Chapter 47
Chapter Forty-Seven
Raffe
“What the hell is she doing?” Jesse asks.
“Well, she’s pulling weeds, working her way over to Petey’s house. She has a few books for Charlotte and her sisters. I think she’s trying to distract herself as she moves.”
“Maybe she’s just getting comfortable one step at a time.”
Dirk laughs. “What’s she doing now?”
“Oh, she’s been trying to find a tree.”
“For what?” he asks.
“She’s like Willow,” Jesse explains.
“Huh.” He relaxes back into his seat, lighting a smoke.
We watch as she hugs one tree then moves on to the next.
“Jenny’s hard to look away from, isn’t she?” Jesse says.
“She is a bit intriguing,” her husband agrees.
“Both of you can stop ogling my girlfriend right now.”
They both laugh, giving each other a look I’ve seen a thousand times. I used to be jealous of it until I found it for myself.
“What are you going to do when she slips out of your sight?” Dirk asks.
“I’m going to follow her.”
My answer amuses them. Dirk stands up and stretches. “We’ve got to get going. We just wanted to make sure she was okay after last night.”
“We got through it. Thank you for checking on Jackson for me. I appreciate it,” I tell Jess.
“Don’t ever hesitate to call,” she says, giving me a kiss on the cheek.
Dirk places his hand on my shoulder and squeezes. “It’s nice seeing you in love again.”
I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. After they leave, I turn back to Jenny, but she’s gone.
Instantly, my stomach falls. Where did she go? I run to the place where I last saw her, slowing when I see she’s just up ahead, around the bend.
I slip behind a tree, struggling to catch my breath. When I finally risk a peek, she’s already moved to the edge of Petey’s property. She standing motionless, hugging the books to her chest. I’m so fucking proud she made it this far.
It takes her at least thirty more minutes to get to their door, but she does it. Every cell in my body tenses along with hers as she raises her hand and knocks.
I slip behind Petey’s truck so I can see and hear them better.
Petey answers the door with his usual scowl. When he sees who it is, he purposefully relaxes his face. “Jenny! It’s nice to see you out and about,” he says.
I visibly see her relax. Petey doesn’t get enough credit for the way he can diffuse almost any situation. He knows how anxious she is.
She rocks back on her heels. “Hello. I was wondering if I could talk to Charlotte.”
His brows pull together.
“I have a gift for her and her sisters.” She lifts one of the books in her hands to show him.
It brings an instant smile to his face. “That is really thoughtful,” he tells her. “Come on inside. She’s playing in her room.”
“Um, could we maybe sit out here?”
He sees exactly what I see. She’s scared to leave the porch.
“Absolutely. It’s a beautiful day. I’ll go get her,” he says without hesitation.
A second later, Katie steps outside. “Jenny, I’m so happy you’re here.” She waves her over to the rocking chairs. “Please have a seat.”
I chuckle at Katie’s properness, but man, do I love my friends right now. I should have given them a heads up, but I honestly didn’t think she’d make it this far today.
When Petey comes out with his daughter, Jenny stands. “Hi, Charlotte. I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m Aspen’s … grandma,” she says hesitantly. She walks over and sits on the edge of the porch. “I have a present for you.”
Petey nudges Charlotte to sit down beside her. This isn’t like Charlotte; she’s usually a social butterfly. I hope she’s still not getting bullied by that boy.
Jenny hands her the book.
“It’s my name,” Charlotte says, looking from the book to Jenny.
“Charlotte’s Web was my favorite book as a child.”
“Charlotte’s a spider?” the little girl asks, scratching her nose.
Jenny nods. “Sometimes when a bully knows you’re afraid of something, they will use your fear to keep you under their control. Do you understand what I mean by that?”
Charlotte thinks about it for a moment. “Does it mean like he keeps me afraid?”
“Is that how you feel?”
Charlotte’s shoulders fall. “Yes, but only of the spiders. I just don’t understand why he’s so mean to me. I know he’s a nice boy.”
Jenny gives her a small smile, tipping her head from side to side like she’s studying her. “How do you know he’s a nice boy if he’s been nothing but horrible to you?”
“Because I see him petting dogs all the time. He shares his lunch with a boy in our class who hardly ever has anything.” Charlotte holds up her hand and begins to tick things off with her fingers. “He gave our teacher a hug because her daddy died, and …”
Jenny holds up her hands. “I understand now. You pay attention to the world around you, and you sense he’s a good person.”
Charlette nods.
“I know this is going to sound strange, but sometimes boys pick on girls they like. Maybe he just wants to be friends with you.”
Charlotte laughs. “That’s silly. Why wouldn’t he just ask me to be his friend?”
“Maybe he’s scared you’ll say no.”
“Why would I do that?”
Jenny shrugs. “Maybe someone has turned him down before. It’s hard to know.”
Charlotte thinks about it, running her hand over the cover of the book.
“But one thing I know for sure is I can help you overcome your fear of spiders. Conquer that and he will have no power over you.”
“I don’t know,” Charlotte says, shaking her head. “I really hate spiders.”
“Read the book. Who knows, maybe you will change your mind. If you do, you come find me.” Jenny hands her the other two books. “I brought your sisters a few books too, so they wouldn’t feel left out.”
Charlotte takes them, her gaze bouncing over Jenny’s face. “I sense you’re a good person.”
Jenny blinks at her a few times. “Thank you, Charlotte. I haven’t been feeling like much of a good person lately. You make me believe it must be true because you have a violet aura.” Jenny draws an arch in the air with a finger over Charlotte’s head.
“What’s an aura?” Charlotte asks curiously, scooting closer to Jenny.
Jenny’s gaze roams over the little girl. “It’s the color of your energy. Yours is purple, and it means you are wise and empathetic toward others.”
“What does empathetic mean?” she asks, tipping her head to the side.
“It means you’re sensitive to other people’s feelings and their emotions.”
“Like with my bully?”
“Exactly. You know he’s a good kid, despite how he acts toward you. You sense there is something more going on with him even when he’s trying to scare you.”
“He isn’t trying, he’s succeeding. I hate spiders,” Charlotte says, making all of us chuckle.
She isn’t scared of the boy. She’s scared of the spider.
Jenny pats the book and then stands. “Just read about Charlotte, and I think you’ll begin to see spiders in a different light. Will you let me know what you think of the book when you’re finished?”
“I will. Thank you for the books.”
“You’re very welcome.”
Jenny turns away as the wind blows, looking toward Billie Rose’s cabin.
“You’re hearing wind chimes,” Petey says, following her gaze.
Katie begins to tell Jenny the story behind the wind chimes, and how Bill heard them when he passed. “He said they were whispers from Heaven. After Billie Rose shared his final moments with us, every time we hear them, we’re reminded of my dad.”
“That’s why everyone noticed my wind chimes,” Jenny says more to herself than anyone else. She backs up a step. “It reminds them of Bill.”
“Billie Rose was very close to Bill. She struggled for years after his death.”
Jenny stares across the lake and smiles, hugging herself.
“You should walk over there. She has some interesting chimes. She still makes them occasionally. That is, when her kids cooperate,” Katie says, laughing. “They have a bit of their father in them.”
“Maybe I’ll try tomorrow. This was my first outing alone.” She looks at Charlotte who already has her nose buried in the book Jenny gave her. “I picked your house because I knew your daughter would be a safe place to start.”
Petey and Katie walk with her toward the path home. “Thank you for visiting with her. She hasn’t wanted to talk about it. Of course we called the school, and they’ve been keeping an eye on them, but now I understand what’s been going on a little better,” Katie says.
“She’s a very intuitive child,” Jenny responds.
“That she is,” Petey says. “But it takes its toll sometimes. She feels what everyone around her feels.”
Jenny nods because she is much the same. That’s how she knew Lily was pregnant, and how she read Charlotte so easily.
As soon as she slips down the drive, Petey walks over and stops in front of me. “You better get your ass to the other side of the lake, or she’s going to know you were following her.”
Shit, he’s right.
I jump to my feet and start running. Katie flips me off when I pass her, clearly disgusted with my overprotective stalking.
“Love you, girl,” I say, ignoring the scowl on her face.