Chapter 23 Celine
Celine
Iwoke up smiling. Despite the mountain of tasks I had to complete today, I felt good. Rested.
With one eye cracked open, I reached out for Julian on the far side of the bed.
When all I found were cold sheets, I blinked and scanned the room.
Huh. It was much brighter in here than usual, so I reached for my phone on the nightstand to check the time.
And when I realized it was just after nine, I jumped up, my heart racing and panic flooding me. I should have been awake three hours ago.
Snagging a hoodie off the floor, I darted out the door. As I tore down the stairs, fear gripped every inch of my body.
I launched myself off the third step from the bottom and landed with a thud.
“Mom, are you okay?” Maggie said as I spun in a circle.
Ellie giggled. “Did you just legit fly?”
All three of my kids were sitting at the kitchen table with Chloe, Gus, Simone, and a massive box of donuts.
“Your mom needs coffee.” Chloe pushed her chair back and stood.
“Why is it nine a.m.?” I asked, looking from face to face, still trying to make sense of reality.
“Well, Mom, it’s because the earth makes one full rotation on its axis every twenty-four hours,” Ellie snarked.
“We got here early, and the kids said you were still sleeping,” Chloe explained. “Simone wanted to see you all before we head home.”
I nodded, though my heart still raced.
“I’ve never slept this late before,” I said
“Shocker.” Chloe chuckled. “Most people find sleeping in restful. I didn’t realize it would make you more anxious.”
“No. Sorry. Thank you.” I turned to Gus, who was wiping melted chocolate off Simone’s face, including him in that sentiment too.
“I just.” I deflated. “Sorry.”
Chloe handed me a coffee cup. “How about you drink this and get dressed? I want to chat a bit before we take off.”
Her tone was too calm, too nice. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
She pushed me toward the stairs. “Go.”
After a quick shower and clean clothes, I came back down. Chloe was alone, the kids having gone outside to play something called Infection Tag, Gus tagging along, helping Simone keep up with her older cousins.
Chloe took my coffee cup and refilled it. When she handed it back to me, she said, “We need to talk.”
My heart lurched. Was the guilt plaguing me that obvious? Did she know I’d snuck out of my home last night? That I’d fooled around with Josh? Did I have that orgasm blush that makeup companies were always trying to package and sell?
“I had a missed call yesterday,” she said. “From Ava.”
My throat tightened, making it difficult to breathe.
“I called her back this morning. She had news.”
I clutched my coffee cup to my chest, wishing I could disappear. I didn’t know what she’d say, but I knew I didn’t want to hear it.
“Donny is up for parole,” she said gently. “His hearing is next month.”
My knees nearly gave out on me, but she caught me before I sank to the floor.
“Listen,” she said, guiding me toward the couch. “Parole isn’t guaranteed. Hopefully they won’t grant it. But if they do, there will be conditions, and Ava will file a petition for maximum monitoring. And obviously the restraining orders are still in place.”
I thought we had nearly a year of freedom left. Enough time for us to heal and get our fresh start. We’d just gotten here. We were still acclimating. He couldn’t just get out.
“Breathe,” Chloe commanded, and I did, having been conditioned long ago to obey her. “He was going to get out eventually. And all my sources tell me he’s been a model prisoner. Going to AA meetings and anger management. He’s not going to bother you.”
I shook my head. He would. I knew Donny Whittier better than I knew myself. I’d spent more than a decade walking on eggshells and trying to predict his moods, and all that work had made me an expert.
And I felt it in my bones that he wasn’t ready to let go of me yet.
“Shouldn’t I get official notice? Of the parole?” I squeaked.
“Yes. You’ll likely get it this week. But I wanted to warn you. And make a plan.”
I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. But not with my kids right outside. So instead I froze.
“Celine,” my sister urged. “We will get through this. Whatever you need.”
I got up and made a beeline for the junk drawer in the kitchen, then handed her the card.
“Shit.” She gasped. “When did you get this? Who delivered it? Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked without giving me time to respond. “We need to go to the police right now. What the fuck, Celine?”
A numb sensation crept through me, my fingers and toes tingling as they lost feeling.
It figured that the moment I experienced a fucking second of happiness and peace, Donny would ruin it.
“I planned to tell you. I just wanted to enjoy the weekend first,” I admitted. “And not feel like a charity case or some fragile soul you and Gus have to protect.”
“You are not fragile,” she snapped. “You’re doing amazingly well. And we had a wonderful visit. But if you receive threatening mail from your violent ex-husband in prison, I need to know about it.”
“The handwriting on the envelope.” I pointed to it. “That’s Phyllis.”
“Fucking Phyllis.” Chloe rolled her shoulders. “I will murder her. I own several commercial-grade woodchippers. It’s actually quite easy.”
Not even her dark sense of humor could lighten my mood. “Chloe.”
“No. I should have done it when she filed that bullshit grandparent lawsuit. Fuck her and her entitled asshole son.” She pulled her phone from her pocket and tapped the screen furiously.
“I’m reaching out to Parker Gagnon. She’s Chief of Police in Lovewell, but she has connections with the staties too.
See what we can to do keep Phyllis quiet. ”
“It’s not worth it,” I said softly.
“Yes it is. You are worth it. Your safety is worth it. Those kids are worth it.” She clutched my shoulders and shook hard. “You’ve got to fight this.”
“Of course I’ll fight it.” I scoffed. Did she really think I’d slip back into defeated victim mode so quickly? “But I need a minute to process. This card is evidence I can submit to the parole board, yes?”
She nodded.
“And the lawyers will handle most of it. I know I’m not alone in this.”
“Have you thought about security?”
“There is a system here. I’ve got the app on my phone. And Josh has cameras all over the farm for wildlife,” I told her. “I can talk to him. Learn more about it.”
Chloe’s lips quirked, her expression holding a hint of humor for the first time today.
“What?”
“I’m not sure the guy who’s blatantly in love with you should be the one doing an objective security sweep.”
“Please be serious,” I begged.
“He’s seriously in love with you. And I suspect you’re into him as well.”
Unease threaded through me. “It’s not like that.”
“Did you see the way he looked at Julian after they crossed the finish line yesterday?” she asked.
I’d pretended not to, but of course I had. He’d been bursting with pride and affection, swinging a gleeful Julian—who hated to be touched—around and carrying him on those broad shoulders. Standing by his side as he tried new things and faced his fears.
She flopped onto my couch dramatically. “We LeBlanc girls really do have a type, don’t we?”
Ignoring her, I sat at the other end of the couch.
“Burly lumberjacks,” she said with a wistful sigh.
She’d said that before. I still didn’t want to think about it too much.
“You know,” she elbowed me, “giant protectors with teddy bear personalities who secretly want us to dominate them.”
“Ew.” I hit her with a throw pillow. “Chloe, I did not need to hear that.”
She shrugged. “Regardless, I get it. You’ve been through hell. He seems like a good guy. But Celine, this is not the time to be getting distracted.”
Her words hit me hard. As usual, my big sister was right. She was the practical one and I was the one with my head in the clouds.
“Of course.”
“Let me schedule a call with the lawyers this week. And I’ll talk to my friend at the state house. There’s a good chance we can get this parole denied or, at the very least, delayed.”
I nodded, a plan already forming in my mind. I’d have to take a few days off, probably drop the kids with Chloe and Gus, and head to court in Bangor. I’d say whatever the lawyers told me to say to make sure he wasn’t released. To ensure he served the rest of his time and couldn’t hurt us anymore.