Beyond Reach Read online

  A huge weight settled on Chanda’s shoulders, although she couldn’t have said why.

  “Let Marcella have him. You’re strong and smart, able to come through anything better than when you went into it.”

  Chanda gasped. She reached up to her face and found tears there. Brushing them away fiercely, she turned her back to her aunt.

  Her aunt hugged her from behind and kissed the top of her head. “Let it out. I bet you didn’t have anyone to cry with you all those years ago.”

  “Aunt Hope.”

  “You should have come home. I would have rocked you in my arms until the hurt eased. But I don’t hold it against you. I know it was hard, sweetheart. I’m here now. You can always talk to me.”

  Chanda cried harder. She never meant to, and she didn’t know where all the tears were coming from. Perhaps it was the fact that her aunt looked somewhat like her mom and that they had a similar tone of voice.

  At the same time, anger stirred in her chest. Her aunt was going to say she would be there for her and would have in the past. At the same time, she warned Chanda away from Garner—like she’d come home to steal him from Marcella. In the same instance her aunt complimented her, she drove a wedge between them.

  “You don’t have to worry about me, Aunt Hope. I’m actually involved with someone. It’s not to the point of marriage, but it is serious. He had to work, so he couldn’t come with me on this trip.”

  How easily a lie came to her lips.

  Her aunt straightened and wiped her face. Chanda realized she had cried along with Chanda. “Oh good. I’m so glad to hear that. Now, let’s eat cake and hear all about your life.”

  After eating far too much cake, Chanda excused herself to use the restroom. For a few moments, she stood in front of the mirror to see if her eyes were red. Regret washed over her for breaking down the way she did. She’d thought all the emotions were in the past and that the pain was gone.

  She touched her chest and felt around mentally. Was her heart still broken? Maybe a little over her parents, but what about her aunt asking her not to get in the way of Garner and Marcella?

  “What I’m feeling is resentment,” she grumbled under her breath. The idea—no, she wouldn’t think about it. Her aunt didn’t have to beg her like that. She’d had no intension of trying to ruin their happiness. What kind of woman did Aunt Hope take her for anyway?

  She left the bathroom and almost bumped into her uncle just coming in the door. They had never seen eye to eye on anything. She used to wonder if he even liked her when she was a kid and visited the family.

  “What are you doing here, Chanda?” He stumbled and almost toppled the both of them to the floor.

  Chanda darted to the side, and he crashed into the wall. He looked at her as if it was her fault he’d been drinking too much. Unlike Marcella and her mom, Uncle Bill had gained a lot of weight over the years. His belly looked like a beach ball, and his spindly legs under it seemed to struggle to hold the weight.

  “Hey, Uncle. How are you doing?”

  “Did you hear my baby girl is marrying your old boyfriend?” He grinned. “Bet that gets your goat, huh?”

  She blinked at him.

  “Not that you’re a bad choice. You’ve always been smarter than Marcella.”

  “Um…” She didn’t want to get into it with him, and she sure wasn’t going to thank him for his half-hearted twisted compliment. “I’m going to be Marcella’s maid of honor.”

  His gaze zipped down over her form. “You won’t outshine her on her big day.”

  Chanda sighed. “Take care of yourself, Uncle. I’m going to get out of here. Please tell Aunt Hope I had to run.”

  She started for the door, glad she’d brought her purse with her to the restroom so she wouldn’t have to return to the kitchen.

  “It nearly destroyed him when you left.”

  Chanda froze.

  “Who was he supposed to go to when you turned your back on him? After the two of you were talking about getting married.”

  Chanda whirled around. “Sir, I would appreciate it if you’d keep your mouth shut about what you think went on between me and Garner. For that matter, it wasn’t like I ran off on a whim and had nothing more important to think about other than the change in weather. My parents died! I was twenty. Or did you forget that?”

  He belched, and she got a strong whiff of alcohol that turned her stomach. “A woman should stick by her man, even in adversity.”

  “I don’t know why you’re so worked up over what happened between me and Garner. It’s in the past, and Marcella is marrying him. Aren’t you happy about that, or would you prefer she didn’t marry a white guy? Maybe that’s it. If I had married him, she wouldn’t be tempted.”

  He sneered. “I don’t like what you’re accusing me of. Young people don’t have any respect for their elders these days.”

  “I have respect for you, but I’m not going to be talked to like you’re doing right now. I’m not that twenty-year-old kid you knew years ago.”

  He sucked his teeth in derision. Something told her he knew she spoke the truth. He’d bullied her with his veiled meanness years ago, showing extreme favoritism for his daughter. Chanda had always ducked her head and took it to show respect. Well, not today. He could go ahead with that mess.

  “What’s all the noise out here?” Aunt Hope appeared at the end of the hall. “Bill, are you picking on Chandelier again? You know she doesn’t like you playing that way.”

  “Playing?” both Chanda and Bill echoed. For once, Chanda agreed with him.

  “Aunt Hope, my name is Chanda, not Chandelier, and I would appreciate it if you would use the name my mom gave me. If not for me, at least respect your sister.”

  Her aunt gasped, and her uncle rounded on her. His face crumpled in rage, and he pointed to the door. “You can get out of here right now! Go!”

  Aunt Hope grabbed his arm. “Stop it, Bill. Don’t you listen to him, Chanda. I’m sorry, and you’re right. We got so used to calling you Chandelier, and you never liked it. I wonder where we even got such a nickname.”

  From Marcella.

  Her aunt elbowed her husband aside and hugged Chanda. “You’re always welcome here, sweetheart. Never doubt it. Always.”

  “Thanks, Aunt Hope. I believe you mean that.”

  “Of course I do. Why would you doubt it?”

  “I have to get going. Thanks for the cake and the cry together. I’ll see you again soon.”

  Chanda made her escape while keeping a mental countdown. Only a few days to go before she could leave town and never come back.

  Chapter 6

  “I can’t believe this,” Marcella complained for the millionth time. “I just can’t. Did someone curse me? Is that it?”

  Chanda bit down hard on the inside of her cheek. She felt bad for her cousin. No one should have to deal with a sprained ankle days before their wedding. It was Marcella’s fault for drinking like a fish and thinking she could enact some scene from a movie by jumping up on top of a bar in high heels.

  “You could have broken your neck, sweetheart,” Aunt Hope chided her daughter. “What were you thinking?”

  “She wasn’t thinking.” Lanae laughed. “You should have seen her, Ms. Hope. I love my girl, but that was some funny stuff.”

  “Lanae,” Marcella grumbled.

  “What? It was funny. Plus, we almost got arrested. The only reason we didn’t was because—”

  She cut herself off, but Chanda knew where she was going with the conversation. Chanda had been the one to talk the cop out of arresting them the night before.

  Aunt Hope sighed. She bent down on one knee to check the bandage wrapped around Marcella’s ankle. Marcella tried to push her mother away. Aunt Hope refused to be put off.

  “You have your cousin to thank for saving you, Marcella,” Aunt Hope told her. “Did you say thank you?”

  Marcella rolled her eyes. “Mom, I’m not eight.”

  “Don’t you tak
e that tone. If the policeman hadn’t been an old boyfriend of Chanda’s, your wedding would have been completely ruined.”

  “Old boyfriend?” Garner strolled over to the pews where they sat on the front row of the church.

  “He wasn’t an old boyfriend.” Chanda lamented the fact that he walked up at the worst time and then recalled it didn’t matter. “Just a guy who had a crush on me back in high school.”

  “Looks like he still likes you,” Lanae suggested. “Maybe you should give him a call and thank him the right way for not hauling us in.”

  “Are you crazy? Why should I sleep with some guy because he didn’t arrest me, someone I haven’t seen in years?”

  Lanae glared. “You don’t have to act like that. He was cute. Nothing wrong with a little fun.”

  “I don’t jump into bed with everything that happens along.” Truth was, she hadn’t had a decent relationship in a while. No one waited at home for her, and she certainly wasn’t thinking about hooking up while in Texas.

  Lanae looked at her like she was some type of alien.

  “Chanda is deeply involved with someone already,” Aunt Hope announced for one and all. “From the sound of it, it’s serious. Who knows. We might be attending her wedding before long.”

  Resentment rose in Chanda for her aunt repeating her lie. She thought she felt Garner’s eyes on her but didn’t look his way. Not that it matters, she kept telling herself. Why the heck did she have to tell herself anything, for Pete’s sake?

  Garner replaced his mother-in-law-to-be in front of Marcella. He gently handled Marcella’s leg as she simpered. “Don’t worry. The doc says it’s not too bad,” Garner explained. “You should be back on your feet before the big day, as long as you stay off your feet for the time being.”

  “Do you know how much I have to do over the next few days? I don’t have time to relax. Our wedding has to be perfect.”

  “What’s more important? The wedding or your health?” he asked her.

  “The wedding!”

  Garner chuckled.

  Marcella’s wedding coordinator stormed over, a woman who appeared to be as uptight as they came. “This is an unexpected kink in my plans. We were to have the rehearsal ceremony now, followed by…” She flipped through screens on her tablet, mumbling to herself.

  Conversation between Marcella and Lanae continued as if the coordinator hadn’t spoken. Chanda decided to keep her own comments to herself. Marcella wanted to focus only on her claim that she was the victim of a curse.

  “Honestly, Lanae,” Marcella was saying. “It’s suspicious, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, girl.” Lanae cut her eyes over to Chanda and then back to Marcella. “You’re as stable on your feet as anyone I know, and you were practically born in heels.”

  “I know, right?”

  “Ugh, you two have got to be kidding me,” Chanda stormed. “She was drinking like a fish. The bar was wet with spilled alcohol, and she was in heels on top of all that. No one cursed you, Marcella.”

  “Says you.” Her cousin’s snide tone drove Chanda crazy. “You don’t want this wedding to happen.”

  Chanda lost the ability to speak.

  “I’ve got it,” the coordinator announced. “Okay, we have to get this timing down and know where everyone must stand. Chanda, as Marcella’s cousin, can you stand in for her and walk down the aisle with Garner? That would be so helpful.”

  No one spoke. Chanda couldn’t believe the coordinator would suggest such a thing. Not that she knew their history. Chanda wasn’t going to be the one to tell the woman.

  “Good idea.”

  Chanda almost fell off the pew when her cousin spoke. She was agreeing to let Chanda walk down the aisle with Garner? The woman must have lost her mind.

  “Um, what?”

  Lanae screeched. “Marcella, what are you thinking? That woman might steal—”

  “Shush.” Marcella covered Lanae’s mouth. “I’m confident that my darling Garner loves only me. We have an amazing relationship. Plus, what’s the big deal? It’s just a walk. Not like they will ever speak the vows to each other.”

  The emphasis Marcella placed on the word ever got under Chanda’s skin. It was hard not to think Marcella was taking a dig at her.

  “Go ahead, you two,” Marcella encouraged them. “Walk down the aisle together.”

  Chanda’s stomach knotted as the coordinator rushed forward and propelled her and Garner toward the back of the church.

  “Wait,” Chanda protested. “Why is Garner coming with me? I thought the groom waits at the front.”

  She would give anything not to be in this situation. Garner smelled amazing with his natural scent and subtle cologne. He looked even better than he smelled, wearing shorts and a t-shirt. How in the world could a woman lust over a man’s calves? She had no idea, but she did.

  “Marcella read that many people aren’t sticking to tradition when it comes to their wedding,” Garner explained. “She wants us both to walk in together—‘to show me off’ as she says.”

  He reddened at the admission.

  “I don’t prefer it. Traditional is my thing, but I learned it is more peaceful to give in to what she wants.”

  Chanda made a noise of acknowledgement to what he said. She averted her face once they were in the back of the church. The coordinator left them just out of sight of the double doors leading into the sanctuary, calling over her shoulder, “Wait until I yell ‘now’ before you start down the aisle.”

  “Hold on,” Chanda called, but the woman ignored her.

  She raised a hand to brush over her hair, giving herself something to do. Garner stood close, and she felt his gaze boring into her.

  Inside the sanctuary, voices reached her. Marcella argued with the coordinator about something as little as where her parents would sit and how fast the organist would play the wedding march. Chanda sighed, wondering how long she would have to endure being alone with Garner.

  “So,” Garner began.

  Her stomach knotted. She dared to look up at him. The beautiful silver eyes captured her, and she couldn’t look away. She felt his strength, his kindness, and all of a sudden, the healing and distance she thought she had gained over the years slid away.

  Feelings of loss washed over her. She began to see that she might not have broken the relationship off with Garner. This time in the church might have been the two of them, tying the knot, saying their vows, promising to be together until death. Children—she hiccupped and spun away, drawing in a deep breath.

  “Um, what did you say?” She pressed a hand to the wall to support her weight.

  He moved behind her. Heat from his hands warmed her shoulders, but he stopped less than an inch before touching her. “You’re seeing someone.”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  She battled over lying to him to follow her aunt’s orders in a sense. Selfish desire made her tell the truth, even though she couldn’t fathom it leading anywhere. “No, I’m not seeing anyone. My aunt was grilling me. I didn’t want to look pitiful, so I told her I had a man waiting back home. I’m between relationships at the moment.”

  “Nothing wrong with being single.”

  “Hm.” She licked her lips, keeping her back to him. She wasn’t ready to look into his eyes again. Why was this weakness even happening? So much stress and tension, she couldn’t turn off the attraction or the mounting regret at her decision to leave town.

  As usual, Garner seemed able to read her mind. “Why did you leave me, Chanda?”

  “Oh God.”

  “You lost your parents, and I can’t imagine how it felt. I know I would have been gutted. But we were together. You let me visit you in the hospital, and when I came back after classes a week later, you were gone. Just gone.”

  “I wrote you.”

  “You wrote me?” A sharp note entered his tone, and he forced her to turn around. “Yeah, you wrote a cold and dismissive letter that you sent through the mail. I
guess I should be grateful it wasn’t a text.”

  “This isn’t the time or the place, Garner.”

  “I want you to tell me face-to-face.”

  He wasn’t going to let it go, but she could be just as stubborn. “Look, forget it, okay? I’m sorry. I handled everything poorly. You could cut me some slack since all of a sudden my parents were gone, and I felt like this little kid, who couldn’t take care of herself. Even if I was an adult at the time, it meant nothing. I was attached to them.”

  “But there’s something else, isn’t there?”

  Her mouth fell open.

  “Your eyes are shifting around as you speak. That tells me you’re keeping another secret.”

  “Don’t pull that psychology bullcrap on me. I don’t need it. And you’re marrying my cousin. From what I hear, you love her more than anything, so what I did or do shouldn’t matter.”

  “Chanda.” He touched her arm. She jerked away. He reached for her again.

  “I said now!” came the coordinator’s shout.

  They both jumped and turned toward the sanctuary. Garner held his elbow out to Chanda. She hesitated, not wanting to touch him. If she refused, everyone would notice and ask why. She set light fingers on his arm and drifted into the sanctuary.

  The organist played the wedding march. Down the long aisle, her family stood watching them enter. The minister waited at the altar, holding a bible. For a split second, Chanda lost reality. Everything seemed true, like she was marrying Garner. Then she spotted the smirk on Lanae’s face and the raised eyebrows on Marcella’s. Reality flooded her mind, making her feel sick.

  She stumbled a bit, but Garner’s quick reflexes and easy strength steadied her. They continued down the aisle, and when they reached the minister, Marcella bumped Chanda aside.

  “Okay, I can take over right here,” Marcella told her. “I can stand next to my husband.”

  Her aunt clapped her hands and cooed. “Doesn’t that sound lovely, baby? ‘Husband.’”

  Chanda swallowed sickness. She turned to leave. “If that’s all you need me for, I have some things I have to take care of.”