by Rimmy London
“I forgive you, Mother,” she whispered. A cool breeze rushed past, clearing away the rotting leaves and bringing with it a sweet, clean scent of winter.
Chapter 18
When Abby returned to the property, Chase could see something about her had changed. She’d been strangely nervous and upset before, but now… now she looked serene.
He was glad because quite a few things had happened since she left.
He met her at her car and hardly gave her time to say hello before he started explaining. But he was taking his cues from her, and she looked like she was in a great mood.
“So, I just wanted to let you know they only needed to replace one pipe. The others are in great condition, which is amazing. They might even finish up with most of the work today.”
Her expression lifted, and a smile spread across her face. It was the content sort of smile he hadn’t seen from her in a while.
“I let the neighbors know,” he continued, “the Allens and Mr. Fillmore. They both seemed very happy about it.”
“That’s great!” Abby said, flashing her smile again.
Chase tried to keep his heart in check, but if she kept smiling like that, he was going to throw all caution to the wind and just kiss her. But the way she stepped out and then leaned against her car, she looked exhausted.
“I’m glad to hear it.” She sighed. She held an envelope in her hand, opened, with a couple of papers visible inside.
“Where were you?” he asked, feeling curious enough that he didn’t mind prying. He’d never seen her quite like she was now. She looked so much stronger but drained at the same time.
Her eyes roamed over him for a moment, and eventually, she pushed off the hood of her car, standing a little closer to him… which he noticed intensely.
“I went to visit my mother’s grave,” she said quietly.
He knew what this meant. The few moments of her childhood she’d risked sharing with him were utterly dark and shocking. He’d always wished he knew her back then so he could’ve helped her, and now he understood her smile. It must have taken so much from her, judging by her exhaustion.
He couldn’t stop himself from reaching for her, and when he did, she stepped into his arms easily, like she’d been waiting for it. Her arms around him were something he’d dreamed countless times since they’d split up, and he counted the seconds, knowing it wouldn’t last long and wishing she would stay there forever.
But instead of letting go, she turned her head, leaning it against his chest as she spoke. “It was one of the challenges. I really didn’t want to do it at first.”
Chase recalled her face from inside the trailer. He’d only caught a glimpse of her, but she’d looked crushed. He’d been terrified that somehow he’d caused that much pain in her life. It had tortured him over the last few hours.
Her arms tightened, and her chest rose in a sigh. He glanced down, unsure what it all meant.
“I’m so glad I did,” she said more quietly, like she was sharing something deeply personal.
Chase cautiously lifted one hand and rested it gently on her head, loving the touch of her smooth curls. He’d always loved her, but it’d been nothing like what was pounding in his heart now, as if he would drop to his knees with the strength of it.
“That’s incredible, Abigail,” he whispered, hearing the husky sound of his voice. But there was no escape from the emotions that were coursing through him, and her contentment in his arms was utterly confusing. Did she want him back? Would she even consider it?
He felt frozen, unable to step away from the pure comfort of her embrace. But then, she wasn’t pulling away either. With a shaking breath, he touched her face softly, tracing his fingertips along her smooth skin and tilting her chin upward.
She looked steadily into his eyes, still leaning against him with her arms around his back.
He paused when she released him, but instead of stepping away, her hands smoothed along each side of his face, and she pulled him down to meet her lips.
The shock of her soft kiss was an answer to all his questions but a portal to hundreds more. He shut off his brain and held her gently, kissing her like he never had before. It twisted his insides and scattered his thoughts delightfully, until she giggled and leaned away, leaving him wanting more.
Her eyes said as much too, and her cheeks were flushed with pink. It transformed her normal beauty into pure brilliance.
He grinned along with her, not sure what to say next. But one thing he knew. If she wanted this house by the ocean, she could have it. If she needed him to build it, he’d build it. He’d build her a hundred houses if it would make her happy. Because there wasn’t anything in the world stronger than the truth he’d just uncovered, and he shared it with her along with another kiss.
“I love you, Bee,” he whispered, overwhelmed by the sudden shine in her eyes and softness in her smile.
She held his face again, tangling her hands in his hair and pulling him close, resting her lips at his ear. “I love you too.”
He couldn’t tell if she was laughing or crying as he lifted her, letting her perfect feet dangle above the ground. It felt like a dream, and going back to work was the last thing on his mind.
When Mark yelled at him from the back porch, Chase ignored him.
“Sorry, uh—friend of the owner.” Mark laughed. “We need one more hand for this install.”
Chase set Abby back down, and she backed out of his arms, laughing again. “Go ahead,” she said, squeezing his hand. “It’s fine.”
He leaned in, kissing her firmly and leaving with a grin on his lips. When he glanced back, she was watching him with a smile still lighting her face, and it made his head spin.
“Don’t mean to break all that up,” Mark teased, “but if it’s any consolation, we’re almost finished here.”
Chase got to work, doing what he’d done a hundred times before but thinking of something completely new. A life with Abby. A ring he’d saved for her. And a future he’d almost given up on.
The evening had been one he wouldn’t soon forget, perhaps forever. They’d spent hours talking and laughing, sometimes just getting lost in each other’s eyes. It still didn’t seem real, and Chase grumbled as he drove away that he should have stayed longer. Running home because he had an early morning client wasn’t the most romantic move in the world.
He’d tried to pay attention to everything his long-time client said that morning, but in the end, he could hardly remember a word.
It seemed only a few minutes had passed instead of hours, and finally he was on his way back to Abby. All he could think of was her beautiful face and soft lips, and how his heart had burned the entire evening with the idea that she still wanted him. It felt like something completely new, or at least an entirely different level. Each kiss burned on his lips and sent his heart pounding. He couldn’t wait to hold her in his arms again, where she fit perfectly.
When he pulled up to the house, something seemed strangely off. It was nearly ten o’clock with no sign of the work trucks. There were a couple of windows open as well, which wasn’t easily explained seeing as how it’d been such a rainy night.
He stepped from his car and looked closer, noticing a strip of siding had been snapped off the side of the house—broken in two.
Had the wind picked up in the night?
Abby’s trailer was bound to need a few repairs if so, but in one glance he could see the trailer was fine. He made his way around the back, finding the patio door wide open. When he caught sight of the inside of the house he flinched back, standing frozen in the doorway.
Rubble and broken bits of wood were scattered across the brown paper that covered the floor. Dark paint had been smeared across the walls, with the remnants of handprints making it clear they’d just slopped it on. The word out was visible more than once, making Chase swell with anger.
But it wasn’t until he noticed a deep red streak that his heart started to pound. It didn’t look like pain
t.
“Abigail?” he called, stepping across broken, splintered wood. A few of the carved rungs of the staircase had been broken in the middle and jutted out at awkward angles. Chase’s breath was coming faster as he imagined a baseball bat or crowbar. “You here?”
He hoped she was still asleep, although he knew how much she loved getting up before the sun. One glance into the kitchen revealed more red streaks, leading to a large rabbit. It was left in the center of the room in the same condition of all the animals before it. But one thing was different now. Whoever was doing this had come inside the house, and by way of force… making it a whole new game.
Chase dug his phone from his jacket and typed a text quickly, sending it to Abigail. A phone chimed from upstairs and his eyes widened.
Why hadn’t she answered him?
He dashed for the stairway, taking them three at a time. “Bee!” he shouted, fear pounding in his head. “Where are you?” The first bedroom was small and clearly empty. He rushed to the second, third, and fourth. As he made his way to the last three rooms, he finally heard a noise. A quiet sound like the scuffing of a shoe. He froze and listened, hardly able to hear over the beating of his heart and rush of his breath.
There it was again, a quiet sniff. He walked slowly into the last room down the hall. It’s big, beautiful windows had been broken, leaving jagged sharp edges of glass clinging to their frames. Abby stood staring out at the broken view.
All his pent-up adrenaline left in a gust of breath, relief surging through him. “Abby,” he breathed, pressing one hand to his chest as he tried to control his heart. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Where is everyone?”
He took a small step forward with each question, still frantic to see her face and assure she was well. When he was directly beside her, he could see the tears that had fallen were now dried, leaving faint trails down her cheeks.
“I told them not to bother,” she said. Her voice was bland, and she still stared out at the view. He touched her arm, and she took a quick breath, glancing down at the floor. “You were right, then,” she said in the same dull, lifeless voice. “I never should have bought this house—it was a mistake.”
For the first time, Chase noticed a gold envelope in her hand with the top torn open.
“Why didn’t I listen to you?” she continued, her eyes hesitantly meeting his.
Chase’s heart throbbed at the sadness in her face, the depth seemed to completely overwhelm her. The joy and strength he’d admired only the day before were gone.
He held her arms, looking deeper into her endless brown eyes. “No, Abigail, I was wrong,”
She looked ready to object.
“I never should have put a limit on your dreams or told you what they should be. This place is different now, I can feel it. And maybe it always was, but now I see what you see. You can’t quit.”
She wasn’t listening. Her face was still downturned and sinking deeper. She lifted the envelope in her hand. “I only read the first few lines, but it was enough.”
He took the envelope, waiting for her to explain, but she merely looked out at the view again. There were two pages folded together, and quite a bit of writing. He glanced back at Abigail and opened them.
My dearest niece,
This, for you, is the last of your eight challenges. I only hope that my intended desire has come true and that your life will forever be the better for it. I know you must be eager to complete these challenges. Perhaps rushing through them. But there’s something difficult that I must tell you. It may be hard to understand, but I want you to read this letter in its entirety before you curse my name.
There is no additional inheritance for you, my dearest Abigail. The initial sum was the entire amount. This will be hard to comprehend, but I do have my reasons for deceiving you. I hope you will accept my apology…
Chase couldn’t continue. He felt utterly betrayed but couldn’t imagine what those words must have done to Abigail. She was still gazing at the view, almost trance-like. With a steadying breath, he reviewed her circumstances quickly. The amount of money still owed on the house was a sobering 1.5 million. The cost of expenses was on track until… he looked out at the broken windows.
Until today.
“Let’s get out of here for a while,” he suggested, feeling her despair almost tangibly.
She shrugged and allowed him to link his elbow with hers and walk her down the stairs. They stepped over the broken wood and glass, the noise echoing through the house eerily, but she didn’t say a word.
Not until they’d reached her small trailer and made their way inside. When she sat down, Champ curled up at her feet, appearing to sense the trouble. “At least I have this,” she said, gazing across the small space. “I should never have risked so much. It was foolish of me. Maybe I’m getting what I deserve.”
Chase wasn’t sure what to say. It was a dismal outlook, and he’d learned to recognize when it was time to stop. Like when he’d wanted that big house overlooking the Bay Bridge. It had been more luxurious than he’d ever imagined. But it would have meant working overtime for the rest of his life, and that was no life. Did he want her to be chained into a decision like this one?
With a breath, he worked on centering his thoughts. A reality where payments were made on a modest living and dreams were kept within a certain realm. His eyes drifted down to the counter where a stack of gold envelopes was set atop a long white one. He pulled out the white envelope slowly, glancing back at Abby. When he saw his name written on the front in her handwriting, he couldn’t help but slide his finger under the seal.
Chapter 19
Abby woke suddenly, jolted from her dreams by the sound of car doors slamming. She blinked, hearing voices outside. They were loud and energetic, and before she had completely woken, there was a nail gun working and the sound of a tractor engine starting up.
She gazed across her small trailer, remembering Chase standing quietly in the kitchen, listening to her sulk. And then there was the truth about Aunt Sharalyn. It charged to the forefront of her mind like an assassin, eager to destroy any hope that may have been kindling within.
She groaned, wanting to pull the blanket over her head and sleep forever. It would be better than facing her life. But instead, she wandered to the small kitchen window to see three work trucks and a dumpster. Broken fragments of her house were being loaded up in a small tractor and discarded. In the back of one of the trucks were sheets of glass, strapped together and awaiting placement.
A mixture of confusion and irritation rushed over her. What were these people doing? Didn’t they know she was out of money? She ran her hands through her hair and hurried out the door, wanting to stop everything before she was even more in debt.
Chase stood outside watching with Champ bounding in circles around him.
“Sit,” he commanded, after glancing at Abby. The puppy plopped down beside him and held very still, except for his constantly twitching coat and tail. Like a ball of energy ready to explode. “Good. Stay.” Chase pointed a finger at him and walked to meet Abby.
She glanced back at Champ. His ears were erect, but he didn’t move. “Wow,” she said, “that’s some progress.”
When she looked back into Chase’s eyes, every memory of being in his arms and his kiss on her lips rushed back. Like a warm blanket, the memories wrapped her up in his love. She gazed back at him, suddenly speechless.
When a nail gun broke their trance, she gestured to the chaos behind them. “What’s all this?” she asked. “They weren’t even supposed to be here today—or ever again.”
A grin broke across Chase’s face, wide and dashing as if he’d been holding it back the whole time. It left Abby frozen in place. “You have enough to finish the repairs,” he said easily. Simply, as if all the troubles she was experiencing were washed away with that one fact.
“Yes, but what about the money due? What about the first payment?” Abby was waiting for his smile to falter, but it didn’t. “The m
ortgage is going to bury me, I know it. Especially since I quit my job to manage this place.”
Still, Chase smiled. He lifted a white envelope with his name on the front and handed it to her. “I’m sorry, but I read your letter.”
“Oh.” Abby took the envelope, looking down at it and remembering her heartfelt words with a little embarrassment. “And this… changed something?”
“It changed everything,” he answered quietly, taking her hand in his. “Dreams take effort. They take time. But they are one hundred percent worth fighting for.”
She shook her head, feeling foolish for even trying something so drastic. What had she been thinking? “I’m sorry, Chase, but this is just way out of my ability. I wanted to design something incredible and have it take off in a matter of months, packed full of guests. But the reality is, I would need that inheritance just to keep things afloat for a while.” She shrugged. “Without it, I’m too broke to even stand on the property here.”
His smile was persistent. It gripped at the edges of her despair as if to pry it away. Her lip begrudgingly lifted on one side, and he leaned in closer, kissing her for a soft moment.
“I think we need to read the rest of Aunt Sharalyn’s letter,” he whispered, keeping his face so close, she could smell the slight pine fragrance on his skin.
She didn’t want to read the letter. What else was there to say? Sharalyn lied. There was no more inheritance. End of story. Reluctantly, she agreed, walking back to the trailer with her arm around his back and his draped across her shoulder. It felt like wasted effort to read through an explanation from an eccentric aunt.
But she pulled out the papers anyway, unfolding them slowly and wishing it said something entirely new.
They didn’t discuss it, and only sat together, laying the pages flat on the table in front of them. Abby read quickly, scanning across the words and the apology with a surge of contempt pressing her heart. What had Sharalyn been thinking? Why would this ever pass for a good idea? Now, instead of holding a job and working toward a future, she was broke and homeless.