He looked over at her, stunned. “Allie cat– ”
“I’m serious, Terrance. Get out.” She didn’t know if his mom had picked him up at the airport, or if he’d caught a ride all the way from Rapid City with one of his latest flings. The best part was, she didn’t care.
A shaky gulp slunk past his throat as he reached for the door. A trace of sweat coated his upper lip. His forehead too. He unlatched his seatbelt, his hand fiddling with the door handle, but not opening it just yet. The picture of defeat now. But suddenly his lip twitched. His eyes shifted, and his shoulders raised. “If you don’t let me stay with you guys for a while, I’ll go back to South Dakota and I’ll take Paige with me. Jillian too, if she wants. And you can try to stop me all you want – ”
“I won’t try and stop you at all,” she said. “The girls are old enough to make their own decisions, Terrance. Goodbye.” She nodded toward his door.
At last he pulled the handle, gave her one last pathetic-looking glance, and stepped out of the car.
Through the rearview, Allie could see him standing there as she drove away, a baffled expression on his face. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Allie had spent her entire married life thinking Terrance was a victim. Alcoholic father. A mother who misunderstood him. Poor, poor Terrance. She’d tried to do everything she could to counter the harmful events that had affected him in his youth. But to no avail.
During their discussion with Paige and Jillian that morning, Allie had watched as the endearment they held for him lost its luster, bits at a time. But that didn’t mean they’d suddenly want nothing to do with him. He was their father after all. The main question in her head was this: Would Paige still want to go live with Terrance after everything he’d revealed? And was it possible that even Jillian – with her tender heart – could be pressured into doing the same? Terrance knew how to manipulate like nobody’s business.
Allie pushed the thoughts out of her mind. She needed to get to her rock. The man who would make sense of things, hold her in his arms, and assure her that everything would be alright. The thought had her picking up speed. Now more than ever, Allie needed Braden Fox.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
A dark set of clouds crept across the sky as Allie neared the workshop. She could hardly believe how quickly they’d settled in. Since their appearance last night, Allie hadn’t seen a cloud in the sky. But they’d been looming there just the same. Hiding along the north side now, and moving her way like plumes of smoke from a fire in the sky.
With a few quick taps, Allie dialed Braden’s number for the second time in the last ten minutes. She’d tried his cell phone first, and the workshop line next. Now she was trying his cell phone once more, wondering why he hadn’t responded to her text in the first place. It seemed odd.
Her eyes traveled back to the show overhead while she waited for him to pick up. Streaks of lightening flashed among the growing mass of purple and gray. It wasn’t quite noon yet, but already the scene belonged to that of a gloomy, early evening. Or maybe a winter’s morning – one that offered no hope of a day-lit sky. Something about it only added to the bizarre nature of her day. Waking to find Terrance back in the house. Hearing that he wanted to get back together. Or at least use her for a while until he got bored again, which was how she’d interpreted it. And then his ugly threat as she’d dropped him off – that he’d take both girls with him when he left.
She must have listened to Braden’s automated voice greeting because suddenly there was a sharp beep blaring in her ear. Allie pulled the phone away and disconnected, feeling more unsettled by the minute. Terrance showing up had been straight from a nightmare. The idea of him taking the girls was a horror all its own – no matter how unlikely it might be. And now she couldn’t even get hold of Braden?
Another flash of lightening cracked over the sky, this one closer than the others. A loud rumble of thunder followed. She shook her head, telling herself Braden was simply caught up in his work. He loved being in the shop on stormy days. The sounds of rain falling overhead. Allie had almost grown to like it herself, especially after their indoor picnic. But now, as tiny splatters began pelting the windshield, she only wanted the storm to go away. And to take Terrance with it. She wanted the sunny day she’d been hoping for. The assurance that the girls would stay by her side. And a promise that Braden would never leave her.
Only as she pulled up to the woodshop, the large windows looked lifeless and dark. The window facing the road reflected spots of looming clouds. Her gaze darted to the skylight along the rooftop. No light glowed there either. Just transparent-looking sheets of gray. “Where is he?” she muttered, bringing the car to a stop.
Random splatters of cool rain splashed over her arms and face as she stepped out of the car. The gravel crunched beneath her feet as she made her way along the driveway. A small window just off the woodshop entry gave Allie a view of the covered garage. His truck was there, but his convertible was gone. That meant he wasn’t making deliveries or picking up supplies. “Lunch,” Allie told herself. He’d just gone to lunch. It was noon after all. Maybe he’d taken a bite to Bree. Or picked Carter up from kindergarten today. Each explanation offered Allie a new level of comfort. Enough to get past the fact that the door was locked. Sometimes Braden locked it, which is why she had a key. After fiddling with her key ring, she jammed the gold one into the stubborn lock, cranked the knob, and stepped into the dark room with a chill.
She was hoping for hints of his recent presence in the shop. Residing heat from the overhead lamps. The hum of his power tools charging, or the fresh scent of polish in the air. Something that put his recent mark on the place. But there was nothing to be found.
As she flicked on lights and rounded the corner leading to the workshop, the place felt as still as a graveyard. He just ran an errand, Allie told herself. Why was she so concerned anyway? She’d only just seen him the night before. They’d had a great time at Bree’s. He’d kissed her goodnight and said he’d see her in the morning. She was the one who’d thrown things off course by not coming in today. Although she had texted him. Told him that Terrance had shown up, that she was stressing out, and would tell him all about it later.
Allie turned to look over her shoulder as a tag caught her eye. It hung from the Eifel Tower case he’d made for Paige. She stepped closer, a rapid thumping at her chest as the print came into focus.
Paige, Sorry I couldn’t be here when you got this.
Hope it will showcase your art for years to come.
Braden.
Her eyes shot back to the first line. Couldn’t be there… why? Just where would he be? Her birthday wasn’t until tomorrow. Now she knew something was wrong.
The shop became a blur as she crossed the room, her eyes set on the door leading to the house. When she failed to see the light switch at first glance, Allie sped down the narrow hallway in the waning light until it was black completely. With her hands stretched out before her, she sped on, fumbling for the cool knob once reaching the door. The other side of that door felt just as lifeless as the rest of the place. But she’d already known it would. For whatever reason, Braden was gone. Wouldn’t be coming back until after Paige’s birthday, in the least of it.
Feeling desperate now, she reached for her phone once more. Had he replied to her and she hadn’t seen it? With inept movements, she pressed at the screen, going back to the text she’d sent him this morning. No reply. Her focus moved from the screen as she slowly lifted her chin, a small object seeming to call her name from the other room. It was more than one object, actually. She flicked on the lamp as she stepped into his living room, noting broken bits of black on the ground. Glass, too. Shattered into pieces.
Her eyes widened as she looked at her phone once more. It took her a moment to get back to the text she’d sent him, but once it came up, Allie thumbed back to see what she’d missed. Surely she’d missed something. And there it was. But it wasn’t a text from him like she’d been expecting. N
o, the text had come from her own phone. At one in the morning, no less.
A rash of fire broke out over her skin as she read through the words, murmuring parts as she went. “Terrance came back… make things work… told him I would for the kids’ sake.” She gasped, reading the next line out loud completely. “Please don’t come by, call, or text me. Terrance and I were married over fifteen years. I owe this to him.” A wave of nausea rippled through her. “Terrance. That jerk!” She looked back to remnants of Braden’s phone on the floor. “And he believed it?” She felt insulted. Had he even received her text, or had Braden already broken his phone and headed out?
A million other questions rifled through her head as she tore out of the house, back through the narrow hallway, and through the all-too-quiet workshop. A crash of thunder greeted her as she exited the place. Rain coming down in a steady stream now. All of it adding to the chaos. It hadn’t taken much thought as to where she should go – the only place she could. Bree’s. If Bree was gone too, she’d… not think about that now. It hurt too much. Made it hard to breathe. Bree would be home. Of course, she would; she did daycare for crying out loud. She’d be there and she’d know all about what was going on in Braden’s head. Maybe that’s where he was. Of course it’s where he was. Bree was his support system.
A bit of tension slipped from her grip as she forced out a deep breath. Braden would be there, most likely upset about the text he’d believed was from her, but she’d explain everything, cursing stupid Terrance in the process, and relay the way she’d told him off. She’d throw her arms around him next and tell Braden that she would never consider taking Terrance back, and then she would give him a hard time for believing it.
Each step in her imagined sequence served to calm her more. It was the sight in Bree’s driveway that took the wind right out of her sails. Through the rotating wipers clearing her windshield, Allie could see that Braden’s convertible wasn’t there as she’d hoped.
Though she’d only just seen his phone in a mangled heap on the floor, Allie kept catching herself wanting to try him again. To just call and have him answer and tell her where he was. Allie knocked on the door as thunder rumbled in the distance. She stared at the white panel door, willing it to open. When at last it did, Allie tipped her head, catching eye contact with Bree. She swept a hand over her dripping lashes, prayed within her heart, and spoke the only thing she could muster. “Please tell me you know where Braden is.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“I still don’t understand what’s going on,” Paige griped, yanking the seatbelt over her chest. “Are we going to Grandma and Grandpa’s right now or not?”
Allie closed her eyes, wishing she knew how to rewind time. Make it so this day never happened. “We are,” she said. “We’re just… instead of making the cake I’m buying one at the store. You like store-bought better anyway, right?”
Paige shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. But is Braden really not going to be there?” Allie couldn’t help but appreciate the concern she heard in her voice.
“No,” she said, backing out of the driveway. “But Bree’s still coming with the kids. Blake & Gavin are bringing their kids too.”
“What about Shane and Logan?” Jillian asked from the backseat.
Allie nodded. “They’ll be there.”
“Dad’s not going, is he?” Jillian sounded hesitant to ask.
“Nope.” Allie gave her a pointed look through the rearview. “Your dad will not be there.” Which was a good thing. After his latest scheme, she couldn’t even fathom being civil to the man.
“I still don’t see why you don’t tell us what’s going on,” Paige said. “Did you and Dad talk some more? Did you and Braden break up? Just tell us.”
Paige had every right to ask. She did. Yet for a moment – if for nothing more than habit alone – Allie worked to build yet another barrier against the truth. It’d been hours since she’d picked them up from school. Hours of Allie dodging conversation with either girl. She’d simply dropped them at the house, told them she had to go, and that they needed to be ready by seven o’clock so they could go to Grandma and Grandpa’s. And then she’d gone driving. Chasing the massive storm through large open plains as she agonized over the fact that Braden had fallen for Terrance’s ridiculous scheme. That he was hurting, and there was nothing she could do about it.
At last Allie glanced over at Paige. She was about to ask if her father had texted her but decided she didn’t care. Right now she would hear the truth from Allie’s mouth. “Okay,” she said. “Your dad texted Braden at like, one in the morning.”
“No way,” Paige said. An undeniable grin tugged at her lips. “Wow, he’s like, totally jealous.”
“Well,” Allie said, squinting against the night, “let me rephrase that. He texted him from my phone. Pretending to be me.”
She glanced over in time to see the smile fade. Allie had already guessed where Terrance heard about her and Braden’s relationship. And though she knew Paige would admit it if she asked, Allie didn’t want her to think she blamed her for the whole mess.
“Are you kidding?” Jillian piped up from behind. “What did he say?”
Allie gripped the wheel with a deep sense of dread; she wasn’t used to being so open about what went on between her and Terrance. “Let me see if I can sum all of this up,” she said. “I texted Braden this morning and told him that Terrance had come back and thrown a wrench into things. I said that I’d be late for work.”
“So you and Dad didn’t do anything after you dropped us off?” Paige asked, keeping her head turned over the opposite shoulder.
“No. Just… After I dropped you off, I took Dad to Grandma’s and told him I wasn’t interested in getting back together.”
Paige spun back around to look at her.
“Which,” Allie added, “I had already said to him right in front of you.”
She nodded and looked back out the window. “I know.”
Allie went on to explain how she’d gone to the woodshop, and that Braden was nowhere to be found. “Anyway,” she said. “So I pull out my phone to see if I’d missed a text and discover Dad’s text to him.”
Both girls gasped. “What did it say?” Jillian asked.
“It said something like: sorry, but Terrance is back and I’m going to try to work things out with him and so don’t call or try to get hold of me again, basically.”
“That jerk,” Jillian snapped.
“Careful,” Allie said, “that’s your dad you’re talking about, Jilly.”
“So what? I can’t believe he would do that.”
Allie shook her head. “Me neither, honestly.”
“Braden didn’t believe it, did he?” Paige asked in a quiet voice.
“I wish I could say that he didn’t, but he did. I know because he emailed Bree and told her about it.” Allie thought back on what she’d seen on the floor. “It must’ve affected him quite a bit too because I found his phone smashed into pieces at the house.”
Paige sucked a gust of air through her teeth. “Ooh. So where is he now?”
Allie bit at her lip as she tried to sift through the details. It’d probably be best if she gave them a little history on Bree’s story. “Not exactly. You know how Grandpa Emerson and his brother take in witnesses sometimes, or people who need a safe, secret place to stay?”
They nodded silently.
“Well, Bree went through something a while ago that could put her in danger down the road. So to protect her, Braden bought a home that nobody knows about. A place she could go in case she needed to hide. He told Bree he was headed there. He has a tenant living there but apparently there’s a guest house he can stay in.” Allie’s heart sunk as she added one last detail. “The trouble is, no one knows where it is.”
“Not even Bree knows?” Jillian asked.
Allie winced. “Not even Bree. She said it’s in Oregon somewhere but that’s all she knows.”
Paige tilted her head. “Wai
t, so you guys haven’t even talked to him?”
“No. Neither of us has been able to. His cellphone’s history. And if he has some sort of phone at the place he bought, well, he’d have to call us, because we wouldn’t be able to find the number.”
Those few, final words seemed to put a lid on the conversation. It wasn’t until they were in front of the grocery store that Jillian spoke up. “How long would he stay there?’ she asked. “I mean. He has to come back and run the woodshop. Right?”
Allie had been telling herself that very thing. “Right. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.” The lights at Lee’s Grocery might have shone bright against the night, but all Allie could see was black. Once the car was in park, Jillian reached around the seat to cup her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Mom. You must feel sick right now.”
Sick was right. Nauseous, dizzy, and ill in every way. She wanted to drop the girls off at her parents and spend the next few days driving and crying and sinking into her own chasm of hell. “It’ll be alright,” she managed, looking first at Jillian, and then Paige. She unlocked her seatbelt, blew out a breath, and forced a smile. “Now let’s go pick out some cake.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Braden held the remote with numb fingers, stared at the flashing screen with dead eyes, and worked to revive his buried brain. When his lids began drifting to a slow and unwilling close, he shook his head and ran a hand over his face, wondering if he should get back on the road or try one final time to get some shuteye. He’d planned to drive straight to the orchard house without so much as a stop, but between sleep-deprivation and the torment in his own head, he’d been no good behind the wheel. Trouble was, sleep wasn’t in the cards for him either. He checked the motel clock – 9:00 p.m. What am I thinking? He’d skipped sleep last night completely, driven more than half the day through, and was seriously considering heading on the road again? Not a chance.
Rough Edges: Allie's Story, A Companion to the Sweet Montana Bride Series (Second Chances Book 1) Page 18