I dare you to give me a ticket for speeding, she thought as her car raced down the road. She decided it was time to get some answers about Wade.
There was no denying she was jealous and it annoyed her that she would react in such a childish way to what she saw. It was her own fault for letting herself fall for the guy without knowing more about him. Melissa had thought he was perfect, but she always saw the best in everyone, something Sydney knew first-hand could come back and bite you in the ass. Luke definitely didn’t like Wade and maybe she should have paid more attention to his concerns instead of staring into Wade’s eyes like some lovesick schoolgirl.
She had trusted Wade. That was the hardest pill to swallow. For the first time since that awful night almost six years ago, she had allowed herself to trust someone to look out for her and to keep her and Faith safe. But maybe Wade wasn’t worthy of it. And if that was in fact the case, then there was no way they could stay in Elton. She knew that now. It was time to make some difficult decisions.
So she went to the one person who couldn’t help but bluntly tell her the truth.
“SYDNEY.” AGNES GREETED HER with a welcoming smile like she did every day. “Faith started some art project a few minutes ago. It’s something for her birthday party, but she’s not quite done. Why don’t you come in and have some chicken. I’ve got plenty left.”
“Thanks,” she said as she scooted inside. From the outside, Mrs. Whittman’s looked like any other home in Elton; modest, neat and well-maintained. It was only when you were inside that you saw the world Agnes lived in. To most people the multiple locks and security monitors inside might be off-putting, but to Sydney they were a comfort. If that wasn’t enough, the 150 pound German Sheppard named Diablo was enough to stop the toughest heart. When Faith was here, Sydney knew she was safe.
“How was the rest of your shift? Did Luke stay all afternoon with that sour look on his face?” An enormous pile of potatoes and a chicken breast were placed on the plate before her. Sydney smiled appreciatively.
“Thank you.” Her hunger had her digging into the potatoes within seconds. “He stayed a while after you left, but didn’t really say anything. He just read the paper.”
“Mommy!” Faith said with a smile as she ran into the kitchen, an empty roll of tape in her hand. “I’m making a new creation. Can I finish it before we leave?” When Sydney agreed, Faith turned to Agnes, her expression becoming serious. “I have a code red.” She waved the plastic packaging in the air. “No more tape.”
With a laugh, Mrs. Whittman went to a drawer by the phone and pulled out a new spare. Faith’s eyes lit up at the sight. “To be clear, Faith, my dear, lack of tape is not a code red. It’s not classified as a matter of life or death or national security. A code yellow, or maybe it could be a code orange if you were wrapping a gift to give someone, but not a matter of life or death. Understand?” The little girl’s head bobbed up and down in understanding, but her eyes never left the circular roll in her hand.
“You go finish up your project while your mother eats.” Without another word, Faith sprinted out of the kitchen and went back to work in the other room. “Whiskey or wine?” Agnes held up both, her standard offering at the end of the day. She swore the whiskey was the key to longevity, but Sydney wasn’t up for immortality. She did however need some form of liquid courage for the conversation she wanted to have, so she didn’t refuse.
“Wine, please.” Sydney thanked her as she placed a very generously filled glass of red wine beside her plate. Agnes had her traditional two fingers of whiskey, neat.
“Long day?” Agnes asked as she slid into the chair across the table. “Or is the late night finally catching up with you?” For a mature woman, she certainly enjoyed teasing Sydney.
Sydney wadded up her napkin and launched it over the table at her. “You’re as bad as the rest of them.” Agnes took a long sip of her whiskey. Sydney could see that she was mulling something in her head.
“Do you believe Wade when he said there was someone in your house last night?”
The perfect opening had been given, so she took it as she played with the chicken on her plate. “Should I?”
Mrs. Whittman shrugged her shoulders. “That’s for you to decide.”
“I had decided, until I saw him in the parking lot of the diner kissing some woman. Now I’m not so sure.” It was Sydney’s turn to take a long sip of her wine while Agnes sat wordless across the table. The corners of her lips pulled down into a deep frown.
“Kissing someone you say?” Sydney speared a piece of chicken and nodded her head. “Did she have dark hair and kinda look like the devil incarnate?”
“She was definitely thinking about sin when she was stroking his chest, if you ask me.”
“Damn that girl,” Agnes spat the words out with a sudden burst of anger. “She won’t leave him alone.”
“He didn’t seem to mind her attention,” Sydney grumbled, taking another drink. She was starting to warm from the inside out as the alcohol took effect. She leaned forward in her chair. “Tell me about Wade.”
Agnes played her cards very close to her chest. She thought of Wade like a son, and was going to protect him if necessary, it seemed. “What do you want to know?”
“Why does Luke hate him?”
“Why didn’t you ask Luke or Wade?”
“Because I didn’t think either of them would tell me.” Sydney had considered cornering Luke, but he was always so emotional when it came to Wade, she knew no good would come from it.
“Why not?”
“Will you stop answering my questions with questions?”
“Sorry. Those two have a long history and I think it’s their story to tell. Why is it so important to know?” Again, Agnes cautiously avoided answering.
“Luke’s a friend, I guess, but sometimes it’s hard because Wade…”
“Might be something more?”
Sydney didn’t answer right away, instead pausing to organize her thoughts before she spoke. “You know there’s a lot I can’t tell you, right? I’ve kept my secrets since we came to town. And I trust you to watch Faith when I’m not around. I can tell you that trust doesn’t come easily for me.” Her eyes drifted to the other room where her daughter played happily, making decorations for her birthday party. One Sydney hoped she’d be able to have in Elton, if it was safe. “I trust Wade. At least I did until today. Things are… catching up with me and, right now, I need to make a choice between leaving Elton or staying. But I can’t stay if I can’t trust Wade to keep his word. Right now, after seeing him in the parking lot, I have to say, I’m more inclined to run so if there’s something you can tell me to change my mind, please do. I’m begging you. Our lives might depend on it.”
“Both of those boys are as trustworthy as they come. Their problems are between them. Pride and jealousy are powerful emotions that are hard to let go. For everyone involved, that is.” When Sydney didn’t say anything but looked at her imploringly, Agnes tossed back the rest of her whiskey. “Screw it. Whole town knows anyway. It’s public knowledge. I was hoping you’d talk to Wade about it, then maybe share whatever it is you’ve been hiding. Now don’t look at me that way, child. I wasn’t born yesterday. Your confession doesn’t surprise me at all. I know evasive techniques, and you’ve been practicing them so long I bet you don’t even think about it anymore.” Sydney’s head dropped. “But since I can see you’re as stubborn as an old mule I once had,” Mrs. Whittman said with a cheeky smile, “I’ll tell you what I can.”
“Thank you,” Sydney said softly, still plagued by guilt for always being the one asking for things from people but never willing to give anything in return. It was a difficult way to live and she was getting tired of it.
“Luke and Wade grew up together and were never close friends. But their dislike of one another grew deep when their hormones kicked in and they began chasing skirts.”
Faith ran in for some juice then disappeared back into the living room. “They
’re opposites, as you’ve noticed. Luke was the outgoing one and Wade was more of the quiet, mysterious type.”
The picture was becoming clearer for Sydney and she knew exactly how the girls would react to them. Luke would be charming and pursue girls constantly and Wade would give off the air of danger that would attract girls like flies. Then the conflicts would arise and the posturing, probably mostly on Luke’s part. His insecurity, his distrust of Wade made a lot of sense, but he was so vehement about it. There had to be more.
“After high school, Wade went into the military. The female population around here wore black for a month when he was deployed. His parents were so proud of him for going into the service. Bragged about him to anyone who would listen – which was just about the entire town. Drove Luke crazy.”
“That’s still not the end of their story, is it?” There had to be more to it and whatever it was, Agnes was reluctant to tell her. That had all her internal alarms ringing.
“No. When Wade came home, he met this girl, Tara. I’m pretty sure she’s the one you saw pawing him in the parking lot today. The girl was either an unidentified mental patient or Lucifer’s niece. One of the two.”
“Don’t hold back, tell me what you really think.”
“She was rotten, but a skilled liar. Her family had moved to town a few months before Wade got back and she’d been dating a number of the men in town but the moment she saw Wade, she was like a heat-seeking missile and wouldn’t let go.”
Green’s so becoming on you, Sydney, she told herself as her gut churned. “Let me guess, Luke had his eye on her before Wade came home?”
Agnes’ nodding head confirmed it. “He had more than his eye on her—they were pretty serious. At least Luke thought they were. Then Wade came back and you have to understand, Wade had been in the thick of it in Iraq. From what I heard from my husband, he saw some horrible stuff and he wasn’t himself those first few months.” She took Sydney’s empty plate to the sink and went to refill her glass. “George talked to him a lot. Being a veteran, he understood some of what Wade was going through. The two of them became close.”
“That’s why Wade is so important to you.” She smiled in confirmation and before coming back to the table Agnes looked in on Faith and checked her monitors.
“Yes. While he was getting his feet back under him, Tara swooped in and dug her claws in deep. He was hurt and lonely and she took advantage of that. Worm that she was.” The nasty tone Agnes’ voice took on when she mentioned Tara spoke volumes.
Tara was scum.
“How she got him to marry her was anybody’s guess.”
The air in the room seemed to vanish as Sydney sputtered for breath. “M-Married? Wade’s married?” Not only was Tara scum, she was Wade’s scummy wife.
Great.
“You don’t like the idea of Wade married, do you?” The smug grin on Agnes’ face made Sydney’s heart pound. “Good. Then you’re really gonna hate the next part.” She grabbed another glass and poured Sydney some whiskey of her own, which she quickly sipped. “Tara became pregnant.”
Sydney gripped the table when the room began to spin, either from the whiskey burning a hole in her stomach or the thought of the baby.
Wade had a child.
“He was so excited. He told George that he saw the baby as his future, his hope. It brought him out of the funk he was in after his tour.” Something on one of the monitors caught her eye, distracting her mid-sentence. “Speak of the devil.” She tapped the monitor. “This her?”
Sydney craned her neck and was shocked to see the woman she now knew was Tara standing on the sidewalk, staring at her house.
“Yes. What is she doing?” They watched her pace back and forth between their two houses before getting into her car and driving away.
“Who knows? Her parents moved a few towns over. I’m sure they’ve passed on the gossip from the festival and she came to mess with Wade again. She’s a disturbed girl.” Agnes sat back down and sighed. “Now where were we?”
A feeling of dread slid down Sydney’s spine. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear any more of the story. “Wade was having a child with Satan’s niece.”
“Ah, yes. Well, the day before she was due to have the baby, she told him it wasn’t his.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“No.”
“And it was true?”
“Yep. Paternity test proved it a few months later.”
Sydney sprang to her feet, unable to stay still a second longer. “That’s horrible! Who does that?”
“Apparently you missed the part of the story where I called her a mental patient…”
Her feet stopped and she became rooted to the floor. “Oh my God, poor Wade.”
“Devastated was putting it mildly.” Every word out of Agnes’ mouth was breaking her heart. “Max was born the next day. Tara refused to allow Wade to be in the delivery room for the birth, so he only saw him through the window of the nursery. Overnight, Wade’s world changed. He would have done the right thing by that boy and raised him, but Tara told him she’d never let him be a part of Max’s life. Wade was crushed when he had to walk out of that hospital alone.”
“Oh, God.” Sydney knew exactly what that felt like to think for months you were going to leave the hospital with a tiny angel and then that dream is snatched away. She had more in common with Wade than anyone else in the world.
Agnes shook her head. “From there, Wade went directly to the courthouse and filed for a divorce. It got very ugly. She insisted on living in their house with the baby, so Wade moved to his parents but whenever he saw her, it ripped his heart out. Then the rumors started.”
Her blood chilled. “What rumors?”
“Tara,” Agnes spat her name in anger, “that conniving witch started telling people that Wade hit her and that was the reason they were getting a divorce. The killer was, people believed her. She had played so many folks in this town, she had them eating out of her hand. Especially when she waved that beautiful baby in their faces.”
“Wade would never hit a woman! Who would be dumb enough to believe her? Most of the people in this town grew up with him!” Then it hit her. “Luke believed Tara.”
“Yep. But you have to remember, he was still bitter about her choosing Wade over him. His pride was hurt something awful so he wanted it to be true. He wanted Wade to be the louse he always hoped he was. Made his anger easier to fuel.” She paused, shaking her head. “There never was any proof, not a scratch on her miserable head. So she started breaking things in her house, bumping into things to bruise herself up a little and telling people Wade came over in a rage and did it. I don’t have any proof that’s what she did, but no way Wade would walk into his home and trash the place no matter how mad he was. He made his choice. He simply walked away from her. It was all circumstantial evidence at best, but those who had an axe to grind with Wade bought into it. Still do, to this day.”
“What about the baby?” The question slipped from her lips before she could stop it. “Who was the father?”
Agnes shook her head sadly. “Don’t know. That’s something Wade would never talk about. I don’t think it was Luke’s. He would have chased after Tara to the ends of the earth if there was even a chance of it being his. The whole thing was a horribly sad mess created by one nasty woman looking to grab everything she could from the folks around her.”
It took Sydney a few minutes to collect her thoughts. This thing between Luke and Wade went deep and it wasn’t a quick fix. But one thing was crystal clear in her mind—Wade would never hit a woman. And it was difficult not to think less of Luke for thinking he would.
“So why was he kissing her today if she’s so horrible?”
That brought a smile to Agnes’ face. “You said you could see her but not him, right?” Sydney’s nodded her head. “Well, then I’m guessing if you could have seen him, he’d have looked like he was on the verge of throwing up.” She looked out the window thoughtfully b
efore she spoke again. “If she’s back, she wants something from him. She either wants money or to cause trouble. That’s the only time she comes around him now.”
“Why did you decide to tell me this?”
“Because Wade’s too damn proud to share it himself. And I wanted you to understand that he has been alone for so long, by his choice, that the fact that he is showing interest in you, Sydney, is huge. I think you’re good for him. You are genuine and selfless. And he’s as trustworthy as they come. If he offers you his protection, he’ll die before he’d let anything happen to you or your daughter. If you want my opinion, and even if you don’t, here it is: You and Wade would be good for one another. So stay. Stay with Wade and fight whatever demons might come after you.”
Agnes had given her a lot to think about as she loaded Faith and her toilet paper roll castle into Sydney’s arms a short while later. Finding out Wade had been married was a shock. Part of her was furious he hadn’t mentioned it, but the rational part of her understood. She had plenty of things in her past she wanted to keep dead and buried—why should he be any different?
He wasn’t a liar, which made her feel somewhat better. She hadn’t been wrong about him. But two people with as much in their pasts standing between them as Wade and Sydney had, there was very little chance of a happy ending. She had to be honest with herself about that much at least.
The smartest thing to do was to push all thoughts of Wade out of her mind. That’s what she hoped this conversation with Mrs. Whittman would do—allow her to find a reason, any reason to keep away from him. But then she heard about his wife, the child that he lost, the future he was robbed of, and she couldn’t get him out of her head. If anyone could ever understand why she did what she did, he might.