Chapter 2
“Mommy, can I get an ice cream?”
Paisley looked at her daughter skipping along beside her as they walked toward the town square and the vendor booths.
It was July fourth, hotter than the surface of the sun, but that hadn’t stopped the Sutton’s Creek Independence Day Festival from taking place.
For one thing, they’d shifted most of the activities to late afternoon and the humidity wasn’t as bad as it’d been just last week.
For another, they’d set up water stations along Main Street and around the square to give water to anyone who wanted it.
The parade would happen after six, when temps weren’t quite fry-an-egg-on-the-pavement hot anymore.
“Sure, Vivi. What kind do you want?”
“I want one of dem rocket things.”
“A rocket pop? Red, white, and blue?”
“Yes! Can I have a hotdog, too?”
Paisley managed not to snort, but only barely. “A hot dog, hmm?” She’d tried to feed Violet lunch, but the little girl was vibrating with energy and only managed to eat a few apple slices and a stick of string cheese. Paisley had offered hotdogs at home, but Violet hadn’t wanted one.
Now she knew why.
“You can, but not both at the same time. How about the hotdog first and then we’ll get the ice cream in a little while. You don’t want to be too full to play in the fountain, do you?”
“Noooo,” Violet said, shaking her head vigorously.
“Okay, so let’s get the hotdog and then we’ll go to the park.”
Paisley led her daughter over to the food truck selling hotdogs, ordered two with mustard and relish, and got two icy cold bottles of water.
Then she ushered Violet over to the shade of a tree and they dug into the juicy hotdogs while sitting on the grass and watching people enjoy the park and the booths.
Her gaze slipped over to the Salty Dawg.
Sure enough, Rory, Emma, and Callie were sitting in chairs on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant with their boyfriends.
All three women were dating men from One Shot Tactical, though apparently Daphne was now officially dating Kane as of this week. That made four.
And there they were walking toward the group stationed in front of the Dawg, Kane wearing a red, white, and blue cowboy hat and star-shaped sunglasses while Daphne looked beautiful in white shorts with a blue cropped top and a straw hat.
They reached the group and took two of the chairs, scooting close to each other and looking like two people in love as they leaned close and laughed about something between them.
Ethan appeared in the doorway of the Dawg and walked down the steps.
Paisley’s heart skipped. He was wearing cargo shorts and a white T-shirt that had the Salty Dawg’s logo on it.
He was tanned, muscled, and beautiful. Especially when he smiled, which he did when somebody said something to him.
He waved at his shirt with a flourish and Rory got up and hugged him before turning to say something to Chance with her hands on her hips.
Then she sat down again and Chance kissed her.
Paisley tried not to be envious, but it was hard.
The women were so nice. Rory stopped by the library recently and told her she was officially in the book club, and though Paisley wanted to join them, she was scared too.
She didn’t say no because the words got stuck as she thought about it so she’d said yes instead.
But if it meant spending any time with them as a coed group, she’d have to find a way out.
She didn’t want to be in the same room with Ethan, wondering why she hadn’t been enough for him.
Why he’d left without a conversation instead of sending Trey to do his dirty work.
Maybe she’d have taken it better if he’d told her himself. And maybe she wouldn’t have been vulnerable to Trey’s manipulation if he hadn’t been the one giving her news she should have gotten from Ethan.
She couldn’t blame him for ending up with Trey. It’d been her choice to let Trey in, to believe his lies even when there’d been red flags from the start.
“I’m ready, Mama!” Violet said as she jumped to her feet, the hotdog wrapper forgotten on the ground.
“I’m not,” Paisley said. “I still have to finish my hotdog. And you need to pick up your trash, young lady.”
“Sorry,” Violet said, scooping the wrapper up and balling it in her hands with exaggerated motions.
Paisley finished her hotdog and balled her wrapper too. “Okay, can I trust you to walk right over to that can and throw the trash out?”
“Yes!”
Paisley watched her daughter skip to the trash can a short distance away. Out of habit her gaze roved the surrounding area as she looked for a familiar figure. Trey was shorter than Ethan, but he had the body of a man who’d once been a military weapon. Like Ethan. Like the One Shot Tactical men.
She had the restraining order, but that didn’t stop her from worrying. It was ultimately just a piece of paper, and she knew what happened to women who thought they were safe because of a court order.
What would happen to her if she wasn’t vigilant. The last time she’d been in the same room with Trey, he’d told her she would never be free, that he’d kill her before he let her go.
Paisley shivered despite the heat. What was the alternative though? Stay and let him keep hurting her? Let him hurt Violet? No, she’d done what she had to do. There was no other choice.
Violet tossed the trash and came skipping back as if she hadn’t a care in the world. Which was exactly how Paisley wanted it. “Can we play in the fountain now? Peas?”
“Please,” Paisley stressed.
“Please,” Violet repeated.
Paisley held out her hand and Violet took it. “Yes, we can play in the fountain.”
“Yay!”
They walked over to the fountain that gushed with clear, bright water.
Kids played in the water, splashing and laughing.
People often tossed coins in, but the coins had been gathered up by the city so children and adults could play today and keep cool.
The fountain wasn’t deep and it was chlorinated.
There was also a series of jets that went off at intervals and soaked anyone standing in the fountain.
But that was part of the fun. The town was currently in the process of installing a splash pad nearby, but that wasn’t due to be finished for another month.
Paisley had worn a breezy summer dress with a ball cap that said Reading is my Superpower, and she’d put Violet in shorts and a tank top that could get wet. She’d also rubbed sunscreen over both of them, and she had the bottle in her bag for reapplication if necessary.
“Okay, Vivi, need you to listen to Mommy.”
Her daughter’s face was bright and earnest. “Yes, ma’am.”
“You can splash in the fountain. You may not lie down and put your head under water. No running or jumping. This isn’t like a swimming pool, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Now kick your sandals off and I’ll help you get in.”
Paisley held her hand while Violet stepped onto the ledge and then down into the water. “Are you getting in, Mommy?”
Paisley set her bag on the ledge and turned so her feet were in the fountain. Other adults were doing the same. “I’ll be right here, baby.”
She sat back and watched while Violet found a group of kids to play with.
Somebody shouted her name and she turned to find Callie Crowell waving at her.
Daphne, Emma, and Rory joined in, waving her over to join them.
She let her gaze slide to Ethan. Sunglasses hid his eyes, but she’d swear he was looking right at her. Or maybe it was just her imagination.
She waved back and shook her head apologetically, pointing at her watch as if time was an issue.
It wasn’t, and she felt like a fool, but there was no way she wanted to gather her child and go join the group.
She didn’t want Violet and Ethan in the same space if she could help it.
It would hurt too much to think about what might have been if he hadn’t left.
“Hey there, pretty lady.”
Paisley jerked at the sound of the voice beside her. She had to look up, shielding her eyes, to see the man who stood too near for comfort.
“Can I help you?”
He wore a Rocket City Trash Pandas ball cap, a tank top, cargo shorts, and he was holding a plastic cup filled with beer.
The downtown area had been designated an entertainment district, and that allowed people to walk around with their alcoholic beverages.
This guy had clearly had a few because he swayed the slightest bit as he loomed over her.
“Yeah, you can help me.”
She didn’t like the way he leered at her. She felt at a distinct disadvantage sitting on the edge of the fountain while he stood over her, but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of standing up and moving away. Yet.
“I’m sorry, but I’m here with my daughter. My—” She couldn’t say husband because it felt icky when she was in the process of divorcing him, so she went with the next best thing she could think of. “My boyfriend went to get us some ice cream. He’ll be back any minute.”
The man frowned. “Been watching you since you walked into the park. Didn’t see a boyfriend.”
Paisley’s heart squeezed. This time she got to her feet because she felt the need for escape.
Why did men think it was flattering to say they’d been watching her?
Or to get up in her space and expect her to be happy about it?
She wanted to tell him to back the fuck off, but Violet was nearby.
Not to mention she was still new in town and she didn’t know if he was a local or one of the tourists that had come for the day’s festivities.
“Just because you didn’t see him doesn’t mean he isn’t coming,” she grated. She hated that she felt obligated to explain, but the alternative was angering him when she told him it was none of his business. If she’d learned anything in the past few years, it was not to make men angry.