Crashing Into Me (Crashing Into Me #1) Read online

  Crashing Into Me

  R.L JACKSON

  Copyright © 2017, R.L Jackson. All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

  Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, Characters, Places, and Incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  ASIN: B01NCRZAF9

  ISBN 13: 978-1542665629

  ISBN 10: 1542665620

  For Ronald

  Contents

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  "The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart."

  — Helen Keller

  Dedication

  First and fore-most thanks be to God for allowing me to have the courage and strength to step out in faith and share my talent with those who wish to experience it.

  To my mother Paranell who has inspired me from as early as I can remember, I owe everything to you. To Alma, Sylvester, Emily, Tarven, Tredell, Kordell, Sabrina, Sharmaine, Caroline, Shanda, Ronald Jr., Collin, Reginald and Norlon this is for all of you who give me strength. To my patient husband Raymond who has supported me through all my many ventures, I love you and thank you.

  And to all the other amazing women in my life, Takesha, Kelli, Vicki, Elaine and others: You know who you are. You are dreamers, thinkers, entrepreneurs and believers. Thank you.

  1

  The bagel bite Lana Mckenzie just put in her mouth was like ambrosia from Greek mythology. She had just gotten off work and having not eaten all day, couldn’t pass up the crispy cheesy morsel being passed out by the sample lady in the store. Mentally, she added them to her grocery list and pushed her rattling shopping cart away, as she eyed the remaining samples; concerned she might devour the entire tray. Her legs felt like lead, and her feet were sore after having stood on them the previous fourteen hours at the hospital. Thankfully, she made the decision to change out of her sneakers and into flip flops in the parking lot, giving her tootsies some relief.

  Usually she’d make a beeline straight home and soak her feet to try and stave off any blisters before work the next day, but that wouldn’t be the case for her tonight. The four week vacation she’d been dreaming of started the next day and she couldn’t wait to “veg” out on the couch and do absolutely nothing. The thought gave her a small jolt of excited energy as she continued to push the cart towards the frozen food section, in search for her evening dinner. It wasn’t late yet, just after eight in the evening, but the store was packed with people and only three registers were opened at the moment. She yawned at the thought of waiting in the checkout line and wished she’d gone home instead; but there was nothing to eat in her apartment other than microwaveable popcorn and she was absolutely ravenous.

  Her pale blue scrubs were wrinkled, and her thin frame was engulfed in the oversized cotton mess. She looked more like she’d just rolled out of bed than spent the whole day saving lives as an E.R Nurse at Broward General. Lana’s black curly hair was piled in a messy bun, and any traces of makeup on her face was long gone. As she stopped in front of the ice cream freezer and eyeballed a tub of Ben and Jerry’s, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass door. She ran her hand through her hair in a sad attempt to fix it. No dice. This should be a crime, she thought, and decided it was time to make a quick exit. She reached in and grabbed the tub of Chunky Monkey ice cream, threw it in the cart, and pushed around the corner.

  Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks. Across the aisle, less than ten feet away from her, there he was. Her ex Samuel, and he was with her. It was Joanna, one of the hospital administrators where they all worked and a notorious gossip. Lana was convinced she had her eye on Sam the entire time they dated. Lots of the female staff had a thing for him and that was the price she paid, for dating in the workplace.

  She watched them as they laughed and held hands, picking through fruit in the produce section as if their lives depended on it. It didn’t help that Joanna looked like a model either—tall and super slim with her perfect nose and botoxed lips, wearing this seasons Manolo’s and a clingy Chanel dress. She had long red hair that reached her waist line and couldn't weigh more than a hundred and five pounds wet. Sammy, as Lana used to call him, was as handsome as she remembered, but it was only a year ago when he abandoned her at the altar. Hard to forget a face like that.

  They had met at a Christmas party the hospital was throwing a few years prior and hit it off right away, locking eyes at the eggnog bowl. They both reached for the ladle at the same time, and she was smitten with him almost instantly. He was six foot one, slim, chocolate skinned and had the brightest whitest smile she’d ever seen in real life. Lana never stood a chance, as she always fell in love way too fast according to her mother. He had the type of charm that could make any woman with a heartbeat stop and take notice.

  After exchanging number’s that night, they dated for three years when he popped the question at the annual Christmas party. Sammy had a way of making grand gestures, and after recruiting several of their co-workers to help him sing “their song,” he dropped to his knee holding a diamond ring box and changed her life forever. Six months later on the day of the wedding, he was running late, the church was packed, and no one could reach him on his cell. Only after one of the guests read a Facebook message he posted, did anyone realize he wasn’t coming. Facebook! Later on she learned the message stated a simple, “I’m sorry, I can’t do this.”

  Most of the guests in the church were family and co-workers, so it only took one person to see the post before it spread like a California wildfire.

  The memory of standing in that dressing room, ready to spend her life with him and then having the wind knocked from her body, was still like yesterday for her. Lana’s heart fell from her chest and shattered into a million shards that day, and she had been trying to pick up the pieces ever since. She never got an explanation as to why he did what he did, but she had a feeling Joanna had something to contribute to that. After the fiasco, she spent a great deal of time avoiding him as much as possible. She switched departments, specialties, and recently decided it may be time to switch hospital systems in general, as she never shook the gossip and drama that still lingered in the halls.

  Re-living those memories brought tears to her eyes. Lana was still standing in the middle of the store aisle, as the two of them melted into a watery blob. She turned away quickly before either of them saw her and wiped her face with the back of her hand. She was angry at herself that he still had that effect on her. She wasn’t in love with him anymore, but the wounds of what had happened still hadn’t healed. I will not let him see me cry, she thought, and straightened her posture.

  I’ll be fine. I can walk up to them and say hello. No biggie. Then it hit her. I look like road kill! Quickly, she turned away from them and pushed her noisy cart, headed toward the front of the store to make her great escape. She got to the middle of the aisle
, when suddenly her left leg was extended in front of her and before she knew what was happening, slid in something wet in her flip flops, and landed onto the floor.

  She was staring up at the ceiling now as the pain in her back sent shockwaves up her spine, causing her to cry out. Her cart careened ahead of her and crashed into a flower display, sending vases and flowers airborne, creating even more commotion. The pain in her back was no contest to the mortification she was feeling as she lay on the ice cold tile looking like a wrinkled pile of laundry.

  Lana started to peel herself up off the floor when the familiar cologne Sammy wore was surrounding her—and then there he was, bending over, his face inches from hers, his outstretched hand reaching for her.

  “Lana?” Sam asked, his eyebrows arched in surprise, “Are you OK?”

  He still wore the linked gold chain necklace she bought him for Christmas a few years ago, as it now dangled over her face. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and then all the air was gone from her lungs. The room seemed to be spinning and for a moment she thought she might pass out. That would certainly be easier to deal with than having your ex see you on your ass, she thought in the moment. Still having not answered him, she ignored his hand and pushed herself up slowly as other shoppers ran up to her and stared.

  Before she knew it, a group of people were crowded around her, some whispering, some looking concerned. A store clerk, wearing a lime green vest with a Sure-Mart logo embossed across the front, ran to her side, his face twisted in a panic. He reached down and helped her the rest of the way up.

  “Miss, are you OK?” he exclaimed.

  “Yes,” she managed to squeeze out. It was a lie and all she could think of was rewinding the last five minutes of her life. Her big red rimmed eyes wanted to regurgitate tears but she swallowed the urge. All she wanted was to get out of there as fast as possible, but she felt like a trapped animal. It seemed as if everyone in the store had come over to see what happened. She could barely remove the grip the store clerk had on her arm as she tried to walk away, when Sam took a step towards her, his face laden with pity.

  “Lana,” he repeated.

  She glanced up at him, unsure of what her response should be and decided a simple, “I’m fine” would suffice. Before she could speak the thought, the clicks of high heels grew louder and louder through the murmur of the crowd. As Joanna stepped from behind him and linked her arm into his, Lana couldn’t help but see the huge diamond ring on her finger. Sam opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted as her cellphone rang. She instinctively reached into her scrub pocket and pulled it out—Saved by the tone.

  Glancing at the screen her best friend’s name “Paula” pulsated across the long rectangular device. She began to limp away now, using the call as a get out of jail free card. The crowd parted like the Red Sea as she made her way toward the exit as fast as she could. Slowly everyone began to disperse, taking their cue from her, as several store clerks began to clean up the mess created. Lana eyed the melting Chunky Monkey ice cream on the floor, now mixed with flower petals as she passed by. She wanted to get the managers contact information but wouldn’t dare to turn back. That’s something I’ll have to deal with another day. As she limped forward, she wondered what Sam had opened his mouth to say, before her phone interrupted him.

  What could he say really? “Sorry you made a fool of yourself?” “Sorry I keep witnessing your humiliation?” At least he wasn’t entirely the cause of it this time.

  The hospital staff would have a field day with this once Joanna spilled her guts. How am I going to enjoy my vacation once those texts and calls started pouring in? Lana continued to fight the urge to cry as she wove in and out of aisles and headed for the front door. Her back was on fire, so her swift departure was more of a slow hobble and hop combination, then finally she pressed “answer” on the phone.

  “Let me call you when I get home,” she choked out, afraid she might burst into tears if she had to tell Paula what had just happened. Lana didn’t wait for a response before pressing “end”, as she finally made it through the automatic doors. As the warm evening breeze hit her, it felt like a welcome hug her mom always gave when she visited home and couldn’t help the river of tears that were lying in wait a few minutes prior. She cried all the way to her truck, no longer caring who saw her.

  ***

  Lana was jolted out of her sleep by the sound of her ringing phone. She reached over to her bedside table in the pitch black room as turning on a light was out of the question. Her back was still hurting despite the medication she took earlier, so whoever was calling had better have an emergency. Her hand felt around on the bedside table first hitting the alarm clock, then her tablet, before feeling the familiar cube of her smartphone. Easing her eyes open, she saw “Paula” was flashing across the screen and she hit “answer.” She sighed.

  “Hello,” she grumbled, wishing almost instantly she had just ignored the call.

  Lana slowly laid back down and let the phone rest on her ear. She’d forgotten to return Paula’s call once she got home and went straight to sleep. She wasn’t exactly in a rush to share what had happened at the store anyway and wanted the nightmarish day to end. Before she could decide whether or not to spill her guts, Paula was talking a mile-a-minute about the new adventures she and her husband Garret had been on that month.

  They’d been married for six years, but were jet-setting like it was still their honeymoon. One month they’d be in Bali and the next Morocco. Paula never did know how to stay still. She was the same as she was back in college, always in search of adventure. Her family was wealthy, and her husband was a Hollywood producer, so she didn’t have to work—some people had all the luck; but even with all she had, she was the most generous, down-to-earth person Lana had ever met. Never once had she ever caught Paula mistreating anyone or looking down her nose at them.

  She could barely keep up with Paula’s diatribe until she heard what sounded like music to her ears. Her best friend wanted her to house sit while she and Garret extended their vacation due to a family emergency. Lana didn’t acknowledge Paula’s made up lie she, as everyone was aware that it had been a year since the wedding fiasco. This was Paula’s attempt to distract her from the awful anniversary and one of the reasons why she loved her friend so much. No matter where she was, or what she was doing, Paula always thought about others. She had a beautiful house in a small quaint town, and Lana had spent time there on many occasions housesitting. This could be the answer she needed to clear her mind. Lana sat up in bed, the throbbing in her back a distant memory now.

  “I’d love to!” she exclaimed.

  For the first time in a long time, Lana smiled. This was what she needed in her life for the time being, and couldn’t wait to get up to that slice of heaven in the middle of nowhere and forget the last year of her life.

  ***

  As her SUV moved up the turnpike, the swaying of the stethoscope hanging from the rear view mirror occasionally distracted her—especially since the factory radio in the truck was beyond repair. Keeping her hands at ten and two, there was only the blur of trees whizzing by the windows to keep her company. Lana reached down to the cup–holder for her bottle and took a sip of her diet peach iced tea. The lightly sweetened elixir was crisp and smooth on her tongue and throat. She rested the bottle down again and glanced at her watch. Seven more hours on the road to go, and not a rain cloud in sight to slow her down.

  The sun was high in the sky at eleven in the morning and there wasn’t any traffic. Glancing up at the rearview, there were no cars or fourteen wheelers behind her either which was odd—but she was grateful. Too many cars always gave her anxiety driving at high speeds. The less vehicles, the less risk of dying in a fiery car pile–up and the better for her nerves. Paula had offered to fly her up instead of driving, but Lana refused—she liked road trips even if they were alone.

  Paula’s house was located in the small town of Hamby Georgia, tucked away in a valley and surrounded b
y nature. To Lana, it was a magical place where no one was rude, nosy, or constantly in a hurry like most big cities. People actually smiled at you and said “good morning” and “y’all” and men held doors open for you. The townspeople were very laid back and friendly. Important ingredients she needed at the moment.

  Hamby itself was picturesque, with its mountain top skies, country roads, and historical buildings around every corner. The temperature was also something that she loved as it was seldom warmer than sixty-five degrees in February. Lana was born in The Bahamas and grew up in Fort Lauderdale Florida, so the heat had been a constant in her life and something she had looked forward to changing in the near future. The best part of Hamby other than the scenery and people, was the two story house on the hill surrounded by forest; it was like some exclusive members only resort with only one guest, her.

  A gust of wind snapped her out of thought—it was really getting cold now. Looking down at the broken heater, she wished she had gotten it fixed before leaving town. She was almost to the Georgia line and could tell not only from the temperature drop, but because the trees were getting taller and more beautiful. Back home the majority of trees were palms and while beautiful as well, she longed to see foliage that changed with the seasons. There’s barely a winter season in the southern part of Florida; you were lucky to get three or four days of “cold” weather, which consisted of degrees in the upper sixties.

  Although she was wearing blue jeans, black boots and a thick black sweater, her thin frame was beginning to get frigid, so she hit the window up button on the door panel to preserve what heat she could. As she continued down the road, her mind wondered onto Sam and the ordeal from the night before. The pain in her back was nearly gone, but the embarrassment was still fresh. She was reminded of it a few hours ago when some of her co-workers texted her things like: