Forgiving Tess

by Kimberly M. Miller

  Alison smiled. “She will be convinced if she’s in the same emotional space that you are. I tried to get her to talk to the ladies group about her trip to your church in Florida but when I finally got hold of her she said she didn’t think she was qualified for that.” She paused. “I think she needs a good old-fashioned dose of confidence.” Alison placed a comforting hand on Josh’s arm for a moment and they shared a smile.

  “Have you talked to her since you’ve gotten back?” Dave asked.

  “No.” Josh blinked. “Based on our last conversation, I wasn’t sure she’d want that.”

  Dave laughed. “Unless you’re planning on hiding yourself under a rock, she’ll find out you’ve come back eventually. I’m sure she’d rather hear it from you.”

  Josh groaned. His friend was right. He only hoped he could get to her before someone else did.

  ~*~

  “Theresa.” The name sounded like a threat when it escaped Ashley-Marie’s mouth.

  Tess turned from her job of making up bags of craft supplies for the next day’s afternoon activity.

  Her boss teetered on heels so high it appeared as if she was trying to give the Empire State Building a run for its money.

  “Yes, boss?” Tess went back to her job, turning her back on the woman.

  Ashley-Marie cleared her throat. “I’m wondering if you’ve talked to Josh.”

  Tess‘s phone hadn’t buzzed with a message from the pastor in a long time. She drew a breath and kept working, hoping her focus on her job was enough to send the woman away. “Not recently.”

  “Well…a friend said he was over at the Gormans’ today. I figured if anyone heard anything about him coming back it would be you. Well, I mean if you two are still talking.”

  Tess refused to take the obvious bait. She kept working on the bags and said nothing.

  “OK. In that case, I’ll call him to catch up. There’s no reason…”

  “Go ahead,” Tess said, cutting the woman off, and hopefully, the pain festering inside her.

  “What was that?”

  “I said…” Tess finally turned around. “Call him.”

  Ashley-Marie didn’t bother to mask her shock. “Really?”

  Tess swallowed and turned back to her work. “Yeah. Why shouldn’t you catch up?” Tess paused. “Hey—I’m applying for some nursing positions so I’m not sure I’ll even be around here much longer. I’ll try to give you two weeks’ notice if I can if anything comes up.”

  Ashley-Marie gasped. “Really?” she asked in annoyance.

  Tess nodded as she finished the last bag and tied it closed before tossing it into a large box. She stood and lifted the box to move it aside. “Yep. Really. I want to go check on my grandmother before I punch out. Did you need anything else?”

  The shock on her boss’s face was priceless.

  Tess smiled and patted her arm. “Put your mouth back with the rest of your face. And don’t worry. I got rid of the garden hose years ago. Your hair’s safe. Go get ‘im.”

  ~*~

  Tess arrived home late, but she was thankful she planned ahead that morning to put dinner in the crock pot. It would be enough for another day’s eating and she was always glad to save herself the time, and the calories, from eating too much on the run. But as she turned into the parking lot near her apartment, something was clearly very wrong.

  Josh’s van was parked in front of her door and he was pacing in front of it with his hands stuffed into his pockets.

  As Tess pulled into a parking space near him, she got out of the truck, slamming the door.

  Josh jumped as he turned toward her. He smiled awkwardly.

  Tess was sure she caught a faint blush on his cheeks in the fading daylight.

  “Hey,” he whispered.

  Tess wondered how she was supposed to feel about his return to her life, and now her home, too. Her resolve to stay strong dissolved as she met Josh’s eyes.

  He smiled again.

  Those dimples.

  She cleared her throat. “Ashley-Marie said you were back.”

  “Oh? Yeah. I was thinking about leaving you a note.”

  Tess nodded.

  “I wanted to surprise you— but then I wondered if that was a good idea.” He walked over to where she stood but seemed at a loss what to do next.

  “It is a surprise,” Tess said, side-stepping so she could get to her door.

  Josh stared at her but didn’t move.

  “Welcome home.” Tess opened the door and turned to him. “Is there something else?”

  He shrugged.

  Tess’s cell phone rang. She yanked it out of her pocket. The police station. Curious, she pressed the phone to her ear and held up a finger asking Josh to wait a moment. “Hello?”

  “Is this Theresa Carson?”

  “Yes.”

  “Theresa, this is Tim Winters from the Maple Ridge police. We’ve recovered your motorcycle if you’d like to come down and pick it up. We got the suspect in custody.”

  “I bet you do,” Tess muttered. “Sure. I’ll be right over. Thanks.” She hung up the phone and stuffed it back into her pocket before turning to Josh. “Any chance you’d want to take me to the police station?”

  ~*~

  Moments later Josh was driving toward the police station working hard to squelch the butterflies in his stomach. Being in an enclosed space with Tess was making his previous resolve to stay clear of her and a possible relationship questionable at best. And what was worse, he couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t talking. He cast a sideways glance at her before focusing back on the road. “So, they found it?”

  Tess nodded but her gaze remained focused on some distant point ahead of the car. “Yep.” She chewed on a hangnail. “Pull over anywhere. I’ll walk the rest of the way.”

  Josh turned a corner and continued driving. “What? No.” His jaw tightened as, for the first time in a long time, he got angry.

  The situation was unfair to both of them, and since they’d done nothing wrong he wasn’t even sure anymore why they were struggling. With a heavy sigh, he steered his van into the parking lot and set the brake.

  Tess escaped, slamming the door behind her. She stormed into the station.

  Josh willed himself to calm down. With a deep breath, he got out and followed her inside.

  Tess stood at the main desk facing a tall officer who was so thin he appeared to be sickly. The man glared down his nose.

  Tess seemed desperate to hold her ground. “Why would I want to help the man who stole from me?” she demanded.

  The officer shrugged as he squinted at the computer in front of him. “No idea. It says here that I should ask if you want to post his bail.”

  Tess gaped at the man. “Of course I don’t want to post his bail!” Her gaze darted around the station. “Where’s my bike? Is it destroyed? Please say it isn’t destroyed.”

  “Didn’t seem destroyed to me,” the officer said with a sigh. “I didn’t see even one scratch.” He handed her a set of keys. “One of the guys caught this…Justin…” Before he could finish the sentence, he groaned. “Oh…” He gave Tess a once-over. “I almost didn’t recognize you without the short skirts and make-up.”

  Josh sensed the tension.

  Tess stepped backwards, grazing his chest. She glanced behind her, glaring as she stepped away from him. “Go home,” she said through gritted teeth.

  “No.” Josh gritted his teeth back at her. “What if your bike isn’t drivable? I’m not leaving you here alone.”

  The officer now took a moment to turn his attention to Josh. His smile held a note of condescension. “My son used to date this one…” he gestured toward Tess. “I’d advise you…”

  “I’m her pastor,” Josh said firmly.

  The man’s mouth snapped closed for a moment before it broke into a grin. “Pastor, huh?” He didn’t bother to mask his amusement as he turned to Tess. “You sure you don’t want to talk to the guy who stole your bike? He does have
a right to a visitor even if…”

  “Oh, I’ll see him.”

  The officer gestured to another man. “Take them back to the Trapp kid,” he said.

  “He doesn’t need to come…” Tess began.

  Josh was already following her down the hallway.

  She rolled her eyes and turned so he couldn’t see her face.

  Josh didn’t care. He wasn’t about to let her go in there alone. Was he marking his territory? Maybe. Regardless he wanted her to understand that he was with her.

  “Hey, gorgeous!” Justin stood and went closer to the bars that separated him from the outside world.

  Tess kept her distance, glaring up at him angrily. “You’re lucky you’re in here,” she snapped. “What gives you the right to my bike?”

  “I told you. It’s sixty-five percent mine. I got the majority share.”

  Tess grunted in her anger. “I did not ask you to help me buy the bike. That you did it only shows how stupid you are. The thing is in my name, I pay the insurance.”

  Justin rolled his eyes and appeared to no longer be listening to her protests as he scanned Josh. He nodded at him. “Who’re you?” Without waiting for a response, he raised one eyebrow at Tess. “Fresh meat?”

  “I’m her pastor,” Josh said calmly. “Joshua Thorne.”

  Justin burst into a fit of laughter. “Her pastor?”

  Tess started to walk away but stopped cold when Justin said, calmly, “I’ll come back for it again, Tess.”

  Tess slowly turned and walked back. “Why?”

  Justin grinned. “Like you need to ask.” He reached through the bars and touched her hair.

  Tess stepped backward to escape him.

  But he wasn’t finished. “I’d hate to tell the good…” he stifled a chuckle. “…pastor, or anyone else about all the things you did. I mean, I don’t want to ruin the little fantasy world you’ve created, but if I don’t have a choice I will. It’s hardly fair for you to lie to the good people of this town.”

  “Stop!” Tess stood for a long moment, her hands on her temples.

  Horrified, Josh wanted to reach out to her but he held back, astounded that her family watched her sink to the depths of associating with people like Justin. She needed to work through this and stand up for herself, so Josh waited while she continued.

  “I want to start over without all this hanging over me. What will make you stop?” she pleaded.

  He shrugged. “I put two grand out for it.”

  Tess nearly choked. “Two grand!?”

  Justin smiled triumphantly. “Come on, Tess, I always thought you hid your brain in that pretty head.” He glanced at Josh for a brief moment but quickly turned his attention back to Tess. “Don’t act like you don’t got it. All you do is work. You ought to be rolling in money.”

  “I’m trying to pay off all my debts…” Tess shook her head desperately, the panic radiating from her.

  Josh swallowed hard against the desire to rescue her.

  “I only have a few hundred in the bank right now. And it’s all spoken for between the loans and my bills…” She paused, thinking. “You can keep the bike. I’ll sign the registration over.”

  Josh could tell how painful the words were to say.

  Justin laughed again. “I need the money, brainiac.”

  “So, sell it,” Tess said, defeated. “I don’t care.”

  Josh cleared his throat and before he could think it through he spoke. “If I give you the money will you leave her alone?” He wasn’t sure where the words came from.

  Both Tess and Justin looked at Josh in shock.

  “What did you say?” Justin asked.

  Tess went to Josh and met his eyes, her own pleading with him. “No,” she whispered, gripping his coat sleeves with her hands. “Don’t be stupid.”

  “I’ll take it,” Justin said.

  Josh gently urged Tess aside as he stepped closer to the bars. “I want your word. I give you this money and you stop bothering her. The bike’s hers now. You touch it again and we’ll have a problem.”

  Justin grinned with a nod. “Oh, you got my word.”

  “You two will need to wrap it up,” the officer said, stepping back into view.

  Josh nodded and reached out to take Tess’s arm.

  Justin watched them. “Don’t let her get her claws into you,” he said. “Friendly advice, one man to another.”

  Josh ignored him as Tess allowed him to turn her toward the door.

  “Hey! You two posting my bail?” Justin called.

  “No,” Josh said.

  “Well how can I be sure I’ll get my money?”

  “You have my word. I’ll get it to you as soon as I can.”

  Justin pointed at Josh. “You better or you’ll be sorry. Ask her. You don’t want a warning.”

  24

  The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

  The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

  Psalm 27: 1

  Tess walked out of the police station toward her motorcycle, still in shock at what was happening.

  And why was Josh still trailing after her? She said nothing as she checked her beloved bike over, wondering if he was crazy or in shock himself. That must be it. He was now realizing that her warnings were valid, and he was trying to figure a graceful way to bow out of pursuing a relationship with her.

  “Is it OK?” Josh asked, squatting next to her.

  Tess nodded as she stood to increase the distance between them. But he followed, watching as she yanked her helmet from the back of the bike. “You can go now.” Perhaps he needed her to be even more direct. “I’m fine. You aren’t responsible for any of this.”

  “Hey.”

  Tess turned to him.

  He was smiling. “It’ll get better,” he said with confidence.

  Tess found it hard not to laugh. Instead, she snorted and threw one leg over the bike, relieved at the comfort of having it back in her care. She would take it to Stu’s house where she could lock it safely in his garage. “You’d better get away from me, Jed,” Tess said as she raised her helmet to put it on. “And don’t you dare pay him. This isn’t your problem.” Tess started the bike and drove toward Uncle Stu’s house. She didn’t care that she’d left Josh standing alone in the parking lot looking as lost as she was. He needed to realize there were many women around who were much better-suited to him. Maybe Ashley-Marie would give him a call and order would be restored to the universe. Tess planned to print a hundred more resumes before she went to bed because it was now abundantly clear that she would never escape her sins.

  ~*~

  “Mouthy.” Stu’s voice was even, as if he wasn’t surprised to find his niece at his door again. He glanced toward the driveway and closed the door.

  Tess flopped into a chair near the kitchen counter. If he noticed her bike he didn’t mention it, instead waiting as he often did for the news to come out on its own. “Justin stole my motorcycle. I just got it back,” she said, blinking back more annoying tears. “Can I lock it up here for now if you don’t mind driving me home…?”

  Stu nodded as he held out a piece of pizza to her.

  She shook her head as he went back to eating what was clearly a late dinner-on-the-go. “Marlene will not like you eating that garbage,” Tess muttered as she dropped her head into her hands, still in shock over her day. She groaned. “Josh, of all people, took me to the police station to pick it up and…”

  “Glad to hear he’s back,” Stu said through a mouthful of pizza.

  Tess sighed heavily, refusing to acknowledge her uncle’s sentiment. “And the worst of it all is he let Justin blackmail him into paying two thousand dollars to leave me and the bike alone. Why would he do something like that?”

  Stu grinned as he polished off his slice and grabbed a drink. He took a long swig before speaking. “I wonder.”

  Tess groaned.

  “He called and asked if I could rent him
an apartment,” Stu said. “Of course, I told him that we just finished painting that one right above yours…” He took his plate to the sink and began washing it.

  Tess stared at his back. Finally, she went to the door, angry. “You’re the only person who wouldn’t do this to me,” she said. “I’m supposed to be living my own life now, Uncle Stu. I was doing a good job, wasn’t I?”

  Stu avoided eye contact. “What’s your problem, Mouthy? I got an apartment for rent and he needs one. He’ll make a good tenant.”

  Tess opened the door and stepped outside, aware she would be taking a chance if her motorcycle was back at the apartment with no protection.

  Stu followed her and stood behind her, watching her stare indecisively at her bike. “I can take you home if you want to leave it,” he said as she yanked her helmet off the seat.

  “And listen to you lecture me all the way there? No thanks.” Tess swung her leg over the chopper and sat heavily, willing the tears to go away. “I’m out of here.”

  Stu was beside her shaking his head. He gestured toward the open garage. “Put it in there and we’ll lock it up. I’ll take you home.”

  There was no point in arguing so she did as he said, yanking her helmet back off her head and forcing herself not to throw it against the garage wall once she got the bike inside.

  Stu locked the doors and gestured for her to get into his truck, which was sitting in its usual spot outside the front door.

  “I won’t let Josh pay that fool a dime,” Stu said as they got into the truck. “He got caught up in the moment, trying to protect you.” He started the truck and drove down the road. “I’m showing him the place tomorrow since he said he can’t stand staying at his aunt’s house very long—can’t say I blame him since I’ve seen that tiny basement.”

  Tess nodded but said nothing as the numbness washed over her. Life was going from bad to worse whether she wanted it to or not. With a heavy sigh, she said, “I’m done.”