17. Victoria
Chapter 17
Victoria
W ith one more sip of my latte, I shouldered my bag. I had a meeting with Ronnie, the bank manager, to talk about extending the food pantry’s line of credit. As a nonprofit, I didn’t qualify for most small business loans, but I could borrow against the property itself, and at this point, I was researching every option.
It was what Aunt Lou had taught me. Never depend on anything or anyone. Always have backup plans. And backups for your backups. It was the only way to survive in this world.
So while I was chasing the Huxleys, planning the lumberjack competition, trying to recruit more volunteers, and applying for every possible grant, I was also hitting up the bank. Because I was nothing if not determined.
Noah, Tess, and I had gone on a short run today. He’d dropped me off at home to shower, then he’d gone out for a few more miles while Tess snuggled her stuffed Olaf in the jogging stroller and babbled encouragement at him. By the time I’d showered, changed, and mentally prepared, they were at the Caffeinated Moose, with my regular latte waiting for me.
It felt good, having a routine, having people to come home to. Yes, I was working harder than ever, but I was also laughing more, spending more time outside, and having a hell of a lot more fun.
But I had to get going. So I gave Tess a kiss on the head and took a step back before she could smear blueberries on my top. She was halfway through her second muffin, though she was wearing almost as much as she’d eaten.
As I stepped outside, Cole Hebert appeared on the opposite sidewalk and waved.
“I’ve been meaning to text you,” he said as he jogged across the road, a big smile on his face. “Figured you’d want to hear the good news. We’ve had more vendor applications than expected.”
I clapped, cognizant of my half-full coffee. We needed those vendor fees to pay for the setup. The stage and bleachers we were building were not cheap.
“Mayor Lambert was a bit shocked, but I’ll get him to sign off on the additional parking.”
I nodded, overwhelmed with gratitude. I needed this event to be a success.
“You’re really doing this.” Cole’s voice was soft, genuine.
I looked up at him, way up—the guy was at least six and a half feet tall—and smiled. “I owe you. Thank you for doing this.”
He shook his head. “I’m happy to help. Maybe this kind of stuff is boring to most, but I actually like doing it. And city hall owes me some favors.”
“You gonna compete?” I lifted my brows, hopeful. He was a former professional hockey player, after all.
“Willa is forcing me.” He sighed. “Said she married a lumberjack, so I better get up there and make her proud.” He rolled his eyes, but his grin was wide. He was so in love with his wife.
“I knew I liked her.”
Chuckling, he looked at his watch. “I gotta run, but I’ll email you all the details later, okay?” With that, he was off, jogging down the road toward the diner.
I tipped my head up, soaking in the sun’s warm rays. Instantly, though, my stomach clenched. I wasn’t used to things going right. I wasn’t used to feeling this good. At any minute, I was sure the other shoe would drop.
And when I lowered my face, ready to move on, I saw him.
The other shoe.
Graham.
Headed straight for the Caffeinated Moose. His eyes were on his phone, so I ducked into a small alcove next to the building, hoping he wouldn’t notice me as he walked by. Sure, hiding from my ex-husband was juvenile, but given that a single interaction with him had the power to derail my week, I chose to believe it was actually a mature decision.
It would only take a second for him to walk by—
“Hello.” That voice, that tone, was imperious as always, and maybe a bit surprised. From where I stood, he couldn’t see me. So I peered around the edge of the brick wall.
Noah stood just outside the door to the coffee shop, hat backward, smile on his face, and Tess turned forward in her carrier. He’d cleaned up the blueberry mess from her face, but her shirt was likely ruined.
She was babbling happily.
“Hey,” he replied.
The two men stood a couple of feet apart, watching one another. It was a study in contrasts.
Graham was all pretense and superiority. His frame thin, his clothes perfectly pressed, and his watch worth more than my car.
Compared to him, Noah looked carefree and casual, friendly and approachable. And tall. Very tall. And built. And tattooed.
Okay, now my hormones were going wild again. But seeing my fake boyfriend in proximity to my ex-husband wasn’t helping my growing attraction to the man.
It’s just physical , I reminded myself. Hormones. Evolution. It’s not real .
“Since you’re dating Victoria…” Graham said my name as if it tasted bad in his mouth.
“Ick.” Tess giggled.
My bastard of an ex ignored her. “And since I’m her ex-husband, it’s my duty to, you know, talk to you. Man to man.”
Suddenly, Noah’s easy, casual air vanished. He pulled himself up to his full height and his smile morphed into a glare.
Graham, clearly not reading the signals, continued. “She’s barren.”
“I’m not sure we use that word anymore,” Noah said flatly.
The arrogant fucker across from him shook his head. “Infertile. Whatever. I don’t know you or your circumstances, but you should know. She kept that from me. Deceived me.”
My body went hot, my limbs shaky. Bile rose up my throat. Deceived him? Was that what he thought?
I leaned against the wall, concerned my legs wouldn’t hold my weight. How could he say these things? To Noah, of all people?
I couldn’t see Noah’s face and I didn’t want to. I considered hopping over the chain-link fence next to the dumpster and making a run for it, but my damn feet wouldn’t move.
Instead, a hot vortex of shame pulled me in, weighed me down. I hadn’t been enough for Graham. I would never be enough for Noah.
“Dude. I’m holding my daughter right now,” Noah said. “So I am not going to punch you.”
My heart lurched. Huh?
I peered back around.
Noah’s face was pure fury, and Graham was eyeing him like he thought he might take a swing after all.
Tess whimpered, clearly upset. My heart clenched at the sound. It killed me that Graham was scaring her.
“But I want to make sure you understand that you deserve to lose a few teeth. Vic told me you were a cruel prick, but this is even worse than I could imagine. Don’t you ever, ever speak of her again. And if I ever hear the word barren come out of your mouth again, you’ll be drinking your meals through a straw.”
Graham took a step back and held up his hands. “I was trying to give you a heads-up. You seem like a family man. Don’t you think you should know that she can’t have kids? That she shouldn’t be around them?” He squinted at Tess, who glared right back at him. “She’s not maternal. Not mom material.”
Noah clenched his fists. “Victoria Randolph is the kindest, most generous person I’ve ever met. Every day, I watch her interact with my child, and love her the way she deserves to be loved. I know in my bones that she has the biggest, most beautiful heart. There is no one I trust more, and my daughter is damn lucky to have her in her life.”
“I’d watch out,” Graham said, chin lifted and defiant. “She’s paranoid and a bit crazy.”
My head spun. Of course he was calling me crazy. If he discredited me, made me look like I was unstable, then people couldn’t blame him for ending our marriage. That was his thought process. And everyone, including my parents, had bought it.
Noah took a step forward, raising a fist.
Graham brought an arm up to shield his face, but before Noah could speak again or throw a punch, Tess cried out.
And promptly projectile-vomited.
She spewed chunky blue bile directly onto Graham’s chest.
And not just once. When I thought she couldn’t possibly have anything left in her stomach, she did it again.
“What the fuck?” Graham screamed.
Several people stopped to gawk. One or two even stepped out of the coffee shop. Ricky, who was delivering mail to the businesses on Main Street, paused, and Becca stood in the doorway of her salon. Kara Mosely, who was pushing her baby in a stroller, cackled. Soon Noah was laughing too.
“That baby is a demon.” Graham spun and stormed down the street toward his car. “You and Victoria deserve each other,” he shouted over his shoulder.
The onlookers either gaped or laughed or tried to hide their smiles as he stomped off like a toddler.
I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. The humiliation ran deep, but seeing Graham covered with blueberry baby vomit did help soothe the sting a bit.
Noah, who had switched back into cuddly dad mode, was softly rocking Tess and wiping her mouth with a baby wipe.
“You’re not a demon,” he said, with a kiss to the top of her head. “You’re a little hero.” He tossed the wipe into a nearby trashcan, then headed toward our building. “We’re going home to get you cleaned up. Then Daddy’s giving you extra treats for being such a super baby and defeating the bad guy.”