Love Hime or Leave Him

by Sara Daniel

  “Oh man, did Becca send you because she was worried about me?” Toby asked. “Tell her I’m sorry. I worked later than I expected and forgot to text her, and then I fell asleep.”

  “You spent the night here?”

  “I take responsibility,” Mrs. Parker said, shuffling to the door behind the boy who was nearly a foot taller than herself. “I should have sent him home by ten, but we both wanted to get to that treadmill so badly, we kept saying just one more box. Then I had to go to the kitchen to take my nighttime blood pressure medicine. When I came back, he’d fallen asleep on the floor.”

  Toby shrugged with chagrin.

  “Poor kid was exhausted,” Mrs. Parker continued, “so I let him sleep where he lay. Every time I got up to check on him last night and this morning he was still in the same spot, snoring loud enough to wake the neighbors. I guess I about worked him to death. I should have called Becca to let her know. Please tell her I’m sorry, but she doesn’t need to worry. He’s been here safe and sound the whole time.”

  The morning took another surprising turn. They both assumed he’d tracked down Toby because he was a missing person case. Neither seemed to have a clue about the kerfuffle at the grocery store. He did his best to hide his relief and keep the visit purely professional. “Tell me about this treadmill.”

  “Mrs. Parker has one in her garage she’s not using. She’s going to give it to Becca for her fitness center. It’s a surprise, though, so don’t tell her.”

  “I won’t, but Toby, you need to send Becca a text now, so she knows where you are.”

  “I didn’t mean to not come home,” he murmured, moving away from the door.

  Connor touched Mrs. Parker’s shoulder, keeping his voice pitched low as to not carry to Toby. “Are you certain he was here all night?”

  “Absolutely. After decades without anyone spending the night under my roof, every little creak in the house sent me out of my room to check on him, but he never stirred.”

  Toby returned to the entry, his expression much less friendly than before. “Mrs. Parker, I have to go see my sister. I don’t know what Officer O’Malley said to her, but she thinks she and I need to have a lawyer before we talk to him.”

  He glared at Connor, not the defiant gaze of a criminal, but the determined glare of a man ready to defend his sister from someone who had tried to hurt her.

  Part of him wanted to cheer for Toby.

  The rest of him wanted to be sick over everything he’d destroyed between himself and Becca. Again.

  …

  Her firing from the grocery store had one positive effect. Becca spent more time with Toby over the weekend than in the past three months combined. She also finally convinced him to take out the college folder and make a decision about his options. “Illinois State accepted you and is offering enough financial aid, and I think with the house sale we can swing the payments.”

  “You’re not spending your half of the house money on me,” Toby said. “That’s your travel money.”

  Her chest ached. She’d held onto this dream for so long. It hurt to think she wouldn’t follow through with it. But she didn’t have to give it up. She had other options, like working more at each destination to support herself along the way. “I can get by on less.”

  “Then you should put the rest into the fitness center. Or maybe we shouldn’t even sell the house.”

  “What are you talking about? We have to sell it. You saw how much it costs to pay for education.” And for travel. And to invest in a fitness center. Even selling the house didn’t leave nearly enough for everything.

  “An education I don’t want,” he muttered.

  Becca sighed. They’d come so far in the past few days, she hated to return to this argument, but she couldn’t let it slide. “Do you really think you’re going to be happy working for Matt for the rest of your life?”

  He scrubbed his hands through his too-long hair. “I don’t want to go to a big university and live in the dorm, listening to boring lectures about stuff I couldn’t care less about. I want to learn something I can use in a job, but I want to live here and work while I go to school, like you did.”

  “I didn’t do it by choice. I took online classes because I couldn’t leave.”

  He slapped his hand on the papers, pinning her with hazel eyes the same color as her own. “I’m sorry you were stuck with me, but don’t use me as a stand-in for how you wish your life had gone.”

  Is that what she’d done? She dropped her gaze, ashamed. She hadn’t meant to, but it killed her to watch Toby turn his back on opportunities she would have jumped through fire for. “How do you imagine your life going?”

  “I want to take a mechanics and electricity class at the community college. I don’t know what kind of a degree I’ll earn, if anything, but I’d like to learn about things that interest me, things I can use. They accepted me too.” He pulled a paper out of the back of the folder, the acceptance page she’d noticed a week ago.

  “If we don’t sell the house, I can live here while I work and go to school,” Toby continued. “You can also stay here while you’re running the fitness center, even if you only do it in between your fancy vacations. You won’t have to take care of me or have any responsibility. I’ll deal with all the bills and the maintenance. You’ll still have fulfilled your promise to Mom.”

  “I didn’t just stay because of Mom.” Becca bit her lip, blinking back tears. “I did it because you’re my family and I care about you. I’m sorry I’m such a screw up at this parenting thing.”

  He slung his arm around her shoulders. “You are not a screw up. I guarantee you’re a lot better parent than Dad.”

  Dad hadn’t set the bar high enough to consider the statement a compliment. She wiped her eyes and hugged Toby back. “So, what do you think Mom would say right now?”

  “I should do what interests me and not throw away expensive tuition money on classes I won’t even attempt to pass.”

  “She probably would. And she’d be even happier if we sank permanent roots in town.” Right now with no job and Toby willing to take over the home responsibilities, Becca found herself suddenly cut loose of all her roots.

  With not selling the house, she was going to need to work to support herself wherever she went, but nothing stopped her from exploring beyond the city limits. If she lived here, saving money by staying in the house, she could schedule a few vacations around her normal day job—if she had one. She loved fitness so much she had a hard time considering that career a day job the way being a cashier had been. Nothing gave her a greater thrill than helping friends, acquaintances and colleagues make their lives a little healthier and stronger.

  Monday morning, she led her first class since the events of the weekend had unfolded. As soon as the music stopped, signaling the end of the session, she announced, “Starting tomorrow I’m going to add a second morning class that will be less intense and focus more on stretching and strength. Agatha, I’d really like to see you switch over, and feel free to invite some friends now that we have extra space.”

  “I’m so excited you’re making a go of the fitness center,” Veronica said.

  “Yeah, you show that idiot Simon,” Pauline added.

  “If you all want something to gossip about,” Becca said, having no desire to bash her former boss, the store, the suspect teens or the local police force, “put out feelers to gauge interest in a noon and/or evening class. If the response is positive, I’ll look into setting one up.” She shifted her gaze to her lone male student. “Jake, speak up now if you have a problem with me taking over your building.”

  “No problem. How do you feel about leasing the place from me?”

  A lease involved a commitment and meant she’d have to generate enough income to cover the monthly expense. A lease signified a business enterprise, not a hobby. “Terrified,” she admitted. “Leading a few classes a day is easy, but I hardly feel qualified to launch a full-scale business.”

  “Tak
e it one step at a time. I’ll help you with the financial analysis, and every one of us will support you all the way,” Veronica said, looking around to include their entire group.

  “I’ll need it.” She was really going to do this. She was going to take the plunge and make a commitment. She had no idea what she was getting into, but at the same time she felt like she’d been preparing her whole life for this by earning her college degree and personal training certification while also building a network of contacts and learning the best way to handle every type of customer through her years at the store.

  Becca smiled, no less intimidated by the step she was about to take but reassured that whatever happened, she wouldn’t be alone. “Thank you all.”

  As her students, customers and friends dispersed, she wiped down the mats and trailed her fingers along the bare walls. She had nowhere to rush off to, no other job, no travel plans to get cracking on. She’d thought the idea would make her sad; instead she felt lighter and utterly content.

  She was where she belonged.

  “Hey, that rowing machine looks great. Does it work?”

  Her heart lurched at the voice, as she turned toward Connor standing in the doorway. “Yeah, Toby fixed it for me.”

  She cringed at her own words, hating that she’d given him an opening to consider her innocent brother in any capacity. She’d opened her heart to prove to Connor his nightmares and reactions to war memories didn’t scare her. In response, he stood by and did nothing while Simon fired her simply because she and her brother were the easiest to pin with the blame.

  She smoothed her hair back and rewrapped the band around her ponytail. “What do you want? Do I need to have a lawyer present?”

  He sighed. “That’s always your prerogative, if you feel it’s necessary. But I don’t think it is.”

  “Because you’re not going to arrest me or because your job is easier when you don’t have to deal with legal counsel?” She knew she sounded bitchy but couldn’t stop herself. Even if he didn’t care about her, he should at least care about his job enough to find the real culprit.

  “You know I can’t give out details of an ongoing investigation. I stopped in because I wanted to tell you I just got off the phone with the VA office.” He rocked on his heels. “I’m going to take an afternoon off later this week to drive into the city to talk with someone.”

  In spite of her frustration, Becca stepped toward him, understanding his difficulty admitting weakness, not to mention taking it further by asking for help. “I’m so proud of you.” She wished she could throw her arms around him and reassure him he’d done the right thing. But the last time she’d been alone with him in this place, they’d indulged in a long kiss, and now she had to protect herself. She only got hurt in return for offering her emotions.

  “Anyway, thank you for sticking by me and helping me sort stuff out. It helped, and talking felt good. The person on the phone said I should talk more.”

  Her heart swelled and ached for the loneliness this man had carried for so long. He needed someone in his life. Even if he couldn’t give anything back, he’d given and sacrificed enough for everyone.

  “I’m always willing to listen.” But dang, living near him, listening to the wrenching stories of his nightmares and still protecting her heart would be more difficult than anything she’d had to do since she’d buried her mother.

  Chapter Nine

  Connor had thought they’d be able to salvage the friendship at least, if not the deeper feelings building between him and Becca. He’d been looking forward to making a cocoa with her on the final night of the diner’s contest and returning their relationship to the intensity from before she’d been fired. But five minutes after the official start time, he sat without a partner and without a single supply.

  Veronica patted his shoulder as she strolled by on the way to her seat. “Don’t take it personally. She was representing the grocery store, and Simon let her go based on the flimsiest of circumstantial evidence. I wouldn’t have shown up either.”

  Of course. She’d been making cocoa with him because she had to for her job. Somehow, during the past three weeks he’d lost sight of the fact and started seeing them as a personal team, like Matt and Veronica.

  “Flimsiest of circumstantial evidence?” Simon repeated, stalking to the counter. “For years she’s been biding her time until she can quit and fling that apron in my face as she prances out of town. She thinks she’d make a better manager than me. And she’s still convinced my nephew cheated her out of money when her drawer came up short. Who else could have been responsible?”

  The cocoa might have been for show, but Becca hadn’t followed him and kissed him last week as part of her job. She’d done so for him alone because she believed he was worth fighting for. Connor stood and swaggered around the counter. “Why don’t you tell me who else could have been responsible, Simon? Can you account for your key Friday night? Can you tell me who might have had access to your house? Can you tell me what you were doing between the hours of six p.m. and six a.m.?”

  “Are you accusing me?” the other man demanded.

  “On the flimsiest of circumstantial evidence? I wouldn’t dare. People in my town are innocent until proven guilty, and when the guilty party is brought in, I expect you to give Becca a full apology. Do I make myself clear?”

  Simon shot him a defiant glare.

  “Let’s settle this over cocoa,” Pauline called cheerfully.

  Connor preferred to settle it with his fists.

  “I know what you’re thinking.” Matt positioned his body in front of Connor and looked him straight in the eye. “Do not engage. He’s not worth losing your badge over.”

  “Yeah, but Becca is,” Connor snarled.

  “Do you want Becca or do you want to be police chief?” Matt asked.

  “Simon, you’re the only grocery store employee I see here,” Pauline continued. “Why don’t you and Nick be our fourth couple. I hope you were prepared with your own ingredients. After all, you’re supposed to be showcasing the wonderful gourmet products available in the store.”

  “I’ll keep an eye on the rabble rouser. Take the evening off,” Larry told Connor.

  Yeah, sure. If he took the evening off and handed control over to his deputy, next thing he knew he’d lose his job to Larry too. “I’m going to patrol the town,” he said. “Let me know if there’s a disturbance here and if I need to take any hoodlums down to the station. I’ll be happy to break out the handcuffs and put my backseat to use. I’ll even handle the extra paperwork.”

  Larry grinned and lowered his voice. “Don’t tell anyone, but I hope I have the opportunity to call you.”

  Connor managed a short nod and walked out.

  Do you want Becca, or do you want to be police chief?

  Of course he wanted to be police chief. That’s all he wanted, to live his life in Kortville, protecting its citizens.

  But if someone could have guaranteed him that pummeling Simon would have landed Becca back in his arms, he would have handed over his badge with a smile.

  …

  “Oh Becca, I completely understand why you didn’t participate in the contest last night, but you should have at least come to the diner to see it,” Pauline gushed.

  “What happened?” she asked warily. She’d ushered everyone straight into the stretches and exercises when they arrived, easy to do at five a.m. with everyone still half asleep, but now post-class, the dam broke.

  “Connor demanded Simon give you a public apology when the real culprit is arrested. The way he stood up for you was so romantic,” Rochelle said.

  From the way he’d stood by in the grocery store when she’d been fired, she assumed he considered her and her brother suspects. Did he actually trust her word, or did he have evidence leading him in another direction? Unlike Toby who had Mrs. Parker to corroborate his whereabouts that night, she didn’t have an alibi to back her up.

  “I’m not sure romantic’s the right
word. I was really worried that if Connor had ripped into Simon, he could have risked his police position,” Pauline said.

  No wonder he hadn’t stood up for her in the store. His status as chief meant everything to him. She’d been foolish to expect special treatment when he simply followed the protocol of his job.

  “Having a guy willing to put so much on the line for a woman definitely qualifies as romantic. Honestly, you have no idea how lucky you are to have a man like that in your life.” Rochelle sighed wistfully.

  “So, what happened next?” Becca asked, sidestepping the romance debate.

  “Connor left, and Simon borrowed one of my instant cocoa packets,” Harriet said. “But he mixed the single serving package with an entire pitcher of hot water. Nick said it looked and tasted like muddy water.”

  Connor had left. She imagined he’d stormed out of the diner, just as he had the week before. Only this time she hadn’t been there to run after him. He hadn’t needed her to. He could take care of himself.

  “What were you doing with instant cocoa packets anyway?” Pauline demanded of Harriet. “That’s cheating.”

  “I combined three different flavor packets. I was being inventive, not cheating.”

  “So, are you and Connor finally a couple now?” Rochelle asked, cutting off Harriet’s and Pauline’s bickering and turning all eyes back on Becca.

  She and Connor a couple? She was still trying to sort out if he trusted her, and he needed to fully let go of his past. She looked at her friends and shook her head. “Of course not. We haven’t been a couple in twelve years. Just because he announced I’m not a criminal doesn’t mean we have a future of romance and roses.”

  “Becca, you’ve got to see this,” Toby called from the entrance to the fitness center that evening.

  “What?” She crossed the room to the door her brother held open. Nearly a dozen townspeople had dropped in throughout the day, curious about her improvements and plans, all of them thrilled the building would no longer be an abandoned eyesore. Unfortunately, Connor hadn’t been among them. After the way her friends had described how he’d stood up for her in the diner, she kept glancing out the window hoping for a glimpse of him.