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“This is just what I need. Luckily, I have Triple A.” She dialed the emergency number and told them at what mile marker they were now parked. Within a half hour, they were on their way in a tow truck to Saratoga Springs. At the repair station, the mechanic ran a diagnostic and told Rachel it was a faulty fuel injector.
“Can you fix it?” She asked.
“Sure can. The only the problem is that I need to order a part. I don’t keep foreign car parts here in the station. I might not be able to get it until Monday. But if I can get it early enough today then I can repair it and have you on your way by afternoon.”
“You can’t do it any sooner?” Rachel pleaded.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, even if I had the part, we close at noon on Saturdays.”
“Is there a place we can stay around here? Or a car rental place?”
“There are several hotels here in town but with the races and it being a weekend, you might not find any vacancies. There is also an inn run by a friend of mine. They usually have one or two rooms available. I can take you over there once my coworker gets back from a coffee run.”
Ava groaned. “Rachel, I wanted to go to Montreal.”
“I know, and I’m sorry, but we have so many samples in the back that I need to take to my client that I need this fixed. I could probably call my client and set up a later appointment for Monday. But, hey. Saratoga is nice this time of year. We can stay here over the weekend and then head north on Monday. I’m sure I will have to come up to do a fitting, and we can shop around Montreal then.”
“I suppose so. I might have to call and ask for an extra day off work if we’re going to be delayed. I’m sure Victoria is not going to be happy, but nothing I can do. Fortunately, I caught up with my work last week.”
They waited for the mechanic to drive them to the inn. It was on the outskirts of town about a mile from the Hudson River. The rooms were nicely decorated and had a private bath. Ava carried in the bags and set them on the floor. She was tired but not more tired than Rachel, who sat back on the pillows of her bed on top of the comforter and was fast asleep within a minute. Must be the hormones.
Ava decided to walk around town. It was hot out but not as hot as Manhattan, and she didn't want to be cooped up in the room while Rachel slept. Ava thought about texting Tim but was annoyed by his behavior last night. His intentions of sleeping with her so soon into their relationship were overly apparent.
She wanted to talk to Rachel about his attitude and was worried that he was becoming possessive of her after one date, but that would have to wait until after her cousin’s nap. Stepping out into the bright sunshine and walking towards the river, she realized that she had forgotten her sunglasses in the Volvo, so she stopped into one of the small shops lining Main Street to purchase another pair.
When she stepped back out onto the sidewalk, a man had just passed by the store. Ava walked into the wake of his cologne. It was the same one that Xander had worn. In fact, the man that was in front of her looked very much like the man she had seen on the park bench last week. He was tall and had his almost blonde hair in a ponytail. His Yankee cap was flipped backward. He was wearing a tank top, but his arms were much more defined than Xander’s had been.
She followed the man as he walked down the street. He caught up with a woman who had two small children holding her hands, a boy and a girl. The little boy clung to the man’s legs, and he swung him up to his shoulders. He picked up the little girl and planted kisses on her chubby face. He kissed the woman on the cheek and as he did she glimpsed his full face. She was shocked. It was Xander. She hadn’t seen him in four years, but she would know his face anywhere. He had a long unkempt beard that was several colors, mostly blonde but red and strawberry in some areas.
Her heart was breaking all over again. He was married with children. She felt like a fool for waiting for him to come back. It was obvious he had moved on in his personal life and she had not. She decided to follow them, and when they got to a small park with swings, teeter-totters, and slides, she hid behind a tree watching.
For several minutes she watched as Xander pushed the children on the swings. A man approached them, and he heard the children scream “Daddy!” Her heart soared. They hugged the man around his legs just as they did Xander’s and the woman kissed this man on the lips. He waved to Xander and then left with the children holding his hand.
Ava watched as Xander walked to a bench and sat down. He took off his ball cap and leaned his head back catching some sun on his face. From what she saw he didn’t need it. His arms, face, and neck, were very tan. She doubted he worked as an attorney anymore. Through the years, she had checked the New York State Bar Registry and had only found his old city address. If he did work as an attorney, he never changed his address.
Her stomach was in knots. Should she go and speak with him? She was a ball of emotion, with anger leading the way. But she was also happy to know she had found him. She had texted him last week when she found out Gabby Wilder had been taken to the hospital. He never replied to her. This is how it had been for four years. She would be given a sign that he was near and when she tried to reach out — nothing.
She needed to do this or she would never be able to move forward. She was taking the first steps now with Tim, but she was so unsure that he was the right person.
She approached the bench, and he made no indication he had heard her. Several times she reached out to touch him and several times she pulled her hand back. Finally, she got the courage to touch his shoulder and speak his name. He wheeled around as if she had burnt him with her fingers.
“Fucking Dammit, you scared the hell out of me,” he yelled at her. As his face flickered with recognition she waited for him to speak. He just stared at her.
“How did you find me, Ava?”
That’s it you son of a bitch? That is what you have to say to me?
“I didn’t find you. We got stuck here. Is that all you fucking have to say to me?” She was furious. She wanted to tear his beard off his face.
“What do you want me to say? That I’m happy to see you? I told you to stay away from me. I’m no good for you.”
Ava was seething. She had waited four years to say this to him.
“You fucking made that decision without me. How could you do that to me, Xander? I loved you so much, and I thought we would be together forever,” she hissed.
“Forever is bullshit. I found that out quick. And the name is Alex, not Xander.”
She looked at him with shock.
