The Runaway Bride

Caroline smiled. “Would you pass me the salt, please?”

“Yes, Mama.”

“Thank you, dear.”

“You’re welcome,” Lorelei replied quietly.

Coffee cup drained, Richard stood. “Well, I suppose it’s time I get over to the bank.”

She watched dumbfounded as her father gathered his dishes and placed them in the sink before returning to the table to kiss her mother goodbye. “Have a wonderful day, you two.”

“Shall I send Lorelei with your lunch?”

“That would be nice, if you don’t mind, Lorelei,” her father said, then leaned across the table to kiss Lorelei on the forehead. His beard and mustache tickled her skin in a familiar sensation.

“I don’t mind.” Tears pricked her eyes as she watched him turn away and grab his hat. She blinked them away resolutely. He couldn’t leave without talking to her. Surely she deserved a lecture or something. She stood. “Papa, where are you going?”

He turned with a perplexed look on his face. “I’m going to the bank.”

She gave an exasperated sigh. “I know that. What I mean is…well, I know you two want to talk to me. I’d rather you just say what you need to say now rather than drag it out by waiting until later.”

He seemed confused. “What is it you wanted to discuss, Lorelei?”

Her mouth fell opened then closed. “I ran away.”

“Yes,” he agreed.

“Isn’t that something you want to discuss?” she asked.

“Not particularly,” her father said.

Lorelei looked to her mother for help, but the woman lifted her delicate brows in confusion. “Well, what would you like us to say, dear?”

She sat down in disbelief. “This is ridiculous. Don’t you want to tell me how impractically and irresponsibly I behaved? How dangerous it was for me to travel alone as I did? How flighty it made me appear to everyone? How awful it was of me to leave you two wondering and worrying?”

Her mother took a sip of tea. “Is it necessary?”

She glanced to her husband who looked down at Lorelei thoughtfully. “I don’t think so. She seems to have learned her lesson.”

Lorelei looked from her mother to her father and back again. With a groan, she buried her face in her hands. “Did I just give myself a lecture?”

“I’m afraid so,” her father said with amusement in his voice.

She frowned at him. “You planned this, didn’t you?”

He smiled. “Goodbye, Lorelei.”

As the door closed behind him, her mother smiled. “Dear, we spared you the lecture because we know you. We know you’ve already recognized what you did was wrong because you’re here. You came back to us. Don’t think for a moment we weren’t worried or upset while you were gone, because we were both of those things and more.”

“I really am sorry.”

“We know that.” She reached over to place her hand over Lorelei’s. “Why did you leave? What happened that day?”

She sighed. “There I was in a beautiful white dress with one of the best men in the world standing beside me at the altar, and I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t—even after I spent all that time convincing myself that I could. I knew it wasn’t right.” She paused to take a deep breath. “It all was my fault because my whole life I was foolish enough to fancy myself in love with the one man who has never cared I existed.”

“Sean O’Brien,” her mother said softly.

Lorelei stared at her. “You knew. This whole time you knew?”

Her mother laughed. “Of course, I knew. You’re my daughter. How could I not know?”

She froze. “Does Papa know?”

At her mother’s nod, Lorelei groaned and buried her face in her hands.

Her mother pulled at her hands. “Come now, it isn’t that bad.”

Lorelei dropped her hands to the table. “That’s what I’m afraid of. That everyone knows how I felt about him.” Including Sean.

“I don’t think that’s the case. It’s common knowledge that you had a crush on him as a girl, but then Lawson began courting you and everyone assumed you let it go.”

“I almost convinced myself I had until that day. Suddenly, I realized I couldn’t do that to Lawson. I couldn’t go into our marriage halfhearted, knowing I couldn’t love him as he deserved to be loved. It wouldn’t have been right.”

“I hope you know how proud I am of you for doing that. It would have been much easier to let things continue as you’d planned,” her mother said. “But why did you run away?”

Lorelei shrugged. “I just hated the thought of having to deal with all the gossiping, the speculation, the people whispering behind my back—or saying to my face—that I’m a silly flirt who broke Lawson’s heart.”

Her mother looked surprised. “Did someone actually say that?”

A long time ago, she thought to herself, and glanced away. “Never mind that. But all of it made the prospect of getting away for a while and starting fresh somewhere new seem awfully tempting. I had everything already packed and ready to go. It…” She smiled weakly. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

The smile quickly faded as she continued. “But if I thought I could run away from being judged, then I was wrong. Sean tracked me down, and ever since I’ve had to live with his constant disapproval day in and day out. That’s when I realized how foolish I’d been, and decided to come home.”

Her mother nodded, then asked, “So where does that leave your feelings toward Sean now?”

Lorelei shook her head. “If I learned anything while I was gone, it’s that I’m done with Sean O’Brien. I’m finished waiting for him to look at me with anything more than a frown on his face. I think I’ve allowed his dislike of me to shape who I’ve become. That’s part of the reason I wanted a new beginning away from here and him.”

“I see.” Her mother took a sip of her tea thoughtfully. “Perhaps what you are searching for is a new perspective, dear, not an entirely new life.”

“Maybe so.” Lorelei sighed.

It wouldn’t hurt to try, and it was much more practical than any step she’d taken so far. She smiled. A new perspective… That sounded perfect. She had no idea what perspective she needed but whatever it ended up being would be better than the one she had.

* * *

Lorelei smiled a greeting at the bank tellers as she breezed through the lobby with her father’s lunch basket in tow. Her steps faltered as she neared the open door of the manager’s office. Gathering her courage, she knocked lightly. Lawson glanced up from the box he was packing. He paused in surprise at the sight of her before giving her a welcoming smile. “Come on in.”

She surveyed him carefully. He didn’t seem to be upset with her, but she hadn’t seen him since the wedding. She decided to tread lightly as she stepped inside. She placed the basket on his desk, then turned in a slow circle to survey the moderately sized room. The room had been stripped almost completely of his personal items. She turned to face him as the weight of guilt settled on her shoulders. “You’re leaving the bank?”