Chapter 1.1 ~ A Fresh Start

It was early evening as Henley Grey drove her 1967 Shelby Cobra through the hills toward her new life. The car was the only reminder of the years she had spent in Bridgeport. And really, since it had been a gift from her father before he'd passed away, it was more so a reminder of him than it was of her old life. 

Her old life. Henley clenched both her jaw and the leather-bound steering wheel tightly as she navigated the twists and turns that lead to the small but very wealthy community of Hidden Springs. 

Her old life. She was doing her best not to think about it since everything had ended in such a shambles but it was difficult to manage since the drive thus far had taken her almost 14 hours. It was an awfully long time with only the radio and one unbroken line of highway stretched out before her and it had given her far too much time to re-hash the past. 

Although she tried to push the thoughts away, they insisted on worming their way back in. Every song on the radio was about falling in love or losing that love or, worst of all, about unrequited love.  Henley scowled as she finally turned the wretched knob to the 'off' position. The sound of the tires on the road and the rush of the wind through the trees was far more soothing than thoughts of Archibald Warrington Asquith the Third. It was a mouthful that she hoped she would never have to speak again. Of course, Henley had simply called him Arch and for years their names were always spoken together in a singsong manner, intertwined, almost as if they were one person. Maybe that was the problem, Henley mused as she shifted down the gears slightly.

They had met two years after college and were instantly inseparable. Henley was sure she had met The One (oh, how she despised that term now!) and after years of men parading in and out of her life like ants at a picnic, she'd been ecstatic to finally find a man who wanted the same thing she did - a real commitment. Gone were the frightened little boys who couldn't pull up their own bootstraps and get down in the muck of a relationship. Arch had arrived and with him he brought laughter, fun and a real sense of joy...or so Henley first thought.

With a bit of a jolt, Henley realized that she had entered the outskirts of Hidden Springs. Here there was a mixture of tiny cottages that dotted the lush, forested landscape and large, modern homes protruding over the escarpment. She downshifted again as she came up behind a limo that seemed to be moving as if in slow motion. She sighed inwardly and realized that she was used to the fast-paced world of Bridgeport, where everyone was in a hurry and where few would approve of this limo driver who seemed as if he was leading a funeral procession. 

'Stop it!' Henley reprimanded herself crossly. She was admittedly struggling to move forward in her life but after the past year and the painful memories of Bridgeport and Arch's final words to her-- No. She wouldn't think about that right now. She was almost at the little cabin she'd rented for the night and this was her fresh start. Why ruin it with thoughts of Arch and her former life? She was in Hidden Springs now and it was time to try and let go of the past.

Henley checked her GPS just in time and made a swift left turn on to a dirt road that curved snakily around a pretty little park and some funny looking cottages before ending abruptly in front of a smooth, glassy lake. She leaned back in her seat for a moment and stared out at the lake while trying her best not to think about how much she needed a bathroom. God, she thought, I have a bladder the size of a peach pit! She wriggled out of the car, trying to remember under which rock the old lady had told her she would find the key to the cabin.

Henley laughed out loud as she lifted up the low-hanging leaves of the hostas and checked under every rock, nook and crevice she saw. When Mrs. Shaumburg had phoned to tell her that the cabin key would be left under a rock, Henley had paused for a moment in silence waiting for the rest of the joke. But none was forthcoming. Apparently, the people of Hidden Springs were far more trusting than the citizens of Bridgeport. 

Henley finally located the key under a mossy rock next to the old, wooden porch, silently cursing herself for not looking there first. She paused at the front door, closed her eyes and took in a deep, cleansing breath. I am letting go of you Arch. You are in my rearview mirror, she thought with as much emotional effort as she could muster. With that affirmation out of the way, Henley ran back to the car, grunting as she gathered the few things that she had managed to fit in to her little roadster. As much as she wanted to be as carefree as Mrs. Shaumburg, she was still settling in and there was no chance in hell that she was leaving her vintage Fendi in the car overnight.

"Holy shit", Henley muttered as she placed her bags and boxes near the front door and wiped at the dust that invaded her nostrils. The cabin was small, very spartan and decorated with old wooden furniture.  Truth be told, it was seventeen different types of wood piled atop of more wood and the words 'quaint' and 'charming' might have been slightly overused by the elderly, and quite possibly blind, Mrs. Shaumburg. Henley decided to shrug it off. After all, she was only here for a night and by tomorrow night, all of her furniture should have been delivered to the townhome she would be renting until she got her bearings. And a job. 

Henley pushed that thought away as well. The idea of starting over felt good, but as soon as she imagined the reality of having to start over all alone, the heaviness of anxiety and defeat weighed down upon her, smothering her, until she was left literally gasping for air.  Those thoughts made her question her decision to leave Bridgeport.

A sudden knock from the front porch startled Henley and she bumped her forehead on the edge of the door as she went to open it. She'd had always been known more for her charisma than her grace but she seemed to lose all her words as she opened the door and came face to face with a police officer who was standing in the fading light of the day. Now what? she wondered tiredly.

"Erm... hello there..." Henley managed to get out before the officer asked her for some photo ID. 

"ID?" Henley asked somewhat tersely. "Whatever for? I am renting this cabin!"

"Miss", he began in a very business-like tone, "we got a call from a neighbour that someone was breaking into this residence and so I would like to see some identification please."

Henley gave the officer her best stare down. She was tired, she was hungry, she still had to pee and her patience was as thin as the bartenders from Banzai Lounge. But it was a small town and she really didn't want her first interaction with someone from her new home to be unpleasant. After checking out her ID and asking her a few questions, the officer called Mrs. Shaumburg to confirm that there was indeed a Henley Grey staying at her cabin.

"I'm very sorry Miss Grey," the officer said after hanging up with Mrs. Shaumburg. "It would seem that Mrs. S forgot to notify the neighbours about your arrival. She's getting up there in years, I'm sure you understand..." he trailed off. Henley gave her best understanding smile, but the hours in the car, her hunger and the still very present need to pee suddenly seemed like too much. All she wanted to was to use a toilet, eat something (anything!) and then drag her ass in to whatever passed for a bed in this odd little cabin. But the officer had other ideas.

He introduced himself as Sebastian Vanderburg. Apparently one of the many 'burgs' in Hidden Springs, thought Henley as she half-listened to him chat about himself. He seemed nice enough, if a bit arrogant. Henley had the impression that Sebastian was used to getting what he wanted and he simply reeked of a sense of entitlement. He also made sure to slip in the fact that his family was one of "the founding families"of the town. Henley felt certain that this was meant to impress her, but unless Sebastian was hiding a toilet and a hamburger somewhere on his massive belt, he was out of luck. Now, crossing her legs together uncomfortably as she resisted the urge to wet herself, Henley smiled appeasingly at the officer.

"Officer Vanderburg-" she began.

"Please, call me Sebastian" he interrupted, giving her a little wink.

"Erm...Officer Sebastian" Henley continued ignoring the suggestive wink. "I would simply love to hear more about your great-great grandparents another time...it's just that I've been in the car all day and I think I need to.." Henley paused, trying to be circumspect, "um, unpack and get some sleep."

Officer Sebastian finally seemed to take the hint, as if the twisty legs and the pained expressions hadn't been enough. Henley awkwardly walked him to the door, praying that he would just go.

The sky outside was lavender and pink as the sun met the lake, but she barely noticed as she waved a quick goodbye before dashing back inside, ripping her clothes off and laying claim to the toilet. After about five minutes of staring at an old sink and a well worn brownish bath mat, her bladder was finally satisfied. She went to the sink to check her forehead for bruises before realizing that for some obscure reason, there was no mirror. Great.

Henley hoped that this day was not an omen of things to come. A fresh start meant a clean slate and a clean slate meant no obstacles, right? she thought as she massaged her head. Or was she just being naive? After brushing her teeth and washing the grime of the road off her face, she realized that she was just too tired to eat and was not sure that whatever Mrs. S had left in the fridge was something she wanted to contend with anyhow.

Henley hung her robe and a dress up on some bent nails that stuck awkwardly out of the bedroom wall and lay gingerly on the old red quilt, hoping that she would not be disturbing some type of critter, hiding away in the sheets. She let her mind wander sleepily as she thought about what lay ahead. Of course, as always, this lead to what she had left behind and the memories she had valiantly pushed down all day came rushing in like waves. 

Arch slowing drifting away from her... how she had worked so hard to try and understand where and why he had disconnected... how her heart, so full of love and hope, tried to cajole him back to their bed where they had once spent their nights making love and planning for their future... how she discovered that his family had closed ranks and that his mother did not approve of her... and how her dreams of marriage evaporated slowly but surely until they were just wisps of an idea and her relationship to Arch was only a memory. They lived together like ghosts for months, barely speaking, the sting of rejection pulsating against Henley's strong cloak of denial.

Finally, understanding and a horrible epiphany came from nowhere but it hit her like a racing llama. Arch didn't love her. Not enough, not really. His family always came first and they always would. Arch spoke a great game but when Henley looked back upon his actions, they'd really only had one good year. The rest had been the slow burn of their connection fizzling as Arch's mother's whispers and comments about Henley had finally done their job. Arch was too much of a coward to actually end things so Henley did that too.

Henley struggled not to cry but one tear managed to force its way out and she brushed it away forcefully, angrily. No! She would not keep thinking about stupid Archer and his vindictive mother. She was in Hidden Springs now and she was ready to create a new life for herself and realize the dreams she had forgotten in the pursuit of love; the fruitless attempt to maintain faith in someone who had none for her.

Henley finally turned out the overhead light and closed her eyes. Tomorrow is the start of my new life, she thought as she drifted off in to a restless, fitful sleep.