by Regina Cole
The text message that came next was even easier to ignore than the phone call. He’d already sat down beside Wolf at Jameson’s hospital bedside and started to lay out plans for revenge.
This had to end, and nobody but Trey could ensure that.
Even if it meant letting her down, he had to do it.
He’d made a vow, and he had to keep it. No matter how much it hurt him.
And her.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The light was getting low by the time Bethany drove down the long, winding path that led to the Yelvertons’ house.
Mentally exhausted, emotionally drained, Bethany gripped the steering wheel hard as she passed the empty, staring windows of the neglected Victorian.
There was too much to do. Too many feelings and worries and anxieties. She longed to be able to lean on Trey, to have him reassure her that things would be okay.
But he hadn’t called her back. And he hadn’t answered any of her texts. Presuming he was tied up with his work, she’d stopped after the third one.
He’d get back to her when he could.
She cut her engine and opened the garage door. Box by box, she emptied her trunk and backseat into an unoccupied corner.
Dusting her hands off on her jeans, she leaned against the pile to catch her breath.
Another couple of carloads should do it for boxes, but she’d have to get a moving van for her furniture. Renting a storage building for the moment was probably a wise move—she didn’t want to monopolize Mama Yelverton’s garage while she found another place to live.
Bethany shook her head as she shut her trunk.
It sickened her that her grandmother had managed to chase her out of her apartment. It seemed like she was getting worse, not better.
Glancing up at the twilight sky, Bethany blew out a heavy breath.
“What do I do, Dad? How long does this promise last? Is there any way out?”
There wasn’t any answer, even in the pale, cloud-covered moon.
She hadn’t expected one. But it would have been nice to have her guilt at running away absolved. Even if she changed her number and cut contact with the woman completely, she’d still feel like she was letting her father down.
It was a terrible situation, and she didn’t know the way out.
The sound of a shout from inside wrenched her attention, and Bethany hustled toward the house.
Uh-oh. She yanked open the door. It seemed like while she’d been up in her head about her grandmother, things had been spiraling out of control.
“It’s insane! I can’t believe this. What kind of idiots don’t have their fire extinguishers inspected?”
Bethany rounded the corner to catch sight of Sarah pacing angrily around the kitchen. Mama Yelverton was in the midst of unpacking takeout boxes from the Chinese restaurant they liked.
“Honey, I know. I’m upset too. But we’ll find somewhere else.”
“But the wedding’s in three freaking weeks! You’ve sent out invitations, you’ve done all this work…” Sarah turned, and then she noticed Bethany standing there. “Bethy! Oh God, I’m glad to see you. Mom just told me about the disaster.”
In damage-control mode, Bethany moved next to Sarah and grabbed her best friend by the hands. “Hey. Listen. It’s going to be fine. Don’t you worry about it at all.”
“Exactly,” Mama Yelverton said, pulling plates down from the cabinet. “Bethany and Trey have been working on another venue all day, haven’t you?”
“Of course,” Bethany lied, turning to put her purse down. “Trey’s been at it nonstop.”
“Oh good,” Sarah said, and the relief in her voice was enough to make Bethany wince. “Have you got somewhere else?”
“Well…” Bethany stopped. What should she do? Tell them the truth? That Bethany had called six places over the past two hours, and none of them had space? Or should she lie?
God, where was Trey when she needed him?
“Let’s get settled at the table, and then Bethany can tell us all about it.”
“Yeah,” Bethany said, more grateful to Mama Yelverton than she could say. She grabbed a carton of noodles and another of steamed vegetables, and hustled them to the table.
As she moved, she thought. She had to come up with a good, believable story. Maybe telling them she and Trey had another good lead was the best idea. That way she could just say it fell through when Trey found another place.
Bethany frowned as she set glasses on the table.
That was, presuming Trey actually had found another place. But he’d promised he would. And she trusted him.
But then again, he did have a big, important job that was incredibly unpredictable.
Sighing, Bethany sat down. She just wasn’t sure which way to go. Pulling her cell phone from her pocket, she checked her texts again.
Zero unread.
Where the hell was he?
“We had an incident at Sam’s Place this morning,” Mama Yelverton said with a sigh as she sat down in her usual spot. Sarah was helping herself to some broccoli as she answered.
“What happened?”
“Do you remember Vincent? He came in and out for a while, then he got into drugs and didn’t really stick around.”
“Oh yeah,” Sarah said, wrinkling her nose. “I didn’t care for that guy. He picked on the younger guys a lot. Kinda creepy too.”
Mama Yelverton nodded. “I’d hoped he would stop using. We offered him counseling several times, but he always refused. Well, he came by this morning, pretending to need help, but he caused a big ruckus.”
“What happened?” Bethany stopped, her chopsticks halfway to her mouth.
“He picked a fight with Lester in the kitchen. Lester caught him stealing some of the oddest things.”
“Like what?” Sarah asked, her mouth full.
Mama Yelverton paused, looking down at her fork thoughtfully. “Coffee filters, matchbooks, a couple of first aid kits. Some of the Pyrex dishes. Just a weird assortment of stuff.” Mama Yelverton shook her head sadly. “I called the police, but he’d already left by the time they got there. They said he might be manufacturing drugs. I sure hope not.”
Bethany frowned. “They’ll call the police if he comes back, right?”
“Oh yes. Lester was really angry about it.” Mama Yelverton tucked her hair behind her ear. “I just hope he gets his life straightened out. He is one of those people who seem to attract trouble and like it.”
Bethany sighed. Attracting trouble was a problem she had at the moment, but thankfully of a much different sort.
“So that was a great call to get after the one about the farmhouse burning down,” Mama Yelverton said, determinedly shaking off her melancholy. She smiled over at Bethany. “So, you’ve got some better news for us?”
“Well… First, I brought some boxes over. I need to stay here for a while.”
“Wait, what?” Sarah put down her glass of water, a drop of condensation rolling over her thumb. “Is something wrong with your apartment?”
As much as she hated to complain, Bethany told them an abbreviated version of the story about her grandmother’s home invasion, leaving out the part about Trey whisking her away for the night. Both Sarah and Mama Yelverton were horrified.
“That miserable old bitch.” Sarah spat the words.
“Sarah,” her mother chided without venom. She looked as if she agreed with Sarah, actually. “Of course you can stay here.”
Sarah sighed. “With all this going on, I feel bad about asking the two of you to do all this wedding planning. You’ve both got so much happening. Maybe I should take it over.”
“No!” Mama Yelverton reached over and grabbed Sarah’s hand. “Don’t you worry about it at all. Your test is coming up next week, and you need to study hard. Besides, your brother is handling
it.” Mama Yelverton smiled.
Bethany wished she could sink into the floor when Mama Yelverton turned that sunny expression on her.
“So, what are you looking at for the secondary venue? I haven’t had a chance to chase down any myself today, so I’m so grateful that you and Trey were on top of it.”
Bethany coughed, covering her mouth with her napkin.
“Sorry,” she croaked, grabbing her glass. “I need to get some more water.”
Dashing from the dining room, she headed into the kitchen and yanked on the tap. Glancing over her shoulder, she dialed Trey’s number again.
Where the hell was he? She was drowning in lies, and he was her only hope.
Without him, she was so screwed.
* * *
As much as Bethany would have liked to remain in the kitchen for the next six hours, or until Trey got in contact with her, whichever happened first, she realized that wasn’t feasible.
With a heavy sigh, she shoved her phone in her pocket, stuck her glass under the running tap, and shut off the water.
Pinning a benign expression on her face, she composed herself and headed back to the dining room.
“Sorry, something went down the wrong pipe,” she said with a sheepish smile as she set down her glass and slipped into her seat. “Got caught in my throat.”
“You okay?” Sarah hiked an eyebrow in her direction.
Bethany nodded. “Totally fine.”
“You do look a little pale,” Mama Yelverton observed. “Are you sure?”
“Totally. Anyway, what were we talking about? Your test, Sarah?”
“No, you were about to let us know where the wedding’s going to be.” Sarah didn’t even pretend to play Bethany’s game.
Damn it.
She had to do better than this, or Sarah would see through it all.
“Trey’s got a lead on a place,” Bethany said slowly, formulating her ideas as she spoke. They needed somewhere quiet. Outdoors, ideally. Large enough to hold the two hundred or so guests that would show.
“Really? Where?” Mama Yelverton leaned forward.
As the mental image popped into Bethany’s brain, she knew she shouldn’t. It was a really, really bad idea. But the most beautiful place she’d seen recently was also someone’s private retreat. His home.
And there might have been a tiny bit of anger inside her that prompted her to use it to help her out of this jam. After all, she wouldn’t be in it if he’d done what he said.
So, it was with a dose of self-righteous anger and an inescapable hint of guilt that she said, “A beautiful privately owned property right on the edge of Durham County. It’s got a pond, plenty of wooded areas for shade, a nice drive…”
As she went on to describe Trey’s property, a spear of longing went through her.
He should be there. With her. With his family. But he wasn’t, and he’d left her to bear this all on her own.
It wasn’t fair. Not when she loved him so much.
“That sounds lovely,” Mama Yelverton said when Bethany fell silent. “And you’re sure it’s available?”
“I’m negotiating with the owner.”
Sarah frowned down at her plate. “Shouldn’t Trey be doing that? He’s being paid for all this too. And it’s his business, supposedly. He’s the wedding planner Mom insisted on hiring without any references other than a DNA test that could have been faked. He must be really terrible at it if Bethany’s having to handle all this on her own.”
“I’m not—” Bethany protested, but Mama Yelverton cut her off.
“Sarah Josephine Yelverton, what horrible things to say. That is enough. I know you’re stressed because of the wedding and school, but that is no reason to run down your brother’s—”
“My brother? Bullshit. He’s not my brother.” Sarah had shoved her chair back and was standing with both palms splayed, braced on the table as her words poured out of her like magma from an angry volcano. “He hasn’t made any effort to get to know you. Or me. Or even Bethany.”
Bethany blanched, but no one was looking at her, thankfully.
Sarah continued, a runaway train going downhill. “I haven’t seen him do anything to earn your trust. From my perspective, you and Bethany have done more for this wedding than him! Wedding planner? My ass. He looks more like a drug dealer or a gangbanger.”
“Sarah!” Bethany’s body had gone cold, numb.
Tears were streaming down Sarah’s cheeks now. “You’ve been tied in knots all day with this venue crap on top of your terrible grandmother wrecking your home, and have you even heard from him? Well, have you?”
Mama Yelverton’s silence was damning.
“I just don’t understand. Why would you let this stranger into our lives without a second thought? Right when I’m taking the biggest step of my life, and I need my momma, you’re running right toward him instead. I—I…”
Sarah ran out of steam then, but it might have been because Mama Yelverton had rounded the table and taken her grown-up daughter into her arms.
“Sarah, baby, I’m not leaving you. I swear. I would never hurt you on purpose.”
As Mama Yelverton held her, a hand stroking Sarah’s long, blond hair and her sobs muffled against her mother’s shoulder, Bethany backed from the room, silent tears tracking down her cheeks.
She left the house by the back door, not bothering to turn on the lights. In the pale gold streaming from the living-room windows, she sank down on the wooden steps and stared up into the night sky.
“Daddy,” she whispered, missing him in the face of the family blowup inside. “What do I do?”
Her head rested lightly on the handrail beside her, and she sniffed, dashing moisture away from her cheeks.
She hadn’t known that Sarah was still so touchy about Trey. Hadn’t seen it. But it made sense. Sarah was a very decisive person, and emotions sometimes confused her. She obviously hadn’t had a chance to deal with the feelings that having to share her mother with someone other than Bethany was stirring inside her. Bethany joining the family had been Sarah’s choice, Sarah’s suggestion. Trey? He wasn’t.
If only… Bethany sighed as the night wind stirred around her, rustling the plants in the bed beside the deck. If only Trey’s job didn’t put him in the position of lying to them. If only she’d been able to be honest about their relationship, maybe they’d have spent more time with Sarah. If only…
Bethany cradled her knees and put her head down.
“Trey, where are you? I need you. I love you.”
But her whisper carried no weight, and her questions went unanswered.
For as long as she was with him, she was deathly afraid she’d carry this burden.
Thing was, she didn’t know how to go without it.
“Hey. Sorry.”
Bethany looked up. Sarah was standing on the deck, two glasses of wine in her hands. She took the one Sarah offered and scooted over to give her space to sit down.
“Sorry I kind of lost it in there.”
Bethany shook her head, the sip of wine warming her from the inside out. “You’re under a lot of pressure. It’s totally understandable.”
“I don’t want you to think I don’t appreciate the job you’re doing. I totally do. You’re amazing at this.” Sarah sighed. “I just don’t understand Trey.”
Bethany looked over at her best friend, just waiting.
“He’s not what I imagined my brother would be, if he’d lived. I guess I had this white knight of a perfect intellectual jock in my head. You know, the kind who would beat up anybody who was rude to me, while teasing me mercilessly himself.”
“But he is protective like that,” Bethany said, the memory of him whisking her away from her family moving her to speak. “He’s loyal to a fault, and—”
“I guess you have had s
ome time to get to know him, since you’re dating his friend,” Sarah said, and Bethany shut up quickly. Sarah sighed. “I’m just feeling emotional. Everything’s changing for me. I’m getting out of school. I’m getting married. If it all falls apart, you, and Mom, and home are my safety nets. And it felt like all that was changing too.”
“C’mere.” Bethany reached over and wrapped an arm around Sarah’s shoulders. “I’m not changing.”
“But you’re looking at jobs far away.” Sarah sniffed. “After graduation, and when Mark’s degree is finished, we’ll be moving back here. How am I supposed to live here without you?”
“I’m not going anywhere right now,” Bethany said, inwardly praying it’d be the truth for a long time. If things with Trey fell apart, she wasn’t sure how she could stand to be in the same area as him. But for now…
“Your mom will always be there for you. And once things calm down, and you give Trey a chance, I know you’ll see the good in him.”
Sarah sighed. “You’re probably right.” She straightened and looked back over her shoulder. “I really upset Mom, I think. I need to go make sure she’s okay.”
“Go for it,” Bethany said with a smile. “Thanks for the drink.”
“Anytime,” Sarah said as she stood. “And Bethy?”
“Yeah?”
Sarah turned. “Thanks for being someone I can always count on. I love you, girlie.”
“Love you too,” Bethany said. Sarah walked away.
Swallowing hard, Bethany pulled her phone from her pocket. The screen glowed in the blackness.
It was late. No missed calls. Zero text messages.
Another glance up into the night sky didn’t give her any further clarity.
Where was he? Was he safe?
Did he worry about her the way she worried about him?
Her heart ached with the need to know, and the powerlessness she felt was a sore that wouldn’t heal.
All she could do was trust him, and wait.
But how long? She wished she knew.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
A WEEK LATER
Trey squinted into the darkness of the single-wide trailer’s living room, having just stepped in from the bright spring sunshine. The door had been hanging open on drunken hinges, so he hadn’t waited for an invitation.