The Heartbreaker Read online

  It was happening. She and Sam were getting married.

  Just as Sam lifted his fist to the office door, voices filtered out from a Sunday School classroom to their left. Sam stilled his knock.

  Lucki turned toward the voices.

  “The Methodist Women must be meeting,” Sam suggested.

  Lucki nodded. Something caught her attention though.

  Sam lifted his hand again.

  “Wait.”

  He looked at her. Lucki strained to hear. .had she heard her name mentioned?

  “What?”

  “Shsh. .just a second.”

  Then another voice, a familiar and loud voice, interjected the soft mumblings. “Well, I think we’re all getting worked up about nothing if you ask me.” It was Missy Hawkins. Lucki looked at Sam. He was listening with as much intent as she.

  Another voice continued. “But we have to make plans, you all, we can’t let this go by. I think a surprise shower is the best thing we can do.”

  Lucki shrugged. “Sounds like they are planning a shower for someone. Wonder who’s having a baby?”

  Guess she hadn’t heard her name after all.

  Sam shook his head. “Haven’t a clue.” He turned back to the office door.

  “Well, I for one, do not think Sam Kirk and Lucki Stevenson are going to get married. I think we’re wasting our time planning some shower for a wedding that is never going to take place.”

  Lucki stilled and grasped Sam’s arm. What in the world? She had to hear this.

  “Well, Missy Hawkins? What makes you such an authority on the subject, huh? We thought you were over Sam. You and the Reverend have seen quite a bit of each other lately. That has not gone unnoticed by most of Freedom.”

  “Yes, Missy,” another voice chimed in, “We know they are dating. Kathleen Conner has given us almost daily reports. Sam told her he was in love with Lucki. And have you seen her? She looks like she’s on cloud nine.”

  “And it was reported,” another woman added,” that they shared a very intimate dinner at a la Lucie’s the other night. Said Sam kissed her right there in the middle of the restaurant. Seemed they were celebrating something. Or so I was told.”

  “And then, of course, there was that kiss last Sunday at church. My. .what a barn burner!”

  “Louise! You shouldn’t be thinking such thoughts. You’re seventy-five years old!”

  Louise snickered. “But I’m not dead, Hannah. Not by a long-shot.”

  “Well, this is all beside the point. Sam and Lucki are not getting married. I know that for a fact!” Missy shouted her final two cents worth.

  Lucki turned to Sam. “What is this all about?” She was trying not to panic. He shook his head. “I have no idea, Lucki. Just some old women gathering wool, I think. You know how the gossip mill is around here.” He pulled her toward the office. “We’ve got better things to do. Now, let’s go see—”

  “No, wait a minute.”

  There was something she felt she had to see through here. Something was wrong.

  “And please tell us, Missy, how you know this?”

  Missy continued. “I know it because Kathleen told me. She said she asked Sam point-blank if he and Lucki were getting married. She said he told her an emphatic no. That he and Lucki were good friends. Intimate friends, which to me means that they are sleeping together, but that they had no plans to get married. None whatsoever. Kathleen said he told her, most definitely, that he and Lucki were not making wedding plans.

  “If you don’t believe me, ask Kathleen yourself. She had to baby-sit this morning, so call her at home.”

  Lucki stared straight ahead.

  She felt numb.

  She let that last statement gel a bit in her mind before turning to Sam. So, he had told Kathleen they were intimate friends. .no plans for marriage. No plans for marriage?

  God, he’d made a fool out of her again.

  She turned to him. “Is that true?”

  Sam licked his lips. “Is what true?”

  “Did you say those things to Kathleen?”

  Sam hesitated.

  “Did you!”

  He nodded. “Yes, but—”

  She slapped him then, and the sound reverberated through the cavernous basement. As she hurriedly climbed the stairs, away from Sam and the gossip-mongers, she heard the scurry of chairs and the shuffle of feet from the Sunday School room next door. Then Sam’s stunned voice called out to her.

  She didn’t answer. She’d be damned if she’d stick around for the humiliation and embarrassment of being the latest heartbreak victim of Dr. Sam Kirk.

  * * * *

  Momentarily dazed, Sam watched Lucki flee up the steps. What in the world. . ?

  “Looks like she overheard us. Sorry Sam, we didn’t know you two were out here.”

  Sam turned. The entire membership of the Freedom Methodist Women stood before him, minus Kathleen Conner. Reverend Halcomb hobbled from his office as well.

  “Did someone get slapped out here?” he asked.

  Every eye in the room went to Sam’s face then, and he lifted a hand to his cheek. It felt hot.

  “You’ve got a nice handprint there, Sammy boy,” Eloise Hunter offered. “Now what got into Lucki?”

  “I think I have a pretty good idea.”

  He knew exactly what had gotten into Lucki. She’d thought they were coming to Reverend Halcomb to talk about getting married. And then. .

  He scanned the room, all eyes were still on him. “Lucki had her heart broken. And each one of you is to blame. .and each one of you is going to get me out of this situation. Do you hear me?”

  Reverend Halcomb, Missy Hawkins, Eloise Hunter, and every other woman and the room bounced glances off each other. One by one, he felt the situation was dawning on them.

  “Let’s get this straight right now. I am in love with Lucki Stevenson. I want to marry her. But she doesn’t trust me, not yet. Overhearing that conversation sure must have been a blow to her. I was finally getting her to realize that I want to spend the rest of my life with her. And now. . ”

  “Now, we’ve blown it for you, right Sam?” For once, Missy looked almost apologetic.

  “Yes, Missy. You all sure blew it.”

  “And now you need our help?” Reverend Halcomb stepped up to Missy’s side.

  “You betcha.”

  Each person in the room nodded. Sam smiled. There was one thing he could count on here. Lucki sure couldn’t ignore the whole of Freedom, Tennessee.

  “All right. Here’s the plan.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  She’d not seen Sam for nearly a week. Deliberately. Not since the slap, which was probably the fatal blow to their relationship. She’d never slapped anyone in her life, and figured it was quite possibly the ultimate humiliation.

  But, she was angry.

  And hurt.

  And it seemed like someone else was possessing her body at that moment. And she’d just hauled off and slapped the living hell out of him. Surely, he would never forgive her that. How embarrassing!

  But, how embarrassing to find her love life being discussed amongst the women of her church! And the fact that Sam had told Kathleen that there were no wedding plans. .that they were just intimate friends, well, it was just more than she could take.

  She was trying very, very hard not to be miserable.

  Pinky was doing her darnedest to keep her spirits up.

  Rick was even staying off her case lately, sensing, she guessed, that she needed space. And Matt, well, Matt was being just as sweet as Pinky. They even took her to dinner one evening when she was procrastinating about going home. She was dreading pulling into her driveway, anticipating that Sam might be there waiting on her. She didn’t want to talk to him.

  Ever.

  Maybe once her parents got back home, she’d think about moving into Peabody. She’d talked about it for years, but just hadn’t done it. Maybe now was the time.

  Luckily, she’d had excuse a
fter excuse to work late this week. What with the council meeting coming up on Thursday, and all the work associated with that, she hadn’t had much time to devote to thinking about Sam, anyway.

  And, she’d even skipped church last Sunday. First time in years.

  Funny, though. He’d not called.

  And she’d not seen him at his house, either.

  J.J. had called however, and told her he was spending the week with Spud, that his grounding was up, and that he wouldn’t be going to Peabody this week, either. So, she’d had virtually no contact with Sam. Or anyone in Freedom, for that matter.

  It was a little unnerving. She’d been prepared for the onslaught.

  Sam had been so damned persistent for so long. And now. Nothing.

  So finally, she’d just decided that Sam had called it quits. It was just like before, when he’d slipped that alternate prom date in on her, and then he’d turned tail and run back to school. Now, he was just flat out avoiding her.

  Oh, well, all the better.

  Now, she could just get back to her humiliating little life and suffer the collective pooh-poohs from the whole of Freedom.

  Thank goodness, she thought as she stared out the door of her cubicle, that the council meeting was tonight, and that that, at least, would be behind her. At least then she’d have one less worry on her mind. If she was granted funding tonight from the city council, the county would surely follow suit next week. At least she still had her kids. Right now, they were what kept her going.

  * * * *

  On Saturday she decided she should probably venture out for some groceries. There was practically nothing to eat in the house. She was feeling a mite better. Perhaps it was because of the council meeting. They had approved her funding request Thursday evening, Rick was elated, and she was sure things would go well for them the next Tuesday at the county meeting.

  That, had made her week.

  She had to concentrate on the good things.

  She was thinking about that when she entered the automatic doors of Pearlman’s Grocery that Saturday morning. Maybe that’s why she had a smile on her face, she wasn’t sure. She’d been thinking about her kids. She was so proud of them that night at the meeting, they had handled themselves so well. Perhaps that was why she was taken aback when Eloise Hunter approached her in the produce aisle.

  “Sam back from Memphis, Lucki? I see a smile on that face.”

  She stopped for a second to assess Eloise’s words. Sam in Memphis? Suddenly, Eloise clamped her mouth tightly shut, as if she’d said something she shouldn’t have.

  “Excuse me, Eloise?”

  Eloise shook her head. “Oh, nothing, Lucki. Just thinking out loud. It was nothing.”

  But Lucki knew it was something.

  “Sam is in Memphis? I didn’t know.”

  “Oh, I’m sure you didn’t, honey.” Eloise was ready to burst. She looked like the cat that had swallowed the canary.

  “Spill it, Eloise. I know you want to say something.”

  Eloise shook her head violently and tightly clamped her lips. Then she took off for the bread aisle. Lucki watched her skirts swish from behind as she vamoosed.

  “That’s odd,” she mused.

  She picked out a few fruits and vegetables then followed Eloise’s path at a more leisurely pace. She stopped to peruse the array of donuts. She needed some for her truck.

  Her standard breakfast.

  Gee. .if she only had someone to fix her waffles every morning. .

  “So, shopping for one or two?”

  Lucki jerked her head up and looked sharply to her right. Lamar Thompson stood staring at the Hostess Twinkies. “What did you say, Lamar?”

  He slowly turned his head toward her. Lamar never got in a hurry. “Oh, nothing, Lucki. Nothing.”

  Frustrated, Lucki stared at the man who was now turning over in his hands the box of Twinkies. “No, you said something about shopping for one or two, didn’t you, Lamar?”

  He took his good time answering. “No, I said I wondered if I should buy one or two. Of the Twinkies, you know. My grandchildren are coming to visit on Monday.”

  Perplexed, Lucki mentally took a step back. “Oh. That’s nice. Have a great time with them, Lamar.”

  He nodded and casually sauntered off.

  Strange. Lucki shook her head and started toward the frozen foods.

  She was trying to decide whether to buy pepperoni or supreme pizza when a shadow was cast over her shoulder on the pizza boxes.

  “I’d buy the supreme, if I were you, Lucki. You know men always like lots of stuff on their pizza.”

  She whirled.

  “What in the world are you talking about, Missy?” Had all of Freedom gone insane?

  “Better get the large, too. However if I were you I don’t think I’d rely on frozen food much longer. You know you’re going to be cooking for more than one from now on. Actually three. Men always like home cooking better. Might want to take that into consideration.”

  Lucki screwed up her face in disbelief. “What in the hell are you talking about?”

  “Just a thought, Lucki.”

  Then like a flash, she was gone.

  Lucki wanted to scream right there in the middle of Pearlman’s.

  She managed to make it through the meat counter, the cereal aisle, and then through the canned goods, but when she got to the dairy case, she rounded the corner to find Kathleen perusing the assorted cheeses.

  “Lucki! My goodness. I haven’t seen you all week! Are you doing okay?”

  A bit cautious, Lucki gauged the conversation carefully. “Yes, Kathleen. I’m fine.”

  “Well, you’ve holed yourself up like a little chipmunk all week. No one has seen hide nor hair of you, girl!”

  Lucki relaxed a bit. Maybe this was going to be a normal conversation after all. “I’ve been extremely busy, Kathleen. Lots of work to do in Peabody. You see, I’m working on this thing for the kids, a skateboard park—”

  Kathleen patted her hand. “Well, that’s nice dear. Just don’t wear yourself out, you know. You have a busy week in front of you. By the way, do you have all your shots?”

  Busy week?

  “Shots?”

  “Your immunizations. You never know when you may need them.”

  Kathleen was obviously hallucinating. “Kathleen, I’m sure my immunizations are up to date.”

  “Well, you never know, in those foreign countries you can catch all kinds of—” She clamped a hand over her mouth. “Anyway, you’ve got a busy week. Rest up, dear.”

  “Well, yes, I’ve got the county council meeting on Tuesday, but after that—”

  Kathleen giggled and patted her hand again. “Oh, honey, you are so downright charming sometimes. You just get your rest, you hear me? You’re going to need it. Oh, and by the way, do you still have that pretty pale green silk dress you wore to Mary Beauchamp’s wedding last spring?”

  Lucki’s brain was spinning. “Green silk dress?” Where was this leading?

  “Yes, Kathleen, I do. Do you want to borrow it?” She couldn’t think of any other reason Kathleen would ask, however it was most likely the dress was three sizes too small for her. Kathleen cackled. “Heaven’s no, child! Why don’t you wear it to church in the morning. That is such a pretty dress. And you looked so nice in it. Such a good color for you. Think about it, okay?”

  Kathleen clucked to herself and waddled toward the snack aisle.

  Lucki wondered if she’d somehow fallen into the Twilight Zone. These people were nuts!

  She had to get out of here. And fast.

  She threw several more items into her cart on the way to the checkout counter, carefully scanned each aisle on her way, cautiously turned every corner—she didn’t want any more surprises. Something was going on in Freedom. And it was driving everyone crazy.

  Herself included.

  Just as she tried to cruise by the bakery, she heard a loud scream. She nearly topped the cupcake display.

/>   “There she is! Get her out of here!”

  Just as Lucki saw Hannah Harper and Louise Palmer attempt a little dance behind the bakery counter, Reverend Halcomb appeared out of nowhere and seemed to guide her most reverently toward the front of the store. As well as one could glide being on crutches.

  “Lucinda! My, it’s been ages. Why weren’t you in church last week, my dear?”

  Lucki attempted a glance over her shoulder. Hannah and Louise were waving their arms and shielding her view from what looked like a very large cake.

  She turned to the good Reverend. Surely he would tell her. “Reverend Halcomb, what in the world is wrong with these people? I mean, everyone is saying the strangest things and doing little dances and trying to herd me in the opposite direction. .like you are doing right now.”

  Reverend Halcomb feigned surprise. “Lucinda, whatever are you talking about? I was just accompanying you on your way to the checkout. Now, about in the morning. I’m trying to decide which songs we should sing. Do you prefer “Oh Promise Me” or would you like something a little more contemporary?”

  “I think something more contemporary—”

  Lucki stopped dead cold in the aisle.

  Oh Promise Me?

  She stared at Reverend Halcomb. “You’re just like them. You’re going crazy, too. Am I the only one here who is sane?”

  The Reverend chuckled. “No, my dear. On the contrary. Now, let’s get you checked out and don’t forget, I expect to see you bright and early in the morning.” He started unloading her items onto the counter. “You missed last week altogether and you were late the week before that. Tsk tsk. Let’s be on time tomorrow, all right Lucinda?”

  Lucki just nodded. She didn’t know what else to do.

  * * * *

  She overslept.

  And it felt good.

  But two weeks in a row? Could she miss church two weeks in a row? Reverend Halcomb’s little speech kept bouncing around in her head.

  So she got up.

  Took a quick shower.

  Made an attempt at some semblance of a hair do.

  Then perused her closet for something to wear. The green silk seemed to pop out at her like a sore thumb. What the hell. She put it on.