Buried [Completed]

Chapter two

As she watched her fiancé approach, Jamie Lachlan felt like a school girl again. Silly, excited, maybe even a little nervous. Kyle Quinpool had always made her feel this way, even when she was younger and Kyle had been one of her brother's best friends. The group of older kids usually hung out on Driftwood Lane, or on the beach. Mostly the guys— Kyle, Dougal and Wade— ignored her. But sometimes Kyle would give her one of his smiles, as if he knew she was going to grow up and knock his socks off one day. These days she knocked off more than his socks. 

"Hey there, handsome. I missed you."

He'd been away on business in Coos Bay for a few days. She'd wanted to go with him but, as he reminded her, their wedding was in two weeks and she had lots of packing to do. He was anxious for her to move out of her trailer and into the house with him and his children. If he'd had his way, she would have done it the day they were engaged. 

She wasn't an old-fashioned sort of woman, but since the children from his previous marriage were only nine and impressionable, she gently suggested they wait. Kyle had sulked for a week. But that had been months ago. And now there wasn't much waiting left to be done. Kyle took her in his arms and kissed her.                                                                                                                                        "I've missed you too. Ready to go?"

She was.                                                                                     
As they passed by the mailbox he asked, "I don't suppose you've heard from Dougal?"  

"Nope. I guess you were right. He isn't coming." She tried to sound like it didn't matter.  

"Maybe it's better this way. It's not like he's an important part of your life anymore." 

She wished she could dispute Kyle, but the facts spoke for themselves. When her mother was alive, they'd been lucky to see Dougal once a year— and only if they traveled to see him. Dougal never came to Twisted Cedars. Since he'd missed their mother's funeral, Jamie had stopped phoning and emailing, as well. And he hadn't reached out once with an explanation for his absence. 

Kyle held the door open to his black Audi SUV and she climbed into the passenger seat.  

"Pretty dress," he said.

She smiled, knowing it was the woman inside the dress he really liked. When she was younger, she'd despaired of her overly generous butt and boobs, but as a mature woman, she loved her sexy curves. 

Kyle clearly did, too. Maybe because his first wife had been willowy and tall? Kyle's first wife had once been beautiful— glamorous even, especially by Twisted Cedar's standards.

Unfortunately after the birth of the twins Daisy had developed some sort of post-partum psychosis. It was so bad, she'd been hospitalized for a while. Even when she was released, she couldn't cope with her babies on her own. So Kyle's parents, Jim and Muriel Quinpool, had moved back into the family home, which fortunately was large enough to accommodate them all.

But even with the extra help, Daisy couldn't manage. After two years, the marriage finally broke down, and then, shortly after the divorce was finalized, Daisy had left town.She'd sent an email explaining that she wanted to start a new life, and she hadn't been heard from since. 

Some women might feel slightly jealous of their fiancés ex-wife, but Jamie felt only pity for Daisy. She'd had everything, once. It was tragic the way mental illness had stripped everything away from her. 

Kyle drove out of the Evergreen Trailer Park faster than the posted speed limit. There were always kids and pets running around, but Jamie held her tongue, knowing he hated a back-seat driver. She expected him to turn toward town, but he surprised her by heading north on the one-oh-one.