by Hope Ford
For You
Coming Home To The Grove
Hope Ford
Contents
1. Chrissy
2. Bart
3. Chrissy
4. Bart
5. Bart
6. Chrissy
7. Chrissy
8. Bart
9. Chrissy
10. Bart
11. Bart
12. Bart
13. Chrissy
14. Chrissy
15. Bart
16. Chrissy
Epilogue
Epilogue 2
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About the Author
For You © 2020 by Hope Ford
Editor: Kasi Alexander
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
1
Chrissy
“Why are you giving him another chance?” Carrie, my best friend since high school, demands to know. “He’s spent more time in jail than he has with you. Chrissy, you filed for a divorce for a reason. What are you doing?”
I try to find the words to explain. Carrie doesn’t have kids yet, but I know it won’t be long before she and the sheriff are talking marriage and kids. It’s only a matter of time. “Katie doesn’t understand all this. She misses her dad. I owe it to her to give David another try.”
The look that Carrie is giving me lets me know she doesn’t agree. I reach across the table and squeeze my friend’s hand. “I know it isn’t ideal, but Katie has to come first.”
The divorce papers are final. At the time, it wasn’t a hard decision. I knew that David wasn’t good for me. And Carrie’s right. He spent some time in jail, but of course he always said it wasn’t his fault or he put the blame on someone else. He’s doing his best to convince me that he’s changed. And the way that Katie’s been missing her dad, well, I owe it to her to see if he has in fact changed. Granting David one more chance by going on a date with him is the least I can do for Katie.
“So where are you going and what will you be doing?” Carrie puts her hands on her hips. “Just in case David gets violent I’ll have something to tell the cops to give them a place to start looking.”
I laugh off Carrie’s worries. “I was married to David for nearly five years. I’d know if he is violent. He makes poor choices, he’s jealous and hot-tempered, but he’d never get physical with me.”
The worried look Carrie gives me lets me know I won’t be convincing my best friend. But how could I? Carrie is always hearing horror stories from Bart, her older brother, who is a police detective in Knox.
I get lost in my memories of how I had such a crush on Bart. He has always been a good man. I still get butterflies in my stomach just thinking about him. I used to dream that he and I would be married one day. Not that he ever knew it. I spent all my time watching him, but I made sure he never knew how I felt. When he left town after he graduated, I was devastated. It was during that time that I met David.
“What are you thinking about?” Carrie asks.
I shrug my shoulders. “Just about Katie and all this.” I’m not about to admit to fantasizing about Carrie’s older brother. Carrie had always gotten so disgusted when she’d thought I was mooning over him.
When I get up to leave the bakery where we’re eating the amazing latest new recipe of Carrie’s, she says, “Try to stay out of trouble. David gets himself in trouble every time he comes through to see you and Katie. It’s only a matter of time before he lands you in trouble too.”
“I’ll be careful,” I promise.
I walk past the bakery, passing by Get Fit, the fitness gym that I own. I know I really need to get going so I can meet David for the date I agreed to go on, but I stop by my gym to check in with the manager and to make sure they don’t need anything before I head out.
I no sooner walk in the door than Logan, the manager, is walking around the reception desk. “What are you doing here? You have the afternoon off, ya know. You’re supposed to be relaxing or whatever you had planned to do. You need to go out and have some fun. You work too much.”
I hold my hands up and hold back a laugh. Logan’s the best hire I’ve ever made. He doesn’t care, just tells it as it is. “I know. I know. I just wanted to check in, that’s all. I’ll get out of here.”
“We’ve got it all under control. I promise I’ll call you if I need anything.” He pats me on the shoulder, which includes a little shove to the door.
“I get it. I’m going,” I tell him as I wave to bye to him.
When I come out of the gym and turn the corner, I find David, my ex, red-faced and angry. He’s in the parking lot and putting away a switchblade.
“I thought you were going to pick me up at my house?” I ask.
“Thought it would be best to see what had you dead set on getting a divorce. I always knew those fitness freaks that work for you were a little too friendly.”
Jealous again. Shocker.
I’ve never cheated on him. Heck, the divorce is final, and I still haven’t gone out with anyone else. He’s always thought I was talking to other men online or something, no matter how much I assured him I wasn’t.
“They’re just employees, nothing more. Let’s try not to fight. We’re trying to see if we can make this work for Katie. Remember?”
David stares at me, and I get an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Am I making the right decision?
David unlocks his truck and opens the door for me. I stand there and debate to myself if I’m making the right decision or not. There’s a funny feeling in my stomach, and maybe I should pay attention to that. But right now, all I’m thinking about is Katie and how the preschool teacher said she’s been having issues since the divorce. I love my daughter, and I’ll do anything for her. Even if that means trying to keep a relationship with someone that I know is not going to make me happy.
I just need to try, for Katie’s sake.
2
Bart
I get into town and stop by the bakery to say hi to Carrie. It’s been a while since I’ve seen my sister, and the word in the family is she’s found “the one.” I may be in Forest Grove for mostly business, but I still need to check in with my little sister.
“Bart, I didn’t know you were coming today!” she says as she comes around the bakery case of goodies. She’s surprised to see me.
“I told you I would be coming in,” I tell her. She is smiling ear to ear, and I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever seen her look this happy.
She waves her hand in between us before pulling me in for a hug. “I know. I just didn’t know it was today. So what brings you to town?”
Well, there’s no way I can tell her the whole reason because I don’t want to worry her, so I keep most of it to myself. “Ya know, a little work and a little relaxing. I could ask, but I don’t think I need to.”
She looks confused. I look at her, and I swear she looks as if she’s glowing. “You’re glowing. I guess things are good with you and the sheriff?”
Her blush is immediate. “Yes, Scott and I are doing well.” She busies herself, walking to the counter and pouring coffee before grabbing a cinnamon roll. She sets it all down on the table next to us and gestures for me to sit down.
I bypass the coffee and go straight for the roll. “Mmm. This is so good. I heard you were doing great things here, but I had no idea. This is really good, Carrie.”
She just shrugs. “You don’t know. Aunt Patty could have made that.”
I start to choke. Aunt Patty is great, and her pastries are passable. But this is way too goo
d to be Patty’s. We just smile at each other, like we’re sharing a secret before I jump in. “Well, I met Scott this morning.”
She looks taken aback. “You’ve already met him? Where? How?”
I keep my face passive, and I can tell she’s holding her breath, waiting on me to comment. “Yeah, he seems like a good dude. At the precinct. It was business.”
“You’re going to love him.” She rolls her eyes. “Even Mom likes him.”
I laugh at that. It’s common knowledge our mom doesn’t really approve of a lot of people. I hear she’s working on that though. “Well, that is saying something. So what else is new?”
“You actually just missed Chrissy. Do you remember my friend Chrissy?”
I try to keep my face void of all the thoughts going through my head. Do I remember Chrissy? Of course I remember Chrissy. She’s been Carrie’s best friend for as long as I can remember. She and Carrie used to be little pains in the asses and followed me everywhere… until she turned sixteen. I was eighteen and about to graduate high school, and all of a sudden she wasn’t my little sister’s friend anymore. She was a beautiful girl that I started to have feelings for. Something changed then, and I knew I had to get out of town before I did something stupid. To this day, I know that leaving Forest Grove was the only thing that saved her from me. She was definitely too tempting. I clear my throat as I realize Carrie’s still staring at me, waiting for a response. “Yeah, uh, I think I remember her.”
Carrie smirks like she’s on to me. “Well, she’s divorced now, and her husband is trying to get back together with her. It’s a big mistake. I know it is.”
I try not to look or sound too interested in what she’s saying about Chrissy and David, but if I were sitting, I’d be on the edge of my seat. “Really? Is she going to give it a try?”
“Yes! Isn’t that crazy? I know David is bad news, I just know it.”
I pat my sister on the shoulder, because obviously she’s really upset about this. “If she loves him…”
“Loves him? She doesn’t love him. She is doing it because she’s worried about Katie.”
I ask a couple questions but don’t get far before Carrie has an eyebrow cocked at me. She can tell I’m curious. She always could read me like a book. “So the bed and breakfast looks nice. I’m going to get a room there and then go say hi to the folks.”
“I can’t say I blame you. But you know the parents are going to give you a hard time for not staying with them.”
I had considered staying at home, but it’s not a possibility. I know that my parents, especially my mom, will go through my work files if they aren’t locked up, and that would really be bad.
“I’ll explain to them that I have to work a little while I’m here.”
She holds her hands up. “What are you working on while you’re here?”
I don’t comment either way, but her eyes are looking back at me accusingly. “You’re here on business? So I guess that means you’re helping out Scott?”
I was already prepared for this. “No, I’m not really helping out. I just have someone I’m, uh, keeping an eye on, and I wanted to let the local PD know I was here and why.”
I leave it at that. I really hope the sheriff doesn’t tell Carrie about this and who I’m looking into. It won’t be pretty.
“So I’m going to go and let you get back to work,” I tell her as the bell over the door chimes, letting us know that someone is coming in.
She gives me one last hug, and with a promise to see her soon, I leave. My thoughts go instantly to Chrissy. I didn’t factor in the fact that she might be considering getting back with him. I don’t even have to question it. She doesn’t know all there is to know about David. I have to believe that because if she did, there’s no way she would consider taking her daughter into that situation. This just means I’m going to have to work faster.
With my thoughts turned toward Chrissy and David, I leave to go check in at the bed and breakfast.
3
Chrissy
Well, this was a big mistake. “David, I’m telling you that’s enough. I may have agreed to this date, but I’m not agreeing to you groping me in public.”
He’s acting like he’s got something to prove. He’s being crude, and I’m losing my patience with him. I can see his temper flare when I push his hand off my thigh. Grasping at straws, I tell him, “I’m a businesswoman and need to act accordingly in public if I want anyone to patronize my gym.”
But that seems to only enrage him more. “You’re still mine, Chrissy. No matter what that piece of paper says, you’ll always be mine.”
He’s getting loud, and I know things are only going to get worse.
I try to calm him down using tactics that used to work for me. “How is your food?” I ask, thinking I’ll distract him.
He snorts. I know this isn’t fine dining—it’s the Roadside Diner after all, but there’s not really a lot of choices in Forest Grove.
“What? It’s not bad.” I take another bite of my steak, and if you ask me, it’s cooked perfectly.
“No, what’s bad is that I’m sitting here talking to my wife like this is our first date or something. I want to move back home.”
His gaze is piercing. There’s no way I’d let him move back in the house. Not after the way he’s acted tonight. I thought we could take it slow, see where it goes, but only twenty minutes into the meal, I’ve already figured out that’s not an option. But I know I can’t argue with him, not here. He’ll cause a scene, and it will be all over town before morning.
I put my fork down and continue to try and distract him again. “Katie was asking when she’d see you again.”
It’s been weeks since he’s come to see her. Even though right now he doesn’t seem to be in the right frame of mind to deal with a four-year-old.
He shrugs his shoulders as if it’s no big deal. “I’ll see her soon.”
Frustrated, I can’t hold back my sigh. Why am I even trying? I need a break from him. He’s so much to deal with.
I stand up to go to the restroom, and David grabs me by the arm and slams me back down into the booth beside him. “You’re not going anywhere. Not until I say so.”
His aggressive move and words have me stunned and shocked into a state of unmoving disbelief.
When I finally recover, I rub my arm where he grabbed me. “I was going to the restroom. You’re making a scene.”
“Hold it. We’ve got business to discuss.”
“Business?”
David nods. “I can see you’re not even giving me a real chance. This is just for show. You think you’re going to divorce me, take my kid and the income from that workout shop away from me, but I’m not gonna let that happen.”
“You’re right; we need to talk about Katie. The rest has already been decided in the divorce paperwork that you’ve already signed.”
David looks to me when the bill arrives, and I pay for our dinner. “Let’s go talk somewhere a little more private.”
For the first time I feel nervous and a little afraid of David. He’s never acted so aggressively with me before.
I leave with him, telling myself that I’m overreacting, it’s all that stuff Carrie said earlier that has me nervous.
When we get in his truck, he starts the engine and pulls away from the restaurant. We’re both quiet, which is fine with me. “You are not going to take full custody of Katie. If you try, you’ll pay.”
I lean back in my seat, shocked. The paperwork is done. We have joint custody, and at no time had I thought about seeking full custody. At least not until tonight.
I sit up straighter in my seat and clutch my purse. “Don’t threaten me.”
His hands are gripping the steering wheel, and he glances over at me. The mean look in his eyes lets me know it’s no idle threat. I cross my arms over my chest and turn away, looking out the window. I live across town, and it takes a while to get there. The whole way I’m berating myself for getting into this
. I’ll figure out what’s going on with Katie. I’ll make sure that she never misses her dad. I glance a look over at David, and he’s still grimacing. I just shake my head. Katie and I are definitely better off without him.
He pulls into my driveway. My car is not in its usual spot, and I remember that I left it at Get Fit. Oh well, I’m definitely not asking him to take me to get it. I’ll figure it out later. As soon as his truck stops, I open the door. He pulls me back into the truck by my hair when I start to get out.
He leans in close, his face only inches from mine. “What happens in your life has nothing to do with what you want; your life belongs to me.” His voice is hard and lethal as he enunciates every word.
Furious and scared, I jerk away from him and am about to give him the what-for when I see Katie coming out of the house. She must have heard his truck pull in.
I get out of the truck and run around to catch her before she reaches her father’s side of the truck.
“Hey, pumpkin,” he says as he sits in his truck. “Dad’s got to go, but I’ll be seeing you—both of you—soon.”
Katie watches and waves as he pulls out and drives down the road.
I can’t let him have visitation. Not if this is how he’s behaving.
4
Bart
Since I stopped by the local police department yesterday before I went to see my sister to let them know I am going to be looking into someone who crosses in and out of their jurisdiction, I shouldn’t be surprised when they called me up first thing this morning at the bed and breakfast.