  “If that were the case, she’d be a pro-basketball player.”

  Maggie sighed. “You know what I mean. Listen, about the couple’s shower you guys have coming up. I just don’t think I’d be a lot of fun right now. I’m sorry. I think I’m going to go to Key West and soak up some sun, sip fruity drinks with umbrellas, and get over Stephen.”

  “You seem to be recovering awfully quick for a woman who’s just called off her wedding.”

  Maggie glanced at the wedding dress still hanging in its clothing bag. She’d had her cry—several, actually--broken a vase or two in her anguish and then did what she always did in times of crisis--called Josh. She knew she’d need to have her wits in order to calm him down. “It’s a better plan than sitting here drowning my sorrows in Haagen-Dazs. You know me, Josh. I don’t do pity well, and I can’t stand women who whine.”

  “You’re one of the strongest women I know, Maggie-Moo. That bastard. If I ever so much as see his face, I’m gonna—“

  “Josh, it’s okay. Really.” She took a deep breath and released a sigh. He was going overboard, even for him. He was like that, always coming to her defense. She often wondered if it was out of guilt over what had happened--or hadn’t happened, as was the case --between them. Of course, that had been a long time ago. She needed to move past it. Though at times like this, when life got tough, it was too easy to remember the emotional upheaval she’d gone through then. “This isn’t just because I saved your sorry ass from that big, mean dog, is it?” She was teasing, sort of.

  “Listen, here’s an idea. Come out here and let us take care of you. Justine’s family has this amazing lake home. I’m certain that if I asked, Justine would understand. “

  Like hell, she would.

  “I can’t be up there while you two are in the throes of planning your wedding. Absolutely not.”

  “Why not?”

  She waited for the reason to register in his mind. “Yeah, I get that. Probably not a fun place. You will be here for the wedding, though, right? I’ve got to have you here.”

  “You’d get through the vows just fine, I’m pretty sure,” she said with a chuckle, but her smile faded when she realized she was losing her best friend to a woman she’d met only once. But it was clear that Josh was head over heels with Justine.

  “Probably, kiddo. But it wouldn’t be the same without you. Promise me you’ll come.”

  “Promise.”

  “Now promise me you won’t decide at the last minute to take off to Vegas on a road trip by yourself.”

  “Joshua Graham, you aren’t my mother.”

  “Thank God.”

  She had to agree. Clearly, she hadn’t yet chosen to tell her mother the wedding had been called off. It would be the talk of the small Iowa town for the next ten years.

  “You haven’t told her?”

  “Not yet.”

  “You think he’ll come around?”

  “Stephen?” Maggie shook her head. Any man who’d break off his engagement via text is not likely not going to come crawling back on his knees. She’d been played and she’d let her small-town, fairytale idea of finding her Prince Charming blind her. “Not in a million years, and I wouldn’t take him back.”

  “Good for you.”

  “Yeah, well so much for nobility. Take care. Behave yourself, if possible, and give my love”--she cleared her throat, choking back the sob threatening to break free--“to Justine. I’ll text you when I get to the Villa.”

  “I really wish you’d reconsider this trip, at least until you’re less emotional. You know how you can get when you’ve had a few too many.”

  “Are you really giving me advice in this area? I seem to recall a few zillion things you’ve done while under the influence.” One incident in particular stuck out in her mind. It was their Senior Prom and it nearly severed their relationship forever.

  “Let’s not argue semantics, Maggie. I’m not the one going to the Keys alone.”

  “I’m a big girl, Mr. Graham. And if I want to take a trip on my own, I am damn well old enough to handle it.”

  “Lock your doors.”

  “You’re beginning to get on my last nerve. I appreciate your concern. Please, this is what I want to do; it’s what I need for me, okay?”

  There was a slight pause. “I know, honey. If it makes you feel better to get a little wild and unruly, I understand. I do. I just want to know you’re safe.”

  He was going to have to hear the truth. “Josh. Listen to me--I am no longer your concern. You have Justine, and that’s who you need to be thinking of right now, not me. Now, hang up and let me get on with my life and you get on with yours. Deal?”

  “Promise you’ll call me periodically.”

  “Seriousl
y?”

  “Yes, ma’am. How many times have I been scolded for not checking in for long periods of time?”

  Busted. Probably more times than she cared to admit. “Okay, fine. Point taken.” She had to smile, but a curious notion tugged at her heart. Ever since he’d become engaged to Justine, his phone calls to Maggie had become more frequent and his over-protective tendencies increased.

  “Thank you. You know I love you, Maggie-Moo.” His voice was tender, causing a stinging to prick behind her lids.

  “Love you more,” she responded. “See you in a couple of months.” She pressed the button ending the call and got off the bed to start her new life.

  ***

  Josh stuffed the cell phone in his pocket, his mind wracked with unease about Maggie taking off on this trip alone and in her emotional state. Life away from small town America wasn’t the same as when they both grew up, where kids stayed out to play after dark and folks left their doors unlocked. An image of the long walks they used to take late in the evening on crisp fall nights crystallized in his mind. They were friends, somewhat of the secret variety, which didn’t seem to faze her. If it did, she never showed it. Social parameters being what they were in high school, the captain of the football team couldn’t very walk through the halls with the school geek. God, she was smart. Not particularly attractive in the eyes of an immature high school teen, but they had an understanding. More than once, she helped him pass a test to ensure his place on the football team, while he would walk with her at night and listen to her views on subjects that most times sailed over his head. Living down the block made it easy to remain out of the public eye. Though she never complained, deep down he carried the guilt of how he’d treated her. As their lives went in different directions, they kept in touch less frequently, but the special bond they’d formed was still strong and their ability to listen and confide in one another a safe-haven in times of need.

  “Everything okay, darling?”

  A sultry feminine voice brought his head up. Justine stood at the patio door with a curious smile. Translation: Where the hell did you disappear to? He was in the doghouse. “Yeah, sorry. I was just talking to Mags. She’s going through a bit of a rough time, just now.”

  “Really?” She came outside and leaned her hands on the deck railing, looking at the lake. “Mother wondered where’d you’d run off to. She wanted to know what color of napkins we were thinking of for the reception.”

  There was a definite chill in her voice. They’d only been engaged a couple of months after a whirlwind romance where she ended up moving in with him. However, that tone could send a chill across his shoulders. He wondered if he’d ever get used to it. He stood and walked up behind her, snaking his arms around her waist. He buried his face in her hair. She smelled like a million bucks. Bright, beautiful, accomplished. He’d been smitten with her from the moment they were introduced at a country club gathering for friends of his parents. “Whatever color makes you happy, sweetheart.”

  Her shoulders stiffened. She turned her face when he bent down to nuzzle her cheek.

  “What’s the matter?” He turned her to face him, pinning her against the railing.

  She refused to look at him. He touched her chin, forcing her gaze to his. She worried her lip. “It’s silly.”

  Josh frowned and tipped his head. It wasn’t like her to be timid. “Not if it’s bothering you. Come on, you know there isn’t anything you can’t tell me.” Funny how many times Maggie had said the same thing to him over the years.

  She nodded, then made a strange tsking sound. Clearly, she was frustrated. “How do you feel about Maggie?”

  The question came straight out of left field. His head snapped back as though he’d been struck. He’d never actually taken the time to think about it. It couldn’t really be summarized in words or emotions. For God’s sake, it was Maggie. A part of his life—a certainty. A phone call in times of trouble, in times of joy. She was the first person he’d called when he’d become engaged, before he’d even notified his parents.

  He blinked and answered honestly, “I-I don’t feel anything. Mags…Maggie is my friend. She’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, practically. Respect? Appreciation? How do you measure that? I mean, the woman literally saved my life.”

  “Yeah, the mean dog story. I’ve heard it.”

  The odd thought that she might be jealous of Maggie entered his mind. “Are you jealous of her?”

  Justine searched his eyes and pressed her tempting lips together--lips that had touched parts of him that even now tingled at the thought.

  “Why would you be jealous?”

  She gently pushed aside his arm and created a distance between them. “Maybe it’s because from the moment we got engaged, her name has come up almost daily in your conversation?”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  She raised a brow.

  Josh back-tracked in his memory, pulling together a blender of ideas and scenarios, most dealing with music choices, food caterers, cake flavors, champagne preferences, and finding the perfect honeymoon spot to please his new bride, to name a few. Where did Maggie fit into all of that?

  He smiled and reached for her hand. “Sweetheart, You’ve been under a lot of stress. Come here.” She relented and stepped into his embrace. His body reacted instantly to her being near. “Why don’t we mosey on down to the boathouse?” he whispered in her ear.

  Her face puckered. She stared at him long enough that he no longer liked the idea, himself.

  “What?”

  A deep sigh followed her pursed lips. “I think we should take a break from each other. One week.”

  He took a step back as though she’d slapped him. “What are you saying? Honey, don't worry about this. Maggie is only my friend.”

  “I want you to go visit her.”

  “I can’t do that. You need me here.” He lifted his hands in the air. “And besides, there’s no need to.”

  “You mentioned she was going through a rough time. What happened?”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “Her fiancé dumped her.”

  “Jesus.” She closed her eyes.

  “Yeah, can you believe that jerk? She doesn’t deserve a guy like that. Maggie’s too nice of a person. Always thinking of others, always ready to listen.” He chuckled at the memory of her accepting to go to his senior prom with him after his dated dumped him at the last minute. Even though she’d chosen not to attend out of some protest to fashion against real women’s bodies, she relented and went with him. “Did I ever tell you that she single-handedly was responsible for getting me an academic scholarship in college?”

  Justine stared at him. “Yes. About three times in the past two weeks.”

  “Nooo.” He dismissed her comment with a wave of his hand.

  “The mean dog story, at least five times.”

  His gaze caught hers. That was ridiculous. Wasn’t it?

  “I think you have feelings for this woman that you need to sort out before we go any further. Certainly, before you start a life with me.”

  “What are you saying? Don’t you want to marry me?”

  She shrugged. “Of course I do. But I’m not into ménage, and certainly not with my husband carrying around this idea of the woman who got away.”

  “This is insane. I don’t have any feelings—not like that--or her. She’s just…Maggie.”

  “Then you have nothing to worry about.” She shrugged.

  “Stop this, Justine. I don’t want to be with Maggie. I asked you to marry me.”

  She nodded. “And who was the first person you told?”

  He frowned. Like that made a lick of sense. “Maggie,” he said with less fervor.

  “It’s important I know for sure, Josh. It’s important that we’re both sure.”

  He sighed and rubbed his fingers across the throbbing ache radiating across his forehead. This was the most ridiculous thing—not to mention the worst timing ever. His mind sped b
ack to that one night, the fateful night at prom, when he almost lost her friendship forever because he let his emotions get out of control. Years later and with his fiancée’s bizarre accusation, he had to ask himself why he’d even allowed what had happened between him and Maggie. It would be months before she talked to him again. Had he read the signals wrong? He glanced at Justine’s curious expression, studying him as though he was a lab rat.

  “No, you’re wrong.” His tone was less certain. And he blamed her for planting the seeds of doubt in his mind.

  “Am I?” She crossed her arms over her chest.

  Josh was banking on it, or the proverbial shit was about to hit the fan. “Okay, I’ll prove it to you.”

  She nodded once in agreement. “Then you’re going to go see her?”

  He shook his head. “I can’t. She’s leaving on a vacation to the Keys for a week and wants to be left alone.” He wasn’t sure which of them thought of the idea first, but to his surprise, Justine was the first to verbalize it.

  “You could surprise her. Go tell her that I kicked you out for a week that you were getting on my nerves.”

  “Am I getting on your nerves?” he asked.

  Her impatient sigh was response enough.

  He walked away, fisting his hands together. Dammit. This was the weirdest thing that had ever happened to him, not counting the dare of mooning the college football coach on Halloween and discovering it was the wrong house. He turned and looked at his Justine—the gorgeous, five-foot-nine woman with model-perfect looks. “You really want me to do this?”

  She worried her lip, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. “Then we’ll both know for sure, won’t we?”

  He shook his head, walked over, and took her in his arms. “You’re wrong, you know, and I’m going to prove it to you.”

  She gave him a stiff smile. “I’m sure you will.”

  He kissed her, and what in previous weeks would have been a solid turn-on felt more like a futile attempt. Josh cleared his throat. “Okay, I’ll be back in a few days. I’ll just make sure that Maggie is okay, then I’ll be back. In the meantime, you can tell your mother white.”