Never the Right Time, Part II

Never the Right Time

Part II

Lizzie Socorro

A Thousand and Seventeen Nights

Publishing Company

1017nights.com

5646 N Kenmore, Chicago, Illinois 60660

Published by A Thousand and Seventeen Nights at Smashwords

Copyright © 2015 Catherine Matamoros & Dolores dS Hernandez

Excerpt of Never the Right Choice

Copyright © 2015 Catherine Matamoros & Dolores dS Hernandez

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This is work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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For my mother, who always saw the best in my scribbles.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Epilogue

Excerpt from Never the Right Choice

Chapter One

About the Author

Prologue

William suffered a momentary attack of nerves as the smiling, attractive woman entered the diner, took stock of the room, and waved to him. He half-rose from his seat to greet her—should he go for a handshake or a hug?—and they chuckled together over the uncertainty. Never one to be shy, she offered an eager hug, arms thrown around his neck, before releasing him so that they could claim seats across the table from each other. She settled in easily, ordered sweet tea and a BLT. William settled for a cup of what passed for coffee in this country, he had work to do and wasn’t sure how long he wanted this to take.

The waitress trudged away after taking their orders but reappeared mercifully soon with their drinks, relieving some of the quiet at the table. William, at a loss, brushed away imaginary lint from his jacket, while his companion adjusted her flowing dress for the third time.

He re-crossed his legs, accidentally met her eyes and smiled—accompanied by a shrug—before looking away again, took in a breath to speak and let it out in a sigh, having lost the words—oh, this was ridiculous!

William took another breath and saw it through with determination this time. I’m glad to see you again, Carmen, he said. The sentiment was true, even if his smile was a bit forced.

Anna’s former roommate, in Dallas for the weekend to shoot a wedding, returned his smile brightly. Yeah? she said. Good to see you, too. I heard you’re doing well for yourself here.

He shrugged. The consultancy position he’d been offered in Dallas paid well and took him 250 miles away from the disaster zone of that accursed city—and her. I do okay. The hard diner chairs they sat in were uncomfortable. William shifted in his seat. And you? How are you?

I’m good, Carmen said. There’s some good money in wedding photography, and I enjoy doing it well enough.

Well…good, William said.

The silence stretched, with each taking long sips of their drinks to avoid being the next to speak. They hadn’t had much contact since Carmen had moved to Baton Rouge after she graduated, and even less reason to talk after his fallout with her roommate almost three years ago. On her drive to Dallas, however, it was quite possible that she’d passed through Houston, or was planning to on her way back, to visit…

So—so you’re good, then? William said, trying to fight the urge to ask.

Carmen raised an eyebrow. The unspoken question hung between them, the one he’d actually wanted to ask, but couldn’t dare.

She’s doing well, Carmen said gently, answering it anyway. Getting her teaching certification, actually, now that she’s finished her Masters. She smiled wistfully. Anna as a teacher. Who’d have thought?

He had. And said, several times, before—enough. William stared stonily at the sticky, oatmeal-colored tabletop. Okay.

Does she date? Is she still in Houston? Does she miss me? The demands crowded his heavy head, pounding with little fists at the edge of his skull. He wouldn’t let them out. He was stronger than that.

She’s even gotten a job offer she’s really excited about, Carmen continued, somehow sensing his need to know more, and mercifully refraining from saying the name that William couldn’t bear to hear. It’s a pretty good college, too. She’s going to be teaching English literature, which, you know, go figure.

William nodded as he stared at his companion. The information was bubbling out of her in a welcome stream, accompanied by a cheerful smile. They’d talked recently. Must have. Carmen was full of new information, and was bursting to share with someone. William just happened to be lucky enough to be the first person in her path.

Don’t you want to know which college? Carmen asked, when William said nothing.

He was already nodding before he could think, before he remembered what would be best for him. No, he then said, trying to cover up his moment of weakness.

She told him anyway.

The one thought that his mind could process ricocheted from every corner of his head: She was here.

Not here here, obviously. Not in the diner with them. But she was in Dallas. Or would be, when she started her new teaching position. It just had to be a school in the same city that he’d moved to, didn’t it? How could fate be so cruel?

William pressed a hand to his temple, pushing back the urge to scream at the unfairness of it all. Still, Dallas was a big city. With a population of over a million, the chances of them running into each other ever again were slim to none. For once, maybe the odds would work in his favor.

Carmen cleared her throat. So you’re probably wondering why I wanted to meet up, huh?

Not really, he sighed, dropping his hand back onto the table and refocusing on the conversation.

To be honest, the thought had crossed his mind. He and Carmen had barely been better than acquaintances and they’d hardly spoken since she’d sent him those pictures a year after their graduation. He’d been pleased to see the photos, a reminder of that fantastic snow day he’d spent with friends, and grateful that she’d been thoughtful enough to send him a copy, but they hadn’t made much of an effort to keep in touch. She had studied English in college, along with all of the art electives she’d taken. They didn’t have anything in common besides—William slammed that train of thought down immediately. You know better than to think about that.

It’s good to see you, he said to fill the silence.

Carmen smiled again. You already said that.

Oh. He had. Well, she wasn’t exactly doing her part to keep the conversation flowing in order to ignore the awkwardness of not having anything to talk about, so William had been left to fill in the blanks. And William was bound to do a poor job. If she’d expected him to be a better talker by now, she was going to be very disappointed.

Right, Carmen said, clearing her throat now. Well, the thing is…you remember those pictures I sent you?

William nodded.

You remember the ones from the snow day?

Of course he did. His favorite one of the bunch, after all, had been of them standing in the snow, trying to attack each other with piles of the slush. The one that he had framed and had ended up broken—nope. Don’t think about it.

The thing is… Carmen chewed on her lip nervously. I didn’t send you all the pictures.

William waited for her to get to the point. He hadn’t thought that she’d sent him every picture she’d taken that night. If she had, he would have been buried under the pile. Carmen snapped a photo a second once she got the camera out.

There was one…well, maybe it’s best I just give it to you.

Hesitantly, Carmen slid a glossy photo across the table. William picked it up, quickly glanced at it, started to shrug in confusion, and then stared harder.

It was a shot of William and Anna standing in the snow, softly preserved under the beam of a courtyard light. They faced each other, bodies almost pressed together. William, years younger, stared into Anna's eyes with an intensity he couldn't bear to relive. Her lips were parted slightly, eternally on the brink of speech.

William knew the exact moment that it had been taken. Anna had dumped snow down his shirt, and in the breath before he'd done the same to her head, William had made the mistake of looking in her eyes. Anna had been about to speak, to say what he would never know.

The love that had swept through him, too strong to hide, had been staggering. But it was the wrong time to tell her. Seeking to keep Anna from noticing what his eyes, his expression, nearly his every thought begged her to understand had led him to mete out justice for his snowy back. He didn't know how Carmen had gotten this picture, how she'd captured it so perfectly.

He was blazingly grateful that Carmen had kept this picture to herself for so long. He only wished that she had continued to do so forever. The way the photo showed them, the way he was looking at Anna…how could anyone see that photo and not know that he was in love with the subject?

Carmen flinched when he finally raised his gaze from the photograph. His brown eyes were sharp with pain.

Why are you giving me this? he said. His expression begged, why now?

Because… She seemed at a loss for words. Because someone needed to see it. Because you love her.

It would be pointless for William to deny the truth in that simple statement. As clueless as Anna had been, one look at that picture and it was as plain as day. He was a fool three times over for it, but that didn’t change a damn thing. He loved her and he couldn’t always hide it. Anna had chosen to ignore it because of that willful ignorance of hers. All she had wanted from him was a roll in the sack, and then to run away before she had to hear how he felt.

William tried to flick the offending picture away, the bitterness happily gnawing at him, but Carmen stopped its flight.

I could win an award with this picture, William, she said earnestly. It’s every photographer’s dream to capture a shot like this. It’s real, stark, reveals everything and nothing. But I’m giving it to you.

So she was giving him a copy. What, did she want his permission to enter the stupid thing in a contest?

And I’ve deleted my backups, she continued. Never printed a copy for myself, deleted the records from my computer.

William finally met her gaze, his eyebrows rising. What?

I’m putting it in your hands, she said, nodding towards the photo. If you throw it out, it won’t exist anymore. I’m leaving its destiny up to you. You have the right to decide what happens to it. Not me.

She was giving him the power to erase any evidence of that night, practically erase the memory itself. William’s head bowed under the strength of the gift that she was offering him.

"Grazie, Carmen," he said, voice rough. His fingers curled around the edges of the picture again.

As much as he wanted to throw it away, exorcise himself of the memory and therefore the pain, he couldn’t. He’d put away all other photos he had of her in a futile attempt to eradicate her from his mind. What was one more?

Chapter One

Year Seven

Anna Hardwick had never enjoyed riding motorcycles—they were much too dangerous for her—but she liked them, and she had a bit of a soft spot for the men who rode them. Their risky behavior made bikers seem so edgy to her, and tantalizingly masculine. The leather jackets helped.

She could hear the approaching growl of one even as Zane, a fellow professor, handed her a to-go cup of sweet tea from the cafeteria. She smiled her thanks up at him, trying to ignore the sound. In all likelihood, the motorcyclist was just going to roar past the university on his way to some exciting, far-off destination. She wouldn’t catch more than a glimpse of him as he rode briefly through her boring life.

You did well today, Zane told her. His boyish smile lit up his hazel eyes, brightening Anna’s exam-day mood.

Their classes had had midterms all day, and both professors felt as exhausted as their students. Anna especially appreciated Zane’s encouragement; this was her first semester with the college and she’d never administered midterm exams before. She had been grateful for how helpful Zane had been—she’d needed as much help as she could get. He had promised that the spring semester would be better, once she started getting the feel of things