Chapter Fourteen

One month later…

Alex sat in a doctor’s empty beige waiting room, flipping through an outdated copy of People. He could’ve been staring at the Dead Sea Scrolls for all he cared, though. So much had changed in such a short time. Thanksgiving had come and gone. He’d spent the holiday with his family and it had been wonderful, just like old times. He’d eaten far too much and goofed around with little Connor and Dave in the backyard.

His dad’s crew had made great progress on the house, getting the foundation repaired and the new boiler installed. Mark and Jack had pitched in, helping him clean up the place and repair any damages. It looked like a real home again.

Still, even with all the joy, there was a Mandy-sized hole in his heart.

He hadn’t spoken to her since that awful night at the house, and he owed her an apology. But first…

“Dr. Chase will see you now,” the receptionist said to him from across the room.

“Thanks.” He tossed the magazine aside and headed to the door marked Dr. Georgina Chase, PhD.

“It’s wonderful to meet you. Your father speaks very highly of you, Alex,” Dr. Chase greeted him when he entered, her smile warm and inviting. She shook his hand, then invited him to take a seat in one of the chairs.

“Thanks. And likewise.” He removed his coat then sat, doing his best not to fidget. He hadn’t seen a therapist since he’d left rehab and wasn’t really sure what to do with himself.

“Okay, Alex. Let’s get started, shall we?” Dr. Chase came around the desk to sit in the chair beside his, a pad and pen in her hands. “The plan for today’s initial visit is to get to know each other and see if therapy might be a good fit for you. All right?”

He nodded.

“Great.”

For the next forty minutes, Alex explained about his youth, the shooting, the house, even what happened with Mandy. Through it all, Dr. Chase scribbled notes and listened intently.

“All right,” she said once he’d finished. “Well, from what you’ve told me, usually a combination of behavioral therapy and low-dose anti-anxiety medication proves successful.”

“Oh.” He ran a finger beneath the collar of his sweater, frowning. “The counseling I’m okay with. But I don’t like to take pills. And I’ve read they can mess you up even more. Not sure I want to risk that.”

“Your concerns are valid, but I assure you with the right dosage and monitoring people have no side effects. Most of my patients report nothing but good things—clearer thoughts, less anxiety, things become easier to handle.” She pulled a pamphlet from her desk and handed it to him. “This has more information for you.”

He read through the brochure and, while there were some side effects, the potential benefits seemed to far outweigh those, at least in his mind. Besides, he was here to make progress, not keep the status quo. Alex gave a firm nod. “Okay, I’ll give them a try.”

“Wonderful. I’ll start you on the lowest effective dose. We’ll add regular therapy sessions with me to monitor your progress and focus on your feelings about your anxiety and your triggers. It will take effort and commitment on your part, but many people return to happy, productive lives.”

Happy and productive sounded like a dream come true. “I’d like to get back to the person I was before the shooting, or as close to it as I can.”

“Being here today is an excellent first step on that journey.” Dr. Chase went over his medical history then wrote out a prescription. “Take one pill a day starting tonight, if you can, and I’ll see you back next week. Now before you go, I have one more thing I’d like to ask you about, since you brought it up earlier.”

“Okay.” He sat back down on the chair and clenched his hands in his lap. “What?”

“You said you fear getting close to anyone again because you didn’t want to lose them. But you lost Mandy anyway. Correct?”

He sighed then nodded, his throat tightening. “Yep. I’d do anything to have her back.”

“Have you talked to her? Asked her how she feels about what happened?”

“Not yet. I need to apologize to her, but she’s in Tennessee right now shooting a movie.”

“Okay,” Dr. Chase said, closing her notepad. “Well, I can’t guarantee what her answer will be, but perhaps going to see her would help put some of this to rest.”

It would, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready to book a flight yet. Plus, he didn’t want to intrude. “I’ll think about it.”

He stood, put on his coat, and Dr. Chase showed him back out into the waiting room.

After scheduling his follow-up with the receptionist, he went to the nearest pharmacy to get his medication then headed back to the house.

Jack was waiting for him on the porch when he got there. “Hey, man. We’ve got to go.”

Alex unlocked the front door and stepped inside, turning on the foyer light and tossing his keys on the side table, not bothering to remove his coat. “Go where?”

“To the Pickle.” Jack rested a beefy shoulder against the oak fretwork in the vestibule. “Mark’s singing tonight, remember?”

Nope. He’d forgotten. Or maybe he’d blocked it out, since karaoke wasn’t his favorite, but he wanted to be there to support his friend. Alex filled a glass and shook out one of the small orange pills from his new prescription bottle. “Fine. Just give me a minute.”

“What are those?” Jack asked.

“Anti-anxiety meds.” He swallowed the pill with water then set his empty glass in the sink. “I went to see the therapist my dad recommended this afternoon.”

“Awesome, man. Good for you.” Jack clapped him on the shoulder. “I think Gina’s bartending tonight. Maybe you can ask her about Mandy.”

“Maybe.” He took a deep breath and gave a reluctant nod. “Okay. Let’s go.”

Alex locked up again then followed Jack out to Old Betsy. The ancient truck belched to life, sputtering in protest as Jack punched the accelerator.

Downtown Heavenly Falls twinkled with holiday lights, the storefronts decorated for Christmas. Based on the gray clouds above, it looked like snow was on the way, and Alex’s leg ached as if in confirmation. Jack turned the corner then parked in front of a nondescript red brick building on a side street with a huge neon pickle holding a microphone above the door.

Yikes.

Inside, the place turned out to be pretty much what he’d expected—dark woodwork and band posters on the walls—and packed to the rafters with an assortment of humanity. At the far end of the room stood a small stage with a DJ station and a large flat-screen TV. Sour notes of singing patrons already filled the stuffy air. A niggle of panic started in his gut before he pushed it aside and stepped into the fray, determined to do this for himself. For Mandy.

Jack nabbed two stools at the bar and Alex unbuttoned his coat, looking around. “You see Mark?”

“Not yet.” Jack peered over the heads of the crowd toward the stage. “He should go on soon, though.”

Behind the bar, Gina walked through a door from the back and wiped her hands on a towel, scowling at Alex once she laid eyes on him. He hadn’t seen her in years, but she looked pretty much the same with her dark curly hair and wide brown eyes.

“What do you want?” she said coming over to stand before him, arms crossed.

So much for a friendly hello.

Not that Alex could blame her. Mandy had probably told her all about their fight.

Jack ordered a Flat Tire Ale, and Gina got it for him then returned to glaring at Alex.

“I’d like to know if Mandy’s okay?” he said at last, head lowered. “And where exactly in Tennessee she’s shooting.”

“Why should I tell you?”

Because I love her. Instead of saying that, though, he inhaled deeply and raised his chin, meeting Gina’s hostile gaze. “I know I hurt Mandy. I was wrong, and I need to tell her that.”

No response.

Right. He forced himself to go on, putting all his cards on the table. “I screwed up and I want to put things right. I’ll do anything to win her back. I love Mandy.”

“Whoa, dude,” Jack said, giving him some serious side-eye.

Gina leaned forward, gaze narrowed. “Anything?”

“Yes. Anything.” He meant it, too. “Since she walked out of the house, all I can think about is what I lost, how I threw away what we could have had together, our future, all because I was too stubborn to admit I needed help. If she gives me another chance, I swear I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to her. She’ll never again doubt how much I care for her.”

In the background, his friend Mark took the stage, belting out a heartfelt, but flat rendition of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” and if that wasn’t a metaphor for things, Alex didn’t know what was. He held Gina’s gaze, hoping beyond hope that she believed him, because if he had to get down on his knees and beg, he’d do it. Whatever it took to find Mandy again.

Finally, Gina blinked and leaned forward and Alex’s heart tripped. Yes!

“You got hiking boots?” she said.

“Um. No. Haven’t needed them recently.”

“Well, you will now.” She wiped down a section of the bar top. “She’s in the Smoky Mountains, around Johnson City and the Cherokee National Forest.”

“Right. Thank you.” He released the breath he’d been holding then leaned over to shout near Jack’s ear to be heard above Mark’s screeching. “I need to get back to the house. Got some flight reservations to make.”

Jack glanced back at Alex. “Need me to give you a ride?”

“Nah. I can walk. But I do need to borrow something of yours, if I can.”

…

“Cut!” an assistant director yelled. “Break one hour for lunch.”

Mandy left the set of her small-town bakery and headed across the tiny town the crew had built for the movie and made a beeline toward the food service tent. This area was beautiful, but they’d had nothing but constant cold and rain since she’d arrived the week prior, and it didn’t look like things would improve anytime soon. Not that it mattered, since today was her last day filming.

She tugged her white knit hat down over her ears and pushed aside the tent flap to enter what seemed like nirvana. Warm and bright, the scents of garlic and tomatoes from the Italian food on that day’s menu made the food service tent like a little bit of home in the wilds of the forest.

Home.

Longing made her heart ache before she could stop it, reminding her of her mom’s letter.

She’d done the right thing, coming down here. It had helped her make some tough decisions about her life and where she wanted things to go in the future. Not just with her career but with Alex. She was done running away—from her past, from love, from real life.

Once she finished with this role, she was settling down for good in Heavenly Falls. Her heart just wasn’t in Hollywood anymore. It was with Alex, wherever he might be.

She planned to apply for the drama therapy program at the university and keep working at the diner and the Playground. Maybe join that improv group he’d told her about.

“What’s the holdup?” someone yelled behind her.

“Sorry.” She closed the gap between herself and the person in front of her, smiling at the little boy who was playing her nephew in the film and his mother who were seated nearby. She missed the kids in her reading group and couldn’t wait to see them when she got home and tell them all about this experience.

Mandy filled a plate with salad from the self-serve area then took a seat at one of the long metal tables set up in the tent. The pasta and breadsticks were tempting, but her last scene to shoot was the big happily ever after and involved a kiss with her costar. Out of respect, she decided to forego the garlic. Once she scarfed down her lettuce, she threw away her trash then headed back outside to wait under the awning for the current showers to pass. She still needed to visit the makeup trailer for a touch up. Somewhere nearby, a cell phone jangled with the same ringtone as her old phone, “Oh Yeah” by Yello.

Weird.

Considering the song was from 1985, it wasn’t exactly a popular choice these days.

“Hey, Mandy Sue! There’s some guy here to see you,” Bud called, jogging up to stand beside her, out of the rain. He pushed up the brim of his well-worn Cubbies hat and frowned as he scanned the area. “Where he’d go?”

Her pulse stumbled, but she quickly squashed the flare of hope inside her. It wasn’t Alex. No way would he fly all the way down here. She wouldn’t see him again until she got back to Illinois. “Whoever it is, I’m sure he’ll turn up again, if it’s important.”

“Yep.” Bud bustled off to check the dailies again. “See you in twenty.”

The rain finally stopped, and she hurried down the fake main street on set and over to the makeup trailer located just past the Christmas tree lot on the corner. Passed the town square that reminded her of Heavenly Falls. As she rounded the corner, though, she stopped short at the strains of Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes.”

What the…

Behind a large, bushy pine tree stood Alex, holding Jack’s boom box above his head.

“What are you doing here?” Mandy forced the question past the lump in her throat. Every cell in her body screamed for her to run to him and throw her arms around his neck, hug him tight and never let him go, but it was too soon.

He set the boom box aside then stepped closer, his expression earnest. “I came to tell you how sorry I am for making such a mess of everything.”

“No, I owe you an apology. It was my fault, not yours.”

He gave a little snort and stared down at the toes of his hiking boots. “How about we agree to disagree on that?”

“Okay,” she said, a bit breathless. Man, even with his wet hair plastered to his head and those dark circles under his eyes, his jaw shadowed with stubble and his cheeks red from the cold, he was still the most gorgeous sight she’d ever seen. “We were both wrong.”

“Good.” He smiled. “Now, please let me get this out before I can’t, okay? I ruined everything because I was too scared to admit what I was really feeling and refused to accept any help. I promise I won’t do that anymore.”

Her heart tripped as a few stray snowflakes drifted down from above.

“I’d given up on love.” He took a deep breath. “I didn’t want to get hurt again, didn’t want to be vulnerable again. But by keeping everyone away, I only hurt myself more. And I hurt you too, Mandy. And for that, I’m deeply sorry.”

Peter Gabriel continued to croon on from the boom box, and Alex leaned down to shut it off before continuing. “I reconciled with my dad, too. Thank you for that. Oh, and I started seeing a therapist. Got meds and everything.”

“Wow.” Mandy blinked at him. “You’ve been busy.”

“I have. I had a lot of work to do.” He stepped forward and took her hand, warming her chilled fingers with his warm ones. “And my dad’s crews are working on the house. Everything’s back the way it should be. Well…” He inched nearer to her, his gaze locked with hers. “Almost everything. Please, Mandy. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I’ll go anywhere for you. Hollywood. Timbuktu. I don’t care. Just please say you’ll forgive me and be mine again.”

“But you love that house. I love that house, too.” She swiped the back of her free hand across her damp cheeks. “Oh, Alex. I love you, too. And I’m not going to Hollywood anymore. The only place I want to be is home in Heavenly Falls, with you. That’s why my mom left it to us. To bring us back together.”

He frowned. “How do you know that?”

“Remember that letter Mr. Pickett gave me that first day? Well, I finally opened it and that’s what my mom said. She was playing matchmaker from beyond the grave.”

“Seriously?” He chuckled and shook his head. “Yep, that sounds like your mom.”

Mandy took a deep breath, forcing herself to go on. “And you were right, Alex. I was trying to fix you, or at least your issues, but I promise I’ll do better in the future. If you still want my half of the house, you can have it for free. I just want the best for you and for you to be happy, whatever it takes.”

He stopped her by placing a finger over her lips. “How about we just live in our home, together? As a real couple this time. I love you and I want to be with you forever, if you’ll have me. I knew it from the first moment I saw you dressed as a giant germ, I just was too afraid to admit it.” He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small velvet box, opening it to reveal a sparkling diamond ring inside. Her knees wobbled and she grabbed his arm to stay upright. Fingers shaking, she covered her mouth as happy tears spilled down her cheeks. “Mandy, will you marry me?”

“Yes,” she said, unable to resist throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him. “I love you, Alex Noonan!”

He nuzzled his nose against hers, his smile bright. “I love you, too, Mandy Reynolds.”

The pounding of his heart in time with hers sealed the deal as they stood toe to toe and forehead to forehead. This was real. This was true. This was permanent.

For the first time in forever, that word sounded perfect.

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