by Carrie Elks
Still The One
Carrie Elks
Contents
Join Me!
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Epilogue
Dear Reader
About the Author
Also by Carrie Elks
Acknowledgments
STILL THE ONE by Carrie Elks
Copyright © 2020 Carrie Elks
All rights reserved
100820
Edited by Rose David
Proofread by Proofreading by Mich
Cover Designed by The Pretty Little Design Co.
Interior Image: clipartof.com
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are fictitious products of the author’s imagination.
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.
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Prologue
Van, aged 6
It was a ten-minute walk, and she knew it by heart, even though it was her first day of school. She needed to go out the front door, turn on her kicking foot, and walk toward the tree whose leaves were as red as her mom’s favorite lipstick. Past the DeBoone’s house, whose porch was always sparkling thanks to Marnie DeBoone’s constant scrubbing, then along the sidewalk until she reached the corner.
This was the part where Van always ran. All the kids said that Old Mr. Shawson’s house was haunted by his long-dead wife who had wanted children and would steal any who stepped on the lawn. Last year, Richie had pushed her onto the grass there, and she’d wet herself. Only a little, but she’d hated it just the same.
Only babies wet themselves, and she was six-years-old, too old to be a baby. But she ran anyway, not wanting Mrs. Shawson’s ghost to stop her from getting to school on time.
The gates to the elementary school were open, the yard full of small children clinging to their parents’ hands, oversized backpacks stuck to their spines like turtle shells. Van walked inside, pushing past legs and bags and sniffing children until she reached the door where Mrs. Mason was standing, talking to parents as she held a large brass bell loosely in her hands.
“Hello,” Mrs. Mason said, frowning as she looked down. “Savannah, isn’t it?”
Van nodded.
“Where’s your mommy? She’s allowed in the school yard on the first day of school. Why don’t you go and get her?”
“My mom’s sick.” Van shrugged, as though it didn’t matter one bit.
Mrs. Mason blinked. “Oh. Okay.” It took her a moment to find a smile. “We’ll be going inside in a moment. In the meantime, why don’t you wait here.” She turned back to the mother she’d been talking to. “Tanner looks so much like Grayson. Is he as much trouble as his big brother?”
The pretty mom laughed. “Not yet. Though Cam and Logan keep egging him on. I know you had your hands full with them last year.”
“Well, at least I’ll get a break before Rebecca starts school.”
The lady smiled. “You’ll probably need it.”
“Speaking of breaks, I need to ring the bell and take the children in.” Mrs. Mason checked her watch then lifted the brass bell up, clanging it three times. A group of boys who were shouting and playing in the corner of the yard ran over, one of them barging straight into Van.
She stumbled, clutching onto the stained rucksack she’d found in the bottom of her mom’s closet a few days earlier. Two warm, small hands reached out to stop her from falling. Wide brown eyes were staring right at her, so close she could see herself reflected in them.
By habit, her hands curled into fists.
“Sorry,” the boy whispered.
“Tanner Hartson, you can’t go knocking girls over on your first day.” His mom ruffled his hair affectionately. “Are you okay, Savannah?” she asked. Her smile immediately made Van feel better.
Van nodded, her fingers slowly unfurling. “I’m okay,” she said, as the other children pushed past them, heading into the classroom.
And she was. For then. But that was only the first time Tanner Hartson would knock her off her feet.
Chapter One
The first thing Van Butler noticed was the silence. She’d forgotten about that, and it took her ears a moment to get accustomed to it as she climbed out of the car and looked at the neglected bungalow in front of her. Home. That’s what this place had been for the first twenty years of her life, though for the past eight it had been Mom and Craig’s, and somehow that had been easier. It hadn’t been Van’s job anymore to keep the grass mowed or the stoop swept or any of the other things that Craig had taken on. For the first time in her life her only responsibility had been to herself, and it had been glorious.
She smoothed out the creases on her cream skirt, the humidity already making her feel a little less pristine. Her pale blonde hair was neatly tied back in a low-pony tail, her white sleeveless blouse holding its shape in spite of the early summer heat. She took care of her appearance, it was the first thing people saw, after all. From an early age, she’d learned that people judged from appearances.
“Savannah Butler? Is that you?”
Van turned her head to the right. She hadn’t noticed her mom’s neighbor there. Mrs. DeBoone was kneeling on a bright red gardening pad, a scarf covering her hair and canvas gloves covering her hands as she planted brightly colored flowers into earthy beds.
“Hello, Mrs. Deboone.” Van formed an appropriate smile on her face.
“You here to see your momma?”
Van nodded. “That’s right.”
“Did you hear Craig’s gone? Went off with the girl who works in the gas station.” She dropped her voice. “Your mom and him were fighting like cats and dogs a couple of weeks ago.”
Yeah, Van knew. She also knew that Craig was already living with the woman, some twenty miles from here. Her little sister, Zoe, had told her during a quiet, tear-filled phone call last week. That’s why she was here. Because she was needed.
Thank god she’d saved up enough from her f
reelance work to take a break for a while.
“Sorry if they disturbed you,” Van said, shooting the old lady a quick smile. She walked up the path, her heels catching in the cracks. Craig had only been gone two weeks yet the bungalow already looked like it was missing him. The grass that lined the pathway was up to her calves.
Mrs. DeBoone picked up the empty plant pots, slotting them one into the other, before she slowly pushed herself up to standing. “I should go in, before my knees give up.” She gave Van a smile. “Give my regards to your mother.” She glanced at Van’s mom’s bungalow and back to Van. “And I’m glad you’re back. For Zoe’s sake.”
She shuffled up the pathway. Van knew without a doubt that she was planning to call her friends to tell them Savannah Butler was back in town. That’s what happened in places like Hartson’s Creek. People filled the silence with gossip, because it was better than sitting alone.
Maybe that’s why she’d moved to Richmond as soon as her mom and Craig got married, back when Van was twenty-years-old. Zoe had been two then, pretty as a picture, with her chubby face and golden hair that matched Van’s.
In so many ways, Craig had been her savior. Taking care of her mom and loving Zoe as his own so that Van didn’t have to worry about them. For the first time in years she’d been able to breathe. To not have to anticipate her mom’s dizzying mood swings, or wonder whether the empty whiskey bottle in the sink was the second or third one of the week.
Life had been good, for the most part, since then. Yeah, there had been sad times. Particularly whenever she thought of the things she’d lost. But there were good times, as well. She was good at her job – working as a freelance event planner in the state capital. And she earned enough to not only live in a pretty apartment, but to live a good life and save money, too.
She’d always been obsessive about saving. Maybe somewhere deep inside she’d known her mom was a ticking time bomb. It was a matter of when, not if, she’d detonate.
Van rapped her knuckles twice on the door, but nobody answered. Without bothering a third time, Van knelt down on the dusty top step and reached into the planter whose contents were long dead. Crisp brown leaves covered the parched soil as she dug her hand around, a smile curling at her lips as her fingers found the key she was looking for. She slid it into the lock, and pushed the creaky door open.
“Mom?” she called out. “Are you home?” She caught her toe on a stack of mail. Leaning down to pick them up, she noticed how many of them were bills. Red ones. “Mom?” she called again, setting the envelopes on the hall table and walking toward the kitchen.
The counters were covered with dirty plates and wrappers. Half-drunk coffee cups had white and green mold floating in the dusty liquid. The room stank of stale food and alcohol, emanating from the empty liquor bottles flung in the sink.
She gagged at the aroma. Swallowing hard against the impending nausea, Van walked back into the hall. Gently, she rapped her knuckles on her mom’s bedroom door. “Are you in there?”
A groan echoed from inside and Van’s stomach curdled again. Maybe she was hungry. She’d driven straight here from Richmond, not bothering to stop to eat. Sighing, she pressed down the handle and opened the door, wincing at the mess of clothes covering the brown carpeting.
Her mom was curled up on the bed, her soft blonde hair stuck to her face. Her eyes were closed, her mouth gaping wide.
The closet doors were open. One side held her mom’s clothes, a clash of bright colors all pushed together. The other side was empty.
So Craig really had gone. Van looked around to see if he’d left anything behind. A razor, a tie, maybe a photograph or two. But there was nothing except the mess her mom had let build up. Typical Kim, she always did hate housework.
“Close the door,” Kim rasped, turning on her side and covering her eyes. “Don’t let the light in.”
Van pulled the door until it clicked shut behind her. Her mom groaned again as Van started to pick up the scattered clothes. “Where’s Zoe?” Van asked her.
“At school.”
“It’s six o’clock in the evening. School finished hours ago.”
Kim let out a sigh. “Then she’s probably with a friend. Or at the library. She goes there almost as much as you did.” Her mom reached out for the glass beside her bed, sighing when she saw it was empty. Finally, she opened her eyes and moved her gaze to Van. “What are you doing here?”
“Zoe told me you weren’t well.”
Kim rolled over and pressed her face into the pillow. “Did she tell you Craig’s gone?” she asked, her voice muffled.
“Yeah. I was sorry to hear it.” Van stuffed the final piece of clothing into the laundry basket. It was overflowing. She’d put a load of laundry in tonight, then another in the morning. If she was staying here, she’d have to tidy up.
She hated mess. Her pristine apartment in Richmond was testament to that.
“Everybody’s talking about it.” Kim sat up in the bed and attempted to smooth her hair down. “How he’s gone off with a girl half his age. I bet they’re all laughing at me.” Her face crumpled. “I hate him,” she hissed.
Van sighed and sat on the bed next to her mom. “No you don’t. You’re just sad.” Kim looked up at her, her eyes pleading as though Van was some kind of savior. “Why don’t you go take a shower?” Van suggested. “It might make you feel better.”
Her mom flopped back onto the bed. “I don’t want to get up. There’s no point anyway. I can’t go anywhere. Not when everybody is talking about me.”
The front door slammed. “I’m back!” Zoe called out, her voice echoing in the hallway. Van jumped up from the bed and flung her mom’s door open, grinning when she saw her sister. Zoe’s pink sparkly backpack completely dwarfed her ten-year-old frame.
Slowly, Zoe looked up, her mouth dropping when she saw Van standing in the hallway.
“You’re here!” she shouted, her lips erupting into a grin. “Oh god, you’re here.” She dropped her backpack and threw herself at Van, her arms wrapping around her sister’s waist. “I didn’t think you’d come.”
Van kissed the top of her sister’s head. “Of course I came. I told you I would.”
Zoe looked up, her face shining brightly. “How long can you stay? Has Mom seen you?” She hugged Van tighter, pressing her face against Van’s shoulder. “I’m so happy right now.”
It was impossible not to feel warmed by Zoe’s excited reception. “I’m here for as long as you need me,” she murmured into Zoe’s blonde hair.
“Really?” The expression of hope on Zoe’s face nearly killed her.
A loud sniff came from their mom’s bedroom. Van turned her head, to see Kim laying on her side, tears streaming down her face.
“Of course she’s staying,” their mom said, giving Van a watery smile. “She’s a good girl. She’ll take care of us, Zoe.”
Van took in a deep breath, and smoothed Zoe’s hair with the palm of her hand. She’d stay for as long as they needed her. Even if a part of her wanted to run as fast and as far as she could from here.
Her mom had always relied on the kindness of strangers and friends. But most of all she’d relied on Van. For a few years, Craig had taken on that role and Van had felt free. Enough to move away and begin a career of her own.
But now he was gone and the burden was hers to carry again.
Funny how it felt heavier than ever.
Chapter Two
“Another beer?” Tanner Hartson called out to his brothers, carrying four bottles of Sierra Nevada in his large hands as he made his way across his eldest brother’s backyard. Not that you could really call it a backyard. It was more of an estate. Gray’s sprawling mansion sat on twenty acres of land, along with a purpose-built recording studio, a mother-in-law apartment for Gray’s girlfriend’s mom, plus a swimming pool, hot tub, and pool house. It was like he’d picked up a little piece of L.A. and moved it to their sleepy home town of Hartson’s Creek.
Tanner passed
the bottles to his brothers, then sat in the spare adirondack chair and lifted the beer to his mouth, closing his eyes for a second as he swallowed, the liquid cooling his belly. He leaned his head against the chair, and raked his fingers through his thick, dark hair. He sat low in the chair, his denim-clad legs stretched out, the fabric pulled tightly over his thigh muscles. His white shirt, unbuttoned at the neck showed a smattering of dark hair, was crumpled thanks to the afternoon heat. Like his brothers, he was tall, strong, and had a jaw most models would die for. As teenagers, the town had coined the term ‘Heartbreak Brothers’ to describe them. Something all four of them had come to loathe.
“I hear congratulations are in order,” Gray said, lifting his bottle to Tanner. “Logan told me you sold your business. Way to go, man.”
“Thanks.” Tanner clinked his bottle against Gray’s, then took another large mouthful. It had only been five days since he and his two co-owners had signed on the dotted line, selling their company for an unimaginable profit. He, Austin, and Jared had created their own software company from nothing when they’d graduated from Duke, the three of them working together on coding to improve the security of banking systems and apps throughout the USA.
Two months ago, they’d been made an offer that was impossible to refuse. Jared and Austin had wanted to accept it immediately. Jared had a family now, and the business was taking him away from his wife and baby seven days of the week. Austin’s dad was sick with cancer, and living in California. It was only Tanner who had no other responsibilities, and there was no way he could hold out on the two people who needed his signature on the dotted line.