Crashing Waves (Wayhaught Love Story)

Chapter Four: First Day in Purgatory

Waverly
The moving truck turned on the dirt driveway that led up to the Earp homestead. Waverly gripped the wheel as it bumped over the rocks. She put the truck in park and turned it off, thankful she didn't have to drive one more second in the thing. She groaned when she realized that she would actually need to drive it ten minutes up the road to the truck rental later.

Gus came out of the house and stood on the porch. Her cracked lips spread upwards into a smile. Her wrinkled eyes followed her niece as she climbed out of the truck. Waverly reminded Gus of her sister-in-law. Wave's long brown hair, honey colored eyes, and little dimples brought the images of her sister to Gus's mind. Gus wished for only goodness for Waverly. She was so proud of her for going to college and getting her history degree. She did have her reservations about Waverly coming back to Purgatory, but ultimately, Gus knew time wasn't on her side anymore.

"Gus!" Waverly exclaimed and hugged her aunt. Waverly smelled the familiar scent of tobacco and coffee on Gus's shirt. She breathed in the smell of home.
"Welcome home, hon. Come on in; I have some dinner in the oven." Gus smiled. Her smile didn't reach her eye, and Waverly was hit by a gut feeling that something wasn't right. Was Gus hiding something from her?

Nicole
    Nicole was backing out of her parking spot in front of the police department, when a loud honk sounded behind her. She quickly looked back, and saw a black SUV trying to park next to her. Nicole had almost backed into the vehicle. She had been thinking about the girl in the moving truck and hadn' t been paying any attention. She gave a little wave to say sorry, but the man in the driver's seat didn't even look at her. She could see that he was wearing a bullet-proof vest over a black long sleeve. He had a large gun in the seat beside him. He looked angry, and she hoped that she hadn't just started off on the wrong foot with someone important. She watched as he jumped out of the car, grabbed his gun, and walked inside. He was tall with an athletic build. Confidence emitted from every step he took. "Yep, definitely someone important. Damn it, Nicole." She mumbled. She double checked behind her, then tried backing out again. She put her pick-up truck in drive and headed towards the little apartment she was renting a couple blocks away.

    Her mind wandered back to the girl in the moving truck. Nicole wondered who she was. Why was she coming to Purgatory? There wasn't much here as much as she could tell. Nicole glanced out her side window as she drove past a grocery store, post office, library, and bar. She took note of the bar. "Hmm Shorty's? I'll definitely stop in there soon." She laughed to herself.

    She quickly arrived at her destination. Westwood Apartments. Nicole noticed that the pictures online looked much better than the actual thing. The small building held eight apartments, all of them accessible from the outside. The lawn around the building was all dirt, and the flower beds were overran with tall weeds. One of the windows was broken, and the bricks had started falling out of place on one side. She sighed and pulled into parking. She glanced at the apartment that was suppose to be her's, Number 3. It looked...okay. She crossed her fingers with the wish that there wouldn't be any nasty things inside. Jumping out of the car, she headed towards the office to grab her key. This run-down place would be her home for the foreseeable future.

Waverly
    Back at Gus's, the aunt and niece were finishing up a big dinner consisting of mashed potatoes, meatloaf, and corn. Gus is amazing at cooking, and Waverly was so thankful for a home-cooked meal. She hadn't had one in quite a while since being at college. Whenever she would try to imitate Gus's recipes, something always went wrong. Too much salt, too runny, too burnt, too bland...anything that could go wrong, usually did.

    Gus put her napkin on the table and stood up. "Waverly, I have something for you. Follow me." Waverly stood up and followed Gus out the front door and to the barn. The sun was starting to set outside, and a cool breeze met Waverly's skin. She breathed in the summer evening air. The crickets were singing and she could see some fireflies in the field beside her. Evenings were the best time of day on the homestead. Everything was so peaceful. The world was going to sleep, but the Earth was coming alive.