Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
VIVIAN
When I breeze into Finn River Pediatrics with barely five minutes to spare, Ava and Sepp are chatting in the nurse’s area.
“I heard about your place,” Ava says, concern filling her soft brown eyes. “I’m so sorry. Are you doing okay?”
“Yeah, thanks.” I hang up my jacket and set my purse in the empty filing cabinet drawer.
“If you need time off, you can?—”
“No,” I interrupt. “Thank you, but I want to be here.”
Ava nods. “If you change your mind, let me know.”
Sepp sets a giant to-go cup of what smells like English Breakfast next to my keyboard.
“For me? Sepp, you’re an angel.” A parting image of my loose tea leaves coating my kitchen counter like black fur flashes through my mind.
I cradle the cup, grateful. It’s too hot to drink yet but holding it feels almost as good.
“Are you going to move, or stay?” Sepp asks.
“Not sure yet.”
I need to call my landlord sometime today to find out my options. If I choose to relocate, can I break my lease and still get my deposit back?
But figuring out our living situation is secondary to the question that kept me up all night.
Is Kent behind this?
Everett’s words rattle around in my mind. Maybe it’s something you don’t know you’re hiding .
“I’m going to make some calls today during lunch,” I say. Starting with my divorce lawyer. If anyone can tell me if Kent’s in L.A. quickly, it’s her.
“You’re welcome to stay at the farm,” Ava says. “I can check with Beth.”
Ava’s husband and her sister-in-law Beth inherited Moonbeam Farm last year when Hutch’s mom passed away, including the farmhouse where they were raised and Louisa’s flower-growing business.
“The cabin is working great right now,” I tell her.
“Oh hey, we’ve got a pharmaceutical rep coming on Monday,” Ava says. “He’s bringing us lunch.”
Sepp sends me a quick glance. “Which rep?”
Ava squints, like she’s jogging her memory. “Doug Brown, from Pfizer, I think.”
“Got it,” Sepp says.
Ava’s office phone rings, drawing her away.
“You can bail, I’ll cover for you,” Sepp says.
I glance at Ava’s office door, then back at Sepp. “Thanks. I think I’ll take you up on that.” Doug’s last visit was around Valentine’s Day, and after, he sent me a thank you card. Only it was a Valentine’s Day card, with a cupid on the front and embossed gold lettering inside.
Nothing in what he wrote was outside the norm. But why the cupid card?
It felt silly to bring it up with Ava. Maybe it was some kind of joke, or silliness meant to prove he was a fun-loving guy, and we should start prescribing the meds he reps because of it .
Sepp leans back in his chair, his thoughtful gaze completely focused on me. It used to make me feel self-conscious, but now I know it’s his way of tuning in, of making people feel listened to, important. “How’d it go at the cabin last night? Were you warm enough?”
I put Doug out of my mind. “It’s so cozy. I still can’t believe your brothers built it from scratch.”
A thoughtful expression fills Sepp’s face. “It was Everett’s idea. He talked Linden into studying for his GED while helping Dad with the ranch. The two of them collected the materials to build the cabin, and then Linden built it. I think Mom and Dad expected him to live there permanently.”
“What changed?”
“It started with building that cabin. Helped him release some of his pent-up energy. Gave his hands something to do besides getting into fights left and right. He also didn’t have to talk to people.”
“Sounds like he was able to sort things out in a way that worked for him.” Why does it not surprise me to learn that Everett played a key role? “I’ll be sure to thank Linden.”
“You know you can stay longer.”
Last night, June brought up a dozen of her farm fresh eggs and said the same thing. “I can’t impose on your parents like that.”
He gives me a look. “Of course you can. If you’re comfortable there, stay.”
“The view this morning sure was pretty.” Finn River’s expansive vistas and jagged mountains still take my breath away. Such a contrast to the skyscrapers and crowded streets of L.A. Every now and then I miss the ocean, but then a soft breeze rich with pine will brush my cheek, or a cloud shadow will dance across the pale, rolling foothills, and my heart squeezes inside my chest. I always felt out of place in the city. Was it because I was destined to fall in love with these open spaces? The quiet? The sound of aspen leaves quaking in the afternoon breeze?
“Mateo like sleeping in the loft?” Sepp asks .
I remove my lid and blow across the top of my tea, the rich scent comforting. “Until it got too hot, and he ended up in my bed.”
“Didn’t Everett show you how to use the damper?”
“He did.” But I was a little distracted by his peppery scent and that charged energy zipping between us.
Is it possible to feel so turned on by someone one minute, and the next, he makes you want to scream?
“You’ll get the hang of it,” Sepp says.
“I won’t need to,” I reply, taking a tiny sip. “I’m not staying.”
Sepp shrugs.
At lunch, I wait for the office to empty before I call Helen Amos. Her secretary answers.
“Hey, it’s Vivian Reece. Any chance Helen is in?”
“She’s just leaving for court, hang on.”
I wait through a two second pause. “Vivian!” Helen says in her smoky rasp. “Long time. How’s Idaho?”
“It’s great,” I say. “How’s the divorce business?”
“Constant,” she replies easily. “What can I do for you? Has that snake stopped paying child support? I have a new associate; she specializes in that kind of thing.”
“No, it’s not that.” I gulp a breath for bravery. “I’m worried Kent might be here.”
“Harassing you?”
“Yeah.” It feels weird to say it out loud.
She gives a low hum, and I picture her plump lips pursing in thought. “Let me make some calls.”
“I don’t want him to know, though.”
“Discretion, huh? My how the plot thickens. No problem.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll be in touch, doll.”
The endearment softens the ache in my chest a little. Because I’ve just asked my divorce lawyer to spy on my ex. Maybe that’s not weird to some people, but it rubs me the wrong way .
I close my eyes and pretend I’m throwing darts at a picture of Kent’s face. Whap, whap, whap.
I suck at darts, but the imagery helps.
Next I start the filing process with my rental insurance company. My landlord still hasn’t called me back, but I left a detailed message about the break-in with his secretary.
I decide to at least look for alternatives to returning to The Meadows. Just like yesterday, the VRBO sites pop up first. I skim down to a Zillow link that offers nine rentals. Two are too big for just me and Matty, three are too far from Finn River. I click through photos of the remaining four and check the maps to get a better idea of the neighborhoods.
There are pros and cons to each, but there’s one thing they all have in common: they are all outside my budget. Has rent really gone up that much since I signed the lease on the trailer?
A Europe trip is definitely out.
At least I have a chance at the data entry job with Professor Milankovitch. The Wi-Fi signal at the cabin is too weak to download any big files, but I’ll just grab them before I leave today, then do the work remotely. It’s not ideal though. Another reason to either get back into my trailer or find us a rental as soon as possible.
I don’t remember that I need to scrounge something for lunch until the break is nearly over. I just have enough time to grab a smoothie from The Sweet Spot, so I grab my purse and coat and dash out the door. But when I arrive, the lunch rush is in full effect. Stomach cramping with hunger, I’m about to spin back to my car when a familiar figure materializes from the other side of the line.
Everett’s serious brown eyes seem to brighten when he spots me. His uniform molds perfectly to his athletic frame and muscular arms, and that stubbled jawline of his practically begs for my fingertips. I wish I could stop imagining kissing him.
My face heats as he saunters toward me.
“How’s your day so far?” He’s carrying a white paper bag and smoothie .
A low grumble from my stomach reminds me that I still need to find nourishment in the next five minutes, or my afternoon is going to be unbearable—for me and for my coworkers. “Fine, except I forgot to get here before the rush.”
He gives me a curious glance. “Do you need lunch?”
“Yes, but—” I nod at the line. “Don’t have time.”
He offers me the bag and the smoothie. “Is a BLT on wheat toast okay with you?”
“I can’t take your lunch.”
“I’ll order something else.” He checks his watch. “You gotta be back in like, seven minutes, right?”
“Everett,” I say, exasperated. “You don’t?—”
“Have to? Yeah, I know.” He gives me a kind smile. “What would it be like to let me take care of you?”
I give him a stern glance. “What are you talking about?”
He smiles, reminding me of his unwavering patience. “Right now, I’m talking about lunch. We can discuss other things later.”
My stomach gives another low growl and I’m feeling a little lightheaded. Or maybe that’s the effect he has on me. Because “other things” took my thoughts straight to the gutter.
Everett offers his lunch again, and this time, I take it. “I’ll make it up to you.”
His smile brightens. “You already have.”
“Are all of you Rumseys this generous?” I take a sip of the smoothie. The first hit of strawberry with honey ignites my tastebuds and the relief that comes with satisfying my gnawing hunger hits my brain like a drug.
“Yep. Mom and Dad are professional givers. It kinda gets under your skin.”
After yesterday, this is becoming obvious. “Thank you.”
“I’ll walk you out,” he says, opening the door for me.
“I did some research on rentals if I decide to move,” I say as we follow the storefront toward my Kia. I keep my worries about affording rent to myself.
“That’s what you were doing on your lunch hour,” he says with a thoughtful glance.
I take another sip of the smoothie. It’s so delicious I could cry. “I can’t stay at the cabin forever.”
“A few more days while you figure things out isn’t forever.”
“True.” Despite the distressing events, being with his family last night was exactly like I had pictured. Lots of laughter, plenty of yummy food, that feeling of peace and welcome. The way a family should be.
Too bad it ended with Everett’s third degree and the added friction between us. The kind that’s been making it hard for me to sleep at night.
“You sure your parents won’t mind?”
“They’d be delighted.”
“I’m not a freeloader.” I turn into the space between my car and the one next to it and reach for my keys.
“Your point is?”
“Can I do chores or something?”
“Mom will gladly accept hugs,” he says. “Dad would probably love to teach Mateo to ride.”
I groan. “How would those things be earning our keep?”
He gently takes the paper bag and smoothie from my hands so I can finish digging out my keys.
“If I was in a jam, would you expect me to pay you back in chores?”
“Of course not.” I heave a giant sigh. “Okay.”
He offers me a fist. With a shake of my head, I give it a bump.
I climb into my car with my free lunch while Everett heads back to The Sweet Spot, giving me a moment to drink in his tall, athletic frame, thick thighs and broad shoulders and those tiny curls at the nape of his neck.
A groan of longing escapes my lips, but I shut my eyes to stifle the craving sparking to life inside me.
Doesn’t it complicate things even more now that he’s investigating a crime against me? Kent once complained to me that a cop in his unit slept with a witness, and the case ended up getting thrown out because of it.
The last thing I want is to be someone’s conflict of interest.
After work, I pick up Mateo from the aftercare room, but instead of letting me lead him to the car, he drags me to the playground behind the school. The giant jungle gym with a pirate ship, slides, and monkey bars are empty at this time of day, with the surrounding forest casting long shadows.
“Watch me!” he says, dashing to the monkey bars. He climbs the metal rungs, his freckled face so focused as he reaches up and grabs the first bar. My heart flutters in my chest. Partly from worry—a fall from way up could cause an injury—and partly, I’m proud of my little boy who’s learning to take risks.
Mateo’s tongue pokes from the side of his mouth as he aims for the next bar in the row, and then he swings his body and reaches for the next one.
“Well done, Matty!” I cheer, following along. It takes effort not to reach for him, so he knows I’m here to catch him if he falls. He clearly doesn’t need it. He reaches the opposite end of the bars, huffing, his cheeks pink, and climbs down to the ground.
I wrap him in a soft hug and lean down to kiss the top of his head. He wraps his arms around my waist and squeezes. When I take his hand and turn us away from the playground, a flash of color from the surrounding woods catches my attention. My pulse flutters into my throat. I take another second to stare, willing the face I saw to be something else instead—an animal slipping past, or a bird. A gust of wind stirs the branches of the ancient trees. Was that all I saw? The swirling colors of the forest?
Leading Mateo from the playground, the instant my back is turned, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Unable to fight the sense of unease, I tighten my grip on Mateo’s hand and hurry us past the school to the parking lot. A few other cars are scattered and the lights in several classrooms are still on, but it’s not until Mateo is safely buckled and I’m behind the wheel with the doors locked that I feel safe.
I tell myself I’m just spooked and not that someone was watching us.
Everett’s if you start to feel unsafe, I want to know about it floats through my mind. Is it weird that I want to hear his reassuring voice right now?
My phone rings, startling me. It’s Helen.
“Helen, hey.” I glance at Mateo in the backseat, his nose already in one of his library books.
“He’s in L.A.,” Helen says.
I fold over my steering wheel and release a giant breath. “You’re sure?”
“Yep. My source is very reliable. I had them track his movements. There’s nothing to suspect he’s been out of town, and he’s certainly here today.”
“Thank you.”
“Does this help?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
I thank her again and end the call.
Relief trickles down through me as I start my engine. I decide to share this bit of news with Everett.
Because it’ll come through the Bluetooth, I’ll be careful about my word choice.
“Hey, how was your day?” he asks.
With the relief of what I learned from Helen still ebbing inside me, this makes me smile.
“Um, you’re on speaker. “
He gives a soft laugh. “Ah. Hi Matty.”
“Hi!” he calls from the backseat, peeking over his book .
“So, the…person…we thought might be in Finn River isn’t.” I turn left at the stop sign and start down the steep hill.
“Oh.” Surprise edges his tone. “You’re sure?”
At the stop light, I go right, following a long curve that skirts the edge of town. “He was seen on his, um, home turf today.”
He releases a slow breath. “Okay. That’s good.”
“Yeah.”
“I feel like it should have been me giving you this news.”
And you should have trusted me to find the answer myself. Now will he let this drop?
“What are you two up to on Saturday?” he asks.
“Mateo has karate class at ten, and then I promised we’d visit the puppies.”
“Would you and Matty like to ride horses?”
Matty drops his book into his lap and stares at me, his eyes wide open. “Yes! Mom, can we?”
“Does that answer your question?” I ask.
“See you then,” he says.
During the drive to Ruby Gulch, Mateo and I sing his new song while in the back of my mind, doubt is creeping in.
What the hell am I doing saying yes to a date with Everett?