Down Memory Lane

Chapter Two

Connie woke up to two little hands on either side of her face, turning her head this way and that. She opened one eye and peered into her daughter's face, unable to keep the grin off of her own even as she groaned at the early morning intrusion.

"Can I help you, sweet pea?"

Maddie giggled and nodded from her position on Connie's chest. "Mornin' mommy! When does the big truck get here?"

Connie squinted at her phone and saw that it was just shy of seven a.m. She let her head fall back on the floor threw her arms around Maddie, hugging her as she slid the little girl off of her stomach and to her side.

"Soon. Is your brother awake?"

Maddie nodded before squirming out of her mother's arms and running toward her brother's room. Momentarily she was back, pulling her big brother by the hand behind her. He yawned as he looked at his mother.

"We got anything to eat for breakfast?"

Connie groaned and shook her head as she pulled herself up off of the floor. "No, I'll have to go get something. Can you watch your sister and wait for the truck while I do that? They should be here soon." 

At his nod, Connie went into the bathroom to change into a pair of shorts and a tank top before throwing her hair up into a messy bun and grabbing her sandals. She kissed both kids, snatched her purse from the kitchen counter and headed out the door. As she drove to town, she looked for any kind of fast food place but found none. With a shrug and intent on getting a cup of caffeine, she pulled into the parking lot of a diner and got out. She sat at the counter and waited for her order, sipping her coffee and people watching.

She was intent on watching an adorable older couple when she heard a voice speak up from her side, startling her. "You're the girl from the store yesterday, right? Had two kids with ya?"

Connie nodded at the black haired man from yesterday, internally rolling her eyes as he openly checked her out. "Yeah, just moved here."

The dark haired man stepped a little closer as the man with him rolled his eyes. "Well, welcome to Charming, doll." He stuck his hand out and Connie shook it. "Tig Trager." He pointed to his friend. "That's Chibs Telford. I'd love to show you around town sometime."

Connie chuckled and shook her head. "Connie McCloud. It's nice to meet both of you." The waitress sat a bag on the counter and smiled at Connie as she handed her the money. "I'm afraid I need to get going. Got two hungry mouths to feed at home." She smiled at the two men as she stood up and started for the door. "Have a good day, Tig, Chibs."

She walked out into the morning sunshine and got in her Tahoe for the short ride home. Once there, she noted with satisfaction that the moving truck had arrived and the men were currently carrying her sofa into the house. She quickly got the kids settled at the picnic table in the backyard with their food, out of the way of the movers. 

She was standing on her front porch directing the men with boxes on where to go when she saw a dark-haired woman walking across the yard with a baby on her hip. She looked to be younger than Connie herself and was very attractive. She smiled and extended a hand as she reached the porch. Connie shook it and made cooing noises at the smiling baby.

"Hi, I'm Tara Knowles. I live next door. I just thought I'd come over and welcome you to the neighborhood."

Connie chuckled and nodded. "Thanks! I'm Connie." 

Tara nodded. "So where ya from?"

"Spokane."

"Wow, that's quite a change, huh? How did you pick Charming?"

Connie laughed and shook her head. "Honestly, I don't know. I just looked at a map and thought, "yeah, that's the place". My oldest thinks I'm crazy."

Tara laughed. "You have kids? How old?"

"Nate is thirteen and Maddie is almost four."

"Nice! Is your husband working or... ?"

Connie grinned. "No, we're divorced. It's just me and the two kids."

Tara winced as she looked at Connie apologetically. "Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... "

Connie waved off her apology with a light laugh. "No, don't be sorry. It's the best thing for everyone."

Tara nodded then pointed toward her house. "Well, I better get back. My boyfriend is going to want breakfast soon. I'll stop by tomorrow and we can chat some more if you'd like?"

Connie smiled and nodded. "That would be great. You have a great day!"

Connie watched as Tara walked back across the lawn dividing the two houses before walking inside to see how everything was going. Sooner than she expected, the movers were done bringing everything in and even stayed long enough to put the beds together before leaving her alone with two kids and a house full of packing boxes. She looked around at the mess before turning to the two kids sprawled across the sofa.

"How about a trip to the park before we start unpacking?"

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Happy and Opie were stopped at a light when movement caught Happy's eye. In the park to his left, there was a woman chasing a little girl and laughing at something an older kid said. He scratched his head as something in his mind kept pulling at him. He could hear their laughter even over the engine of his bike and it made his mouth twitch into a small smile. That laugh was familiar for some reason but he couldn't put his finger on it. As the light changed and they continued on to Jax's house, it finally dawned on him. 

Her laugh sounded like Connie's. Connie Durning. He shook his head as he realized that he hadn't thought about her in years. Oh, every once in a while, when he was alone at night, he'd allow himself to think about the girl he'd lost so many years ago, but then he'd give himself a mental shake. It did no good to think about someone he'd never see again.