The Strange Healing Read online

“I’ll be fine. I’ve wasted enough of your time.”

  He put his hand on her arm and stopped her. Pulling her around to look at him, he told her, “Sara, you’re not wasting my time. You may not have noticed, but I was on my way over to you when you were attacked. I was planning on introducing myself and asking you to have dinner with me.” He paused a bit before asking, “So, what do you say? Dinner?”

  Heath could tell she was hesitant, and he added, “If you’re nervous about being alone with a man you don’t really know right now, I completely understand. Would you have dinner with all three of us? We can go to a public place. There’s a nice Italian restaurant not far from here that we all like. Would you join us, please?”

  She still looked uncertain, when Heather jumped in. “Oh, yes, please do! That sounds great. We can tell you a little about this area while we eat.”

  She looked at all three of them, and Heath could tell she was very unsure. “Please?” He smiled when he saw the hint of a smile on her lips.

  “Okay, if you’re sure.”

  Phil assured her, “Oh, we are. And I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m getting hungry." The other two both agreed. After assuring Sara she looked fine, they gathered up their blanket and cooler and went back to their SUV. Heath asked Sara about her car, and found she’d walked there, so they didn’t have to worry about that.

  Dinner went well. Heath kept a close eye on Sara. She was quiet, not saying much, but seemed much more relaxed, and appeared to be enjoying herself.

  After dinner Sara said, “Hey, I want to thank all of you for dinner, and everything you’ve done for me today.”

  Heath was concerned about Sara and wasn’t about to let her go off by herself yet. “Thank you for having dinner with us. It’s such a nice evening, why don’t we all go back to my condo and have a glass of wine?”

  Heather caught the momentary look of panic cross Sara’s face, and suggested, “I like the idea of a glass of wine, but let’s go back to our condo instead. We have a TV on the patio and we can watch The Mentalist. I love that show, especially when I can watch it outside, with some wine and friends.”

  Heath laughed. “Sounds good to me. Okay with you, Sara?”

  Sara hesitated before saying, “I better get back to my motel. Thanks for the offer, though.”

  Heath quickly said, “Sara, please come have a glass of wine with us. I hate to think of you alone in a motel room. I promise I’ll take you back later, but I’d love to be able to spend a little more time with you this evening.” She looked hesitant, and he once again smiled and added, “Please?”

  “What is it about the way you say please? I just can’t walk away from it,” Sara said.

  “Good. I’ll remember that.” He winked at her, which seemed to put her at ease again.

  They all enjoyed the evening. Sara opened up a little more, but was still quite reserved. Heath continued to watch her carefully, and was still concerned. He’d decided there was more to her scare today than she was saying. There was something bothering her that she hadn’t shared with them, and he was concerned.

  Heather always could read Heath’s body language, and she knew he was concerned. After the show was over Sara asked, “Heath, is your offer to take me back to my motel still good?”

  Heather suggested, “Sara, I’m off tomorrow and I’d love to take you to a couple places we talked about this evening. Why don’t you stay here, in our guest room tonight? Then we can get an early start in the morning and I'll show you around.”

  Heath caught Heather’s eyes and smiled his approval. He suggested, “That’s a wonderful idea. Phil, I know your shift starts early, but I don’t have any early meetings tomorrow. If you two girls think you can be ready by 7:00 I’ll take you to breakfast before you begin your gossip-filled day of shopping.”

  Heather indignantly asked, “What makes you think we’ll gossip?”

  Smiling, Heath looked at Sara and said, “My baby sister has always been the queen of gossip.”

  Huffing, Heather insisted, “I am not. And I’m not your baby sister.”

  Phil laughed and said, “That’s not what you said earlier.”

  “No, I said he was my big brother. There’s a big difference,” she explained.

  Heath grinned as he said, “No difference. If I’m your big brother, you’re my baby sister. You can’t have one without the other, sis.”

  “Oh, you men are impossible,” she stated. She turned and grabbed Sara’s arm. “Come on, I’ll explain what these two big lugs are talking about while I show you where our guest room is.”

  “But I shouldn’t stay here tonight.”

  “But you should,” Heath told her. “Give us a chance to show you a good side to our humble little town. Besides,” he added, smiling at Heather, “my baby sister will be really disappointed if you don’t.”

  They all laughed as Heather punched Heath in the arm again.

  “But I don’t have any clothes here,” Sara explained. “I better just go back to my motel.”

  “Not a problem,” Heather assured her. “We’re about the same size. I have pajamas that will fit, and I always keep a few new toothbrushes on hand. I’m sure we can find something that will fit you fine for tomorrow.”

  “Heaven knows she has plenty you can pick from,” Phil added.

  “Very funny,” Heather said, hiding a grin. “See, Sara, you have to stay. Don’t leave me alone with these two.”

  Sara looked at all three of them, and finally agreed. “Okay, if you’re sure you don’t mind. I guess I’m not really looking forward to spending tonight alone.”

  Though her last comment was said very quietly, it confirmed Heath’s concern. “Sara, now that you’re staying here tonight, would you take a walk around the pool with me? It’s such a nice night, and it’s not that late yet. Are you up for it?”

  She looked at Heath a few moments before saying, “I think I’d like that. It is a beautiful night.”

  “Good.” He offered his arm, and she slipped her hand in and let him lead her off.

  Chapter 2

  Heath slowly walked with Sara toward the pool, making pleasant small talk. He noticed she stiffened a little when they started their stroll, so he tried to calm her back down. He explained that he and Heather were twins, and his condo was in the same complex, the next building down.

  When he felt her relax again, he was able to get her talking a little. He found out she was from Indiana, but was considering moving. She hadn’t decided where to, but she used her computer and the mail for her job, so she could live pretty much anywhere. He was impressed when he found out she illustrated children’s books. They talked about that, and his lack of artistic ability, for a few minutes.

  Sara noted, “I know twins usually are pretty close, but you and your sister seem to get along exceptionally well. Have you always been this close?”

  Heath thought about that a little while before answering, “It’s just the two of us, we never had any other siblings, so we’ve always done stuff together and have been close, yes. Our family moved frequently, so I guess we were the only constant friends we had growing up that we knew we could count on when we needed a friend. We became a little closer when our parents died when we were 20. We were both in college, luckily the same one, and we kind of helped each other through it. I never really thought about it, but now that you mention it, yeah, I guess since then we have been closer than most siblings.”

  Heath felt Sara stiffen when he mentioned his parents’ death, and wondered if she had fresh wounds from losing a loved one. He decided he’d give her a chance to talk if she wanted to, but wouldn’t force it. “I was really glad she was there at that time. You need someone to talk to when you lose someone.” He patted her hand in his arm.

  After a brief silence she tentatively said, “I talked to my best friend when I lost my dad, and I was okay with that, but she was on her honeymoon when I lost my mom, and they moved out of state, so I didn’t really get to talk to her muc
h.”

  “So you’ve lost both parents, as well? I’m sorry to hear that. It sounds as though it wasn’t at the same time?”

  “It was about three years ago. Dad had cancer and suffered the last year, so when he passed away I was ready for it, or as ready as you can be, I guess. I’d actually been grieving that whole last year while I watched him deteriorate, so in a way I felt kind of relieved when he passed on. I knew at least he wasn’t suffering any more. Mom died in a car accident, though, and that was rougher. It was only five months after Dad died, and I wasn’t prepared for that at all.”

  “Wow,” Heath sympathized. “Five months apart would be rough. That was about three years ago?

  “Yeah,” she said, and grew quiet again.

  “Did you have someone else you could talk to when she died?”

  “Not really. I was pretty new to the area and hadn’t really made any close friends.”

  “Did you try talking to a counselor or therapist?”

  She frowned and said, “Actually, yeah, twice.”

  “Do you mean you only went twice?”

  “No, I went to a therapist, but she wasn’t really helping any. So I switched and went to a psychologist, but –“

  “That didn’t really help much, either?”

  “No, but it wasn’t really their fault.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I just couldn’t open up to them. I don’t know, their offices seemed so formal, and they were strangers to me, and I just didn’t feel comfortable. They were probably both very good, I just couldn’t tell them what I really felt. So I just worked through it on my own. I think some people just don’t do well with counseling.”

  “That could be,” he assured her. “If you ever want to talk to someone, Heather says I’m a good listener.”

  “I’ll bet you are,” she said casually. “Thanks, but I don’t usually talk to people about my problems. Now that I think about it, I’m surprised I told you all this. Sorry to bend your ear.”

  “You’re not bending my ear, Sara, honest. I’m serious about being a good listener, anytime you want to talk.”

  “Thanks, but I’ve said more than enough already.” Heath felt a change in her, as if she was pulling away from him again, like she’d done at the beach earlier today. He felt like she needed to talk, but knew if he pushed, he’d probably just push her away. Instead, he changed topics.

  “So, where are you and Heather going tomorrow?”

  She sighed, and seemed relieved to talk about something else. “She said there’s a year around Christmas store in town, and I love Christmas.”

  “You’ll like this store then. It’s huge, and really nice. Anyplace else?”

  “She said I have to try a hot dog place that has a special hot dog you can only get in this area, so we’re going there for lunch.”

  “She’s right. You have to go to Wally’s and try that.”

  “Yeah, that was the name of it. We’re going there for lunch.”

  “Again, a good choice. You’ll like the décor in his place. It’s as laid back as it gets. It’s lots of fun. Any plans after lunch?”

  “She said she’d take me to an outlet mall to do a little shopping.”

  “I knew she’d have some shopping in there somewhere. We do have a good outlet mall here, though. Any plans for dinner tomorrow?”

  “No, the last place she mentioned was the outlet mall.”

  “Good. Would you have dinner with me tomorrow evening, please? There’s a local seafood restaurant that has the freshest local fish you can get. It’s delicious.”

  She hesitated again, and he was more determined than ever to have a chance to talk to her again. Something was holding her back, and he was sure if he could get her to talk about it he could help her. He looked at her and grinned as he said, “Please?”

  She laughed and said, “Okay, but you’ve got to quit doing that. It's just not fair.”

  He just smiled as he asked, “How about if I pick you up at Heather’s at 7:00?”

  “I need to go back to my motel and get some clothes.”

  “Now you’ll have an excuse to buy some new clothes at the mall tomorrow. I’ll take you back to your motel after dinner. Deal?”

  “What if I don’t find anything I like tomorrow?”

  Heath laughed and said, “My sister has never gone to a mall and not gotten anything, and she generally won’t allow anyone with her to just window shop, either. But if you manage to be the first ever to shop with her and come back with nothing, I’ll take you to your motel before dinner.”

  Sara laughed and said, “Now you have a deal.”

  Heath loved seeing her smile. She was a beautiful lady, and he felt drawn to her somehow. He hoped he could make her smile a lot more.

  They made it back to Phil and Heather’s, and Heath said, “Thank you for the walk, Sara. I enjoyed it. Sleep well and I’ll see you tomorrow morning for breakfast.” He gave her a quick kiss on her forehead before opening the door for her.

  Once back at his condo, he sat down and replayed the events of the day in his mind. He called Heather’s cell phone, and when she answered he said, “Heather, I don’t want to talk to her right now, but are you with Sara?”

  “No, she’s taking a shower. Why?”

  “Do me a favor, please. I’m having dinner with her tomorrow night.”

  She cut him off and said, “I thought maybe that’s what the walk around the pool was for. Way to go, Heath.”

  “Thank you. Now, back to why I called. I get the impression Sara has a problem she needs to discuss with someone, and I’d like to try to get her to talk about it.”

  “Well, if anyone can get her to talk it would be you, Mr. Psychiatrist.”

  “That’s what I’m hoping, and why I’m calling. I didn’t tell her what I do, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t, either. I did get her to talk a little bit tonight, but I don’t think she’ll feel as comfortable talking to me if she knows I’m a psychiatrist.”

  “Then mum’s the word. Do you want me to say –"

  “If she asks, don’t lie to her, but please don’t bring the subject up. If she asks, try telling her I have my own business and keep it at that, or some such thing. Don’t lie to her if she pins you down, though.”

  “Got it. Good luck, Heath. I had the impression something was bothering her, too, so I hope you can get her to talk to you. I like her.”

  “Yeah, me, too.”

  “I thought so.”

  He said good night, mumbling something about meddling sisters.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  “I've got to be one of the luckiest men alive,” Heath said enthusiastically as he seated Sara and Heather at the restaurant the next morning. “Not every man has the pleasure of escorting two beautiful ladies to breakfast. Life is good.”

  Noting the big smile on his face, Sara said, “Oh, Heath, you probably say that to all the women you're with.”

  Heath frowned. “No, I don't, Sara. I'm a firm believer in total honesty, and I don't say something if I don't mean it.”

  “That is very, very true,” Heather assured her. “If Heath tells you something, you can take it to the bank. As you get to know him better you'll see what I mean. It's actually one of the things I love the most about my brother.”

  With a mischievous grin Sara asked Heath, “So if a woman you're with is dreadfully ugly you tell her that?”

  Heath smiled at Sara as he calmly answered, “I'm seeing a playful side of you I didn't see last night. I hope that means you slept well and are feeling better today?”

  Sara blushed. "Actually, I did sleep well. I already told Heather, but I want to tell you, as well, thank you guys for talking me into spending the night with Heather and Phil. I was pretty upset and you're right, I probably wouldn't have slept well alone at the motel.”

  “I'm glad we were able to convince you to stay.” Smiling, he added, “And to answer your question, I'm not real sure what you mean by a dreadfully ugly w
oman. I've found that if a woman isn't particularly pretty physically, if you look inward there's always something inside her that's truly beautiful.”

  Sara looked at him, smiling, and answering, “Spoken like a true gentleman. Seriously, I'd like to apologize for asking you that. That was pretty rude.”

  “I think I would have thought it rude if you seriously meant it, but I could tell you were playing with me. It'll take a lot more than that to upset me, though, because to me you were just being a brat, which doesn't scare me off at all. Some of the nicest, most interesting women I know can be real brats at times. I find them challenging, and always worth getting to know. Heather's the biggest brat I've ever met, and I love her dearly.”

  “What? Who are you calling a brat?” Heather asked indignantly.

  Smiling, Heath told her, “If you can look me in the eye and tell me honestly you've never done one thing that screams brat, I'll apologize.”

  Heather looked him in the eye a few moments, and started laughing. She turned to Sara and said, “I hate it when he does that. He knows I can't lie to him when he looks at me like that.”

  Turning back to Heath, she admitted, “Okay, so maybe there have been one or two occasions in my life when someone could have possibly interpreted something I did as having a slight touch of brat in it.”

  Heath was laughing as he said, “A slight touch, huh? Like I said, I love you to death, brat.”

  Sara was laughing now, as well. “You guys make me wish I'd have had a brother or sister.”

  “You grew up an only child?” Heath asked.

  “Yeah.”

  Grinning, he said, “Well, that explains the brat in you then.”

  Now it was Sara who asked, “What?”

  Trying not to smile whatsoever, Heath assured her, “Oh, yeah. It's a known fact that any woman that grows up an only child is a spoiled brat. The only question is how much. Did you grow up a little spoiled, or are you a full-blown spoiled rotten brat?”

  She looked at him indignantly until she saw the smile in his eyes. She tried just as hard to be totally serious as she answered, “Oh, no, didn't you hear? That theory was proven wrong, and you're looking at the well-mannered, even-tempered peach of a lady that blew the theory wide open.” She smiled innocently at him.