“Anything.”
“Promise me that you’ll be safe.”
“I promise.”
He looked so terribly defeated as he pushed himself up and brushed the sand from his pants. "Take care of yourself," he said, turning to leave. "Goodbye, Belle." He started to walk away.
My eyes filled with tears, and a sharp pain pierced my chest. I couldn't let him go like this — I couldn't leave things in this much of a mess between us.
"Landon?”
He stopped and turned back toward me. I walked slowly up to him. We stood toe to toe. He wore jeans and…tennis shoes.
“You aren’t wearing flip flops?”
“Yeah…well, the weather in Chicago is a lot colder.” There was a touch of sarcasm to his words.
I didn’t believe him. This wasn’t Landon. He’d changed his shoes because somewhere, deep down, he truly thought flip-flops were the reason we couldn’t be together. I wanted to tell him that he was being ridiculous and that he was perfect, no matter what he wore, but that would have given him a reason to hope.
I reached up, slipped my hands behind his neck, and pressed my lips to his. The kiss held so much — love, tenderness, gratitude...and goodbye. When I pulled back, I gazed at him and smiled.
"This is the way it’s supposed to be. You go out and have a fabulous life, you hear me?” I stepped back to let him go, glancing over his shoulder toward the street. A tall man leaned on Landon’s truck. I shielded my eyes from the sun and the man's face came into focus — Derek's father.
"Oh my God," I cried out, the blood draining from my face.
Landon looked around, not understanding what was happening. "What's wrong, Belle?"
I tried not to look as worried as I actually was, "Landon, you need to go. Get as far away from here as you can!”
Chapter Nineteen
I rushed through the front door of Turning Point looking for refuge, needing to decide what my next move was going to be. At the beach, I’d seen Carl reach for his cell phone and I knew exactly which number he dialed.
"Shit!" I shouted. What had I done? I should have never stopped at the beach when I saw Landon. "Stupid! Stupid!" I glanced at the clock. I had only a few minutes.
I didn't need to turn around when the bell above the door jingled the first time. I knew it was Landon.
"What the hell happened back there?"
I ran to the door and locked it, then frantically peered out the windows, surveying the street. Finally, I closed the blinds. It wouldn’t be long.
"Derek's dad was at the beach. He saw us together!" I exclaimed, hoping Landon would turn and run out of the store, afraid for his life.
Instead of fleeing, Landon nodded slowly as if he understood the magnitude of what I was telling him. He had absolutely no idea the mess — no, shitstorm — we were in now.
"Derek’s on his way here right now," I announced with a bit of urgency. "Landon, you really need to get the hell out of here."
He didn't move an inch. "No. I'm not going anywhere." Why wasn't he running out the door? He knew what Derek was capable of.
"I moved out, Landon...before Derek got home today. I moved everything out. He has to be pissed as hell already and his dad seeing us at the beach isn't going to help matters at all. He's bound to think you have something to do with me leaving."
"Okay,” he said, resolving, “then I'm definitely not leaving you alone to deal with him"
"Landon, just because I left Derek, doesn't mean anything changes for us. We still can't be together."
"I don't care. I'm not staying here to try to get you back. But because I still love you, I'm not going to leave you alone."
"Well, staying isn't an option."
"Why not?"
"Because of who my husband is."
"Other than a complete asshole, you mean?"
I wanted to tell him...so he would understand. I needed to tell him.
However, I also needed him to leave.
In the end, I didn't get the chance to say anything because just then the door flew open with a crash as Derek kicked it in...
I turned around, very slowly, and stepped in front of Landon, trying to shield him as best as I could.
"Hello, Fanny."
"Derek."
"Did you think I wouldn't notice that all your shit was gone when I got home today?"
"No. I knew you would notice. I was planning to call you later—"
"Call me? Bullshit."
"Derek, listen—"
"Is this the guy?" he asked. "Are you running a fucking daycare out of here now, Fanny? For Christ's sake, is he even legal?"
"Derek, stop. It's not what you think."
"Please, Fanny. Tell me what I think. Because what I think is that my wife is fucking around behind my back with a surfer who looks like he's barely out of diapers. Tell me kid, does your mom still wipe your ass for you?"
Landon moved behind me but I backed into him.
"Derek! Enough!" I yelled at him.
"Did you fuck him?"
"Derek, stop."
"Answer the question."
My silence was my answer.
"Isn’t this just great?" Derek laughed bitterly. "So, what's your plan, Fanny? Go with him to the senior prom and get married the day after his high school graduation? He'll probably enjoy visiting you in the nursing home, taking you out in your wheelchair for a stroll to celebrate his twenty-first birthday! Are you really that fucking stupid?"
"Shut up, Derek!"
"No! I just found out that my wife is cheating on me. That's what this is, right? You liked fucking my wife, asshole? Well, I'm going to kill you, you know that?" Derek stared at Landon with such hatred. He was serious about wanting to kill him. Then something happened. Something washed across Derek's face so quickly, I almost didn't see it. Did Derek recognize Landon?
"Derek..." I said, trying to calm the situation down.
He held up his hand to stop me, regaining his composure. "Let me get this straight. While I was up in Astoria working my ass off, you were down here, screwing around behind my back?"
Landon struggled behind me but I had pushed him so far back that he was pinned up against the counter. I blocked any path he might take. If he wanted to go anywhere near Derek, he was going to have to move me.
"It wasn't like that, Derek."
"Well then, Fanny. What’s it like?" He spat out at me, his breath reeking of alcohol.
"You and I’ve had problems for a long time before..." I meant to say Landon, but his name wouldn't come out. "Before...him." I motioned to Landon. "You can't deny that."
Derek did not respond.
"Remember that night, when you told me that you wanted to get help? You wanted to save our marriage? That night changed everything for me. That was our last chance, Derek."
My husband looked at me for a long time, struggling to remember.
"So, you didn't just go for a drive that night to clear your head? You’re a lying piece of shit, Fanny. You went to find this asshole? To what? Pay me back? Get revenge?"
"No, Derek. I didn't mean for any part of this to happen. Let's face it, our marriage was over a long time ago...long before that night. If it ever existed in the first place."
"You’re a whore." At that, Landon muscled past me before I could stop him.
"Don't you dare talk to her like that!" he yelled at Derek. His arms shielded me from view.
Derek brought his fist back and when he swung, it was almost as though it was in slow motion. I was frozen, helpless to stop any of it. His fist cracked against Landon's jaw with such force that Landon spun and flew back into the counter.
I rushed to his side. "Are you okay?" He rubbed his jaw and wiped the blood from his mouth.
Landon turned back to Derek. "It's about time you started picking on somebody your own damn size."
"You little prick," Derek taunted, rearing up again.
I had to stop this. Derek and Landon wer
e squaring off again, hell-bent on killing each other. I jumped between them and pushed Landon back with one hand, knowing he would be less likely to fight me or put me in harm's way. When I felt him give just a bit, I turned all my force on Derek.
My husband was having none of it.
He grabbed both of my wrists with one hand and was just about to throw me out of the way when I yelled into his face, "Derek, you can't do this!"
I startled him enough that he stopped for just a moment. "Why the hell not?"
"Because of who he is, Derek!"
"Who the hell he is? What’s that got to do with shit?"
"Derek, please don't make me say it. Just look at him."
Derek glanced at Landon and then back at me. "I have no idea what you’re talking about, Fanny."
"Yes you do. I know you saw it earlier, Derek. I know you did." If he did, he refused to acknowledge any of it.
"You’ve gone completely nuts, you know that?" He tossed me aside and moved toward Landon.
I jumped right back in front of him and pounded my fists violently on his chest.
"Derek! Stop! It's Joey! He's Joey Peterson!" I cried breathlessly.
Derek stopped cold. I watched the emotions roll across my husband's face.
Seconds ticked by. Anger. Shock. Horror.
Grief.
Rage.
"Derek," I whispered, cutting through the silence.
"With him?" he simply uttered. "Him?” He looked at me with such disgust.
"I'm really sorry. Even after everything, I never meant to hurt you like this."
"Fanny, I always knew you were a slut, but you took this to a whole new level."
Landon exploded into sound behind me. "You are not allowed speak to her like that! Not if I have anything to say about it!" He placed his hands protectively on my shoulders.
Derek looked at both of us, appalled. He held up his hand and pointed his finger at Landon. "You need to shut your mouth boy...or I will do it for you."
I shrugged out of Landon's hold and stepped toward Derek. "You will not touch him. This isn't his fault, Derek. He didn't know."
"But you did, didn't you?" Derek glowered at me
"At first, no. I didn't know who he was," I offered weakly, knowing that he probably wouldn’t believe me. And he didn't.
"You didn't know? How could you not know? It took me two seconds to figure it out." So he did recognize him after all.
"He doesn't go by Joey anymore. He uses his middle name — his mother's maiden name."
Derek stumbled backwards, as if by mentioning Landon's mother, I’d slapped him across the face.
"What is going on here?" Landon asked, bewildered. "What the hell are you two talking about?
"Landon, please." I hoped he would back away and leave this alone.
"What am I missing?" Landon stared at Derek and tried to decipher our cryptic conversation.
Derek didn't answer him.
"Who the hell are you? Why do you care about what name I use?" Instead of giving him an answer, my husband looked to me with desperation on his face. He couldn't tell Landon who he was. The words wouldn’t come. He couldn't do it.
"You want to tell him?" Derek, in a rare moment of vulnerability, was begging me to spare him.
"Yes. Tell me."
Derek found the wall, leaning up against it for support.
I turned toward Landon. This was my responsibility, always had been. I didn't know how I was going to do it. Unlike Derek, I knew the words. I knew how to speak. I just couldn't make my mouth move.
"Belle.” Landon stepped up to face me, placing his hands on my arms.
In that instant, at the sight of intimate contact between Landon and me — Derek's wife and her lover — something shifted. After years of anticipating Derek's moods, I’d developed a sixth sense when it came to shifts in Derek's disposition. It was coming.
"Please tell me what’s going on," Landon pleaded, looking only at me and not noticing anything else.
"Oh yes, Belle. Tell him." Derek sneered, snapping out of his despair. He reached out, and grabbed my cheeks in one hand, trying to force my mouth move. "Tell him!"
Landon swatted his hand away. "Don't touch her!"
I rubbed my jaw, tasting blood at the corner of my mouth and watched as Derek brought his fist back, ready to strike. I had hoped, if only for a moment, that once he knew who he was, Derek wouldn’t raise a hand to Landon. Perhaps I greatly underestimated my husband's reaction.
Then…Derek's balled up fist relaxed. He pointed his finger at Landon and pounded it into his chest with every word. "Just because you fucked her, don't make you shit. She’s still my wife, and I will do what I goddamned please!"
Landon shook his head. "Not with her. Not anymore."
Derek looked as if he wanted to kill Landon.
"Are you going to hit me again?" Landon challenged. "Go ahead. You can hit me, as many times as you like but you will never again lay a hand on her. You see, while you were up in Astoria, doing whatever it is that you do. I was down here cleaning up your mess, namely taking your wife to the emergency room to get patched up after you beat the ever-loving dog shit out of her."
"You did what?" Derek gasped as if some invisible force suddenly sucked all the air out of the room.
"You heard me, you bastard. And you're never going to do that to her again, as long as I'm around."
"Well, we’re just going to have to do something about that, aren't we?" It was happening. Derek was going to kill him — that much I knew. Landon was strong but he was no match for Derek. He would give it his best but he would lose.
I had to do something quickly. This time, the opposite scenario happened when I tried to separate the two men. Derek gave in, as though he was hoping for a reason to back down. Landon kept coming, trying to get around me.
"You have to make him leave." Hannah's words echoed in my mind. Unfortunately, I knew just how to do it.
"Landon," I panted, pushing with all my might against his trajectory towards my husband. "You think you know who Derek is...but you don't know everything about him."
Landon stopped moving. No one spoke; they both simply stared at me. I turned to Derek. His face fell, morphing from anger to grief and he nodded. I drew in a deep breath
"Landon,…Derek...is the one...he’s the driver...who killed your mom and sisters."
"What?" He stumbled back into the counter, as if I’d punched him.
I repeated the awful, heart wrenching words. "Derek...made a terrible mistake when he was a senior in high school. He got drunk after the Homecoming dance and drove. He’s the one who hit and killed your mom and sisters."
He gaped at me, bewildered. "And you knew?"
I nodded.
"All along? You knew who I was and you—"
"No!" I interrupted him. "Landon, I swear I didn't know, not right away — not until two weeks ago when you told me about your tattoo."
"That's why you ran out on me?"
"Yes."
"That's why you broke things off?"
I nodded.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"I thought it would be easier, if you didn't know. I didn't want to hurt you any more than I already had. If I’d known..." My voice trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.
"If you’d known, what? You wouldn't have hired me? You wouldn't have become my friend? You wouldn't have gotten involved with me?"
"Yes...all of the above."
"That's great." He shook his head, confounded by my revelation. "Of all the bookstores, in all the world..."
"I never meant to hurt you, Landon."
"Too late." Landon looked away from me. He was finally done with me for real and it broke my heart. In just a matter of minutes, I’d become part of the worst thing that had ever happened in his life.
Landon looked up at the ceiling. He seemed to be considering his next move, the next thing he was going to say. Before I could react or stop him, he stepped aroun
d me and then he had taken a step toward Derek, still standing like a statue up against the wall. He got nose to nose with Derek who looked like a guilty man ready to accept his punishment.
"I'm sorry," Derek said, his voice cracking with emotion.
"You destroyed my life," Landon said.
Derek nodded, his eyes misting with tears.
"And I hope you rot in hell."
Then my dear, sweet Landon, the person who had given me a reason to dream again, took a moment to glance in my direction, his eyes devoid of any affection before he walked out the door...and out of my life, for good.
Chapter Twenty
Derek and I stood in complete silence for several minutes after the door clicked closed behind Landon. He drew in a few ragged breaths, overcome by the events of the past few minutes. Not only had his wife cheated on him but she had also done so with Joey Peterson.
I had known for twelve days and I still had trouble with it. Derek had only known about it for twelve minutes. Landon's part in this story was over. Unfortunately, for me, my part was not even close to being finished.
"I want a divorce, Derek." I broke the silence between us, no longer fearing the words or his reaction to them.
"So you can be with him?"
"No. So I can be happy,” I stated, resolute
"Why did you do it?"
"I don't know. I was lonely. I was hurt."
"Those are excuses...not reasons, Fanny. How could you do it? With him?"
"I told you, Derek. I didn't know who he was."
"But how could you do it?" I heard the familiar build-up of anger in Derek's voice. I knew what was coming. I welcomed it — anything to stop the ache in my chest.
"Because I love him."
Derek's hand swung through the air so quickly, it caught me completely by surprise. The back of his hand cracked against my jaw. I flew through the air and slammed into one of the freestanding display shelves that toppled over under my weight.
My husband was quick to follow, jumping on top of me and pinning me to the pile of splintered wood and broken books. I brought my arms up to shield myself but the blows from his fists came so fast that I didn't have the strength to fight him off
Turning Point Page 25