Chapter 12

	“Mikki Johnson, where have you been?”
	Mikki blinked at the redhead at her door, rolled her eyes, and turned away,
leaving the girl to follow.
	“I was sleeping.” she groaned, rubbing her hands through her hair and looking at
her watch.  What had been a long drive in Reese’s truck had seemed like twice as long
on the bus.  They’d stopped at every little hamlet to pick up or drop off passengers,
which, although not actually doubling the trip, had lengthened it considerably.  Mikki had
attempted to sleep in her seat as the bus had driven through the night, but hadn’t been
entirely successful. Exhausted, she had arrived home during the evening of the following
day, and had collapsed on the couch in her living-room and instantly fallen asleep.
	When the insistent knocking had filtered through her brain, she had rolled off the
couch and dragged herself to the door, to find Max standing frantically in the hallway.
	“Sleeping? For four days?” Max exclaimed.
	Mikki flopped back onto the couch and draped her arm over her eyes. “No, silly,
only for three hours, which isn’t nearly enough!”
	Max stood with hands on her hips. “Mikki, you know what I meant! I’ve been
frantic here! First Joey takes off with nothing but a quick message on my answering
machine and no indication of where she’s going or for how long--but at least I knew she
was going somewhere--then you, out of the blue, drop off the face of the earth.”
	“I did not drop off the face of the earth Max, I went to Sandy’s shower,
remember? And I’m here now, aren’t I?”
	“You went to Sandy’s shower.” Max repeated, beginning to sound more and
more frustrated. “Sure you did Mikki. I called there, she said you’d been and gone the
same day, and that you’d shown up with Kincaide.”
	Mikki groaned and rolled her face into the back of the couch.
	“Mikki!” Max continued firmly. “It does not take three days to get back from
Silverside!  I called and called, and kept getting your machine. I came over, and your car
was here but there was never any answer at the door.  I even called that Kincaide
Landscaping place and left a message there.”
	“Yes, so I heard.” Mikki said flatly.
	“You heard?” Max stared at her. “You mean you were there and you heard my
message, and you didn’t bother to get in touch with me?”
	Mikki groaned again. “No, silly. I heard that you had called.  Jake gave Reese the
message.”
	“Jake? Who is Jake?”
	“Jake works for Reese.  He got the message at the shop while we were in Clay
River and called Reese with it.”
	“Clay River!? You were in Clay River? Mikki, the last time I checked, Clay River
was not on the way from Silverside to Elmdale.” Max finally plunked herself down in a
nearby chair and stared at her friend in complete confusion.
	“No kidding.” Mikki said, sarcastically.
	Max threw her hands up in the air. “Well Mikki, are you going to tell me any more
than that? I’ve been worried sick about you for days, wondering if you got kidnapped, or
if you were dead on the side of the road somewhere, or tossed in a field killed by a
madman even, and all the while, you’re in Clay River!”
	“Max, calm down. Why would Reese kidnap me or leave me dead in a field?”
	“It happens, in case you don’t read the newspapers.” Max pouted, feeling a little
ridiculous for having thought it now that she knew where Mikki had really been. 
“Besides, what did I know about this Reese Kincaide character anyway? He was just
some guy who replied to your personal ad, he could have been an ax murderer or serial
killer for all I knew.”
	Mikki’s eyes shot open, then narrowed accusingly. “What do you mean some
guy who replied to my personal ad?”
	Max sighed, realizing she had just let the cat out of the bag.  She groaned, fell
back in her chair, and put her hand to her head “He’s the one, Mikki.” She said, glancing
at her friend cautiously. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. He’s the guy with the perfect
letter.  I took it out of your garbage can when I left and wrote back to him.  I was kind of
surprised when he wrote back again, but no where near as surprised as I was when I
saw him leaving here that day!  When you said you’d found him yourself  without our
help, and then told me what his name was, well, I didn’t have the heart to tell you the
truth.”
	Mikki dropped her head back on the cushion and groaned, covering her face with
her arms.  “And I suppose you sent him a picture of me?”
	“Yeah, we did. He asked for one. We didn’t think at the time that it might not be a
good idea. I guess it could have been, but it turned out all right in the end, right?  I mean
-- you did go to Clay River with him, right?”
	Mikki groaned again. Reese had answered her personal ad? Joey hadn’t given
him her picture and sent him to her apartment.  She’d jumped to the wrong conclusion
and distrusted him for no reason!  Lack of sleep, plus Max’s information, was making her
head spin and she lay there moaning and shaking her head.
	“Mikki? Are you all right?” Max asked, concerned.
	All right? Sure, she was all right. Who would she be kidding?  She’d been none
too polite to Reese the night she’d found her picture at his house.  Why had she
assumed Joey had given it to him?  Why hadn’t she let him explain? Maybe all of this
could have been avoided. Maybe she would be sitting in Emily Ryan’s hospital room
right this minute, as Reese’s real girlfriend.  She groaned, and dropped her arm to her
side, punching the couch as it landed.  No, there was still the issue of Reese’s
accusation that she was the type of girl who slept around and two-timed her men.  He
had stung her bitterly with that.
	“Mikki?” Max’s voice penetrated her thoughts and she rolled herself off the couch
and shuffled into the kitchen in search of coffee.  In an attempt to divert the discussion
away from her own folly, Max tried changing the subject.
	“What were you doing in Clay River anyway?”
	“Visiting Reese’s mother.” Mikki said, as she poured the water into the
coffee-maker and switched it on.
	“His mother?”
	Mikki left the coffee dripping and sat down at the kitchen table. “Reese got a call
from Jake while we were on the way home from Silverside, saying that his mother had
had a heart attack.  He wanted to get to her as soon as he could, understandably, so I
stayed with him and we made a detour.”
	Once she’d started telling the story it all began to flood out of her.  As Max sat
listening, wide eyed, she told her how she’d found the picture at Reese’s house and the
argument that had ensued. Max blushed.  She told how her car had refused to start the
next morning and how Reese had shown up and offered to drive her to Sandy’s shower,
and Max smiled. Then she told about how Emily Ryan had mistakenly assumed that she
and Reese were engaged and Max looked at her wide-eyed and laughed.
	“So you had to pretend to be all in love and everything?  My God, Joey would
have been in her element!”  Max said, and for the first time since it had happened, Mikki
saw the humour in the situation and laughed with her, until she cried.
	“So is his mother all right now? She must be, if you guys came home?”
	Mikki brushed the wet off her face and shook her head. “She’ll be fine, but Reese
is still there. At least, I don’t know where he is, I assume he’s still there. I left yesterday
and came home on the bus.”
	Max’s smile faded into a questioning glance. “What do you mean you came
home  on the bus? When’s he coming back? I want to meet this guy.  I mean, he looks
absolutely dreamy, and since you two are engaged and all, I really should meet him
officially.”
	Mikki grunted. “Oh, that certainly would be an interesting encounter.  I’d love to
see the look on his face when I introduced you--but it’s not likely to happen.”
	Max shook her head, confused. “Why not?”
	Mikki sighed and took a sip of the coffee Max had poured out and handed to her. 
“I doubt I’ll ever be seeing him again.”
	“You what? Oh Mikki, what on earth have you left out of this story?” Max sat up
straight and stared across the table at her friend.  In all her life, Mikki had never been
able to keep anything from her when she’d given her that look, and she rolled her eyes
now as she tried to decide where to begin.
	“Well, he accused me of--sleeping around--more or less. ”
	“What do you mean more or less? He either did or he didn’t. And why would he
say something like that anyway? Did you...” Max’s eyes shot open wide. “Mikki! Did
you--and him--the two of you...” Max made silly pointing gestures with her hands and
Mikki frowned and nodded.  Max’s eyes glinted mischievously as she leaned across the
table.
	“So? Wasn’t it any good or something? Why would he not want to see you
again?” Then her brow shot up teasingly. “Or were you so good that’s why he said that
you...”
	“Maxine McGreggor!” Mikki interrupted  her friend, who then sat back and
laughed at her.
	“Well? What happened then?”
	“What happened was Jake called and gave Reese the message that you had
been looking for me.  Apparently he neglected to mention that the Max that was looking
for me was female.”
	Max stared at her. “You mean he thought that I was...”  She sputtered out,
pointing back and forth, then burst out laughing.  “I’m sorry Mikki, I can’t help it. It is
funny you know.”
	Mikki raised one side of her mouth and sneered at her best friend. “Yeah, I
suppose it is.  It just didn’t feel very funny when he was insulting me, and the fact that I
was too hurt to set him straight doesn’t help much either.”
	“Well, you can just tell him the truth Mikki.” Max said.
	Mikki shook her head. “I doubt I’ll ever see him again now, Max.”
	Max set down her coffee cup and looked across the table at her friend. She’d
known Mikki a long time, and although she had never seen that look on her face before,
she knew exactly what it was.
	“You love him don’t you?” she asked softly, and Mikki nodded as she stared into
the pool of coffee in her cup.  Max sighed and reached a hand to comfort her.  “I’m so
sorry.”
	Mikki chuckled. “It’s not your fault, Max.”
	Max shrugged. “Well, maybe not, but if we were in the habit of calling me Maxine,
you’d still be there with him, wouldn’t you?”
	Mikki gave her friend’s hand a squeeze.  “Not your fault.” she repeated. “Now tell
me, have you heard from Joey at all?”
	Max sat back in her chair and shrugged. “Not a word.” She pouted. “So it looks
like it’s all going to be up to me.”
	Mikki scowled at her. “What’s going to be all up to you?”
	“Why, keeping you occupied, of course!” Max sat up straight and folded her
hands on top of each other on he table, as if proud to take on this major task.  “What
shall we do first?”
	Mikki groaned. “Sleep!” And the two of them burst into laughter.
	And sleep she did--eventually. Once Max left for the night, and Mikki had taken a
much appreciated shower, she crawled into bed, but the coffee and chat with Max had
taken the edge off her exhaustion.  As she lay there, her mind kept replaying what had
happened with Reese.  When she closed her eyes she saw his face so close to hers,
and felt his lips against her own in soft, then passionate kisses. When she moved, she
felt his fingers on her skin, and the slightest rustle of her hair against her pillow mimicked
the whisper of his voice.
	Eventually she did fall off to sleep, and was surprised how well she slept.  When
she woke in the morning she felt much better than she had the evening before when
she’d stepped off the bus from Clay River.  When Max arrived she was dressed and
ready, with the coffee already brewed.  She laughed as Max outlined their plans for the
next few days, but she was glad to have such a good friend to keep her mind off things.

	Reese pulled his truck alongside the curb and parked, stepping out and heading
for the cafe on the corner.  It was four days since he’d left Mikki at the bus station; two
days since he’d bade his mother and Patrick goodbye with Patrick’s assurances that the
doctors were certain Emily would be back on her feet and home in a very few days.  It
was time to get his life back in order and concentrate on the job, he told himself.  The
Cartwright project was going to take a great deal of his time and concentration over the
next few weeks.  He’d be working long hours, and if he intended to get anything done on
his home renovations during this particular contract, he’d be getting very little sleep. The
way he saw it, it was just as well to have no woman in his life.
	He’d pulled into town the night before, and after checking in with Jake on how
things had been going while he’d been gone, he’d rolled himself into bed and slept ‘til
morning.  Now, after touching base with a few of the smaller jobs in the morning, he had
just enough time to meet Monica for lunch and discuss his visit with his mother, before
heading off to tackle the preliminary groundwork at the Cartwright restaurant job.   
	He found a table on the patio where he would be able to see his aunt when she
arrived, and looked at his watch.  For all her faults, if there was anything he could give
his aunt credit for, it was punctuality.  He’d arrived early, so  he accepted the glass of
icewater the waiter delivered to his table, and casually studied the menu.  He knew he
would not have a long wait.

	“I think it looks great on you.” Mikki insisted, as Max turned back and forth in front
of the mirrors.
	“You’re just saying that because you’re my best friend and you have to.” Max
pouted, as she smoothed her hands along the hips of  the tight red dress she was trying
on.  Although the shopping trip was intended to occupy Mikki, it was Max who needed a
dress for Sandy’s wedding, since Mikki would be wearing her Matron of Honour gown. 
Mikki smiled at her friend, convinced the girl could wear a potato sack and still look
beautiful.
	“I don’t have to say anything.” Mikki argued. “Remember that bathing suit you
bought a few years ago.  I told you not to buy it, remember?”
	Max laughed. “And I lived in it for the whole summer and everybody
complimented me on it.”
	“So, I was wrong.” Mikki shrugged. “But I don’t think I’m wrong this time. I really
like that dress on you.”
	“I don’t know about the colour, with my hair.” Max frowned, pulling a strand of her
red curls down to try to reach the dress.
	“Well, ultimately, you’re the one who has to wear it. If you don’t feel comfortable,
then go try that other one.  I’ll go see if I can find anything else that might work.”  Mikki
wandered through the racks of dresses humming to herself while Max disappeared back
into the dressing room. As she wandered near the window something caught her eyes
and she glanced out, through the shimmery foil that was used to deflect the ultraviolet
rays that damage the clothing.  
	Kincaide Landscaping
	The white letters on the black truck drew her eyes like a magnet, and she felt her
heart leap into her throat.  Quickly she looked around for any sign of Reese, hoping both
to see him and not to see him at the same time.  When she spotted him, sitting alone at
a table on the patio outside the little cafe across the street, she felt the blood drain from
her and gripped onto a nearby dress rack to keep from falling on the floor.  Her mouth
went dry and she swallowed hard, her lips tingling from the memory of his kisses, and
her knees began to shake.
	“Find anything Mikki?” Max’s voice sounded very far away, as Mikki stood
mesmerized in front of the window. When she didn’t respond, Max called her again, and
went to her side to see what was wrong.  Following the direction of Mikki’s hypnotic gaze
with a worried one of her own, Max quickly spotted the truck, and the man who owned it. 
	“Mikki.” She said softly from her side, and managed to get her friend to tear her
eyes away for a split second and give her a fleeting, nervous smile. “Do you want to go
talk to him? Here’s your chance. I’ll go with you and we can clear this whole thing up
right now?”
	Mikki turned back to look at Reese. What Max said made sense, but could she
do it. Could she make it across the street the way her legs were trembling. Would he
even want to talk to her anyway, once she got there.  She took a deep breath and
started to nod slowly.  She’d been silly not to correct him in the first place. Even if
nothing remained between them afterwards, Max was right.  She owed it to him, and to
herself, to clear up this misunderstanding.  She started to back away from the window,
when she noticed him standing up as if to greet someone.  A beautiful blonde appeared
beside the table, and Reese took her in his arms in a warm embrace, after which she
kissed him, and joined him at his table.
	Mikki swallowed hard and closed her eyes tight. When she opened them, the
woman was still there, and Reese was ordering lunch for the two of them, a warm smile
on his face.  Mikki spun around to leave and nearly tripped over the dress rack.  Max
stood chewing on her lower lip, glancing from her friend to the window.
	“Mikki!” She reached out for her friends arm and guided her away from the
window. “Oh Mikki, I’m so sorry.”
	“Let’s go home.” Mikki said on as sigh.
	“Sit down.” Max urged her. “I have to get this dress off.”  
	Mikki looked at her, registering that she was wearing something with price tags
still hanging from it, although what the garment looked like she couldn’t be sure.  Max
rushed into the dressing room and tore off the dress, quickly putting her own clothes
back on. When she emerged from the fitting room once again, she found Mikki glancing
nervously towards the window, pouting.
	“I should have known better.” Mikki said, teary eyed. “Why would he waste time
on someone like me when he can have a sophisticated beauty like her.” Then she
looked up as Max and chuckled. “It didn’t take him long, did it? He said he only ever saw
one woman at a time, and already he’s wining and dining a beautiful woman.”
	“Don’t give it another thought.” Max urged her, as she scooped up her arm and
lead her through the store towards the exit.  When they emerged onto the sidewalk she
steered them in the opposite direction, away from the cafe. “It’s his loss. Let’s go get a
big ice cream sundae. Better yet, a banana split! Piled with whipped cream, and
swimming in chocolate sauce, huh? That’ll cheer you up!”
	Mikki laughed nervously. “Don’t forget the pecans. Lots and LOTS of pecans!”
she said. 
	“Lots of pecans it is.” Max nodded, grabbing Mikki’s hand and the two of them
raced down the sidewalk, laughing like a couple of teenagers.