by Shealy James
“What do you mean roughed you up?” I asked slowly.
“I mean he may have backhanded me across the face and then held me down on the hood of my car. The bank security guard pulled in and he got in his truck and drove away. I was okay, Evie. Matt has been keeping an eye on me, and the bank manager walks me to my car every day. It isn’t so bad. I have a really good relationship with my boss now. I didn’t press charges or anything because I didn’t want the bastard to rot in jail. His mama would be devastated if she had to visit him in jail. He’d be someone’s bitch for sure.”
“Oh, Holly, don’t make light of this.” She had been hurt and she was trying to make it easier on me. For the millionth time this week it seemed tears filled my eyes. My tear ducts were going to eventually run out of liquid, or at least I was hoping this sobbing mess I had become would eventually stop.
“I’m sorry, Evie,” she whispered.
“Me too, Hols.” We were silent on the phone for a moment. “I have to go. Grant is about to be here to pick me up. I need you to do me a favor, though.”
“Anything,” she said.
“I need you to write a statement saying what happened, so I can give it to my lawyer. It’s just in case he tries to fight me on the settlement after the mediation. We’ll have to go to court, and I’ll need everything I can to get the judge to give me a more permanent restraining order.”
“Of course. I think the judge would give you half the assets too if you asked for that. After this, a judge might be willing to give you everything except the debt.”
“Thanks for the support, Hols, but I would prefer to be prepared.”
“Sure thing. I’ll take a copy to Martin.”
“Thank you.”
I hung up with her and laid my head down on my desk just as Tara knocked. “Yeah?” I said.
She peeked in the door. “I’m out. Whoa! You’ve been crying. What’s wrong?” She came in and sat in her seat in my office.
“Everything’s fine. I just got some bad news from my lawyer, and my dad, and Holly. Everything’s fine, though. Everything will be just fine.” I couldn’t think past what they had all just told me. I replayed each conversation in my head. I slammed my hands down on the desk.
Tara stood up and came up to the other side of my desk. “Slow down, Eve, before you throw something. What happened?”
“He was following me, and he hurt Holly and broke into my parents’ house,” I practically screamed.
“Who?” she asked confused.
“Mark!”
“Oh. Okay. Okay.” She started pacing while I worked to get control over my breathing. “I take it you didn’t know he was following you?”
“No!”
“Does he know you’re in Seattle?” she asked.
“No. I don’t think so. I don’t know. I didn’t intentionally hide it specifically from him. My parents, Jane, and Holly did, though.” Jane! “I need to call my sister.” I looked at my watch. “Five-fifteen. Shit. Grant will be here soon. I need to get myself together.”
“Here.” Tara pulled a mirror out of her bag. I pulled out my little makeup bag and touched up my powder and reapplied my lipstick. I wiped the mascara from under my eyes. Tara let me use her hairbrush, and we did our best to minimize the damage.
By the time Grant arrived, it looked like Tara and I had just been chatting in my office. He appeared in the doorway looking striking as always in his three-piece suit. “Hey, baby. You ready to go?”
“Yeah. Let me just…” I threw my stuff into my bag.
“You all right?” he asked.
“Yeah, I just…” I couldn’t think of anything to say.
Tara saved me. “We had a rough day. We’ve been all over town, and Eve has been on the phone non-stop.”
I could see he wasn’t satisfied with Tara’s answer, but he let it go for now and reached out his hand to me. “I see. Let’s go, gorgeous.”
“Yeah.” I took his hand, and we followed Tara out to the parking deck.
I told Tara I would see her tomorrow, and I didn’t miss the worried look on her face. I knew she had never seen me this upset. Hell, I don’t think I had ever been this upset. The son of a bitch hurt my best friend. It was one thing to call me names and tell me how fat and disgusting I was. He could even give me daily reminders of how worthless I was. What he couldn’t do was mess with my parents or hurt Holly, and who knew what he did to Jane. I hadn’t had a chance to talk to her yet. My mind was all over the place. I was officially freaking out.
“Eve?” Grant said.
“Yeah.”
“Did you hear me?”
“What? No. I’m sorry. What did you say?”
Grant’s brow furrowed. “I asked if you wanted to go to my place, so I could work, and Scott could make us dinner.”
“Oh,” I responded and still didn’t answer his question.
“Well?” he asked. Grant reached over and grabbed my hand. “Baby, what’s going on?”
“Nothing. Sorry. I’m tired.” I stared straight ahead. “Will you just take me home? I need to call my mom and do some laundry.”
“Do you want to get something to eat first?”
“No.”
Grant frowned and sighed. “Eve, you’re eating dinner, and while we’re eating, you’re going to tell me what has you so distracted. You were perfectly happy this morning. Now I can hardly get a word out of you.”
“Sorry,” I said, then turned to face out the window. It was raining now, and the drops were slowly chasing each other down the tinted windows of the Range Rover. “I talked to Martin this afternoon.”
“Who’s Martin?”
“My attorney.”
Grant pulled into a parking lot and put the car in park. He turned toward me in his seat. “And?”
“And nothing.” I shrugged. “He just shared some information I should have known a long time ago. I’m still processing everything.”
“Then let me help you.”
“I will when I’m ready,” I tell him, trying to appease him more than anything.
“Then let me feed you.”
I really did not want to try and shove food down my throat. The thought alone made me queasy. Stress and food did not mix well for me. “I want to get home. My mom goes to bed early, and it’s already almost nine o’clock there.”
Grant sighed with annoyance. “Fine, I’ll take you home and order take out. While we wait, you can call your mom and I’ll take care of some things on my computer. When the food arrives, you eat and then start talking, so I can start fixing. This is not up for discussion.”
I didn’t even have the energy to be annoyed with his bossiness and his impatience. Grant put the car in drive and drove us the rest of the way to my apartment. I called my mom from my bedroom while Grant ordered food, but she didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know. She did apologize and said she and Dad would both write statements. I called Jane, but she couldn’t talk. The kids were around her, but she told me to call her in the morning, and we would talk. There was one other phone call I was tempted to make, but there was no way I could make that one with Grant around.
I changed into some shorts and one of Grant’s t-shirts he had left at my place. Once my hair was tied up in a bun on top of my head, I came out of my bedroom to find Grant sitting on my sofa with his shirt unbuttoned at the top and bare feet on a pillow on the coffee table and his laptop on his lap. His jacket, tie, and vest were hanging on one of my bar stools, and his shoes and socks sat on the floor next to it. I loved that he was so comfortable in my apartment.
“I ordered Thai. I hope that’s okay.” I nodded, and he added, “You look good in my shirt, babe.”
I sat down on the sofa and curled into his side. “What are you doing?” I asked.
“Reading over a contract and sending emails.” He kissed my temple. “Did you talk to your mom?” I nodded. “Ready to talk to me?” I snuggled closer to him, and he understood. Grant set his laptop on the table, pu
lled me into his lap, and held me close with his arms wrapped tightly around me.
“Just hold me for a minute, then I’ll tell you everything.”
He spoke quietly with his chin resting on my head. “You never have to ask for that, Eve. I’m always here to hold you.”
I closed my eyes and listened to the rumble in his chest as he spoke. When he was silent, I nuzzled my head into his shoulder. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
We sat in silence for a moment before I was finally able to start talking. “Martin told me my parents took out a restraining order on Mark. I called my dad to find out what he was talking about, and he confirmed it.”
I could feel him tense up. “Why?”
I sat up and looked at him. “Here’s where I need you to stay calm and not freak out on me, okay?”
“Okay…” He was very suspicious now.
“Apparently, Mark was following me. When he was drunk one night, right after I moved here, he approached my parents when I wasn’t home. He forced his way into their house looking for me. I guess he was following me when I was so out of it all the time I wouldn’t have even noticed. When I moved out of his house, I had already hired Martin, a friend of the family, and filed for divorce, but…well, you saw the picture.”
Grant’s body was tense all over, and he was gripping me tightly. “What else?” he asked.
I snuggled back into him, and I felt him soften. “I never knew he was following me, and they never told me about the restraining order. My dad said they encouraged me to come here because they were worried about my safety. He didn’t know where I was, but he knew I left, so he grabbed Holly one night and hit her.” I felt the tears again. “He hit my friend because she was protecting me.”
“Did she tell him where you are?” His voice was like ice.
“No. A security guard showed up. Mark has a drinking problem. It’s gotten worse over the years. I know he wouldn’t do this if he were sober, but I—”
Grant lifted me off of him and set me on the couch. “Don’t do that. Don’t make excuses for him. He hurt you, and now he has hurt your family and friends. He wouldn’t do that if he weren’t an asshole. It has nothing to do with his drinking.”
Just then the buzzer went off, letting us know the food was there. Grant pulled out his wallet. “Stay put. I’ll be right back.” Grant went downstairs to get the food, and I curled up into a ball and thought about what I was going to have to do.
I tried to settle the divorce peacefully, but it looked like Mark was so far past peaceful he couldn’t even find the breadcrumbs to make his way back. I guess I wouldn’t just be petitioning for a divorce, but I would also be looking to get a permanent restraining order for my family, Holly, and me. How did things get so messed up? How could I have brought this horrible man into their lives? I knew he wasn’t good. I knew it in my bones, and I still kept him around.
“What do you want to drink, babe?” Grant called from the kitchen. I didn’t even hear him come back.
“Water.” I needed some water. My throat felt all gravelly from trying not to cry. I was trying to keep it together, really I was, but every time I thought about Mark hitting Holly, I literally felt the burning in my eyes and the bile rising in my throat.
Grant brought the food and bottled water over to the table. We ate in silence. Well, he distractedly shoved food into his mouth, and I pushed my pad thai around on my plate.
“Eat.” Grant nodded toward my plate.
I complied. I ate a few bites slowly. “I’m sorry. I just can’t. I promise I’ll eat breakfast, but I just can’t eat right now.”
He sighed and nodded. “Okay, but so help me, if you don’t eat breakfast, I’ll make you spend all day Saturday alone with my mother.” He was serious.
“That won’t help me eat, I assure you.”
He kissed my neck. “Now tell me the rest of what you found out.”
“Really? Because you handled the last part so well.” I rolled my eyes.
Grant lowered his eyebrows and narrowed his eyes. “Hey, watch that tone, peach. No need to be difficult.”
My eyes widened in mock offense. “Same could be said to you, bull in china shop.”
“Point made.” He tapped my nose. “Talk.”
I told him everything else I knew except for two key points. I didn’t tell him when my mediation was scheduled, and I didn’t tell him I planned to call Mark’s mother tomorrow to get information from her.
It was after eight when we finished talking about my disastrous divorce, and I was exhausted. “I thought you had to work?”
“I passed some of it off to Rachel, and the rest of it I can do here.”
“You made Rachel work this late? You’re a terrible boss.”
“She’s paid a lot of money to work when I need her to work. Plus, she doesn’t mind. She loves working for me. I’m awesome,” he said proudly, making my lips almost lift in a smile.
“Yeah. I bet she loves working for you,” I teased. “I bet she tells all her friends about what a great boss you are. She probably tells them about how good-looking you are, and demanding you are, and how she wants to peel off your sexy suits and do dirty things to you.”
“Then it’s a really good thing I’m not interested. Besides, I already have you doing dirty things to me whenever I want.” Just like that, Grant turned my night around.
Even though he was able to take my mind off of things for a little while, it haunted me in the silence of the night. I listened to Grant’s even breathing and tried to match its rhythm, but it didn’t help. I tried counting down from one hundred, but I kept getting distracted. When I resigned myself to a sleepless night, I watched the clock count the minutes until I could get up and call my sister. I knew she was in her car at seven in the morning because we used to talk everyday on my way to work. That meant I just had to make it until four in the morning Seattle time. Tick tock.
I must have fallen asleep for a few moments because I was dreaming. I was back at home, not my parents’ house, but my house, the one I built and shared with Mark. Mark. As soon as he appeared in my dream, I shot up in the bed. I was breathing heavily and shaky. I noticed the clock said three fifty-eight, and I realized I could call my sister.
Grant woke up when I tried to get up. “What are you doing?”
I kissed his cheek and whispered, “Go back to sleep. I’m just going to get some water.”
“Have you slept at all, babe?” he asked when he rolled over and scrubbed his face with his hand.
“Yes. Go back to sleep.” I kissed him one more time before I climbed out of bed, grabbing my phone on the way to the kitchen.
I was going to have to be quiet. The apartment was small, but there was no way I could unlock both deadbolts and the chain without Grant waking up again. Instead, I grabbed a bottle of water and sat down on my kitchen floor and called Jane.
“Evie?” she answered. “Isn’t it like four in the morning on your coast?”
“Yeah. I couldn’t sleep. Mom and Dad told me about the restraining order yesterday, and Holly told me how he attacked her. I wanted to know if he messed with you at all.”
“Oh, Evie. Why are you doing this? It isn’t going to make what you’re going through any easier.”
“Jane, I’m not a little girl. I made the choice to marry Mark, and I made the choice to divorce him. I cannot make decisions if I only know half the information. I couldn’t figure out why he wouldn’t sign the papers no matter how much I gave him.”
I could practically hear her grinding her teeth. Dr. Chadwick, our family dentist, would be really annoyed with her. After a silent minute she said, “John and I took an order of protection out on him at the same time Mom and Dad did. We were out that first Saturday night you were in Seattle. Mom and Dad had the kids, and Mark showed up at their house and walked in the front door like he lived there. He pushed Dad out of the way, causing Dad to fall and hurt his back. Mark ran all over the house yelling and look
ing for you. He knocked stuff over and broke some things. It really scared the kids.”
“Then what happened?” I whispered.
“He showed up at the restaurant where John and I were eating and happened to catch us on the way to the car.” She stopped talking.
“Jane?”
“Yeah, I’m here.” She was crying now. I could hear her voice crack and a sob escape.
“Oh, Janie! What happened?” Tears dripped down my cheeks. I hated hearing my sister hurt. She was the strong one. She had a good head on her shoulders, was always rational and practical. I think I had seen her cry maybe five times in my whole life.
“Mark grabbed me, and I couldn’t get away. He was yelling all kinds of bullshit. John made a move to get him off me, and Mark twisted me, so he was holding me with his arm around my neck. I couldn’t breathe. He kept asking John how he would feel if he didn’t know where his wife was.”
“Oh my god,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry, Janie.” They came out as sobs.
“It isn’t your fault, peanut. You know that. Don’t worry. I’m okay. John’s okay. Everyone is fine. He hasn’t bothered any of us since the judge agreed to the restraining order. John had it taken care of that Monday.”
“That’s good at least. Don’t worry, Janie. I’ll make sure he’s out of our lives as soon as possible. I promise.”
“You do what you need to do, Evie. I love you, and I don’t blame you for anything, okay?”
“Yeah,” I sobbed.
“I have to go. I need to get myself together before I walk in the office and everyone thinks I’m pregnant again.”
I laughed through my tears. “Love you, Janie. Thank you for telling me everything.”
“Of course, peanut. Love you too.”
After I hung up the phone and set it on the tile floor, I curled myself even tighter into a ball and willed the tears to stop. I felt Grant come in the room and sink down to the floor. He pulled me into his lap and let me cry. I didn’t know if he heard me on the phone or woke up to an empty bed, but he was holding me. He didn’t say anything. No questions asked. He was just there for me because he loved me.