Running From the Law

by Albright, Jami

  “Oh, please. You and I both know that she’s just the flavor of the month. You can’t spell commitment let alone keep one.” They were nose to nose now, spitting and heaving like the wild bulls their mother used to accuse them of being. “I never thought I’d see the day that I was ashamed to be your brother, but that day has come.”

  An ugly sneer marred his brother’s face. “Speaking of a piece of ass, have you seen Charlie lately? She’s gotten fat, man.”

  Hank’s fist came around and connected with his brother’s mouth. No forethought, no planning, just a pure, unadulterated, furious reaction.

  Derek wiped blood from his lip with his thumb, looked at it, then wiped again. “You want to talk about being ashamed. Let’s talk about my pussy-whipped brother. Your old lady fucked some other guy, and you’re still around, now that’s embarrassing. One thing I can say about Hailey, at least she had the balls to leave my ass when I screwed around with Ariel.” He snorted without humor. “She’s more of a man than you.”

  Fire flashed up Hank’s neck and face. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

  “I know that I just insulted your wife, and you didn’t do jack shit. But I said your old flame was a piece of ass, and you knocked the shit out of me.” He shook his hair back. “I saw the way you were watching her last night at the bar. Looks like saint Hank’s halo might’ve slipped a bit.” He turned his head and spit blood on the ground. “Face it, you’re no better than Jett or me.”

  Hank jabbed his finger toward Derek’s truck. “Get the fuck out of here. I’m sick of listening to you.”

  Derek shrugged. “Gladly. I got places to go.”

  When his brother was out of sight, Hank leaned against the fence and tried to get his breathing under control. Derek was a jackass. Hailey and Lottie were better off without him.

  But was he right? Was Hank no better than his brothers?

  * * *

  “Uncle Hank, can I get two scoops?” Lottie skipped along beside him as they walked to Zachsville’s only ice cream shop, Scoopalicious.

  “Can a little thing like you eat two scoops?”

  She stopped abruptly and jutted her chin out. “I’m not little. I’m almost eight.”

  The stubble on his face scratched his hand as he rubbed his jaw. “Are ya, now? Turn around, let me get a good look at ya.” She obliged with shoulders squared and back ramrod straight. “I reckon you’re big enough. Two scoops it is.”

  She pumped her fist in the air. “Yes!”

  He laughed and wondered for the millionth time how Derek could be such a dumbass to walk away from this amazing kid.

  “Where’s Aunt Karen?”

  “She’s visiting her parents. I would imagine she and her mother are shopping right about now.”

  She scratched her leg while still skipping, making her do this one-leg hop thing. “Oh, I like shopping too.”

  He held the door to the ice cream shop open for her. “You do, huh?”

  She gave him a giant you-know-you-want-to-buy-me-something grin.

  He laughed. “Get in there, trouble.”

  “Okay.” She ran to the display and pressed her nose to the glass.

  “Hey, Sheriff Odom,” Kelly Marks, the owner’s daughter, said from behind the counter. “Oh, hi, Lottie. I didn’t see you there. What can I get y’all?”

  Hank held his hand out to Lottie. “Ladies first.”

  “I’ll have a scoop of bubble gum and a scoop of peppermint in a cup, please.”

  “You got it.” The teenager began dishing up the ice cream. “Tell Mrs. Odom I said hi, Sheriff.”

  “I’ll do that.” One thing he could say about his wife, she was one hell of a teacher, and since she’d gotten out of the classroom and started working with some of the kids with learning issues, she’d really found her calling.

  Kelly plopped a ball of blue ice cream into a cup. “I’m really going to miss her.”

  Hank examined the girl. Karen’s graduating students often said that, but Kelly was only a sophomore. Was she moving? He hadn’t heard the Marks were leaving town.

  “I think it’s totally crappy what they’re doing to her.”

  What in the hell was this kid talking about? “You do?”

  “Yeah, she’s the best teacher at Zachsville High, and it’s stupid that they’re shutting down the program she’s working in. I don’t know why they won’t keep her and let her teach a regular class, or at least let her finish the year. If I were her, I wouldn’t have come back. It was shi—um, crappy, that they didn’t tell her until the first week of teacher in-service.” She handed the ice cream to Lottie. “Does she know what school she’s going to next?”

  He shook his head. It was all he was capable of with the sirens screaming in his brain. Karen’s job was going away? Wait. Did Kelly say that she found out right before school started? That was when she’d told him she wanted to get back together.

  “Sheriff?”

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  Kelly laughed. “I asked what I could get for you.”

  “Oh. Nothing for me.”

  “I thought you were getting rocky road, Uncle Hank?” Lottie already had a ring of blue around her lips.

  “I changed my mind, kiddo.” He couldn’t have eaten if someone shoved food down his throat. How had he not known this?

  Derek was right. He was a fucking embarrassment.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Charlie, Scarlett, and Honey waited in an examination room in Dr. Shelton’s office. They’d been kind enough to let them enter through the back door to avoid any accidental sightings. The scent of vanilla soothed her tattered nerves. Honey and Scarlett’s steady stream of conversation helped to distract her from the inkling of fear that’d been her constant companion since she first saw those two blue lines on the pregnancy test. What if she was a terrible mother? She knew nothing about raising a baby and even less about growing one.

  She was nearly at the end of her first trimester, and she was just now going to the doctor. She probably wouldn’t get any mother of the year awards for that. But disbelief had kept her paralyzed for a month. Once Marci and Ron had found out, they’d insisted she not tell anyone or see a doctor. Then they left her. She’d always had people to handle things like this for her. That terrible voice reminded her that she didn’t know how to take care of herself, so how did she think she’d be able to take care of another human being?

  That thought got shoved into the nasty place with the rest of her insecurities. She had no time or energy for that crap. She had a Pod to grow and a life to build, and one way or the other, she would do this. Even if all her decisions weren’t the best, she’d figure it out.

  Probably.

  Maybe.

  Who the hell knew?

  Honey laid her soft, liver-spotted hand over hers. “You alright, darlin’?”

  She exhaled the bad and inhaled Honey’s Jungle Gardenia fragrance. “I’m fine.”

  “I was so nervous my first appointment,” Scarlett said. “Though I wasn’t as bad as Gavin. He was a wreck.”

  Charlie crossed her legs and adjusted her position in the chair. “Really? He seems so tough, or at least that’s his persona.”

  “Lord, that boy ain’t nothing but a big ol’ softie,” Honey said.

  Scarlett laughed. “It’s true. They had to offer him a chair during the sonogram because all the color drained from his face. Then he started to hyperventilate. And I’ll swear you’re a dirty liar if you ever tell him I said that.”

  Charlie made a zipping motion in front of her mouth. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

  The door to the room opened, and Dr. Shelton came in. “Hello, Scarlett.” She shook Scarlett’s hand. “How are you feeling?”

  Scarlett gave her a blindingly happy smile. “Peachy.”

  “That’s good to hear. And Miss Honey, are you still getting into trouble?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m too old to change now.”

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nbsp; They all laughed, and Charlie was grateful that Dr. Shelton had given her a few minutes to adjust to her presence. Coming face to face with a doctor made this all so very real.

  Dr. Shelton extended her hand. “And you must be Charlotte?”

  The physician’s warm, competent demeanor instantly put her at ease. “You can call me Charlie.”

  “Alright, Charlie, it’s lovely to meet you.”

  “Thank you. You too.”

  Scarlett stood. “Dr. Shelton, is there someplace Honey and I can wait?”

  Dr. Shelton washed her hands in the small sink in the corner of the room. “Yes, there is a small waiting room next door.”

  Honey smoothed her hand down Charlie’s head. “Darlin’, we’ll be next door if you need us.”

  “I’ll be fine, Honey.” As grateful as she was for Scarlett and Honey’s help, she would do this alone. She’d gotten herself into this, and she’d take care of it by herself. She’d spent too many years letting other people handle things for her. She would handle this.

  The two left, and Dr. Shelton sat in the chair next to her. “I like to sit and chat for a minute with my new OB patients. Do you have any questions?”

  “Have I ruined things by waiting so long to come to the doctor?” The words shot from her mouth. She hadn’t even known she was going to say them.

  The doctor gave a deep, rich chuckle. “I seriously doubt you’ve ruined anything. How far along do you think you are?”

  “Almost three months. I know exactly when it happened.”

  Her caregiver reached into her pocket and withdrew a round paper disc thing. “Tell me the date, and we’ll see when you’re due.”

  Charlie gave her the date and ignored the pain that always came when she remembered that night, or rather the morning after.

  “It looks like your due date is June fifth. A June baby will be nice.”

  Baby. She held onto the arms of the chair. She’d never used that word. Her ever-present friend, nausea, threatened to crash this party.

  “Okay. Why don’t you step behind the curtain and undress from the waist down?” The doctor opened a drawer and pulled out a gown. “Put this on, and I’ll get my nurse in here.” Panic must’ve flashed across Charlie’s face. “Don’t worry. My staff is absolutely trustworthy and discreet.”

  “Thank you.” Behind the curtain, she did as instructed. The whole situation was surreal, like it was happening to someone else. When she emerged from the curtain, there was an older woman with a streak of purple in her black hair.

  “Charlie, this is Beth. She’s my nurse.” Dr. Shelton patted the table, indicating she should have a seat. “She’ll be the one to call with the results of your blood work and any other test we may choose to do.”

  Charlie smoothed down the pink paper gown. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Same here.” Beth held up her arm like she was asking Charlie to arm wrestle. “Give me your hand, and I’ll help you lie back.”

  Once Charlie’s feet were where they needed to be, Dr. Shelton rolled a machine with a screen over to the table. “Alright, let’s get a look at this little bun.” She took something that looked like a curling iron and rolled a condom over it.

  “What is that? And is it going where I think it is?” Even Charlie could hear the distress in her voice.

  The physician chuckled. “It’s the ultrasound wand, and yes, at this stage of your pregnancy, it’s the best way for us to see your little guy or girl. It doesn’t hurt, it’s just a little awkward.”

  With her feet in the stirrups and a paper gown the only thing between her hoohah and the world, how much more awkward could things get? “Okay.”

  “Alright, here we go.” Dr. Shelton placed one of her hands on Charlie’s abdomen, and then the other was between her legs. “Take a deep breath and blow it out.” She inserted the wand in one smooth motion.

  Beth squeezed her hand. “See, that wasn’t bad at all.”

  Charlie nodded. Best to just pretend there wasn’t a long, probing instrument inside her vagina. She kept her eyes locked on the screen. She had no idea what she was seeing, but she kept her gaze firmly on the window that looked like static on an old black and white television.

  The doctor made a sound in the back of her throat. She removed her hand from Charlie’s stomach and punched a few buttons on the machine. “Beth, can you dim the lights, please?”

  “Sure.”

  The seconds ticked by, one after the other. Every tick of the clock notched Charlie’s heart rate higher.

  “How’s the weather out there today?” Beth asked.

  Unease crawled over Charlie’s skin. Her eyes stayed glued to the monitor. “What?”

  “The weather? Is it humid today? My hair feels like it’s humid,” Beth said, like the fate of Charlie’s life wasn’t unfolding in the display window of the sonogram machine.

  “It’s not too bad.” But this was. Beth was trying to distract her. Something was wrong. Dr. Shelton was too quiet, and Beth was too chatty. Agony like she’d never experienced before cracked and splintered the very fiber of who she was. “Is some—”

  “There you are,” Dr. Shelton said.

  “What?” The word came out feeble and weak.

  “There’s your baby.” The physician pointed to the screen. “See, there’s the heartbeat. Oh, you’ve got a strong one.”

  The screen still looked like a lot of static, except for the hollow where her little stowaway floated. She raised her hand toward the screen. “Hey.” The wonder and affection in her voice filled the room. “That’s Pod’s heartbeat?” The fluttering beat mesmerized her. With every tiny hummingbird flicker on the screen, she lost more of her own heart.

  Look what we made, Hank.

  “Pod?” Beth asked.

  “Like a pea pod.” Tears spilled from her eyes and a sob caught in her throat. Suddenly, she didn’t want to do this by herself. This miracle should be celebrated. “Would you mind getting Honey and Scarlett?” She wiped a tear that was running into her ear. “I want them to see.”

  Dr. Shelton smiled like she knew exactly what Charlie was feeling. “Sure. Beth, would you mind?”

  “I’ll be right back.”

  In minutes the little room was full of people. Her people. Honey and Scarlett each took one of her hands, both ooing and aahing over Pod.

  “Looks just like its mama,” Honey said.

  “Look what you’re growing, Charlie, a strong, healthy baby,” Scarlett encouraged.

  The Pod was strong. Strong and fierce. And Charlie promised the image on the screen that she’d be just as strong and fierce for the two of them.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Charlie would live at the Golden Leaf Garden nursery if she could. She loved the herbs and flowers that covered the Changs’ property, some imported and some homegrown. The quality of her lotions and soaps had gone up exponentially since she’d started buying her supplies from the Changs. She’d had a great place in California where she shopped, but even they didn’t compare to the Golden Leaf.

  “How are you today, Miss Charlie?”

  She whirled around and saw Thomas Chang leaning against a support pole. “I’m great.” And she was. Seeing Pod the day before had solidified a few things for her. She, Honey, and Scarlett had talked about her opening her own shop all the way home from the doctor’s office. She was going to do it. “Are you all exporting things now?” She pointed to the back of the garden, where a few men were loading wooden crates onto a truck.

  “Oh, no. Those are the crates our essential oils come in. We recycle them.” He held up two fingers in a peace sign. “Save the world.”

  She laughed and returned the peace sign. “Save the world.”

  “How can I help you today?”

  She handed him the list. His dark brows climbed up his forehead. “This is a lot more than you’ve been buying.”

  The smile that spread across her face was uncontrollable. “Yes, it is. I’m going into business, Thomas.
” She’d done the math, and she was only buying what she could afford. The profits from what she’d already sold would pay for this larger order.

  If possible the brows rose even higher. “Really?”

  “Do you think I’m crazy?”

  He shook his head. “No way. My mother loves the lotions you’ve given her. So are you going to make and sell them from your home, or are you going to have a store?”

  A thrilling excitement made her spine straighter. “A store.”

  He held out his hand. “Let me be the first to shake the hand of Zachsville’s newest successful business owner.”

  She took his hand and laughed. “I have a lot to learn, but thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  “Once everyone finds out Charlie Kay has a store, you’ll sell out of everything.”

  “Klein.”

  “Pardon?”

  “Charlie Klein.” She couldn’t help the steel in her voice. “Charlie Kay is dead and gone.”

  He chuckled. “My condolences.”

  He shouldn’t be sorry. She wasn’t. Not one little bit.

  “Let’s get this order filled.” He led her to the back where they kept a lot of the herbs she used to make her own essential oils. “You know, Miss Charlie, if you’re going to start buying more, then you’re going to want to buy in bulk. I can introduce you to our wholesaler if you’d like.”

  “Oh. That would be great. Yes, thank you, Thomas.”

  “He’ll be here tonight. Will you be at Boon’s?”

  She ran her fingers over the leaves of an African violet. “Yes, I’ll be there.”

  “Maybe during your break, I can introduce you.”

  “Thank you, Thomas. What would I do without you and Golden Leaf Garden?”

  “Let’s hope you never have to find out.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Hank checked his email on his phone while he waited for Karen to join him at the City Cafe. He was beginning to doubt the wisdom of doing this over lunch. His gut was a knotted mess, no way he could eat anything. But they’d no doubt have an audience, and that was why he’d decided to do it in public. It would make it harder for her to storm off if things didn’t go well. Nothing says you don’t matter more than another person turning their back on you and walking away.