Clementine Read online

  Clementine

  By R. Jean Wilson

  PUBLISHED BY: Rachel Wilson on Kindle

  Clementine

  Copyright© 2013 by Rachel Wilson

  Kindle Edition License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only., This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Amazon and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  Cover Photo courtesy of Amber Clark -barefootblonde.com. All rights reserved. Please contact her for any future use or interest.

  For Lance

  Clementine Playlist

  Throughout the book I’ve placed music notes and a number corresponding to a song on this playlist. Feel free to follow along as you read!

  1. Joe Neptune – Drift away

  2. The Lumineers – Ho Hey

  3. The Lumineers – Stubborn Love

  4. The Bravery – Ours

  5. Ben Rector – When a Heart Breaks

  6. Charlie Mars – Nothing but The Rain

  7. Rihanna – Stay

  8. Carolina Liar – I’m Not Over

  9. The Fray – Where the Story Ends

  10. John Mayor – Slow Dancing in a Burning Room

  11. Sarah Jaffe – Clementine

  12. A Fine Frenzy – You Picked Me

  13. The Lumineers – Slow it Down

  Chapter 1

  The couple walked amongst the grapevines, casually holding hands as they each examined the beautiful view the vineyard provided as the sun sank, painting the sky with pink and orange hues. The two lovers continued to walk, not speaking until their feet met a soft wool picnic blanket set out for them. The dark haired man pulled the young woman into an embrace. The woman seemed to fit so perfectly in the smooth groove of the man’s neck. He pulled back and looked into her pale green eyes with a warm smile. His eyes broke from hers as he turned his attention to her soft pink lips, lightly running a finger across them.

  “My sweet, sweet Clementine.” he spoke admiringly.

  Addison sat back and admired her finished homework problem. She had a little over two weeks until she’d be done with organic chemistry, the final prerequisite class for her graduate degree applications. Thanks to her senior year career crisis, she’d graduated with a handful of random science courses left to complete. This explained why she was studying in a coffee shop, instead of enjoying the cloudless sky on a Saturday afternoon. She glanced up at her friend Stacy, only to find her still focused on her homework. Not wanting to distract her, Addison surveyed the interior of the shop they’d stumbled upon. The dark wood floors, red brick walls, and worn down bookshelves gave the shop a comfortable and intimate setting. If only she were immersed in a work of fiction instead of memorizing chemistry reactions, Addison might have been having a pleasant afternoon.

  Unlike Addison, Stacy was enrolled in their chemistry class with hopes of getting into an advanced nursing program. At times throughout the past semester, Addison would find herself jealous of the fact that Stacy was already a registered nurse, earning a salary and valuable experience. Addison just had to keep reminding herself that it would all be worth it in the end when she became a physician assistant and could see her own patients, instead of keeping her job at Dr. Fischer’s office.

  Stacy looked up, having finished her problem, and Addison took the headphones out of her ears. Stacy was exotically beautiful, with chestnut brown hair that she styled into a short crop.

  “How have we not studied together more this semester? It sucks that we finally made plans outside of class and we only have two weeks left,” Stacy complained.

  “I know, I would have asked you to study earlier but you always seemed so busy with work at the hospital,” Addison explained, offering a smile.

  “Yeah, so true. Did you see Professor Hill on Friday?” Stacy asked and the two friends immediately jumped into discussing the stereotypical community college students in their class and the shared experiences of their sweet but awkward professor.

  “When I see him in the halls, most of the time he avoids eye contact as if he’s never seen me before... There’s only fifteen students in our class, and I sit in the front row,” Addison snickered, shaking her head.

  “Did I ever tell you the time I visited him in his office hours for the first time? I got up at the end and held my hand out in thanks, and he barely touched my pinky. It was as if we were living in the 1800s,” Stacy joked, acting out the old fashioned gesture. The two girls erupted in laughter just as they’d been doing all afternoon, swapping stories from the semester in between bouts off studying.

  Addison eventually forced herself to put her iPod buds back in her ears and resume her work. She was able to focus and get through two more chapters of material before she was once again stirred away from studying. She looked up to find Stacy eagerly conversing with someone just over Addison’s shoulder. When the chat extended past a few moments, Addison curiously turned to see the person her classmate was having a discussion with.

  She was caught off guard when Stacy’s friend was standing only inches from her. Jeez. She wasn’t expecting him to be so close and her initial line of sight fell on his jean clad legs and dark brown leather boots. Hmm, those were definitely in J.Crew the other day. Her gaze began to wander up his long legs until they reached the hem of the white button-up he’d rolled to his mid-forearm. Almost brusquely, Addison continued to drag her eyes up slowly, knowing the stranger was still chatting with Stacy. His toned forearms peeked out from where he’d rolled his shirtsleeves up. Are arms supposed to be that attractive? She couldn’t help but notice the casual way he tucked one hand into his jean pocket while he held his newly purchased coffee in the other.

  In the next moment, a group of girls erupted in laughter at the table beside theirs, jarring Addison’s attention away from the stranger. She whipped around, fixing her eyes on the notes in front of her. She realized she’d been staring quite blatantly and she felt a rosy blush pervade her cheeks. What am I doing? He’s standing RIGHT behind me, and I was looking at him as if I was a kid in a candy store. Trying to pretend as if she hadn’t just been the most socially awkward girl in the world, Addison placed her head in her hand and pretended to read her notes. See everyone, I’m studying, not gazing at beautiful men behind me. Her eyes scanned the page weakly while she resigned herself to the fact that she hadn’t even pulled her gaze high enough to see the stranger’s face.

  In a stroke of pure genius (or stupidity, it was hard for her to tell at this point) she casually pressed pause on her iPod, hoping to at least catch the end of their conversation so she would know how Stacy knew him.

  “Well it was good running into you,” he said behind Addison. “I rarely get out of the hospital these days, its nice when I can at least grab a cup of coffee from somewhere other than that nurses lounge.”

  “I know what you mean; normally I’m grabbing lukewarm coffee in between rounds. And don’t get me started on how terrible that cafeteria food is,” Stacy laughed. “I’ll catch you tomorrow.”

  (♫1)What’s the harm in turning around just once more? Everyone already saw the drops of drool on the ground from earlier, might as well make it a puddle. She slowly turned, her long blonde hair falling down her back. She knew this might be her last chance to see the stranger’s face and as uncouth as it would be if he was still looking at their table, she’d kick herself if she passed up the opportunity. She followed Stacy’s gaze to where the stranger still stood and inhaled sharply. Holy sex-appeal, Batman.

  When she�
��d turned, her pale green eyes locked with the stranger’s dark browns. An afternoon’s worth of stubble accented his defined features. His warm brown eyes were rimmed with dark lashes she wanted to kiss. His tousled hair was a rich brown color and fell perfectly with a simple wave as if he had borrowed Patrick Dempsey’s hair stylist.

  It wasn’t until she held his eye contact a moment longer that she realized she knew Stacy’s friend. She suddenly found his unwavering gaze quite familiar. Strange though it was, she had never actually seen him before. But without a doubt, she knew that at some point... Dear God, what am I doing? I’m still gawking at him and now he’s looking at me as if I’m crazy.

  His eyes shifted to Stacy, then back to Addison as he arched a brow, a soft smirk playing across his lips. He stood there watching her, and even though his bewildered gaze shook her nerves, she didn’t turn away. She would’ve held his intense gaze the entire afternoon if his friend hadn’t nudged him a second later, breaking the moment. His friend had just picked up his coffee from the barista and was obviously ready to go. Hold your horses, Robin. Addison watched them speak, internally begging the stranger to shrug his friend off and remain in this ethereal moment with her. Instead, he glanced back at her only briefly as they walked out of the coffee shop door. And he’s gone.

  Addison was left staring at his wake, feeling a mix of emotions at having seen such a familiar stranger. His was like a face she’d seen through the fog of a dream. What in the world? Where have I seen him before? She turned back to her friend and took a deep breath, trying to shake off the strangeness surrounding the last few minutes. She knew she hadn’t met the man before, but her body still recognized him the moment their eyes met.

  “I can’t believe I just ran into him!” Stacy squealed. “Did you SEE him? I mean, I know you saw him because you looked about ready to jump his bones. I’ll have to tell my roommates I saw him when I get home,” Stacy continued as she grabbed her iPhone, already excitingly texting her friends.

  “Have you mentioned him before?” Addison asked casually, finally regaining some amount of normal behavioral reflexes.

  “I don’t think I have.” Stacy continued distractedly, checking her text messages, “I almost asked him to stop and help us with our o chem homework, but I figured he wouldn’t have time.”

  “How do you know h–” Addison began but Stacy cut her off.

  “Oh shoot, I forgot my shift starts earlier than usual today. I have to go,” Stacy spoke, quickly gathering up her notes and book. “This was really fun Addison, we should definitely do it again, although we should maybe do less laughing next time and more studying,” she suggested.

  “Oh, okay, yeah. See you in class,” Addison managed to say before Stacy grabbed her things and waved goodbye as she briskly exited the shop.

  Addison was left sitting alone at her table, piecing together where she could have possibly met or seen Stacy’s friend before. After staring out of the glossy shop windows onto the streets of downtown Austin for what seemed like hours, she decided to momentarily concede defeat. She couldn’t place him in any of her memories but she acknowledged that the stranger had elicited more feelings in her from a simple exchange of eye contact than had all of her previous dating experiences combined. She sat wondering the afternoon away, watching the sun cut through the shop windows... How does he take his coffee? Or does he prefer tea? Does he read the Sunday newspaper? Would he find me charming? Does he like dogs? Is he deeply religious? Would we have the same sense of humor? She wanted to know everything and yet she relished the idea that because she knew nothing, for the time being he was flawless. She could cast him into any role she wanted.

  The following day Addison headed to work like she had most mornings for the past year. She enjoyed her job at a women’s health clinic and had learned the basics of working in the medical field. Not to mention there was never a dull moment in an office where her most regularly used phrase was “undress completely and that gown opens to the back.”

  Addison straightened her dark blue scrubs and pulled her long blonde hair up into a stylish ponytail as she walked up to the door of her office, eager to start the day. Dr. Fischer had been practicing medicine for over 40 years. He was a quiet and patient boss, always eager to chat with Addison in the mornings. He wore his grey hair with pride and managed to display a decent wardrobe, thanks to his devoted wife.

  Dr. Fischer rounded the corner of the kitchen when he heard Addison enter.

  “Good Morning, Dr. Fischer,” Addison smiled to her boss as she poured herself a cup of fresh coffee in the kitchen. “Are you glad it’s finally Friday?”

  It wasn’t the most in depth question, but with an age difference of 40 years, the weather and weekend were just about all they had in common.

  “G’morning Addison,” Dr. Fischer smiled. “Oh you know I hardly leave this place, even on the weekends. Do you have any plans?”

  “Nothing but studying for organic chemistry. Hopefully it won’t be too horrible,” Addison wished aloud, as she finished pouring the cream and sweetener in her cup.

  “Ah, I think I’ll take my paperwork over studying chemistry again any day,” he joked, turning to walk away from the kitchen. “Oh, I mentioned this to Alicia already, but I was invited to a fundraiser over at Hyde Park Hospital on Saturday. You know the deal, a bunch of old docs competing to see who can awkwardly avoid conversation the most.” Dr. Fischer chuckled before continuing, “Anyway, they extended the invitation to the entire staff, so if you or any of the other medical assistants want to stop by, feel free.”

  “Thanks Dr. Fischer, I’ll definitely try my best to be there. Actually, I’m set to start volunteering after work at that same hospital, starting next week,” Addison answered.

  “Good idea, volunteering should look good on your grad school applications,” Dr. Fischer nodded as he began to walk back toward his office.

  Addison grabbed her coffee, anxious to take her first sip, when Dr. Fischer poked his head out of his office one last time. “Oh by the way Addison, we have a new resident coming on Monday, so could you make a few more patient consent forms?”

  “Oh, sure thing.” Addison answered sweetly while she catalogued the past residents that had rotated through their doctor’s office in her mind. There was Steve, who looked as though he pulled clothes out of the bottom of the hamper every day before coming in. Michael, a nearly 45 year old Asian man who barely uttered one word to anyone in the office during his few week stay. It seemed as if residents were not the cream of the crop in terms of dateable guys, much to the chagrin of the other women in the office.

  Addison had ended her most recent short relationship a few months ago and didn’t really mind the fact that the residents assigned to their office couldn’t have made her look twice if they had waltzed into the office wearing nothing but their stethoscope. Oh, gross. Addison smiled to herself at how horribly funny those images were as she copied the patient consent forms Dr. Fischer’s had asked for and went about her day at the office.

  Before leaving work, Addison stopped by Alicia’s desk. Alicia was the office’s receptionist and someone Addison leaned on to make it through the long days at work. Even though Alicia was in her early 40s, she and Addison had clicked immediately on their first day working together. She had light brown hair that fell just to her shoulders and sweet, inviting features. Addison would start each day with a pit stop at Alicia’s desk so they could catch up, and they usually tried to meet up once a week for yoga or coffee.

  “Hey, did Dr. Fischer tell you about the fundraiser?” Addison asked.

  “Yeah, he mentioned it this morning. I’ll totally go if you’re up for it. Those things always end up being at least semi-entertaining,” Alicia quipped, “Oh! And the food was really good last year too. It was definitely worth getting dressed up for.”

  “Alright fine, you’ve talked me into it. But if by the end we haven’t seen Dr. Fischer dance on a table or two, you’ll have to reevaluate what you consider ‘
semi-entertaining’,” Addison said, keeping a straight face until Alicia started cracking up at the thought.

  “Okay, well I’ll text you when I’m headed over there and we can meet up. I definitely don’t want to go into one of those things alone” Addison said.

  Addison had just pulled her car into the parking spot outside of her apartment when she called her mom, Vickie. They chatted almost every day, even if just for a few minutes. Her mom had been her rock growing up, and she still thought of the fifty-year-old woman as her best friend. She was able to talk to her mom about anything because she always listened without passing judgment. The first and only time Addison snuck into a club in high school, she had confessed to her mom at lunch the next day. Vickie surprised her by laughing and telling her stories of her own high school days. She knew Addison wasn’t going to make a habit of sneaking into clubs, and it made Addison appreciate the confidence and respect her mother bestowed upon her only daughter.

  Addison’s family had been close growing up. Her father worked as a science teacher at her high school and her two brothers had both been several years ahead of her in school. They both lived in Dallas and Addison tried to visit them as often as she could. She was the baby of the family, and although they were all an important part of her life, the bond she shared with her mom was the strongest relationship in her life.

  “Mom, you have got to call me back, I have a guy to tell you about,” she began once she heard the beep of her mom’s answering machine. “I don’t know his name, but hopefully I will soon. I saw him in a coffee shop yesterday.” Addison smiled into the phone, her mind piecing together the stranger’s dark hair, piercing eyes, and fit body.

  A second late she heard a click and her mother’s voice.