Excerpt of Leave Yesterday Behind by Lauren Linwood

Gretchen collapsed on a nearby lawn chair. “You are not
kidding me. I could use a cold one.”

Callie had worried about standing around feeling useless.
Now she had a job. “I’ll get you something. I’ll get
everyone something. Be right back.”

She hurried into the kitchen, pleased that she’d made
small talk and actually enjoyed it. She spied a pitcher
of iced tea sitting on the counter, but she knew most
people would want something a little stronger. As she
opened the refrigerator, she heard the kitchen door open
behind her. Thinking it was Pam, she said, “Go back and
poll the guys if they want beer or wine. I know what
you’ll want.”

“That so?”

She popped her head up and found Nick standing there. “I
. . . thought you were Pam.”

“Pam sent me in to help. She didn’t think you should have
to make so many trips. Don’t worry. I know where
everything is.”

“I’m fine. You can go.”

He stayed.

She pulled out several beers and a bottle of white wine
and set them on the counter.

“I had you pegged as a white wine kinda gal,” he said.

She stiffened. “For your information, I don’t drink wine.
I don’t drink. Period. My daddy did enough drinking for
the entire family, and he turned mean when he did it.
Mama and I got slapped around enough times because of it.
I supposed I’d be prone to it, so I’ve never touched a
drop.”

She slammed the refrigerator for emphasis and crossed her
arms protectively in front of her.

Now why did she go blurt all that out?

She rarely mentioned her father to anyone, much less the
abuse she and her mother endured. She kept opening up to
this man at the oddest moments. For the life of her, she
couldn’t understand why.

Nick’s brow creased. If Callie didn’t know better, she
might have thought it was in anger.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

She almost aimed another retort, but she recognized true
sympathy on his features. Her heart did a back flip that
would have made an Olympic gymnast proud.

“I’m not,” she continued, her voice calming. “When he
died, Mom and I came to Noble Oaks. I never felt as safe
as I did that first night. I got more than enough to eat,
and I was always starving back then. Aunt C herself
scrubbed me from head to toe that night, and she read me
a story from a fairy tale book. I fell asleep lying in a
big bed with clean sheets and frilly curtains hanging
around the windows. I thought I’d died and gone to
heaven.”

“Noble Oaks has that effect on people.” He acted as if he
wanted to share a confidence, but he turned away and
opened a cabinet instead. He took out several koozies and
slipped the canned beers into them.

“What would you like to drink?” she asked, her anger
evaporating.

“Tea would be great.” He swallowed and said hesitantly,
“I had a little drinking problem myself at one point.
Drugs, too. My mom marched herself into her big league
son’s life and straightened me out but good.” He smiled.
“I don’t even like to take aspirin nowadays.”

He gathered the beers up in his arms and took them
outside. Callie watched out the window as he distributed
them to Gretchen, Eric, and Tom. She poured a glass of
wine for Pam and two tall glasses of iced tea for herself
and Nick as she reflected at his surprising candor.

As she reached the door, Nick came back. “Thanks.” He
took the glass from her and gulped a big swig. He turned
and headed over to the grill, and he and Eric good-
naturedly started teasing about who was the best grill
master.

Callie took Pam her wine and then went and sat on a
picnic bench.

There was a lot more to Nick La Chappelle than she’d
first thought.