26. Elka
Chapter 26
Elka
T he past few days had been a whirlwind and I’d spent them holed up in the cottage that was still mine. Just mine. For now, anyway.
Fulfilling and packing orders had taken up most of my day but the sound of the bell upstairs provided the perfect excuse to take a break. Wiping sweat from my brow, I pushed away from my work table with a deep sigh and I made my way to the door. “Penny. This is a nice surprise. Come on in.” I’d gotten calls from Janey and Nina, Max and even Bo, congratulating me on the chili cook-off.
Penny was put together, as usual, wearing a deep-pink dress that fit her like a glove. She stepped inside and kicked off her heels before hugging me close. She pulled back and glanced around the living room. Filled with boxes. “Was coming in second place so bad that you have to leave town?”
I let out a shaky laugh at her attempt at humor. “Actually, second place feels pretty damn good. Kind of like first.” I’d never really competed in anything other than video and word games against Austin, so that second place ribbon and gold-plated chili pot felt incredible.
“But you’re still leaving.” There was hurt and disappointment in her voice and I hated that I might have hurt her.
I nodded. “I am but maybe the second time is the charm. Starting over in Tulip didn’t work out so well so I’ll try someplace else. But don’t worry, all of the things I volunteered for have been taken care of.” I could leave town knowing that I wouldn’t leave anyone hanging.
“I don’t give a damn about any of that. I mean, thanks for doing it, but why are you leaving? I thought we were friends and you’re just up and leaving. Would you have said anything if I hadn’t stopped by?”
“I would have,” I insisted, even though I didn’t know for certain if that was the truth. “But I haven’t made any decisions beyond leaving. I don’t have a destination in mind or a place to live.”
She frowned and I motioned her inside. “Then why are you packing?”
“Because packing makes it feel real to me. It’s a constant reminder that I need to do better on my next move, maybe not draw as much attention to myself. Choose a town that’s a little bigger than Tulip.” A place where nosy cops had actual criminals to worry about.
I could feel the weight of her stare on me as I pulled grilled veggies from the fridge for lunch. “Antonio is in hell too, you know. If that makes you feel better.”
“It doesn’t, but thanks for trying.” I didn’t care that Antonio felt like crap; he should be happy since he finally got everything he was looking for. “He betrayed me, Penny. I thought things were different but they’re not.” They never were. “Besides, I’m sure my parents have spouted their lies all over town to anyone who’ll listen. I’m done here.”
“Are you sure?”
Absolutely not, but I nodded. “I can’t stay, Penny.”
She pulled an envelope from her purse with a sympathetic smile. “I’m afraid that you have to, for the time being anyway. This came across the mayor’s desk this morning.”
Inside the envelope was a subpoena to appear in front of Judge Mayburn the day after tomorrow at nine in the morning. I groaned as anger welled up in me but the tears fell first. “They filed an injunction to stop me from spending any more of the insurance money.” My own damn parents. How despicable could one couple be? I was half-tempted to ignore the subpoena and let them keep the money. But I couldn’t. That money was mine, and Austin wanted me to have it, not them. I had to fight it because my pride was the only damn thing I had left. “Thanks for letting me know, Penny. You’ve been a good friend to me.”
She nodded, looking sad and resigned to how things were. “What will you do?”
“There’s nothing I can do but show up and hope it all works out. I’m not holding my breath though.” If life had taught me anything, it was that good didn’t always triumph over evil, that bad people won just as much as good people, and that anytime my parents wanted to screw me, they would.
“I’m here if you want to talk, Elka. I know they put you through hell, but you’re an adult now and you don’t have to do it all on your own. That’s the beauty of friends. Strong shoulders.” She flashed a smile and snatched half of my veggie sandwich from the plate.
“It’s the only way I know, but I’m hoping to change that,” I admitted. Leaning on people wasn’t easy and nothing about my life had been easy since I moved to Tulip.
“Somewhere else,” she said and it wasn’t a question.
“Yeah. Everyone probably thinks I killed Austin for the insurance money so they’ll be happy to see me leave.” It hurt to say but leaving this time would be easier because there wasn’t a lifetime of memories and hurt here. This time, it was a few friends and some great memories. And some bad ones too.
“You’re wrong about that, but I can see you don’t believe it.”
“Why would he do this, Penny? Everyone keeps telling me what a stand-up guy he is, how nice he is and kind to others, but I’m not seeing that guy. Not enough of him, anyway.” And I was the idiot who’d slept with him. Fallen for him.
Penny flashed a smile that wasn’t mean-spirited but it was … weird. “Some men go crazy when they fall. They don’t know how to handle it, aren’t ready for it, and make a mess of everything before they fix it. I think that’s the category Antonio found himself in.”
“That doesn’t make any of this better.” Certainly not my pain.
“Then forget about him. What about the rest of us? Haven’t we made you feel welcome and cared for since you moved here? Why isn’t that enough?”
“It is,” I insisted. “But I can’t live my life with someone actively trying to run me out of town. No one can live that way forever.” And that’s what it came down to, the fact that this would never end. “I’ve thought about it from every angle and I can’t do it. I’ve already lived my first twenty-four years as a disappointment and I can’t do it again. I won’t.”
“Well I can’t argue with that, but I’m not giving up on getting you to stay in Tulip. You’re just the right kind of weird for this little town and I think we’d all be better off with you around.” Her words brought tears to my eyes and when Penny wrapped her arms around me and squeezed, I let a few fall in farewell to the women who’d opened their hearts to me and called me a friend.
“Thanks for saying that, Penny.”
She left with a sad smile, but I wasn’t fooled for a second. In the next few days, there would be a group of women on my doorstep making a pitch for me to stay, which meant I had less than twenty-four hours to get a plan together and leave town.
But first, I had to go in search of the materials I needed for court.