11 At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks

Author:Nicholas Sparks [Sparks, Nicholas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Thirteen

A cold, slashing rain, unseasonable in its fury, crashed water against the windows in waves. The gray clouds, which had drifted in uneventfully the night before, brought with them morning mist and a wind that shook the last of the blossoms from the dogwood trees. It was early May, and there were only three days until the wedding. Jeremy had made arrangements to meet his parents at the Norfolk airport, where they’d follow him in a rented car to Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton. Until they arrived, he busied himself with helping Lexie make final calls to verify that everything was ready.

The gloomy weather did nothing to dampen the renewed passion Lexie and Jeremy felt for each other. On the night he’d returned, they made love with an intensity that surprised them both, and he could vividly recall the electric feel of her skin against his own. It was as if, in their lovemaking, they were trying to erase all of the pain and betrayals, the secrets and anger, of the past few months.

Once the burden of their respective secrets had been removed, Jeremy felt lighter than he had in months. With his impending marriage, he had a valid excuse to avoid thinking about work and had little trouble doing so. He went jogging twice and made the decision to take it up regularly again as soon as the wedding was behind him. Although the renovations on the house weren’t complete, the contractor promised that they would be able to move in well before the baby was born. It would probably be the end of August, but Lexie felt confident enough to go ahead and put her bungalow up for sale, promising to bank the entire proceeds to shore up their dwindling savings.

The one place they didn’t go was Herbs. After learning what Rachel had told Alvin, Lexie couldn’t fathom the idea of seeing her—not yet, anyway. The night before, Doris had called, asking why neither Jeremy nor Lexie had even dropped in to say hello. On the phone, Lexie assured Doris that she wasn’t angry with her and admitted that Doris had been right to take her to task when they last spoke. When Lexie didn’t follow up with a visit, Doris called again.

“I’m beginning to think there’s something that you’re not telling me,” Doris said, “and if you don’t tell me what’s going on, I’m going to march over to your house and perch myself on your porch until you fill me in.”

“We’re just busy and making sure everything is ready for the weekend,” Lexie said, trying to appease her.

“I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck,” Doris said, “and I know avoidance when I see it, and the fact is, you’re avoiding me.”

“I’m not avoiding you.”

“Then why not swing by the restaurant a little later?” When Lexie hesitated, Doris made an intuitive leap. “Does this have something to do with Rachel, by any chance?”

When Lexie didn’t answer, Doris sighed. “That’s it, isn’t it. I should have known. On Monday, she seemed to be avoiding me, too.

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