by Alla Kar
“No, but there will be if you don’t stop seeing my daughter. It doesn’t really matter how I frame your father, but I will do it. This is the final time I’ll be talkin’ to you about this.”
My life felt like a damn quilt that was unraveling. I’d only wanted one thing my entire life—the one thing I was denied. Josie. And to know I’d had her for such a short amount of time infuriated me. “I’m in love with her. I can’t just stop seeing her. She loves me too.”
Mr. Sawyer checked his watch like I wasn’t confessing my fucking love for his child. “I don’t care. It’s better if we stop it now than later. I won’t have her dating you.”
The way he said you made my skin crawl. “What’s that supposed to mean? I ain’t never did anything to you or your family.”
The sneer on his face deepened. “Don’t worry about why, but it’s over. You get your ass out of this room, or I’ll have you escorted out by the police.”
No. The tears in my eyes threatened to fall. Begging wasn’t something I’d ever wanted to do, but I had no other choice. I needed him to understand. “Please,” I whispered. “I can’t leave her. She’ll hate me.”
“She’s fine,” Mr. Sawyer snapped. “I can take care of her. She doesn’t need you or your family.”
“No,” I yelled, tossing the shoe lying on the floor against and I picked up one of Josie’s shoes off the floor at threw it at the wall. “I can’t leave her. I’m in love with her.”
Mr. Sawyer stepped forward and narrowed his eyes. “It wouldn’t take near as long as you think for me to have your entire property seized, and you’ll no longer have a home. Is that what you want for your family?”
I didn’t want to believe he could do it. I wasn’t sure what he really could do. If it was a bluff, I’d never forgive myself, and if it wasn’t, I could lose my family.
Tears broke free and the sob that broke from me sounded so weak and foreign. What was I supposed to do? Risk seeing her and having my family evicted? Or worse, sent to jail for something they didn’t do?
The front door shut below and Josie called out, “Dad, I’m back from the store. They did not have any fire starters. I knew they wouldn’t.”
Mr. Sawyer kept my gaze for a few seconds before turning back to the door. “Leave boy, before I ruin your life more than your family’s already ruined mine.”
***
“Boone!”
I blinked a few times and focused on the table in front of me. When had our food gotten here? “What?” I asked.
Jace furrowed his brow and slowly shook his head. “You’ve got problems, man. Serious problems.”
I grabbed a fry and tossed it into his drink. “Now who has a problem?”
Jace smiled. “Fucker.”
Chapter Thirteen
Josie
His muscles were bigger—definitely bigger than before. The jagged V was sculpted with perfection, disappearing into the low-slung jeans he’d worn. I ran my fingers over those ridges a thousand times as we lay there in each other’s arms. The way he squeezed me so tight had me hoping he’d never let go. How had I forgotten how it felt for Boone to touch me?
“Josie Sawyer!”
I sat up straight and saw Bug sitting across from me. By the look on her face, I could tell she’d been trying to get my attention. “Yes ma’am?”
The wide-brimmed gardening hat sat low on her forehead and cast a glow over her face, but I saw a smile rise from the corner. “Can you go get me another pair of gloves from the cabinet in the hallway? These darn things ripped. I’ve had ’em since before Moses was born, so I can’t really complain.”
I smiled and stood up. “Okay.”
“Josie,” she said. “You’ve been extra perky today. Anything special happen since the last time I saw you?” The grin on her face told me she thought it was a boy. What was with grandparents and boyfriends in the South? As soon as you graduate you’re expected to jump on the marriage wagon and pop out some damn kids.
“No ma’am, just got some sleep.”
She narrowed her gaze but shooed me along with her hand. I took my time walking toward the house. The midday sun sweltered down on my back but I was too high from the night before to care.
The house was silent because Mom was gone—go figure. A creepy feeling skidded down my arms, leaving goose bumps in its wake. It wasn’t the first time I’d gotten creeped out in our home, but it never felt like someone was watching me. Something was off.
Shaking my head, I walked over toward the hallway closet and swung the door open. The several small shelves were packed to the brim with old shoeboxes, board games, and umbrellas. I finally found a pair of gardening gloves sticking out of a box on the top shelf. Of course it would be on the top. I placed my bottom foot on the lowest shelf and pulled myself up so that I could grab the gloves.
The shelf that held me made a loud cracking sound and broke in the center, sending me and the boxes scattering to the hardwood floor. “Shit!”
The open window cast light around the room and I watched as the dust settled around me. That shows me how long it’s been since anyone’s been in this closet. The gloves had fallen beside me, but a picture that landed beneath them caught my eye. I pushed the gloves aside and picked up the worn photograph.
The green eyes that stared back at me slowly forced the air from my lungs. An old silver eighties muscle car glinted into the camera, but not even the glare could break my stare. She—she looked like me. Like my mom and me. My mother didn’t have a sister that I knew of, but something about this woman screamed family.
The way her eyebrows arched, the dimple in her left cheek: she was someone important, and I was going to find out who. Still shaken, I folded the picture and shoved it into my cutoffs. The gloves hung loosely from my hands when I walked back toward the door.
The creepy feeling I’d felt before was even stronger as I bolted outside and into the sun.
***
I didn’t have the heart to ask him. There was something so peaceful about the way he slept, his hair swept back from his forehead like a child’s. The man I once thought was the strongest man in the world looked so weak, it broke my heart.
Leaning back in the stiff chair, I dug the picture from the depths of my jeans pocket. Those green eyes had haunted my thoughts since I found the picture. I ran the pad of my finger over the worn edges and shook my head. I have no idea who this could be.
Aggravated, I shoved the picture back into my pocket and looked up to find Kathy standing at the door. “I didn’t know you were here,” she said, avoiding eye contact.
I rolled my eyes and ran my palm across my face. “Look Kathy, I’m sorry about the other day. I hate this place, ya know? And I always assume everyone is goin’ to tell everything they see or hear about me.”
She gave me a curt nod and fiddled with the hem of her scrub top. “It’s okay. I’m sorry about what I said about your momma.”
That had hurt worse than I had let on. There were many bad things to be called but being “like my mother” was the last one I ever wanted to hear. I’m nothing like her.
“It’s okay.” I grinned and stood up. “But I’ve got to get out of here. I don’t want to wake him today. For some reason I feel like he needs the rest.”
Kathy nodded, reached forward, and pulled me into a hug. “Let me know if you need anything or want to go—I don’t know—do something? I know how depressin’ this town can be.”
No kidding. I nodded and made my way out of the hospital. The picture burned a hole in my pocket on the way back to the house. And when I saw Momma’s vehicle in the driveway, I knew who I was going to ask about it.
I unlocked the front door, and stepped into the house where silence welcomed me. Mom was never a loud person. She never watched TV or listened to the radio. She seemed content being by herself. We were so different in that way. The silence drove me crazy.
My footsteps were light as I went toward her bedroom. I hadn’t been inside it since I’d be
en back or very much before I left. The light spilled out from underneath her bedroom door. I pressed my ear to the door and listened. My mother’s hushed voice was hurried on the other side.
“Probably in the next few days. I’m sorry. I’m sure she saw it. Yes, she saw it.”
Saw what? The truck? Who was she talking to and why were they hiding? Anger formed in my throat. She wasn’t doing this again, was she? Dad was dying. How could she?
Stepping forward, I pressed my ear closer and the floor creaked beneath my weight. “Wait. I think she’s home. Bye.”
I backed away and hurried into the kitchen, taking a seat at the bar. Mom came out a few seconds later. “Hey,” she said, walking over to the sink. Her hands clutched tightly over the counter but she kept her face neutral.
“Hey. Where you been lately?” I asked, reaching for an apple on the centerpiece. “Haven’t seen you around.”
She gave me a weak smile. “I’ve been around.”
I bet. The taste of blood filled my mouth from biting my tongue so hard. She must have felt my eyes on her, and she turned and started looking into the refrigerator. “I need to ask you a question.”
“What is it?” I heard the worry in her voice.
Nervously, I dug the picture from my pocket and walked to her. She reached for the milk when I shoved the picture in front of her face. “Who is this?”
The milk bottle in her hand fell and burst against the wood floor. “Shit!” she yelled.
I couldn’t take my gaze off of her as she fumbled around the kitchen, cleaning up the milk and trying to ignore me. Who was this? “Mom—”
“Just go,” she snapped. “I need to get this cleaned up. Please, just leave me—” a silent sob broke her sentence.
“Are you okay? What’s wron—”
“Just go, Josephine! Now!” The plea in her voice was all I needed to hear. She wasn’t looking at me anymore, so I pushed the picture into my pocket and jogged up the stairs to my room.
***
“You look like shit.”
Samantha frowned at me over the Skype call. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed her. Going from having someone to talk to every day to having no one weighed on me. I needed to spill my guts. Whenever we were feeling down at home, we’d each get a pint of ice cream and talk while we downed spoon after spoon of goodness, not caring about the calories.
I gave her a sarcastic smile. “Thanks a lot, friend.”
She waved me off and pushed a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. “Oh, you know what I mean,” she said. “What’s going on with you?”
I looked down into my bowl. “Why don’t you go first because mine is crazy and long.”
Sam lifted a brow. “That bad, huh? Okay. So, Todd and I are toast.”
“What?” I barked. “I thought you really liked him?”
“Well, turns out he’s married and had a kid on the way.” She shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal and pursed her lips. “It’s a shame too because he was good in the sack.”
“Yeah, I’m sure he had lots of practice on his wife. Gah, I can’t believe he did that. I never got that vibe from him.”
She dug out another spoonful and glanced back up. “Okay, now spill. What’s wrong with my Sookie?”
God, where do I start? Swallowing, I placed my empty bowl to the side and interlaced my fingers on my lap. I gazed at my closed door through the dimly lit room but knew no one was listening. Mom had left several hours before and hadn’t been back since her episode in the kitchen.
The picture that sat on my nightstand stared over at me mockingly. Would I ever find out who it is?
“Hello. Earth to Sookie.”
“Oh, sorry.” I shook my head. “So, you know I never told you the reason I didn’t want to come back here.”
Sam pulled at her hair and tied it into a messy bun on her head. “I remember. Are you going to tell me now?”
I fiddled with the blankets. “There is a property line in the woods behind our house that divides our property and the Cross’ property. My dad always told me to stay away from it and their boys.”
A sneaky smile crawled up her face. “Boys, huh? And which one of these boys made you break Daddy’s rules?” She scooted closer to the camera, like we were right beside each other.
My grin faltered. “His name is Boone Cross. And he left me without explanation after a year of secret dating. And he broke me because I was so alone. And now we’ve … ” I stopped.
“You slept with him,” she shouted, jumping up on her bed. “You slept with him. This is the first time since I’ve met you that you’ve slept with anybody. It’s monumental!”
I laughed and shook my head. “I shouldn’t have done anything with him, but I just couldn’t help it. I love him just like I did a year ago.”
Sam sat back down from her rant. “Don’t feel bad because having sex with Boone was exactly what you wanted to do at the time. Remember what I always say about regrets?”
Of course. I don’t think Sam has a regretful bone in her body—or a conscience, for that matter. “It doesn’t matter because I don’t think I’m going to see him again. It’s too painful to be with him, and our dads forbid it.”
“Why?” Sam asked. “I’m not sure I’m following. What happened between them?”
“That’s the million-dollar question. We don’t know why they won’t let us be together. Or why they seem to hate each other.”
Sam let out a long whistle. “Sounds like the lives of the backwoods society to me. That’s some sketchy shit.”
“That’s not all. I found this picture today.” I reached for the photo and held it in front of the camera. “It gives me chills.”
Sam gasped. “It looks like you.”
“And my mom.”
She furrowed her brows. “An aunt?”
I shrugged. “Mom doesn’t have any siblings that I know of. I want to ask my grandmother, but I’m actually terrified. By the way she treats my mom, I’m not sure I have the balls to ask the old bat.”
“Hmm. Have you asked your mom? I mean what’s the worst that could happen?”
She would throw a huge fit in the kitchen and spill milk all over the floor. “Already asked. She basically told me to get the hell away from her.”
“Wow. Your mom sounds like a total bitch, no offense.”
“None taken. I just don’t know what to do,” I whispered. The green eyes in the picture haunted me. The way she stood to the side—like me. Tears brimmed in my eyes and suddenly I was crying hysterically.
“Aww, Sookie. I’m so sorry. I wish I was there to give you a hug. Here is a virtual one.” Sam opened her arms wide and smiled.
I sobbed out a laugh and wiped the tears from my cheeks. “I’m sorry. I just—I wish my parents would talk to me about what’s goin’ on. Something is so off. I guess it’s always been off, and I’m just now putting the pieces together.”
“I’m only a Skype call away, Sookie. I’ll go all Nancy Drew for you, ya know.”
I grinned and sat the picture back down on my nightstand. “And that’s why I love you.”
Sam batted her lashes. “Damn right you do.”
Chapter Fourteen
Boone
“I don’t want to bug her, ya know?”
I glanced down at Duke who stared up at me from beneath his floppy ears. I wish the damn dog could talk back to me. Maybe that would make me feel a little less crazy. Running my palms down my face, I leaned back and stared at the TV. I had no idea what I was watching because I hadn’t been able to think about anything other than Josie.
I knew that it was going to be hard to get her to trust me again, especially since I couldn’t tell her about her dad. But some part of me expected her to be waiting for me when I got off work. But only Duke sat on the porch.
“What do you think? Should I just go over there? She’s not asleep yet. It’s only nine.”
Duke groaned and rolled over for me to rub his belly. Sighing, I scratch
ed his chest and then stood up. I couldn’t sit around and feel sorry for myself. I needed to get off my ass and try to win her back.
The cool, eerie wind blew against my face, and the trees creaked around me. If I hadn’t known the path like I did, I would have been scared shitless. If I knew one thing about Southern towns, it was that they could be so haunting but so damn beautiful at the same time.
The house come into view, and her light was the only one on. I hadn’t been here since she left. Will she even let me in?
Swallowing the lump of dread in my throat, I ran across the field as fast as I could. The swimming pool and guesthouse were all a blur in my tunnel vision. The familiar feeling of my hands on the trellis sent my heart into my throat.
The roof was so familiar beneath me, and yet I was so nervous I felt like I was going to vomit. I’d just seen her the day before, but I felt like I was seeing her for the first time all over again. I willed my hands to be still and I pushed the window upward. A blast of cool air assaulted my face, and the scent of her soap hit me hard.
She sat on her bed with her laptop on her lap. “I’m glad I’m not naked,” she said.
Shutting the window behind me, I turned to face her. “I’m not.” I grinned. “It’s not like I didn’t see you naked yesterday, Raven.”
She kept her eyes on her computer but a small smile rose from the corner of her mouth. “You could have called. I would have answered.”
Would she? “You changed your number. I don’t have the new one.”
Her blush darkened. “I’ll give it to you before you leave.”