Rosalie had gotten to Gatlinburg, booked a room at the ski resort – it was not snowing and the staff were pleased enough, though startled, at her last-minute reservation. Rosalie had then texted Archie that she had gotten there safely, and proceeded to pass out until 11 in the morning.
'Glad u got there safe, not glad ur there' Jasper's text read when she woke up.
She bites on her toothbrush to type with both hands. 'Tonto'
Rosalie dresses to the nines to go to McCarty Mechanical Services. She's passed by enough hikers in her 4-inch heels to get a few strange looks. But she needs to do it; she has to look her best because it made her feel her best. Right now, she needed to feel as capable and in control as possible.
The garage is a large corrugated iron structure. There's no sign stating the opening hours anywhere to be seen, but there was a mezuzah. Running Up That Hill wafts out from the radio, and it makes her feel raw.
She raps her knuckles on the counter, and two burly curly-headed men come chatting out of the tiny office – but immediately fall silent when they stare at her.
They both look a lot like Eli; broad pleasant faces and one of them has the exact same nose.
The one that doesn't whacks the other over the head. "Hey! You're married!"
The two of them had Eli's steady, rumble of a drawl. The other gasps and cradles his hand to his chest, the ring barely glinting. Rosalie could ignore the stares; she's used to them.
"I know!" he snaps, before flashing Rosalie a bright grin that's so like Eli's that Rosalie feels herself smiling back. "What can we do you for?" he asks brightly.
"Not you," Rosalie tells them both eagerly, making them frown. "I'm here for your sister, Eleanor."
At this, the men share an uneasy look. "Well, she's a bit busy being a couch potato," the married one says before he takes a step back, tilting his head towards another door marked 'EMPLOYEES ONLY'. "But I'll see if she'll wander in."
He goes and opens the door, before swinging off of it to look back at her.
"Who's here?" he calls out to her.
"Duchess, or Rosalie Hale."
He laughs, he nods, he walks up the set of stairs that the door opens up to. The remaining brother looks at her curiously.
"I'm Henry, that was Lenny," the unmarried brother says brightly. "You one of the New York friends she made up there when she went to that city doctor?" His brows are raised in that openly curious expression Eli frequently made. Rosalie inclines her head. "She came back real sad." To that, Rosalie can't think of a reply.
There's a stomping from the stairs that makes Rosalie's heart lift up into her throat – but Lenny comes back down alone, shaking his head sadly.
"Won't do," he shrugs, sounding lightly apologetic.
Rosalie frowns, and tries not to let her stomach sink. This is her fault, she has to make it right. "Will you let me come up?"
They exchange a look, Lenny frowning more than lightly. "We're a beacon for small-town hospitality," he tells her sternly, "but we don't know you."
Rosalie nods, and that should be good enough for her. But it isn't because it's Eli. "Please," she says quietly, and she's not one to beg so she can only hope they can realize how much effort this takes her.
Lenny seems impassive to her plea, shaking his head gently. But Henry watches her with narrowed eyes. "What did you do?" Henry asks her.
She doesn't bother playing innocent, "I lied, I hurt her. I just want to make it right."
But the change is palpable. All of sudden, both seemingly friendly men are harsh and solid. In unison, they cross their arms and stare her down. "Nuh-uh, lady, you hurt our sister," Henry growls, "you deal with us."
Lenny waves a hand at her; shooing her away. "You go on home now. I don't think you have business here."
It was the stance and tone of two men who had seen a strange girl grow up in a small town.
Helpless, defeated, under the eyes of furiously protective brothers reminding her so much of her own, Rosalie backs off. She doesn't know exactly what to say to them now, so she turns and walks out of the garage without saying anything.
She gets to the road, back towards her hotel room.
Behind her, she hears – tap-scuffle, tap-scuffle.
A voice calls out; "Hold on now! Who might you be?"
Rosalie turns, seeing a very pregnant woman and a very cute little girl with a skipping rope. The girl skips right up to her, big brown eyes wide. Tap-scuffle, tap-scuffle.
"Pretty!" she declares, her wide grin showing off her missing front teeth.
Rosalie is distracted by her – she quite liked kids, and sheloved compliments. "Thanks babe, so are you," Rosalie winks, smiling as the girl twists herself side-to-side bashfully.
The woman walks up behind the girl, and, in complete comfort, the girl swings herself around the woman's leg and presses her face into the woman's butt.
Rosalie glances at the woman, sees the 'McCarty Auto Services' shirt stretched over her belly. "I'm … I wanted to talk to Eleanor?" Rosalie rubs her arms, glancing over at the warehouse, up to the second level windows. But she couldn't see anything inside. "She doesn't want to see me."
The woman smiles, and laughs through her teeth. "Oh, so that grouch gets to scare away a new friend? I'm her sister-in-law, Katie," they shake hands, and Katie slides the girl from behind her, "Honey, why don't we go get her something to eat?"
Honey nods eagerly, and very importantly starts leading them down the road.
Rosalie hesitates – on one hand, she was still very fragile and lonely, on the other – she didn't know this woman.
But Katie only waves her forward. "Come on, come on, it's close by."
To herself, Rosalie shrugs a little. She'd made it this far and hadn't even achieved her goal – she could at least try a slice of small-town pie.
Katie and Honey take her to a diner. Only about three streets down, they get there quickly on foot. It's a place where the waitress just waves them past her and Katie makes a show of having Honey wrap up her skipping rope and put it next to her nicely. Though Honey then takes the chair next to Rosalie and scoots it closer to her.
The waitress comes and takes their order, Katie introduces her but Rosalie forgets her name as soon as it's said. They order something innocuous and Katie takes a moment to fish out her bank card and tell the waitress to not let Rosalie everywhere near the register, it was on her. Katie simply watches Rosalie's shocked refusals to let her pay, before leaning forward, over her belly, with a bright smile.
"So – what brings you here?"
Rosalie ends up telling her the most of it – her brother finding a lost woman at the station ("and Ihate people in my space, but Eli was sat there with a beer and a smile that made me wish I freshened up my lipstick before she saw me"), the time they spent together ("she straightened up our Christmas party flier!"), the breakdown of her engagement ("and the ugliest shoes you could ever imagine! I could almost forgive fucking my fiancee, but not those silver strappy monsters!"), the feelings ("You know she's scared of elevators, isn't she? You know she ate my shitty pancakes? You know I haven't been able to stop thinking about her?"), the way Rosalie sent her away ("She looked small …."). Katie listens to it all without a pause. Even little Honey mostly played with the straw of her drink and ripped up napkins.
"… I just want her to know that … I shouldn't have even sent her away in the first place." Remorse and regret filled her chest and made her feel the hair on her neck times ten.
But Katie shakes her head firmly. "Oh, yes you should!" she declares, slapping the table for emphasis. "You were engaged at the time. Eli's the type of silly little chit that runs after pretty girls and if you'd let her, she might not have come back home."
Rosalie didn't say what she immediately thought – that she wouldn't have minded keeping her. Because she's facing someone who loved Eli and she remembered what Eli had said, that it had been the furthest she'd ever been from home.
Katie switches topics, and starts talking about herself. Her husband was Len, and the last time Eli had worn a dress was as one of her bridesmaids.
"Ruined every damn picture she was in – everyone asks me why I put a man in a dress!" Katie snarls, before she laughs. "She called it 'her drag costume'!"
They finish eating, they head outside. Honey wears her skipping rope like a scarf. She lifts her chunky arms to Rosalie. "Auntie carries me on her shoulders!" she chirps.
Katie smacks her daughter's flailing wrists. "Ellie, Auntie's the only woman that can lift you now, put 'em down!" Rosalie is shocked, and then immediately embarrassed. It would have probably been strange had the girl's name really been 'Honey', but that it was Ellie sits warm in Rosalie's chest.
Katie is still talking to Ellie, who swung herself listlessly after being told 'no'. "She's gotta go home an' lick her wounds," Katie meets Rosalie's startled look, and grins. "A woman could do worse than pining for our Eli."
Rosalie is herded back to her hotel room. Little Ellie looks delighted to explore the new place, and Katie looks over the opens suitcase with a musing hum. "Somethin' tells me you're the type of woman that brings a few more things with her."
Rosalie did have a matching 7-case set that this particular luggage was a part of. She shrugs but doesn't reply, and Katie laughs again. She seems to be an easy-going woman, and Rosalie usually couldn't stand being laughed at.
Katie looks at her kindly, "Ellie and I will take you to the bus station, get you home." Her voice is soft and Rosalie is still fragile enough to be very grateful for it.
"I'll help pack up!"
Ellie enthusiastically crushes the clothes back into the case, and Rosalie kneels with her to help with the merciless stuffing. Ellie coos and enjoys all the grown-up clothes, and Rosalie takes some time to show her some favorites. Maybe she wanted Ellie to remember her. Maybe she wanted Ellie to mention her to her namesake Auntie.
Well the rush to confess the truth to your person didn't work. Who saw that coming. Me. Please let me know what you think :)