You Can't Hide by Theresa Sneed (uplifting novels TXT) 📕

“Eddie.” She laughed again and grabbed his arm.

He glanced over at her and then back at the road. “You look great, Nance.”

She nodded. “I feel great, too.” She paused and her voice got quiet. “Well, except—”

Eddie was quiet, too. He gripped the steering wheel tighter. “This trip will do you wonders.”

“That’s what I’m hoping for, Eddie.”

“Yeah, me, too.”

She patted his arm. “I was so sorry to hear about Gertie.”

His head bobbed. “Yeah,” he said, in a whisper. “I miss her like crazy.” He wiped at his nose. “It’s real hard with all of you gone now.”

Nancy pulled out the letter and waved it at him. “It’ll be over soon, Ed, and then we can all be together again.”

He grinned. “It’s what I live for, Sis—what I live for.”

They spent the rest of the drive talking mostly about Sally. Nancy told him every little thing she could think about Sally to get his mind off his wife. They were both alone in that way now.

“Thanks for sneaking me those pictures, Nance—sending them to me at my work. They meant the world to me. I keep them in my safe.”

“She’s lovely—much more than those pictures—and she misses you so.”

“Thirteen, eh?” He made a face. “No boyfriend, I hope.”

“With the tight rein we have on her? Not a chance.” She bit down on her lip. “But, I don’t know how long that’ll last. She’s quite the beauty.”

“Like her mom,” he said, with a wink.

“There’s more to a girl than looks, Ed.”

He seemed offended. “I know that.”

“Yes, of course you do.” She nodded. “Sorry.” She clicked her tongue. “Life is hard enough without comparing yourself to someone else.”

“Huh?”

“Beauty wanes, doesn’t it?”

“There’s nothing wrong with your looks, Sis.”

“Thanks, but that’s not what I was getting at.” She rolled the window down and let a breeze blow the loose strands of her hair across her face. “I lost five years of my life—that’s a lot of time for a woman to waste.”

He shrugged. “I guess.”

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t care about that so much anymore, but I would like to get my inner beauty back.”

“Aw, Sis. You’re beautiful in and out.”

“It’s not like that—not that kind of beauty.” She leaned her head back against the seat. It was clear that Eddie didn’t quite get understand what she was saying. “Ed, I just want to feel . . . to, uh, I want to stop hurting.”

“To feel peace?” he said softly.

She looked over at him. “Yes, Eddie, to feel peace.” He did get it after all. She looked down at her hands. How dare she think her suffering was greater than his? “I’m sorry, Eddie.”

He glanced at her. “It’s okay.”

Her voice softened. “How are you?”

“I dunno. She was doing so good, Nance. And then one day, right out of the blue, she was gone.”

“The disease progressed?”

“Actually, that’s the weird thing. It had actually reversed itself.”

Her shoulders fell forward. “I don’t get it.”

“No one does.” He pulled the car into the hotel parking lot. “She was reading again and writing.” He was silent. He opened the car door for her and then led her to the room, pulling out the key he’d obviously already procured. “I showed her the pictures you sent. I didn’t think you’d mind.”

“I don’t.”

Inside the hotel room, Eddie closed and locked the door. “Anyhow, she got all excited about something in the pictures, said she’s been there before. Ireland?”

Nancy’s eyes widened. “Yes, but how?”

“You’re standing in front of a castle she visited in her youth.” He frowned. “That’s when I locked the pictures in the safe. If my wife could figure out where you were from photos, I’m guessing someone else could, too.”

She shrugged. “I don’t think we need to worry about that. There’s no one left after Merrick is gone.” She tended to believe that Marvin acted alone. She glanced over at Eddie. “I’m not going to live the rest of my life in hiding for someone who more-than-likely doesn’t exist.”

“No, I guess not.”

Still there was something in his look that told her he wasn’t so sure. She shook it off.

They stayed up late into the night talking about their childhood, their parents, their spouses—their real spouses, and of course, Sally. Neither one of them wanted the night to end, but soon, it was morning. Nancy nudged her brother who had fallen asleep on the couch.

“Come on, Ed, it’s time to go.”

Silently, Eddie put her overnight bag into the car. They got in, and he drove on to the place where he would drop her off. Someone else would pick her up and take her to her final destination. The sanctuary was so secluded, that not even good-intentioned relations were allowed to know its exact location.

“Call me when you’re ready to go, Sis—any time, any day—I’ll drop everything.”

A car drove up, and a woman got out. “Nancy?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

She extended her hand. “I’m Wendy.”

After formalities, Nancy said her last goodbye and tearfully left Eddie standing alone in the K-Mart parking lot. She hadn’t imagined the feeling that would grip her, as they drove away. “Wait,” she said, putting her hand to the window.

Wendy slowed down. “Would you like me to take you back?”

There wasn’t a good reason for her outburst. Nancy was completely safe and doing exactly what she wanted. “No, of course not.” She sighed and pulled the thin sweater tighter around her shoulders.

Wendy held her hand out and opened her fingers, revealing a small, white pill nestled in her palm. “Are you ready?”

Nancy had been dreading this part. Her therapist had explained that the location was so secretive that great precautions had to be taken to keep it that way.

Wendy handed her the sleeping pill. “When you wake up, we’ll be there.”

It should have unnerved her, this clandestine thing, but it actually calmed her. She would be joining a group of women who had suffered all kinds of abuse, at the hands of all kinds of people—not all spousal abuse either. Knowing that no one would