Sweet Adeline

By Evelyn Allen Harper

Adeline Parker isn't so sweet when her long-time boyfriend, Steve Young, returns from his high school reunion with more than just fond memories. While Adeline picks up those pieces and focuses on her job as the anonymous, Dr. Ask-Me-Anything at Your World magazine, Earl Dixon saunters in and sweeps her off her feet. With his fiery blue eyes and dimpled smile, Addie's sure she's the luckiest girl in the world. But after Addie follows up with one of her advice-seekers, she may have inadvertently given the police a motive for murder. Guilt and a series of coincidental events have Addie's head spinning. And no one is who she thinks they are.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ink Smith Publishing
• Release date: Mar 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9781939156754

Book preview

Chapter 1

Where was Steve?

Adeline Parker tried not to look impatient, but keeping her excitement contained was getting harder by the minute. Trying to ignore her pinched toes that were complaining about her choice of shoes, she stepped side to side while scanning the lunch crowd streaming by.

She hadn’t seen him since last Friday just before he left to go to a weekend high school reunion. Since he had tears in his eyes when they’d parted, she was puzzled that he hadn’t contacted her as soon as he’d gotten back into town.

For days before he left for the reunion they’d agonized about being away from each other for the entire weekend. He didn’t really want to go, he’d told her, but the other three in his singing group, The Naked Four, were going to be there. The four had found while showering in the locker-room after a football game there was one song they could harmonize on. For the remainder of their high school years, they’d sung the chorus of Sweet Adeline at every occasion, even when it wasn’t requested.

Her eyes filled with tears remembering how tenderly he’d kissed her after he’d sung the song to her in his rich baritone voice. Holding her close, he’d whispered, The guys are always so jealous when I remind them that I have a Sweet Adeline of my own! Addie, I’ll think about you every second of every minute of every day.

Where was he? It was twenty minutes past noon and now her toes were really objecting to the green shoes that matched her green outfit and her green eyes.

*****

She’d waited until late in the day on Monday before she called his cell, and when he didn’t answer, she called his office.

Steve Young’s office, how may I help you?

Miss Snyder, this is Adeline Parker. Could I please speak to Mr. Young?

Oh, Miss Parker, hello! I’m glad you called. Mr. Young left a message for you.

He did? Is he all right?

Oh, he sounded quite fine when he called! There was a lot of giggling going on in the background.

Giggling? Steve doesn’t giggle. Is he in town?

No, but he will be. His message to you is to meet him on Wednesday at noon outside Joe’s Bar and Grill.

Did he say anything else?

Yes, he did. He said, Tell her I have something important to ask her.’"

Addie’s voice went up an octave. He said that?

Yes, he did. I repeated it back to him to make sure I had it right.

Oh, thank you, Miss Snyder, thank you! Bye.

Feeling giddy, Addie had sat with her phone in her hand, a big smile on her face, and joy in her heart. It was going to happen; Steve was going to propose!

Chapter 2

Thirty minutes past noon and her toes didn’t hurt anymore; dead toes don’t feel anything. Her make-up along with her hair was suffering from the noon heat and on top of that, she had to pee.

Her thoughts went back to the phone call. Why hadn’t he called her instead of leaving the message with his secretary? The reunion ended on Sunday, so why was he going to be out of town until Wednesday? But knowing her beautiful and wonderful Steve as well as she did, she was sure that he’d have a very good reason for everything.

Taking a deep breath, she leaned against the wall of the restaurant and tried to relax. Steve was going to ask her to marry him and she’d wait as long as she had to. Holding out her left hand, she wiggled her ring finger, trying to imagine how it was going to look with an engagement ring on it.

While scanning faces as the stream of walkers passed by, her thoughts went to the actual proposal. Oh, it was going to be so exciting! Would he go down on one knee right here on the sidewalk, or would he wait until they were seated in the restaurant?

In her imagination, she pictured the scene. If it happened here on the sidewalk, the sight of her handsome Steve looking up at her with those love-filled blue eyes would certainly draw attention. In her mind’s eye she chose to have a crowd gathering to wait for her answer.

Addie paused in her imagination. At this point in the proposal, should she go for an immediate acceptance or should she hesitate for a few seconds just to build up a bit of tension? Trying to decide, she closed her eyes and debated the choice. What would the spectators want to see?

In her thoughts, she joined them to observe the scene.

What she saw was an exceptionally gorgeous man down on one knee, and a stunning redheaded green-eyed young woman, who by the way, was looking especially slim today, beaming down at him. The imagined picture pleased her. Ever since Steve had made negative comments about one of her friends who’d gained more than a few pounds, she’d become obsessed with her own weight. She never wanted to hear Steve talk that way about her. Today when she weighed herself, she was elated to see that she was shy of her self-imposed weight limit. She didn’t even want to think about what she had to do to stay at that weight. It was only in her dreams that she allowed herself to enjoy a slice of pizza, a pile of mashed potatoes swimming in gravy, or heaven forbid a dish of ice cream. Just the thought of eating forbidden food made her mouth water, but remembering Steve’s remark, she swallowed hard. For the thousandth time, she wondered if being just a little bit bulimic would be so terrible. If Steve hadn’t been such a great guy in all the other aspects of their relationship, she would have considered moving on.

*****

By one o’clock she was seriously concerned. Steve was never late for anything. Oh, God! Did something bad happen to him? Her heart ached just thinking about how awful it would be to lose him. Standing on her tiptoes, she frantically searched for the sight of him.

Now, not only did she have to pee, she was hungry and her stomach growled just to verify the fact. Ah, she remembered that she’d snatched several pieces of goodies left over from last Halloween and dropped them into her purse.

Voila! Her searching fingers pulled out a rolled-up piece which she eagerly unwrapped and popped into her mouth…only it wasn’t candy. It was bubble gum. Even though it tasted wonderful, she had to get rid of it. To be chewing when he asked her The Big Question would ruin the picture-perfect proposal scene.

One ladylike cough sent the gum into her waiting hand where, to her surprise, it turned into instant glue. She’d chewed a lot of bubble gum in her youth and she didn’t remember it being so sticky. What if Steve showed up while she was trying with her left hand to pick gum off the hand that he would want to hold while he was proposing to her? Oops! Now her left-hand fingers were stuck together.

Trying to keep a pleasant look on her face, she frantically worked on freeing her hands of the sticky mess while she looked around for a place to get rid of it. There were no public trash receptacles nearby, but there was a large potted plant near the entrance to the restaurant. It wasn’t something a good citizen should do, but since she had no other choice, she set her sights on the plant.

Success! With the wad of gum finally rolled into a ball, she was aiming for the plant when she saw him.

He was here!

Chapter 3

Her heart pounded at the sight of her tall, gorgeous and awesome Steve. His blond head was hard to miss because it soared above most of the other walkers. With a warm and exciting smile on her face, she was poised to throw the gum when she noticed a woman who was walking beside him. As they got closer, she could see that he was holding the hand of a tall rather plump but not unattractive female whose frizzy blond hair was bouncing with every step. Addie’s eyes widened when she became aware that the woman’s hair was not the only thing that was bouncing. Even this far away she could see the material on her red blouse straining to contain the flopping large package underneath.

Addie didn’t even realize that her eyes glanced down at her own rather slim chest.

When Steve leaned close to the woman, kissed her cheek, and whispered in her ear, alarm bells rang in Addie’s head. A hurried toss sent the gum in the general direction of the plant.

When they finally stood in front of her, Addie didn’t say a word; something wasn’t right. Where was the hug? Hell, he didn’t even look happy to see her. Her foot tapped out an impatient beat on the sidewalk while she waited for him to say something. His eyes were looking everywhere, just not at her. Where was the Steve who’d kissed her so passionately just a few days ago? They’d been together two years on an exclusive basis. The exclusive bit had been his idea right from the beginning, and as far as she knew, they had been.

Steve might not want to look into her eyes, but the woman, whose face appeared altogether too smug to please Addie, had no problem. She had never seen the woman before, and on close inspection the only apparent family resemblance to Steve was her blue eyes; the blond hair didn’t count because it could have come out of a bottle. But sometimes even relatives don’t share similar features, so this could be Steve’s sister, or his niece, or his cousin….

Steve finally spoke. Addie, I’ve thought of a dozen ways to tell you this, and none of them were easy. So, I guess I’ll just introduce you to Ellen, he paused, glancing down at the woman, adoration shining on his face, my wife. We were married yesterday.

All thoughts of dead toes, peeing, and hunger vanished as Addie’s world turned black, shutting out his voice that droned on. How could this be? Shaking her head in denial, she tried to remain calm, but her voice betrayed her when she squeaked, Is this a joke?

That’s when Ellen waved her pudgy hand, flashing the matched ring set.

Addie couldn’t believe her eyes. The son-of-a-bitch had bought the set that she’d pointed out as something she found attractive as they’d walked past a jewelry store’s display window a few months ago. The bastard had bought the rings, but not for her.

I’m so sorry, Addie, he said quietly, his eyes downcast. I thought that you were my soul mate until I ran into Ellen, my high school sweetheart. Addie, I would have been happy with you, but not as happy as I will be with Ellen.

Ellen beamed.

Addie was having trouble breathing. This was not what was supposed to be happening. Where was the Steve who had pledged his undying love just a few days ago?

But your high school reunion was just last weekend. You figured this out in what? Three days?

I know it sounds crazy, but when I saw her again, I knew instantly. When we broke up prom night, my heart was so shattered I flunked my freshman year of college and had to go home. He paused, looked lovingly into Ellen’s eyes, and smiled. My love for Ellen must have been there all along.

Addie swallowed hard, trying to deny her stomach’s request to spew her breakfast. Oh, that’s right; she hadn’t eaten breakfast.

She was my first love, he continued, and I guess I never forgot my first love.

Addie stared at him in disbelief. After two years with me, you changed your mind over a weekend? I can’t believe this!

Addie. You are such a great person!

Cut the crap, Steve. If you dare say ‘I hope that we can remain friends,’ I’ll barf chunks on your shoes.

He looked nervous. I’d hoped that you wouldn’t make a scene.

Too angry to cry, her voice went up the scales while she yelled, Is that why you had me wait on the sidewalk outside the restaurant? Didn’t think I’d make a scene in such a public place? Well, you thought wrong!

Addie, please keep your voice down! he pleaded. People are watching!

Fuck the watchers! Addie continued to yell. They want a show? I’ll give them a show!

A spattering of applause from a few of the passing walkers gave her encouragement.

Addie continued at a lower volume, attempting to control her anger, You said you wanted to ask me something. So far, you’ve just told me something.

He hung his head. What I wanted to ask you for was your forgiveness.

That did it. Forgiveness? she shrieked. Forgiveness for what? Forgiveness for taking up two years of my life? How do I get those two years back, Steve? Forgiveness for not giving me a heads-up that you were cheating on me? What, Steve? What is it that I’m supposed to forgive you for?

She stopped shouting when she noticed that the couple, she was yelling at was speed walking away.

Stunned, upset, numb, and angry over Steve’s betrayal, she watched the retreating pair in disbelief. How had this happened? Instead of having the expected engagement ring on her finger, she had nothing except the feeling that she’d been run over by a truck.

A momentary respite from her emotional meltdown came when she got a fleeting glimpse of the bottom of Ellen’s departing shoe. The big wad of pink bubble gum had found a home.

Chapter 4

Three days following The Incident, dawn’s ugly light found Addie in bed balled up in the fetal position. Except for necessary trips to the bathroom and snack runs to the kitchen, she hadn’t ventured far from her bed. With the covers pulled over her head, she replayed The Incident over and over, always hoping for a different ending; no matter how many reruns she watched, the ending was always the same. Steve wasn’t hers anymore. How could her heart still be beating when it hurt so badly?

She rolled over, snuggled into the warm covers and was about to go back to sleep when the feeling of guilt jarred her awake. Could it have been her fault? Had she failed Steve in some way that had made him feel free to betray her?

Enough! she yelled. Throwing back the covers, she swung her feet onto the floor and stood up. She had done nothing wrong. As if the two years she’d wasted on him weren’t enough, realizing that by staying in bed mourning the loss of the back-stabbing-oath-breaking-excuse-for-a-man she had just added three more days.

But it didn’t matter how many times she told herself that he wasn’t worth it. Her head might believe that, but her heart hadn’t gotten the message.

Catching a glimpse of her disheveled appearance in the mirror as she headed for the shower made her flinch. Damn Steve! He wasn’t worth it. She needed to go to work because three days were about all she could blame on the stomach flu, her excuse for staying home.

As was her habit every morning, she stepped onto the hated scales while she waited for the hot water to reach the shower. And included in that habit was the ritual of closing her eyes while the scales performed, and then guessing what she would see when she opened them. If the number was higher than her set limit, she panicked. Not wanting Steve’s disapproval, she’d diet all day…and then it hit her. She didn’t have to please him anymore so it didn’t matter what the scales showed. The sense of freedom surprised her.

Upon opening her eyes, she was startled to see that she’d lost more in her three-day mourning period than on any other diet she’d tried. She stood for a moment looking at the number knowing she’d probably never see it again. To stay at that weight, she would have to starve herself, and with Steve out of the picture, she didn’t have to do that anymore. When her stomach growled, a sudden vision of a high stack of pancakes drowning in syrup danced in her head along with the location of the nearest House of Pancakes.

After a quick shower and dressed in the brightest outfit in her closet, Addie headed out into a Steveless world.

*****

So beautiful was the view, her thoughts of Steve momentarily fled as she drove south along the scenic peninsula road with Lake Michigan on either side of her. The long and narrow finger of land that jutted out into the cold water was the preferred living area for those who worked in the adjacent town. Bikers and joggers were plentiful on the peninsula, and as she drove by one of them, Addie waved; the jogger waved back. Even though she didn’t know their names, after seeing them so many times, they felt like friends. Lately there was one new evening jogger, a very pretty but overweight lady whose colorful jacket made her hard to miss.

Within minutes, she reached her destination, parked and entered the House of Pancakes. The smell of sizzling bacon, maple syrup and fried eggs assaulted her nostrils. By the time she was seated at the counter her mouth was watering. When the food that had been off-limits for two years was finally set down in front of her, she savored every bite.

Chapter 5

Addie left the restaurant with a smile on her face and a take-out box under her arm. Your eyes are bigger than your stomach, her mother used to tell her when she piled too much food on her plate.

She had made it through half of the stack of pancakes when her stomach, unused to heavy food, signaled it was time to stop. It was hard to lay down her fork, but after the waitress offered to box up the rest, she decided that leftover pancakes for lunch sounded pretty good.

There was a spring in her step as she headed for her car to drive to her office a few blocks away. Lifting her head, she felt the warm morning sun on her face, relieved to find that her Steveless world wasn’t such a bad place after all.

*****

Pausing at the entrance to her building, Addie took the time to admire the place where she was employed as a writer for the popular magazine, Your World. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever pictured herself working for the largest publishing house in the state. The marble foyer, the soaring ceilings, and the glass walls were impressive.

The first time she had entered this building had been for her interview with the magazine’s manager, James Lawson.

Her thoughts went back to the day of the interview:

*****

From their initial phone call, she’d pictured him as an older gentleman with years of experience under his belt. Instead, the tall brown-eyed man who stood up to greet her when she entered his office was about her own age. Her eyes were immediately drawn to his thick head of black hair that grew into a peak above his forehead. She’d heard of widow’s peaks, but couldn’t remember ever seeing one before.

Flustered when she finally noticed that he’d been holding out his hand for her to shake, the folder she had filled with samples of her writing slipped out of her hand and fell to the floor. Papers flew out and fanned themselves across the carpet.

Oh, how clumsy of me! she’d exclaimed, her face red with embarrassment.

No big deal, Miss Parker! Here, let me help you.

When all the papers were back inside the folder and Addie was seated, the interview began.

"We have several openings, Miss Parker, but I