by A. P. Jensen
“She doesn’t need a reason to come back,” Valerie said firmly and put the jellyfish on her hip.
“Do you want money or something?” Missy said, ignoring their mother completely.
That charge was so out of line that Valerie and Regan stared at Missy in silence. Regan thought of the nights she slept in the rundown car parked outside, the women’s shelters and nights she went to sleep hungry. She hadn’t asked her family for a dime and after ten years her sister threw that in her face? Weariness was replaced by ice cold anger. Regan’s heels clacked on the tile as she got to her feet and faced her sister. She saw Valerie tense but she didn’t intervene.
Missy tilted her chin up and glared. “Well, if it’s not money then why are you here?”
Regan crowded her older sister and saw with satisfaction the flicker of wariness in her sister’s eyes. “If you want me to leave, say so. It’ll be like I was never here.”
Missy opened her mouth and Valerie walked forward and slapped her older daughter smartly on her beaded wig. Missy yelped and stared at their mother who wagged her finger threateningly.
“Missy, if you can’t welcome your sister properly get out of my house.”
Regan blinked. Valerie and Missy were carbon copies of each other and had always ganged up on her. Regan had never heard her mom talk to Missy like this. Regan focused on the jellyfish on Valerie’s hip and felt her mouth go dry. Missy’s daughter was an exact copy of Regan from the mahogany hair to the sherry colored eyes. Regan always hated her eyes because they were from her father. Seeing her niece with those eyes made her feel off kilter once again. The girl couldn’t be older than four and she smiled innocently at Regan, oblivious to the tension between the adult women.
“Ma?”
A burly guy dressed like Super Mario stopped in the doorway of the kitchen with a mini vampire and cowboy clutching each of his legs. Mario’s mustache drooped as he posed in the entrance of the kitchen. When no one clapped he looked around and jumped.
“Regan Lee?”
Mario ran to Regan with the boys hanging on for dear life, lifted her off her feet and swung her around.
“Little sis! How long are you staying?”
“I don’t know,” Regan said, voice muffled against his chest.
“You’re not going to ask why she’s here, Max?” Missy demanded.
“What for?” Max pulled away and looked Regan up and down. “She’s home. That’s all that matters.”
Max leaned down and pried the howling boys off of his legs and held them by the scruffs of their necks like cats while they kicked and hollered.
“This,” he shook the vampire, “is Bobby and this,” he shook the cowboy, “is Luke. Say hi to Aunty Regan Lee.”
“Hi Aunty Regan Lee,” both boys said in unison.
“This is Angel,” Valerie said, bobbing the Regan clone jellyfish on her hip and then pointed to the fairy who was staring entranced at Regan’s shoes. “And that’s Sophie.”
The doorbell rang and Valerie exited the kitchen with Angel on her hip.
“You each have two kids?”
Regan’s voice was hoarse. When she left Missy and Max were still in college. Many times over the years Regan wondered if her siblings got married, had kids and still lived in White Mist but the reality was so overwhelming that she was just plain numb.
“Missy?”
A guy came through the doorway dressed as a cop. Missy went over to him and whispered in his ear. His brows rose as he looked Regan over carefully.
“Should I lock you up now and save myself the trouble?” he asked.
Regan crossed her arms and smiled sweetly at him “Just keep Missy away from me and we don’t have a problem. Who are you?”
“Chief of police. Name’s Guy.”
Regan paused. With her history in this town she had always been on a first name basis with the cops. Nothing serious but she had been brought into the police station for a firm talking to twice… well, four times and she made it her business to know who to watch out for just in case.
Missy preened and splayed a hand over Guy’s chest. “We’ve been married six years.”
Regan lifted one brow at Guy. “You married the broad? There must be something wrong with you.”
The hand splayed on Guy’s chest curled into a claw and Missy flushed with anger. Guy choked and Missy punched her husband’s arm as he tried to keep a straight face.
“Shut up, Regan Lee!” Missy hissed.
Max kissed Regan’s cheek. “God, I missed you. Want to come trick or treating with us? Maybe we can “dress up” Mrs. Grant’s house.”
“If by “dressing up” you mean toilet papering it I’ll skin you alive,” Valerie said, coming back into the room with Angel.
Regan felt a pull on her coat. Sophie stared up at her with shinning eyes. She looked more like Guy than Missy, lucky child. Sophie motioned to Regan to bend over so she could whisper in her ear.
“Are those Christian Louboutin shoes?”
Regan stared at her niece. How the hell would a kid living in White Mist know a Christian Louboutin shoe at first sight? Missy came over and saw what Sophie was staring at. Her mouth dropped.
“Do you know how much those shoes cost?” Missy screeched.
Regan turned her foot so Missy and Sophie could admire her stiletto boots and Missy’s eyes narrowed to slits.
“Do you have a sugar daddy or something?” Missy asked scathingly.
Regan shrugged, knowing that would piss Missy off. “Don’t be jealous, big sis. At least someone married you.”
Missy lunged forward and Max, knowing his sister’s well caught Missy before Regan could swing her famous right hook. Guy stared at Missy as if he’d never seen before while the nieces and nephews stared with wide eyes. Valerie rolled her eyes, not surprised by the hostility between her daughters. It was the way Missy and Regan reacted when they were together and she’d long since given up trying to get them to play nice.
“Regan, do you want to trick or treat?” Valerie asked.
Regan sniffed disdainfully at Missy before she turned to her mom. “No. I need to get a room at the inn.”
“What?”
Regan froze as her mom’s voice dropped dangerously. “I don’t want to bother anybody. I really didn’t come here for all this-”
“You’re not going anywhere. As long as you’re in White Mist you stay in this house.” Valerie turned to Max, Missy and Guy. “Take the kids out and have fun. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Max clapped Regan on the back while Guy shot a cop look at Regan before he dragged Missy out of the kitchen. Regan collapsed into a chair and noticed that at some point her nephews had devoured her stew. That was good because she wasn’t sure she could hold it down, considering the fact that her stomach was rolling like she was seasick. Emotional overload.
“That was nice,” Valerie said blandly.
“Two minutes with her and it’s like we’re teenagers again. What the hell?” Regan muttered.
Regan thought she’d outgrown the smart mouthed, taunting wild child she’d once been. Obviously not. One glimpse of Missy and Regan was ready to rumble. Missy had been the oldest of three and with an absent, single mother trying to run a brand new shop Missy took control of her younger siblings. Missy lorded her power over Regan which caused the youngest Delaney to do everything possible to make her sister’s life hell.
“I think she was surprised too,” Valerie said with a laugh. “She’s always in control. You should’ve seen the way Guy was staring at her. He’s never seen this side of her. They’re probably going to have a long talk tonight.”
Regan rubbed her throbbing temples. “I need to sleep.”
“Sure.”
After giving her Tylenol Valerie shuffled her youngest child up the stairs. Valerie took Regan to her old room which hadn’t changed a bit. When Regan left this room had been torn apart by Valerie and herself. Everything that Valerie threatened to throw away was nicely lined up on shelves. Even the draw
ers and closet were filled with clothes from high school which was handy because she left New York with what she had on and a bag of her favorite shoes.
“If you need anything, let me know,” Valerie said before she went downstairs to handle the demanding trick or treaters.
Regan took a shower in the bathroom she and Missy used to fight over daily and slipped into a pair of sweats with a sheep pattern. When she tried to put on a shirt from high school she was horrified to find she couldn’t get it over her breasts. She tossed the tee on the floor and dug through her drawers. Her hand paused over a man’s shirt buried beneath her tiny high school clothes. She stared at the shirt for a long minute before she slipped it on. It was in the past, she told herself.
A thought occurred to her and she pulled out her cell, ignored the blinking messages and punched in a familiar phone number.
“Hey JC it’s Regan. I picked up my car so don’t freak out when you see it’s gone. I went back to Montana. I’m sure you’ve already heard about Daniel. I’m fine. I should’ve seen it coming. Call me when you’re back in the States.”
Despite the lack of sleep in the past two days Regan couldn’t sleep. She heard voices downstairs rumble through the floorboards and the old home creaked around her. Two days ago she never would have guessed she would come back to White Mist, yet here she was in her old room with her mom downstairs, within hollering distance. Max and Missy had kids and she saw Brooks Hawking for the first time in ten years. She fell asleep thinking about her last glimpse of him as she drove away.
Chapter Two
When Regan woke it was still dark. She rubbed her eyes and it took her several moments to recognize her surroundings. There was no clock in the room so she raised her wrist to look at her watch and realized it was gone. She had a vague recollection of taking it off and she couldn’t remember why she would do such a thing. She never went anywhere without her watch. Regan stumbled groggily out of bed and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and make herself decent before she walked downstairs to the kitchen.
“Hey, sleepyhead,” Valerie said. “You have an hour before Wade comes to pick you up for dinner.”
She covered a yawn. “What?”
“You slept the day away. When you didn’t text him your number Wade called the house phone and told me y’all we’re going out tonight.” Valerie raised her brows. “You did some fast work when you came in yesterday.”
“I didn’t ask him, he asked me,” Regan said defensively. “We’re just going to dinner. We used to be friends.”
Valerie laughed. “I’m kidding. I went to the car to bring in a suitcase but all I found was a duffel of shoes.”
Regan shrugged. “I didn’t bring anything.”
She waited for the barrage of questions but all Valerie did was point to a shopping bag on the couch.
“I got you underwear, jeans, a nice top and you can use my jacket.”
Regan blinked in surprise. “Thanks.”
Valerie cleared her throat. “You better get going. That boy’s so excited he’s probably going to come early.”
Regan didn’t know what to say so she took the shopping bag upstairs and tried on the things her mom bought. How did Valerie know what size to buy? It must be a mom thing. When she went downstairs Wade was talking to her mom. His eyes lit up when he saw her and he enfolded her in another long hug.
“Y’all have fun,” Valerie said and winked.
Wade had a monster truck parked on the road and Regan looked around and saw her old Honda parked on the side of the house. Wade helped her up into his truck and revved the engine.
“Valerie looks happy.”
“Yeah?”
“She’s happy you’re home. We all are. I saw Max today. He went over to your mom’s house twice but you were sleeping. I don’t think I’ve ever slept twenty four hours straight.”
“I drove from New York. Took me two days.”
He glanced at her. “New York? What were you doing there?”
“Lived there a couple years.”
“Wow. What were you doing there?”
“Worked in hotels.”
“I’m still at the hardware store,” he said with a shrug.
“That’s good.”
Wade pulled up in front of a local diner and her mouth watered. When was the last time she ate a full meal? She couldn’t remember. Wade put his arm around her shoulders as they went in and she automatically tensed. From her recollections, she remembered that Wade had always been a touchy feely guy. She inwardly told herself to relax and stop freezing up when people touched her. She had a flashback of holding hands with Wade as they walked through town. Where had that teen gone?
Wade was greeted warmly by the hostess before they were led to their booth. Regan ordered a burger with extra fries while Wade ordered a steak.
“So, are you here for good?” Wade asked.
Regan shot him a steady look. “No. I’m just passing through.”
He took a sip of his drink. “God, seeing you really takes me back. You got a man?” When Regan shook her head he said, “Now that we’re older we really have to think before we do shit, you know? I got a boy.”
Regan’s eyes bugged. “You do? Are you married too?”
Wade winced. “Nah. My boy’s gonna be two. My baby mama’s kind of crazy. I didn’t see that until it was too late. At least I didn’t marry her. She would’ve drained me dry.”
Why did nice guys always end up with bitches? She knew from experience what it was like to date Wade and the only reason she broke up with him was because he was too damn nice. She would like to talk to this crazy baby mama.
“You seen Brooks yet?” Wade asked with a sly look.
Regan eyed him coolly. “No. Why?”
He shrugged. “No reason.”
“If it’s no reason why are you asking?”
“We all know what went down ten years ago but that’s in the past. You guys are both older now. You guys were that couple.”
Her stomach twisted and she couldn’t stop herself from asking. “What couple?”
He gestured with his hands. “You guys had that love/hate relationship going on but you guys were solid. You actually loved each other-”
Wade was interrupted by the delivery of their food. Regan gratefully snatched her burger and took a bite before Wade could grab his knife.
“I’m just saying, he’s gonna hear that you’re back.”
“Wade, it’s been ten years and he married Allison,” she said with her mouth full. Not to mention, she’d seen him with two kids.
“Yeah but-”
She set her burger down, reached across the table and pat his hand. “Wade, I really don’t want to talk about him.”
“But you should know-”
“Well, well, will you look at this?”
A girl that couldn’t be older than twenty one stood by their booth with her hip cocked, huge earrings swinging and her hand waving dangerously close to Regan’s face as she spoke. A boy that looked like Wade climbed up into the booth. Regan withdrew her hand from Wade’s so she could pick up her burger, take a bite and watch the show. She suspected who this was and she hid her anticipation.
“I spend two days in labor with your son and you take out this tramp?”
Wade picked up his son, got out of the booth and tried to grab the girl’s arm. Wade’s baby mama jerked her arm away and pushed Wade who barely kept a hold on his son as he staggered back into the booth. Their silverware and drinks rattled and the little boy let out a cry.
“Please, Steph, can we talk about this outside?” Wade pleaded, voice shaking with embarrassment and anger.
“No!” Steph shouted, stomping her boot. “I want to talk about it now in front of this slut.”
Regan set her burger down and dusted her hands before she got out of the booth. She looked at Wade. “Take him out.”
Steph stepped in front of her. “Don’t be telling my man what to do with my baby.”
Re
gan ignored her, snatched a fry from her plate and munched while she jerked her head at Wade. He shot a furious glance at Steph before he nodded and walked out of the diner. Regan turned back to Steph who was so mad her whole body trembled.
“You shouldn’t drag your son into your drama with Wade. It upsets him and you could scar him for life,” Regan said quietly as she rummaged through her fries to find a crispy one.
“Don’t tell me what to do, you whore!” Steph shouted.
Regan grabbed her burger and took a bite. She saw Steph move into attack mode and side stepped as the enraged woman lunged at the booth and crashed into the table. When she turned on Regan with salt, napkins and lemonade splashed over her coat Regan was ready. She let her right fist fly while she clutched her delicious burger in the left. Her fist caught Steph square on her jaw and sent her staggering back, screaming and clutching her face. Servers and other diners got to their feet. Some sixth sense made Regan look at the restaurant entrance. Her new brother in law stood there with his arms crossed. Regan took another bite of her burger and sat in the booth opposite from hers and watched the commotion around Steph as she raged that she was going to kill Regan.
“She said she wants to kill me, officer,” Regan piped up when Guy came up to her.
“It must be because you broke her jaw.”
Regan cocked her head and listened to the shrew. “Doesn’t sound like it. I need to get back into boxing. By the way, it was self-defense. She attacked first. I have witnesses.”
“Who is she?” Guy asked.
“Wade’s baby mama. She thought I was his new whore,” Regan explained with finger quotes around the last two words.
Guy’s mouth twitched. “At least I won the bet with Missy. She said you wouldn’t last twenty four hours without drama. It’s been twenty eight hours since you drove into town.”
Regan finished off her burger as Steph shoved people out of her way and was so blinded by rage she didn’t notice Guy until she threw her first punch. Guy caught it in his fist and Steph stared up at him. She paled, drew away and turned into a mouse in the blink of an eye.
“Officer, I was with my son and this lady started attacking me,” Steph said.