Love & Redemption

by Chantel Rhondeau

  Gavin stopped in front of a table of men’s t-shirts. “Are you sure you want to go home? You seemed anxious about that. We could try something else.”

  She really didn’t want to talk about her parents. Gavin would see soon enough. Besides, maybe Dad had turned into less of an asshole since she left fifteen years ago. Doubtful, but possible.

  She shook her head. “We have to go there. We need clothes, toiletries, a bag to pack it all in, maybe some snacks... That will max my credit card limit, and I only have two hundred in cash. We can’t afford a hotel, even if we found one that accepts cash these days.” Picking up a green shirt, she shook it out and held it to Gavin’s face, liking the way it brought out his eyes. She liked the price even better. “I hid my phone with my gun in a trashcan when I went to the bathroom earlier so I have no way to call Nick. Besides that, Carlie’s having surgery today, and he’ll be unavailable until later this afternoon.”

  “Good point.” Gavin picked up a black shirt and a blue shirt, exactly like the green one. “That’s enough for me. What else.”

  Such a man. Shelley rolled her eyes, but decided not to argue. They didn’t have enough money to look at the more expensive racks of clothes anyway. She’d have to get t-shirts as well. “Pants, socks, and underwear.” She looked at his feet. “Will those dress shoes be okay? Maybe we can find some cheap tennis shoes.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “All you have are heels. I think I’m okay with these.”

  “And it’s only for a few days, right?” She tucked hair behind her ear and led the way to the pants section. “Anyway, what I was saying is don’t worry about my parents. We can handle them. I’ll call Jenessa from somewhere in Essex and let her know what we’re doing, that way Nick can help us once he finds the security breach.”

  “You’re very smart, you know that?” He picked up some jeans and checked the tag. “Good thing I stumbled into you. I’d never think of all this.”

  Shelley bit her lip, unable to contain her smile. She couldn’t remember a man ever commenting on her brains instead of her body. “Thanks.”

  They made quick work out of the rest of their shopping needs. Even though she hated the expense, Gavin agreed to buy cheap brands of toothpaste and deodorant so Shelley could afford some makeup. It was much less than she normally wore, but better than nothing.

  “Even though you don’t need it,” Gavin said with a shrug.

  It was hard to argue with him, since he saw her without makeup the night before. Then again, he was too worried about how he tried to knock her out. He couldn’t have been studying her face that much.

  Still, if Gavin didn’t quit piling on the compliments, she was going to start liking him. Once it became clear they’d spend more than a few hours together, she thought the gentleman would quickly disappear like it did with other men. With Gavin, that didn’t seem to be happening...at least, not yet.

  Although they didn’t quite hit the maximum limit on her credit card when they went through the checkout, Shelley sighed when she glanced at a clock. “No more credit card. The train to D.C. leaves in twenty minutes. We can’t be shopping if we’re supposedly getting on it.”

  Gavin shrugged, arranging their purchases in the carry-on bag Shelley bought for them. “I promised you coffee and donuts. There are a lot of restaurants and coffee shops in here. Let’s get some food while we wait for our real train.”

  Shelley nodded as they stepped out of Kmart and into the busy station. “Sounds like a plan.”

  Gavin rolled the bag behind him, but placed the fingertips of his free hand gently on her elbow. “I don’t want to lose track of you.”

  “Not hard to do in this crowd.” Shelley took a step closer to him, avoiding a woman pushing a stroller full speed toward the ticket counter.

  Even if the day had started terrible, Shelley couldn’t help but feel encouraged about the way things turned out. She came to New York to stand on her own two feet without a man. She proved to herself she could share a room with one and not have sex. Then, they outran S.A.T.O. agents and barely lived to tell about it. And yet Gavin stayed, holding her elbow and guiding her through the crowd—being a gentleman.

  It was such a novel experience, she almost didn’t want to call Nick and bring it to an end. If only other men acted like Gavin, she might not have spent her life hopping from bed to bed and short relationship to short relationship.

  That thought left her cold as Gavin guided her into the inviting coffee smell of Dunkin’ Donuts. Even coffee couldn’t warm the hurt she still suffered. She was about to ride a train and face her father. The ultimate judger. He believed she bed hopped before she ever did—which was the main reason she decided she should.

  After all these years, would facing him feel any different?

  And did he still blame her for what happened to Tony?

  Chapter Nine

  Shelley stepped off the bus onto the dusty parking lot at the closed gas station. Darkness had fallen before they reached Staysville, and the driver eyed her and Gavin uncertainly.

  “You sure this is the right place?” she asked. “This town gives me the willies.”

  Shelley laughed, though felt no real humor. “Me too, sister.”

  Gavin placed their bag at his feet and looked around. “Where is everyone?”

  Shelley shrugged. “Don’t worry. It’s Sunday night after nine. The good people of Staysville are all in their beds.” She grinned at the driver. “I gather you’ve never had a stop out here before. This is where we meant to go, so no need to worry. Have a nice night.”

  The woman nodded and pulled the lever to shut the folding door. With a groan and an exhalation of exhaust, the bus pulled from the lot and disappeared down the road.

  Shelley glanced around the semi-darkness from the widespread streetlamps. Same old Staysville. Both stores on the main road were in desperate need of a coat of paint, their dirty exteriors chipping and cracking. Trash lined the road on either side, likely from punk teenagers with nothing better to do on a Saturday night then drive the roads and make a mess. One single stoplight flashed a block away in the main intersection, the light blinking red on one side and yellow on the other.

  “It’s only seven blocks to my folks’ house,” she told Gavin, walking near the edge of the main road. “Might as well get this over with.”

  He trudged along beside her. “I thought you’d call your parents after speaking to Jenessa, just to warn them we were coming.”

  “I don’t know their phone number.” It felt weird to admit that to him. How many people didn’t know their own parents’ phone number? “I haven’t talked to them in fifteen years, Gavin. Maybe I should have warned you, but this will be an awkward visit.”

  “Already figured that out, since you refused to talk about them the entire way here.”

  They walked in silence, passing worn-out houses she remembered from her youth. It was odd how sad they all looked now. When Tony was around, everything had been bright and fun. Shelley knew it wasn’t the night sky putting the cloud of dreariness over this town, however.

  “Oh, that’s...disturbing,” Gavin said after a few more minutes of walking. “The cemetery’s in the center of town?”

  Shelley looked across the varied headstones. Even though she last visited fifteen years ago as her final stop before leaving Staysville, she knew exactly where Tony’s grave was. “It’s a small town, Gavin. Everything’s in the center of town.”

  “I guess that’s true.”

  They continued walking, but Gavin seemed unable to take the silence, filled only by a few crickets, after the noise of the city. “Do we have some kind of cover story for your parents? It will seem weird for us to show up on their doorstep if you haven’t seen them in so long.”

  She hadn’t really thought about it. Her dad would demand answers, though. Answers she couldn’t give. There was only one reason he’d believe she willingly returned to the unloving bosom of her family. “I do have one story they’ll believe.”
>
  “What is it?”

  Shelley looked down the road, gritting her teeth as her parents house came into view. They hadn’t done too badly for themselves after stealing her inheritance from Grandma.

  While the surrounding houses looked like the rest of the town, Rick and Janet Soother lived in an expanded, updated version of the home Shelley remembered from childhood. A fresh coat of yellow paint covered the exterior and green trimmed the windows. The addition of a large garage had to be her father’s dream place.

  All paid for with Grandma Haddy’s money...her money.

  “You’re plan, Shell?” Gavin prompted.

  Shelley sighed and looped her arm through his, leading him up the flagstone path in her parents’ yard. “I told Dad the only reason I’d come back would be to throw my rich, handsome, successful husband in his face.” She smiled at Gavin hopefully. “Think you’re up for the challenge?”

  ***

  Gavin stopped walking, wondering if she was serious. “I don’t know anything about you. Shelley, I can’t—”

  “Oh, yeah,” she interrupted, “my real name’s Felicia. Other than that, they don’t know anything about me either, so there’s no problem. You’re successful and love me desperately. That’s all that matters.”

  She tugged his arm, trying to force him up the steps of the wide porch, but Gavin resisted. This was insanity. They needed a better plan. Why hadn’t she talked to him on the train? They had eight hours to perfect their story, but she said she didn’t want to discuss it and then had fallen asleep...or pretended to.

  “I think we should go somewhere else and talk about this,” he said.

  Before he could force her to turn around, the front door to the house flew open and a massive man stood inside it. He pointed a rifle at them.

  “Get off my yard,” he snarled. “I’m within my rights to shoot if you take another step. I won’t let you steal my stuff, so don’t think you can get away with it.”

  Though Gavin was afraid he might disgrace himself by pissing his pants, Shelley laughed.

  “That’s a nice welcome home, Dad. Has someone been stealing the money you stole from me in the first place?”

  He stole from her?

  The tip of the gun wavered slightly, and the man turned his attention to Shelley. His bushy grey eyebrows drew together. “Who are you?”

  Shelley flipped her hair over her shoulder and stood straighter. “Nice to know you think about your daughter from time to time, Rick.”

  An excited female shriek sounded from inside and Rick lowered his gun. He stepped back from the doorway as a woman came forward. As large and old as Rick looked, the woman was a pretty, finely wrinkled version of Shelley. Her hair had more gray than black and she was thicker around the middle, but the resemblance was unmistakable. She pushed past Rick and rushed down the stairs, tackling Shelley in a firm hug.

  “Felicia. I can’t believe you’re here,” her mother said, tears streaking her face. “I prayed every day for you to come back, and here you are.” She kissed both Shelley’s cheeks and then squeezed her tight again. “I’m so happy.”

  Stunned was the only word to describe the look on Shelley’s face. Having a gun pointed at them was obviously more the reaction she expected. “It’s good to see you, Mom.”

  Her mom finally released her, turning to Gavin. “And this must be your man?” She stuck her hand out. “I’m so glad she finally found you so she’d come back to me.”

  Instead of shaking her hand, Gavin turned it gently and raised the back to his lips, skimming it softly. “I’m Gavin Hart. Such a pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” he purred. “I see where Felicia gets her fantastic looks.”

  Her mom blushed. “Thank you.”

  In the doorway, Rick cleared his throat. “As touching as all this is, the news starts in a few minutes.” He looked at the empty driveway. “You must have taken the train up.”

  “Yes,” Shelley answered.

  “Of course you did.” Her mom wrapped Shelley in another hug. “You and Mama Haddy always did love the train.”

  “Wonderful,” Rick said, sounding like it was anything but. “So you expect to stay here, huh?”

  While Gavin didn’t know what happened between Shelley and her father, obviously fifteen years wasn’t enough time for either of them to get over it. He felt rather sorry for her mom, caught in the middle.

  “Of course they’re staying here.” Shelley’s mom bounced up and down with happiness. “It’s wonderful to have our girl home.”

  Her excitement relieved Gavin. If Shelley’s parents refused to let them stay, he didn’t know what they would do. This town didn’t even have a hotel.

  “Whatever, Janet.” Rick glared at the three of them. “When you’re done with the happy family horseshit, let me know. I want the apple pie I told you to make.”

  ***

  Definitely still an asshole.

  Shelley sat with Gavin in her parents’ remodeled living room, listening to her father’s ongoing commentary about the state of the world while they watched the late news. Their morning’s escapade received a mention, eliciting grumbles from Rick about rising crime in New York. She exchanged a relieved look with Gavin when the newscaster said the bomb squad disarmed the devices on the ground floor and no one was injured.

  In less happy news, the reporter said no arrests were made. The perpetrators escaped through the emergency exit, and the police urged any witnesses to come forward. Shelley hoped their cab driver didn’t make the connection and report them. Then again, even if he did, Nick could take care of it with a simple phone call.

  Rick grunted and shut the TV off. “Terrorists and punks. Setting off bombs and trying to kill people.” He shook his head. “If something like that happened here, the perpetrators would be killed before they had time to finish setting up their damn bombs. That’s the problem with America nowadays. Gun control all over the place. No one in New York could kill the jerks who did that, because the sissies don’t have guns.”

  Shelley sighed, hoping her mom’s pie finished cooling soon. Sounded like they were in for a discussion about firearms. And Rick still liked to bitch and complain.

  Sure enough, his gaze locked on Gavin. “Do you shoot, son?”

  “I haven’t had the opportunity, sir,” Gavin replied.

  Rick’s lip turned up at the corner. “You some sort of Nancy-Boy?”

  That was beyond what Shelley would tolerate. Less than a half hour with the man, and every muscle in her body was tight and her head pounded. “Don’t you dare talk to Gav—”

  “It’s okay.” Gavin took her hand in both his, massaging it. “I was raised in the city, sir. Not much exposure to guns. Fortunately for me, your daughter is excellent and promised to teach me.”

  “Of course she’s excellent,” Rick said. “Only an idiot can’t shoot.”

  “Dad!”

  Gavin laughed, continuing to massage her hand and moving up her arm. “I admit I’m quite the idiot, luckily Felicia’s smart enough for both of us.”

  Shelley knew the massage and his words were Gavin’s attempt to relax her, but there was no relaxing around Rick Soother. The man was an irritation beyond measure. Rick had questioned every decision she made in the seven months she lived with them after Grandma Haddy died, making her life completely unbearable with his constant belittling and taunts. How did she think she could survive even a few days in his company?

  If she was honest with herself, she knew why she’d wanted to come back. It was all part of her mission to ‘fix’ herself. She had hoped things changed in Staysville—hoped he changed.

  “You’re an idiot?” Rick asked, but nodded like he’d already figured that out. “I thought Felicia would land some hotshot businessman who could take care of her. Lord knows she needs someone strong enough to control her. You do know she sleeps with anything that moves, right?”

  Even Gavin’s hands tightened against hers. Rick was starting to get to him.

  “On
the contrary, sir,” he replied, “she’s one of the smartest women I know.” He turned toward her, stroking her hair and staring deep in her eyes. “Remarkable and talented and committed.”

  Shelley knew Gavin only played the part she asked him to play, but looking into those green eyes, which gazed back with so much tenderness in them, she couldn’t stop the flutters from erupting in her stomach. “Always the gentleman,” she whispered softly. “Thank you.”

  Gavin had done the impossible. Shelley did feel calmer, even if her father still wanted to call her a slut. She could handle a few days here. She had made it clear to Jenessa that getting new identities and a way out of here was a top priority, so she didn’t think Nick would let them suffer Rick Soother’s unkind hospitality for long.

  You can do this.

  With Gavin by her side, she knew she could. He already helped a lot.

  Rick didn’t appear touched by their tender moment. “If she’s so smart, did she land a man who can take care of her financially at least? What business are you in, son?”

  Shelley gave Gavin a panicked look, but he smiled at her father.

  “She’s a capable, confident woman, able to take care of herself, but don’t worry about us. I’m well off. We have plenty of money.”

  And why does Dad care so much? Does he want to steal that too?

  “As far as the business I’m in,” Gavin continued. “Until recently, I was CEO of a large hotel chain throughout the New England area, but I decided to make a career switch and set out on my own.”

  “What do you do now?” Rick asked.

  “Acquisitions,” Gavin said without hesitation. “My latest interest is in diamonds.”

  Chapter Ten

  Sense filtered into Gavin’s brain slowly as he struggled to wake up. Sounds of laughing kids drifted in from outside, and he realized it was Monday morning. They likely headed to school.

  Every muscle in his back complained when Gavin tried to roll over. He wondered how many more nights until Nick got them out of here. Not that he could complain. Sleeping on the floor was preferable to six-feet under, which was where his body would be if Shelley hadn’t rescued him.