The Girl He Left Behind

He nodded, returning her smile.

“We’re so happy you chose to stay with us,” she continued as she swiped his credit card and gave him his keys. “Your suite is on the second floor, with a river view.”

“Thank you.”

Because he had only brought one bag, plus his guitar, with him, Adam turned down the help of the bellman and went up to his suite on his own. When he opened the door, the first thing he saw was the grand piano in the far right corner of the living area, which was large and well lit, with a wide expanse of windows and French doors overlooking the river. He wondered if this was a special suite chosen especially for him. He doubted there’d be many grand pianos at the inn. He was happy to see it. If he ended up having to stay in Crandall Lake for a while, it would help him to have it there. When he was writing music, he preferred to sit at his own piano with his guitar nearby. He would have to remember to thank the manager in the morning.

To the left of the living area, an open door revealed the bedroom beyond. Setting his bag and guitar down, he walked over to the French doors, opened them and went out onto the wide balcony, where there were several wicker chairs and a table as well as potted plants. There was also another door leading into the bedroom beyond. The cool night air felt good, and the musical rush of the water below sounded soothing and perfect for sleeping.

He knew he should hit the sack immediately. He wanted to be at the hospital early in the morning, and he hadn’t slept much at all in the past twenty-four hours. But he was wound up and he also knew he wouldn’t fall asleep easily. Deciding a hot shower, followed by a glass of brandy from the minibar, might do the trick, he went into the bedroom and began shedding his clothes. First, though, he would text Austin, let him know he’d arrived and see if there was any change in their mother’s condition. Austin’s answer came within seconds.

Welcome home. Mom sleeping. No change. More tests tomorrow. See you in a.m.

Reassured, Adam headed for the shower. Ten minutes later, standing under the hot spray, he could already feel some of the tenseness leaving his muscles, and he slowly relaxed.

It was going to be interesting, being back in Crandall Lake. For the first time since he’d known he was coming, he allowed his mind to venture into the area he’d unsuccessfully attempted to banish from his thoughts many years ago.

Would he see her?

And if he did, what would he feel?

What did he feel?

He remembered how hurt he’d been by her decision. Her desertion. By the fact she had never tried to contact him afterward. When he’d discovered, a year or so later, that she’d gotten married scant months after he’d left for Nashville, he’d realized how right he’d been. She’d never really loved him. All she cared about was that family of hers. He’d been a fool to ever think otherwise.

Hell, he hoped he would see her.

And when he did, he would make it clear to her and anyone else in the vicinity that she meant absolutely nothing to him.

Less than nothing.

And when his mother was out of danger, he would persuade her to come and live with him, or at least to allow him to have a house built for her on his property in Tennessee. Then when he left Crandall Lake this time, he would not be back.

* * *

“I have something to tell you, Eve.”

Eve looked at Olivia, who sat at the kitchen table, a glass of red wine in front of her. Her tone seemed awfully serious. “Oh? Something happen?” Olivia constantly had problems with her mother-in-law, and lately the problems had seemed to be escalating.

Olivia nodded. “You could say that.”

Eve lowered the heat under her spaghetti sauce. “Cryptic doesn’t work with me, Liv. You know I suck at mysteries. I never know who dunnit.” Satisfied that her sauce would simmer while the pasta cooked, she poured herself some wine and turned to face her cousin and BFF, as the kids would say.

Olivia’s expressive brown eyes met Eve’s. “I almost called you yesterday, but decided this was something I had to tell you in person.”

Concern. That was what Eve was seeing. She frowned.

“Adam Crenshaw was at the hospital today,” Olivia said slowly.

The statement hit Eve like a blow to her stomach. Her mouth dropped open and she stared at Olivia. “A-Adam...is...is here? In Crandall Lake?” But he wasn’t supposed to be coming to Texas until September. In fact, Eve had planned to tell Olivia about his upcoming concert tour tonight.

Olivia’s eyes were soft with sympathy. She was the only one besides Bill who knew about Adam. Eve, in a low moment years ago, had finally told her cousin about him, but Olivia’d been sworn to secrecy. In fact, they never talked about him. Olivia, like Eve, understood it was better not to dwell on things that couldn’t be changed.

Eve, shaking inside, sank into the chair across from Olivia. Her cousin reached across the table and took Eve’s hand.

“Are you okay?” she said softly.

Eve swallowed. “I guess I have to be, don’t I?”

“Oh, hon, I know how you must feel. I’m sorry, but I knew you needed to know.”

Eve nodded. Olivia did know how she felt. Olivia had been through worse. She’d lost her beloved husband, Mark, four years ago when his helicopter crashed in Afghanistan. Thea, her little girl, had been born after he died. “Wh-what was Adam doing at the hospital?”

“He came because of his mother. She had a heart attack yesterday. Apparently, his brother called him, and Adam came home. He told me he got in late last night.”

“You talked to him?”

“Yes.” Olivia worked the day shift in Registration and Admissions at the Crandall Lake Hospital.

“I thought you said Adam’s brother brought her in.”

“Yes, she was brought in late yesterday afternoon, after I’d gone home for the day, but several things were left off the admission form, so I went searching for Austin—you know, the brother who’s the lawyer. He’s the one who filled out the forms. By the time I found him, Adam was there, too.”

Eve knew who Austin was. She’d even seen him a few times, but she didn’t really know him and had never spoken to him. Crandall Lake was a small town, but not that small. People pretty much knew everything of interest or importance that was happening, but not everyone was on speaking terms with everyone else. “Is Adam’s mother okay?”

“She will be, according to the doctors, although there are more tests to run. But even if she is, she’ll be recuperating for a while, and apparently Adam’s going to stay right here in Crandall Lake while she does. In fact, he told me he hopes to bring her back to Nashville when she’s well enough to travel. He said he wants her to live with him.”

Eve got up to check the pasta while Olivia kept talking. But each word her cousin uttered contributed to Eve’s sense of unreality. Was this really happening? Was Adam Crenshaw really here? In Crandall Lake? For the duration of his mother’s recuperation? As far as she knew, he had never come back here before. She also knew—courtesy of the very efficient gossip network in Crandall Lake—that he’d taken care of his mother financially once he’d begun to make money, so that she’d never had to work again. And Eve had also heard how Lucy Crenshaw visited her son often. People had speculated about why he never came to Crandall Lake, though, and what they could do to get him to come. His appearance now was bound to create a huge splash.

Oh, God. What if she should run into him? What would she say? Could she manage it and act normal? Or would she fall completely to pieces like that old Patsy Cline song?

“Do you want to know anything else?” Olivia asked after a minute. “Or do you want me to quit talking about this?”

Eve didn’t immediately answer. Instead, to give herself time to calm down, she tested a strand of pasta, then turned the burner off and poured the pasta into a waiting colander sitting in the sink. She didn’t look at Olivia.

“Eve? You okay?”

“Yes.” But she wasn’t. She was a mess.

“You sure?”

Eve sighed deeply. Turned away from the sink and met Olivia’s eyes again. “How does he look?”

“Want me to say he’s really ugly in person? Or do you want me to be honest?”

“Be honest.”

“He looks even better than in his photos. Sexy and handsome and charming. But nice. Awfully nice. I can see what you saw in him, Eve. He didn’t act like a big star at all. He just seems like a regular guy. A decent, regular guy worried about his mother.”

Yes, even at eighteen he’d been all of those things. He’d been many other things, too. Sweet. Reckless. Sensitive. And lonely. He’d always tried to hide his gentler qualities, though. It hurt Eve to think about him, about the way he’d been with her, about how much she’d loved him, and how much she’d wanted to go away with him. That was why she had tried to erase him from her mind, to not think about him. But that had always been impossible. And always would be.

“What are you going to do, Eve?” Olivia asked as Eve finally picked up the drained pasta and dumped it into the pasta bowl sitting on the countertop. Absently, she ladled sauce over the steaming spaghetti.

“I don’t know. I mean, I probably won’t even see him.” But her mind was whirling. If he stayed long enough, chances are she would run into him. Then what?

“What if he calls you?”

“He won’t.” Eve put the bowl of spaghetti on the table. Took the casserole dish filled with her signature turkey meatballs out of the microwave where they’d been staying warm and set them on the table, too.

“But what if he does?”

Good question. What if he did? Eve sighed heavily. Looked at Olivia. “He won’t call me. I’m sure he hates me.” She laughed derisively. “If he even remembers my name!”

“Oh, Eve, come on. You’re being melodramatic.”

“No, I’m not. Think about it, Olivia. I let him down terribly. He loved me. I know he did. He wanted me to go away with him. To share his dreams. He even said the M word. In his mind, I would be just one more person he was counting on who had abandoned him.” She fought the tears that threatened. “I’ve had a lot of years to think about this. At the time, I thought he didn’t love me enough to stay. But I think the truth is, I didn’t love him enough...to go.”

“And you paid the price,” Olivia said softly.

Eve, fighting to keep from crying, nodded. “Yes. I—I made a mistake. I—I was a coward. Afraid to leave my safe world for the unknown.”

“You were just a kid.”

“I know that.”

“So cut yourself some slack.” Olivia smiled crookedly. “In his shoes, I would call you. I would be curious. Plus I’d want you to see with your own eyes how successful I was.”

“Men don’t think that way,” Eve said, finally gaining control of her runaway emotions. She went to the refrigerator and removed the salad and cruet of dressing she’d prepared earlier.

“Sure they do.”

“No, he won’t call me. He won’t want to have anything to do with me.”

“Okay, have it your way. So he won’t call you. But what if you see him somewhere?”

“I don’t know.” Once all the food was on the table, Eve sat across from her cousin. “I just hope, if I do see him, I don’t make a fool of myself.”

Olivia reached for the spaghetti server. “I’m glad I’m not in your shoes, hon.”

Eve reached for her napkin. I wish I wasn’t in them. The only thing she did know right now was that she had a lot to think about, and that she probably wouldn’t get much sleep tonight.

Her sins had finally caught up with her.

Twelve years earlier...

Eve kept looking at the clock on her bedside table. It was almost five. Her dad would be home from work any second. The minutes seemed to be going by so fast. Eight o’clock would be here before she knew it. She looked at her closed closet door. Her duffel bag was inside, on the top shelf. If she did go, the only way she could get it outside without her parents seeing it and asking questions would be to throw it out the window.

I can’t go. He shouldn’t have asked me to. If he really loved me, he’d stay here. He can write his music here.

Eve had gotten home from school early because the graduation practice was over by two o’clock. When she’d left the auditorium, it was raining, and she was glad her dad had told her to drive today. He was so kind that way, always thinking of her well-being. That was the thing Adam didn’t understand, because he didn’t have that kind of love and concern in his family. Oh, his mother loved him, Eve was sure she did, but Lucy Crenshaw worked two jobs to support her three boys, because her husband had abandoned his family, then been killed a year later. She wasn’t home to take care of Adam or his younger brothers. They pretty much had to take care of themselves, and that meant they’d been running wild for years.

What should I do?

Would Adam go without her? Eve couldn’t bear to even think that way. He’d said he loved her. Surely he wouldn’t leave her. Not after... She abruptly broke off the thought. Her heartbeat quickened just thinking about what she’d let happen last week. Her parents would die if they knew. They would never, not in a million years, believe Eve could do the things she had. Especially not with a boy like Adam Crenshaw. They wouldn’t even be able to believe she’d been seeing him, lying to them. They thought she was perfect. But Eve hadn’t been able to help herself. She’d fallen hopelessly in love with Adam from the moment he first spoke to her.

He loves me, too. He won’t go without me.

But what if he does? No. That wouldn’t happen. Because she couldn’t bear it if he left her.

But he swore he was going. If she did go—just if—her parents would get over it, wouldn’t they? They wouldn’t hate her forever. It wouldn’t be the end of the world, would it?

Just then, breaking into her tormented thoughts, Eve’s mother called, “Eve, honey, come help me set the table for supper.” Her parents always called their evening meal supper instead of dinner.

“Okay, Mom, coming,” Eve called back. I don’t have to decide now. I can wait till after supper when Dad falls asleep in the recliner and Mom is lost in her book. If she did decide to go, it would be easy to sneak her packed bag out then, to pop her head into the living room and say she was going to Walmart to look at some stuff for her college dorm room.

All through supper Eve was on pins and needles, as her mom always said. She could hardly eat because she was now thinking she was going to go. She just couldn’t take the chance that Adam would go without her. She couldn’t. She loved him too much. She’d given herself to him. How could she let him leave her?

On and on her thoughts went until she’d finally persuaded herself that her parents would get over her leaving, especially after Adam became successful, and he and Eve were married, and everything in their life was wonderful—just the way it was supposed to be. Even their names proved they were meant to be together. Adam and Eve. It was destiny.

Finally supper was almost over. Eve pushed her chair back. “I’ll wash the dishes tonight, Mom.”

“Wait, honey,” her mother said, looking at Eve’s dad.

Eve turned to her father, who was smiling at her.

“We have something for you, honey,” her mom said. “We wanted you to have it tonight so you could wear it tomorrow.” She got up and opened a cabinet drawer, the one she called her junk drawer because she tossed in everything that didn’t have its own place. Taking out a small box wrapped in gold paper with a gold ribbon, her mother sang softly, “Sunday’s child is bonny and blithe and good and gay,” as she handed the package to Eve. It was the verse she’d sung to Eve her entire life, because Eve was their miracle child, the child a forty-year-old Anna had despaired of ever having, the wondrous child born on the Sabbath day, a true gift from God.

“Happy graduation, sweetheart,” her dad said.

Eve’s heart constricted as she slowly removed the paper and opened the box. Inside, nestled in cotton, was a stunning gold heart pendant studded with rubies. “Oh,” she said, nearly speechless. “It—it’s so beautiful.”

“We’re so proud of you,” her mom said. “And I know it’s not your birthstone, but rubies represent love and mean good fortune for the person who wears them. You have an amazing future ahead of you.” Her mother’s smile said everything she was feeling as she gazed at Eve.

“You’ll be the first Cermak to go to college,” her dad said. His voice trembled with emotion.

“And to think you won such a wonderful scholarship,” her mother said. She reached over and squeezed Eve’s hand.

“You’re the best daughter anyone could ever have,” her dad said. “Never given us one moment’s worry.”

“And we know you’ll keep on making us proud,” her mother added tremulously.

Eve’s heart felt like a brick in her chest. How could she leave them without a word? How could she disappear on the eve of her high school graduation, abandon them and all they’d done for her and go off with a boy they knew absolutely nothing about, one they didn’t even know she was seeing? The shock, the scandal, the disappointment, the unbearable pain would kill them.

Later, in her room, when the clock read 8:00 p.m. and then eight ten and finally eight fifteen and Eve knew the bus was leaving Crandall Lake, she told herself Adam had changed his mind. That he would call her. That the phone would ring any second, and she would snatch it up and call out to her parents that it was for her, and he would say he just couldn’t do it. He couldn’t leave without her.

Wouldn’t he?

* * *

Adam spent most of his time at the hospital for the remainder of the week. And late Saturday afternoon, eight days after his mother’s heart attack, when her doctor said she could probably move over to the rehab center on Monday, Adam took a relieved breath and grinned at her. “So, Ma, you’re going to live.”

“We Crenshaws are tough,” his mother said softly.

Adam nodded. They were tough. Well, hell, they’d had to be. His father, Frank, had been a gambler and a drunk, and he’d abandoned his family when Adam was six, then been killed in a freak amusement park accident a year later. The former Lucy Costa, his unlucky wife, had waited tables by day and cleaned an office building by night to support herself and her three boys. And even then, it was a struggle.

“Heart problems run in my family, though,” Lucy added.

“Yeah, I know.”

“So you’d better take care of yourself or you’ll find yourself in the same boat one of these days.”

Adam nodded again. He’d heard this same lecture many times before. In fact, Lucy had gotten on the “good health, take care of yourself” boat every time she’d visited him over recent years.

“I do take care of myself, Ma.”

“Really? Do you exercise every day? Do you eat right? I never see you eat anything except pizza.”

“I eat all kinds of healthy stuff,” Adam protested. “And I work out all the time.” But he was mentally crossing his fingers, because he’d been slacking off lately. On both counts.

A few minutes later, Austin, followed by Aaron, entered the room, and Adam, after greeting his brothers and giving his mother a goodbye kiss, told them he was leaving for the day. “I promised Sally I’d drop into the homeless shelter tonight, maybe play some music for the guys there.” Sally was a favorite nurse of his mother’s and they’d struck up a friendship.

“Need me to come along?” Aaron asked. In addition to all the social media and publicity stuff Aaron did for Adam, he was also Adam’s right-hand man and main gofer, both at home and on the road. Adam had initially put him to work because Aaron needed something to keep him on the straight and narrow, but in the past few years Aaron had made himself invaluable, and Adam depended upon him for just about everything he couldn’t do himself.

“Nah. I’ll be fine. It’s only Crandall Lake.”

Aaron shrugged. “Okay. But give me a buzz if you need me.”

Adam said he would and left. He wasn’t worried about needing Aaron. So far the paparazzi had been pretty respectful of his mother’s illness and left Adam alone. Except for a few pictures on Instagram and Twitter, they’d found bigger fish to follow. Adam knew all that would change when he returned to his normal life, so he might as well enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasted.

He was looking forward to talking to and singing for the homeless people in the shelter. Except for a really lucky break at the end of his first month in Nashville, he might have ended up in a shelter himself. Down to his last few dollars—he’d even had to chuck his cell phone because he could no longer afford to pay for it—he’d finally gotten a producer to listen to his demo and give him a chance. That same producer had made a ton of money off him in the intervening years, and they’d remained good friends.

As Adam drove to the shelter, he thought about the songs he’d sing. And afterward, he’d have an early night at the hotel and a good night’s sleep. No drama, no groupies, no photographers chasing him.

And absolutely nothing to worry about.

Chapter Three

Eve couldn’t sit still. The kids should’ve come home tonight, but Bill had called early that morning and asked if he could keep them over the weekend because the Kelly family reunion was taking place in San Antonio and he wanted the twins to be there with him. Eve hadn’t wanted to agree, but how could she say no?

That was the biggest problem she had with Bill. He was always so reasonable she could never refuse him when he wanted something. Even if he hadn’t been reasonable, she owed him. Not that he ever said so, but the knowledge was always there, unspoken, between them.

I rescued you. You owe me.

She knew that was what he was thinking. And why shouldn’t he? She was thinking it, too. He had rescued her, and she did owe him. Even now, after nearly twelve years, she still felt grateful. In fact, she couldn’t imagine what her mother would say if she knew. Even thinking about the problem made Eve’s heart beat a little faster.

Her mother would never know. That secret was safe. Bill would certainly never tell anyone—it would be the last thing he’d ever want people to know—nor would she. They both had a huge stake in keeping their secret safe.

So she’d said yes to this weekend, even though he could have given her more warning. Surely he’d known about the reunion for weeks now. Why hadn’t he told her earlier? She would have insisted on keeping the twins last weekend in exchange.

That’s probably exactly why he didn’t tell you.

Eve knew this wasn’t a big deal. It was just that she hated weekends on her own. It would be different if she, too, had remarried and had other children, or at least a partner to go places with her. But she hadn’t. And the way things looked, she probably wouldn’t. After all, to get married meant you needed to be seeing someone, and she had no prospects on the horizon. Crandall Lake wasn’t exactly a dating mecca. And even though, at one time, she’d dreamed about moving to Austin or Houston or somewhere with a bigger newspaper, her dream had turned out to be only a fantasy. Bill’s business was here. So here she’d have to stay. She could not take the twins from their father.

Olivia had once suggested Eve might sign up for an online dating service.

“I don’t see you doing that,” Eve had said.

“I’m not ready” had been Olivia’s quiet answer.

Eve had been immediately sorry for her retort. At the time, her cousin had been still mourning her husband’s death.

“But it would be good for you, Eve.”

Eve knew Olivia had been right. Eve should be proactive if she didn’t want to remain single her entire life. She would be thirty in just a couple of months, and even though thirty wasn’t exactly old-maid territory, and lots of women today married later in life, mostly those women had interesting and successful careers. That wasn’t true of her. She worked for a small daily paper struggling to keep afloat with dwindling subscriptions and fewer advertisers. In fact, she’d been hearing rumors of layoffs.