by Jill Sanders
Once the apartment was finished, he could focus more on the repairs needed for the downstairs office space. For now, the space downstairs would have to suffice as it was.
Down there, the walls were bare, leaving battered bricks and old windows to allow most of the hot and cold in all year round. He knew the electric needed to be seen to and had hired the electricians to begin work down there as soon as they finished upstairs.
He’d given Mason a key to the downstairs and had him setting up several computer systems and servers on the temporary electric the electrician had set up for him. Until he was done with that, there really wasn’t anything more he could do that couldn’t be done online or with a phone call.
He spent his free time settling back in to his small hometown. Which meant avoiding his father at all costs.
Naturally, he ran into the old man everywhere he went. He was eating breakfast at Sara’s Nook, the bakery down the street from his office, enjoying a hot cup of coffee and an apple strudel, when his father walked in. Kevin Williams could cause a scene anywhere he went. Technically, his father wasn’t supposed to be there, since Josh’s mother, Brenda, worked in the back as a baker, but Josh knew that she wasn’t working that day.
It was almost eight in the morning, and Josh could have sworn that his father was still drunk. When he tried to light up a cigarette while he stood in line, Sara, the owner of the establishment, quickly told him to take it outside.
His father cursed loudly, and several mothers in the bakery glared at him. Setting his coffee down, he stood up, took his father’s arm, and started pulling him out of line. His father tried to swing at him, but he was ready for the move.
“Sit.” He barely nudged the man, and he fell back into the booth Josh had been sitting in. “Drink.” He shoved his coffee at the old man. “Eat.” He handed over the strudel, then got in line to get another order.
When it was finally his turn at the counter, he groaned when he realized there were no more strudels.
“Thanks.” Sara smiled over at him. She pulled a box out from under the counter and handed him a cup of coffee. “On us.” She winked and nodded towards the booth where his father had finished the food and coffee.
He opened the bakery box and smiled down at a large strudel.
“If he ever gets out of line, feel free to call me,” he told her, and Sara nodded.
“Thanks. Everyone in town is happy that you’re back home.” She touched his hand before turning to the next customer.
Josh took his food and coffee back to the booth and sat across from his father.
“Don’t think that I’m going to allow that kind of attitude to go unpunished,” his father said the moment he sat down.
“Of course not.” He sighed. Nothing he’d ever done had gone unpunished.
He was surprised when his father remained silent as Josh ate. They stared at one another across the table as if they were strangers. Thinking about it, they were pretty unfamiliar with one another. His father had always been distant to his children. He had taken the role of enforcer seriously but hadn’t ever learned to love or respect anyone.
His parents’ marriage had been doomed long before he came along. Shortly after his brother Tom had been born, his father had taken to drinking and had lost his once attractive physique. By the time his sister Susie was born, their mother already had one foot out the door.
She’d spent most of her time at her mother’s place. Josh’s grandmother had sheltered her daughter from the abuse that had started when his sister was less than a year old.
It wasn’t until Josh was in middle school that his father had revealed that he’d only come into being because his father had forgotten to wear a rubber while taking his wife to win her back. His words, exactly.
When Josh had confronted his mother, she’d cried and confessed that his father had broken into her mother’s place one evening and raped her, thinking he’d win her back.
When he asked why she hadn’t pressed charges, his mother had quickly answered that the divorce wasn’t final.
“How can a husband be charged with raping his own wife?” His father had laughed his questioning off when he’d confronted him. From that day on, he’d had a new reason to hate his old man.
He and his brother and sister had been lucky to have both their mother and grandmother to raise them since their father had gotten as far away as possible.
Kevin had spent some time in jail for several different things. Assault, DUIs, domestic violence, even attempted murder. He’d spent five years locked up when he’d burned down a woman’s house shortly after Josh had been born.
He’d started dating a woman named Melinda when Josh was in high school and earned a few more notches on his belt from that fiasco. That relationship hadn’t lasted long, and Melinda had left with what little money his father had saved up.
Not that he blamed the woman. Actually, he was pretty damn sure that she deserved much more.
“When are you leaving?” his father asked, breaking into his memories.
Josh’s eyebrows shot up. “I’m not.”
His father’s fist hit the table, causing several eyes to turn towards them.
“I told you, I don’t want to see you in this town. I warned you…”
“Yeah, I know, but here’s the kicker. I’m an adult, it’s a free world, and you don’t own the exclusive rights to Pride.” He leaned back and smiled across the table at his father. “So, I’m sticking around.”
His father slung a line of choice curse words at him.
“Keep your voice down and watch your language. There are families present,” he hissed as he leaned forward.
“Don’t you tell me what to do.” His father stood, and Josh remained where he was.
Just then, Robert Brogan walked through the door of the bakery.
Part of Josh wished he could handle his father once and for all, but another part was glad to see the sheriff stroll in, looking like he was just coming in for a cup of coffee and some baked goods.
The sheriff’s eyes ran over the room. A smile played on his lips, and when he noticed Kevin hovering over Josh, he nodded to him.
“The sheriff’s here,” Josh added.
“Fuck the—” A hand set firmly on his father’s shoulder.
“Now, Kevin, what have we said about using language like that in a place like this?” Robert asked softly.
His father spun around. His eyes narrowed, and, for a moment, Josh was afraid his father was going to hit the sheriff. Instead, he shoved past him and walked out the front door without another word.
“Sara, I’ll have my usual.” Robert waved to the woman behind the counter.
“Sure thing, Robert. Have a seat. I’ll bring it out for you.”
Robert sat, taking the spot that Josh’s father had just vacated.
“Problems?” Robert asked.
“With him, always.” He leaned back in his chair again. Robert chuckled.
“Yeah, Kevin Williams has always been a pain in the…” He sighed and shook his head as his eyes scanned the almost-empty dining area.
“Yeah.” He nodded.
They were silent as Sara set a cup of coffee down in front of the officer and a plate with egg whites, spinach, and avocados on wheat toast.
“Amelia has me on a diet. She thinks my blood pressure is too high.” He glanced towards the row of sweets behind the glass counter.
“Thanks for that.” He nodded towards the front door.
“Anytime.” The man smiled over at him and Josh wished more than anything that he’d had a father figure like the man sitting across from him instead of the one who’d stormed out.
Chapter 5
There was nothing better than spending a night with your best friends. Carrie sat in her living room along with Riley, Sara, and Lilly, as the movie played on the television.
Carrie loved that all four of them screamed every time someone jumped out of the darkness or was murdered.
Wi
ne, popcorn, chocolate, and more wine was consumed after they had inhaled the pizza that had been delivered.
Since her friends had fallen for the new terrier puppies, mama and all four pups shared a dog bed in the living room. At one point, all four of them were holding a baby in their arms. Then mama gently came over and, as Riley filmed it on her phone, picked up her babies and took them back to the bed so she could nurse them.
“That is going on social media, right… now.” She hit the button on her phone and laughed.
Riley was in charge of all Carrie’s social media posts and was responsible for a lot of the adoptions. Her friends had been there since the day she’d purchased the old farm. She had put everything she had into the place, including her savings.
Parker, Sara’s new husband, had helped her out by donating his time to fix things up, so all she had to pay for were the supplies.
The first year after purchasing the land, she’d worked double shifts at the Oar, so she could afford to fix it up. They had organized several fundraisers, which had helped pay for the outbuildings and supplies she’d needed.
Eventually, she’d gotten a few regular donors for medical supplies, food, beds, crates, and things needed for the bigger animals such as hay, groomers, and even a trainer for one horse named Willie Nelson who’d been so abused, he wouldn’t let anyone get close to him. After several months with a trainer, the horse was now happily homed at a riding school for needy children near Portland.
“Earth to Carrie.” Sara snapped her fingers in front of her face and laughed. “Where’d you go?”
“She was probably thinking about Josh,” Lilly supplied.
“Tall, blond, and sexy is back in town,” Riley added. The youngest of the quartet, Riley had always been part of their group, even when she wasn’t able to walk. Carrie remembered carrying her on her hip as they hiked through the woods to play together.
“I was not. I was actually thinking about all the work that still needs to be done on this place.” But now that they’d mentioned Josh, her mind focused on the last time she’d seen him in town. He’d been at the grocery store, and they’d bumped into one another and talked in the frozen vegetable aisle.
He’d looked so good, and she was finding it harder to resist those blue eyes of his. She’d wanted to reach out and touch him, to kiss him again, but then she’d remembered the pain and quickly excused herself.
It was hard for her to run into Josh everywhere. Over the past two years, she’d overcome the hurt and pain he’d caused, or so she’d thought.
“He’s still the enemy,” Sara jumped in. Her friend was the sensitive one in the group. Always thinking about things logically.
Even though she had just gotten married last year, Sara was the only one in the group that looked at love rationally. Well, except when it came to Parker.
“I wasn’t thinking about him,” Carrie added, feeling guilty that he was now the only thing on her mind.
Three sets of eyes turned towards her and two rolled in response to her look.
“Okay, maybe a little. Can you blame me? I mean, look at him.” She took the last sip of her wine and set the glass down. “He’s gotten so…”
“Buff?” Sara supplied.
“Hot?” Lilly added.
“Manly?” Riley added, gaining a few giggles.
This time it was her eyes that rolled. “All of the above. He came over the other night to look for a dog.”
“He didn’t!” Sara shook her head. “That’s low. I mean, using the possibility of adopting a dog just to get close to you.”
Carrie held back a sigh. It was a sweet move, a classic one. How many other guys in town had tried that? Oh, who was she joking? None had tried that trick.
“I don’t think it was a trick. He really liked Louie. I put him off for a few days to make sure he was serious about the adoption. When I ran into him in the store, he asked if he could visit Louie again and how his progress was.”
“Louie’s sick?” Riley jumped in.
“No, but I told him it would be a few days before he was ready.”
“Smart move,” Sara added. “Not that Josh is anything like his old man, but Kevin Williams isn’t known for his soft touch with wives, kids, or animals.”
“No, he’s not, and I agree, Josh is nothing like his father. He never has been.” She thought back to all the times she’d idolized him growing up. One of the main attractions to him had been his kind spirit towards others. Even as the star quarterback, he’d always gone out of his way to help those who needed it, from the lonely kid who needed someone to sit next to on the bus to the girl who’d been picked on because she’d fallen in mud while wearing white pants. Josh had always been there.
It was one of the reasons he’d been voted most popular and prom king. Everyone loved him.
“It’s just hard, having him back in town.” She sighed and filled up her wine glass again. “I want to yell at him, but he came over to apologize.”
“He did?” everyone said at the same time.
“Did he explain why he left?” Sara asked.
Carrie frowned into the glass of dark wine. “No, he didn’t.” She sighed. “Actually, when I asked, he said things got complicated and then quickly changed the subject.”
“Men.” Riley groaned. Everyone turned towards her and then burst into laughter.
“What do you know about men? You’ve only been on two dates and one of them was with your brother,” Sara added.
“Shut up, no, I haven’t. I’ve been on…” She was quiet for a while then sighed. “Okay, seriously, I need to try some new tactics.” More giggles filled the room but were interrupted when a loud crash sounded outside the window.
Everyone jumped, and both DeWalt and the mother terrier began to bark.
“What was that?” She sprang up and rushed to the window. Since the porch light was off she couldn’t see anything other than pitch darkness.
She headed to the front door, and Riley screamed at her. “Stop! Didn’t you learn anything from the movie we just watched? Never go outside after dark, especially after hearing strange noises.”
Carrie chuckled. “It’s my house, I doubt there are zombies out there.” She flipped on the light and opened the front door.
There was a row of potted plant along her front porch steps that she and her mother had planted and arranged. Two of the massive pots were shattered. Dirt and flowers lay everywhere on the steps.
“How did that happen?” Sara asked, standing behind her. She’d been so focused on what she was seeing, she hadn’t heard her friend step up behind her, and when she spoke, Carrie jumped. “Sorry,” Sara said softly.
“I don’t know.” She had placed a hand over her heart since Sara had practically caused it to jump out of her chest. She moved closer and saw the rocks.
Scanning the dark yard, she yelled, “Is someone out there?”
“Do you really think you’ll get an answer?” Sara asked after a moment of silence.
“No, but I was hoping they’d move and I could shine this in their eyes.” She held up the mega flashlight she’d grabbed from its spot by the front door.
“Smart,” Sara said softly. “I’ll help you clean this mess up.” She moved to go back in the house.
“No, I’ll do it tomorrow. I’ll have to go into town and get new planters.” She sighed. “Maybe some wooden ones instead of clay.” She knelt down and picked up the heavy rock that had shattered the planters. She made sure to toss it under the front steps so whoever had used it couldn’t use it again.
“Who do you think it was?” Riley asked when they stepped back inside.
“Kevin?” Sara asked.
She shrugged. “He made it very clear I was to stay away from his son. I never could understand how my parents were okay with me dating Josh, yet he always had problems with me.”
“The man is a loser,” Riley broke in. “All the trouble he caused my mother when she moved back in town.” She shivered. “He appa
rently had a crush on her. Gross.”
“I don’t know, I saw a picture of Kevin in my parents’ yearbook. Back in his day, he was pretty good-looking. My mother said it hadn’t taken long after school for that to change.”
“Drinking will do that to you,” Lilly added. They all looked at the wine glasses in their hands and at the same time set them down.
“Who wants to go jogging with me in the morning?” Lilly added. Everyone groaned and stood back up.
“On that note, I think we’re done here.” Sara pulled out her phone and sighed. “Early morning shift.” She turned to Carrie. “Are you on tomorrow?”
Carrie laughed. “You’re the manager, don’t you know?”
Sara narrowed her eyes. “I can’t remember everything.”
Carrie laughed. “I’m off. I have the next few days free.”
“Good, you can go jogging with me then,” Lilly added, causing a groan to escape Carrie’s lips.
“What time?” she asked.
“Six…” Upon Carrie’s glare, she corrected. “Seven?” Her friend’s dark eyebrows rose.
“Make it eight and we swing by the bakery on the way back and I’m in.”
“What good is jogging if…” Again, Lilly shut her mouth after getting a look from Carrie. “It’s a deal.” She laughed. “I’ll be here at eight.” Carrie groaned again and wondered why she let her friend talk her into punishing herself.
* * *
Josh was rounding the last corner on his morning workout when he almost ran into Carrie and Lilly.
“Sorry.” He removed his ear buds and smiled down at them. The duo was dressed in nearly matching running clothes and tennis shoes. He wondered if they had gone shopping together to purchase the outfits.
Like him, they had a sheen of sweat covering them. Unlike him, they hadn’t been listening to music. He was sure they had been talking the entire time, just like they had in gym class, when he used to run circles around them on the track.
“We were just talking about you,” Lilly said, earning a nudge from Carrie.
“Oh?” He smiled and rolled his shoulders as his body began to cool.