Tan Line Chapter 5

The rain pattered down the windows as Mailee sat on a chair staring at old photos she'd found in the attic. The weather had made her moody and she'd walked up the stairs to look for something to take her mind off of Randall. But what she found were photos of her grandmother and her when she was young. Now, sprawled on the living room floor, she had tears running down her cheeks. There were pictures of her in pig tails with big, fluffy dresses with her cheeks smeared in chocolate ice cream. She covered her face with her hands and started sobbing. Never did she expected that losing someone was this hard to ger over. Her grandmother had died four years ago and because of Randall's schedule, she wasn't able to attend. She'd been crying in Chicago on an empty bed as Randall was away on business or probably sleeping with his mistress. She wiped her eyes and put the photos back into the box. She took a deep breath and walked to the window. She stared out at the overgrown grass and she realized she'd have to cut the grass soon. With that thought in mind, she walked to the kitchen to make some lemonade when there was a knock to the door. She frowned, wondering who it could be, and walked to open it. Neng stood there in an umbrella, dressed in his sheriff uniform, looking so incredibly good.

“Hi Shirley Temple, I hear you flashed my deputy,” he said.

Mailee dropped her mouth open and slammed the door in his face. She'd just turned around when he opened the door and walked in. She continued walking to the kitchen as he followed her. When she pulled open the fridge, he grabbed her by the waist and planted a kiss on her lips. She groaned and pulled away as he stared at her. But his smile faded when he saw her eyes and he gently reached out to touch her cheeks.

“You ok?” he asked gently.

She wasn't sure if it was his tone of voice or how he had touched her or that this was Neng, the man she still loved, that made the tears come again. She threw hersef at him and sobbed. He held her and caressed her hair and whispered soft words to her. Then he picked her up, walked to the couch, and laid her on his lap. He held her like that for the longest time until she stopped crying.

“Tell me,” he urged.

She wiped her eyes and laid her hand on his chest. “I was looking through old photos of my grandmother and it really got to me that I wasn't able to attend her funeral.”

“I noticed that you weren't there that day.”

“Randall refused to let me come. He took my credit cards so I couldn't buy a ticket.”

“Bastard,” Neng cursed. “Where was he?”

She shrugged. “At a meeting, sleeping with his girlfriend, cheating on his girlfriend, or all of the above.”

She felt him tense. “Fucking bastard, I'll kill him one day.”

She looked up at him. “Really?”

He looked down at her. “Really, no one hurts my Shirley Temple.”

She pulled away from him, suddenly feeling better. “You sent your deputy here.”

“Yes, I did because I wanted you to be safe and I knew you'd slam the door in my face. But he ended up coming back to me looking as if he was ran over a train. Then he mentioned he saw you completely naked. You want to tell me about that?”

She laughed and shrugged out of his lap. “I just got out of the shower when he started going through my fridge. I had on a towel and my only instinct was to kill whoever was in my house with the umbrella. The next time you send over a deputy, send one who won't be ravaging my fridge.”

Neng smiled. “I'll keep that in mind as long as you keep your clothes on.”

“I can take my clothes off for anyone I choose, Neng. You don't own me.”

He raised his brows in a challenge. “Is that so? If that's what you think, then I'll buy you a ring today and make you my wife. So either you can become Mrs. Neng Yang or you can corporate.”

Mailee laughed and shook her head. “I don't think so.”

“Billy was so shocked by you he confessed to his poor wife.”

Mailee frowned and then she gasped. “That was Billy?”

Nodding, Neng replied, “Yes, it was. You've got some explaining to do to Jamie. She came into the office and demanded to know why I was sending her husband to rescue naked women.”

She blushed and covered her face. “Oh, God, this is not my week.”

He pulled one of her curls down and wrapped it around his finger. “I'd say this is more my week than any week.”

She removed her hands and stared at him. “Seriously, Neng, if you tell anyone we slept together, I will kill you.”

“I didn't have to tell anyone. Everyone heard you say you were going to boink me.”

The night was quiet as Mailee lay sleeping in her bed with the covers drawn. The light of the moon played across her cheeks. He stood there watching her sleeping and inhaled deeply. He had waited patiently for the damn sheriff to leave before he could come out of his hiding place. He was lucky that the closet was big enough otherwise he'd have died in there. Now here he stood, watching her sleep in her bed like she used to do. She'd grown up a lot and she had turned into a beautiful woman. Of course she still sported the head of curls, which he didn't really like, but she'd learned how to maintain it now that she was older. But her curves had filled out in the right places and she was truly a desirable woman. But the gossip around town was that the sheriff had already taken her to bed and he wanted to murder the man as he drove up to see her again. If gossip was right, she was seeing the sheriff; history was repeating itself. He'd known that they were together for a summer before she left for Chicago.

He walked across the floor and stepped on a squeaky board. She stirred and he crouched down. When she fell silent again, he stood up and walked to her, watching as she slept. God, he wanted her, so damn beautiful. He reached out to touch her, but withdrew his hand. It was too soon and it would ruin everything. He swallowed, then slowly retracted his steps until he was out of sight.

“I thought you'd never come visit me!” Karen said as she threw her arms around Mailee.

Mailee hugged her and instantly was reminded of their past. She woke up this morning and decided that if she wanted a new start, she'd have to do the walking to get a new start. So she headed over to Karen's house, which she got the address from Neng, and knocked on the door. Karen was still as beautiful as she was in high school. She sported a black bob and also a little bump on her frame. The house where Karen lived was near the school and when she drove there, it was almost heart wrenching to see the school.

“You look so good,” Mailee said as she entered the house.

Karen laughed and patted her belly. “Well, if you say so. Have a seat.”

“Your first?”

“Yes, it is. We're very excited. It's a girl.”

Mailee smiled as she sat down on the couch. The house was small, but comfy. The living room was decorated in shades of yellow and white. There was a large black rug in the middle and another brown couch to the side. The windows were big, letting in light, making the room bright. Karen returned from the kitchen with a tray of tea and cookies.

“You know, Billy called me yesterday and told me the strangest thing,” she said as she set the tray and sat down.

Mailee sighed. Here we go. “As strange as it sounds, it did not happen like he told it.”

Laughing, Karen replied, “So it's true?”

“He came in when I was showering and had just gotten out. He also scared me too. He was going through my fridge and I wasn't prepared. The towel slipped, ok? I did not flash him.”

“I laughed so hard. Poor Jamie gave him hell for walking in on you.”

“At least she's not going to track me down and murder me.”

Karen took a cookie and took a bite. “You're home.”

“I am. It feels nice to be back home. It's been a long time.”

“Long time? You're the one who left without a single word! You're lucky I'm still talking to you now. This town has changed a lot since you've been gone.”

Mailee smiled. “I see that it has.”

She spent the afternoon with Karen, doting on her belly, her life, and her happy marriage. She'd ended up with Thomas Her, a young man who was from Tracy. But after his parents died, they both moved back to Walnut Grove to be closer to her family. Karen worked as a nursing assistant at the nursing home. On her days off, she spent it knitting and annoying Billy. Mailee's heart filled with warmth at the thought of being back at home where the people loved her and didn't take her for granted.

When she left Karen's house, it was close to one and she decided to stop at the cafe around the corner for some lunch. When she entered, she found that it was quite busy with most tables filled with people. So she decided to order her lunch to go. She walked to the counter and had just placed her hand on the counter when someone grabbed her butt. She turned around to find the sheriff making himself very comfortable next to her. She scoffed and shook her head as he stared at her with his grin.

“How are you?” he asked as if it was the most normal thing to do after grabbing someone's butt.

“Well, my day has just darkened.”