39. There’s Someone In The House
There’s Someone In The House
Doug
‘Open the door, Jessie,’ I call, knowing she’s in there. This shit stops right fucking now.
Cara called me, apologizing for riling Jessie up, terrified that she did something to jeopardize me getting Bo, but fuck that. Jessie turning up at her place and talking to her the way she did isn’t happening. I have to tell her.
‘Jessie.’ I raise my fist to bang on the door again when it opens, and someone resembling the girl I fell in love with all those years ago looks up at me.
She looks so young. I haven’t seen Jessie this way in so long, and it throws me off for a minute. Even in labor, she had on a full face of makeup. Now, her wet hair is pulled back into a bun, and she’s barefoot in sweatpants and a tank. I’m so used to seeing her in miniskirts and stiletto heels. She has a bare face, free from even mascara, which I notice because her eyes are red and a little puffy in the same way I saw when her mom and dad died and when I confronted her about cheating on me. She’s been crying.
‘Jess…’
‘Come in.’ She steps back, looking defeated.
‘Where’s Bo?’
‘Mrs. Abernathy took her to get ice cream.’
‘You were out of line today, Jess. You can’t go insulting people on their own property just because you can’t find me.’
She sits on one of the dining chairs and clasps her hands together on the table.
‘I don’t want to fight with you anymore.’
Her words shock me to silence. I stand, waiting for more, when she starts to cry again, covering her face with her hands.
I move to sit in the chair next to hers and put my hand on her shoulders. She might drive me crazy, but she’s the mother of my child, and she’s clearly hurting.
‘What’s going on, Jess? You can talk to me,’ I ask softly as she wipes away her tears and takes a few shaky breaths, then turns to face me and leans in.
It takes me a second to realize her lips are on mine, but when I do, I jump back to standing, knocking over the chair in the process.
‘What the fuck, Jessie?’ I stare at her, confused, and she stands, stepping in front of me.
‘I want us to try, Doug, try to be a family for Bowie.’ She reaches out for my waist, and I grab her wrists, holding them gently, stopping her from touching me.
‘No,’ I shake my head, ‘that can’t happen.’
‘I love you.’ She tries to step forward, and I step back. ‘Remember the spark we had, Doug. It could be like that always.’
I release her and put some space between us. There was a spark, of course there was, we were horny kids, but even if we didn’t have so much anger and resentment between us, I know now what it feels like when it’s real. I know what I want.
‘I don’t want that, Jessie,’ I say firmly. ‘You don’t love me. I don’t love you.’
‘Because of her .’ She spits venomously, ah, there’s the serpent we know and love. ‘You think I don’t know that you’re fuckin’ that stupid, plain ass Reynolds bitch.’
I glare at her, ready to blow, just barely holding it together.
‘Oh, you look real mad, Doug. You think I’m going to let this happen? I warned you.’ Her voice shakes with rage, but more tears gather in her eyes, and I know now it’s all words. The sting in her tail is just for show.
‘I’m not fuckin’ her, Jess.’
‘Bullshit. I went up there last week and heard her screaming your goddam name,’ she screams, unhinged, ‘you don’t want people to know, shut the fuckin’ windows.’
Okay, rookie mistake, but I square my shoulders and try not to show a reaction.
‘I said I’m not fuckin’ her. I meant I’m not just fuckin’ her,’ I step closer to her, and she clenches her jaw, her nostrils flaring with rage. ‘Because it’s more than that. What I have with Cara is everything I never imagined I’d be lucky enough to find. I’m going to marry her one day.’
And, oh shit, if I thought she was mad before, she completely loses it. Jessie screams and hits out at my chest. I hold her back as much as I can, leaning my head back to avoid the hits there and taking them to the torso.
‘Quit it, Jessie.’ I squeeze her arms a little tighter. ‘Jessie, fucking stop.’
‘You don’t know who she really is,’ she shrieks, ‘you have no idea. You can’t do this to me.’
‘Jessie, stop. Now.’ My voice is firm and commanding, and she looks up at me, tears rolling down her cheeks as her body shakes with emotion. ‘You need to stop. You and me ain’t happening. I’m with Cara, and I’m not listening to your threats anymore. I’m going to get Bowie. You’re in no fit state to be taking care of her tonight.’ I turn away, and she doesn’t move, doesn’t argue, and I know it’s time. ‘I want custody of Bowie, Jess. And you know that’s the right thing for all of us. I don’t want to fight you on this, but I will.’
‘Doug,’ her voice is weak and tired, and I meet her gaze. ‘You choose. You can have your precious Cara, or you can have Bowie. Over my dead body will you get to have both.’
I shake my head, then head for the door and leave.
Cara’s quiet. Since the secret is out, I figured she should be in on the family discussion, so I invited her to the house for dinner, and now that Bowie and Harley are tucked up and snoring, I’ve told my family everything that happened with Jessie.
‘She’s deranged,’ Zoe says, a look of disbelief on her face. ‘I knew she was, but this is next level.’
I’ve never seen Jessie that way before. It was like she was possessed. She couldn’t decide if she was hurt or angry, and it all burst out of her at once.
‘What did she mean when she said, ‘you don’t know who she is’?’ Bree asks a little suspiciously, and I glare at her. I fucking know she is not questioning Cara right now.
‘I have no idea. She wasn’t making any sense.’
Mama and Merv join us at the table, putting down a fresh round of drinks, but nobody reaches for one.
‘The girl never had the right upbringing,’ Merv says softly. ‘Nobody showed her how to act or how to treat people.’
I appreciate his standpoint. He’s right. Jessie basically raised herself. Nobody ever took the time to tell her right from wrong. If anything, wrong was encouraged.
‘So, now she knows everything.’ Mama says, placing her hand on top of mine on the table, and I nod. ‘Cara, honey. You okay?’
As though my mom’s voice wakes her up, Cara blinks herself back into the conversation.
‘Yeah,’ she swallows hard, and I push my chair back to stand, holding out a hand for hers. She stares up at me for a moment before taking it and letting me lead her out to the porch.
‘Baby, what’s wrong?’
I sit in one of the chairs and guide her to sit on my lap. Her body softens and curls into mine.
‘I feel like I’ve ruined everything for you.’ Her voice is weak, sad. ‘That threat, Doug.’ She shakes her head. ‘Maybe we should cool off until you get custody.’
‘No fuckin’ way.’ I’m not giving her up.
‘Doug, you heard Zoe. She’s unhinged. I don’t want to be the reason she goes off the deep end. I shouldn’t have let her drive away with Bowie in the state she was in. I can’t…’
‘No, Cara. This is not on you. Not in any way. Bowie isn’t going anywhere. I’m calling my lawyer tomorrow morning.’
‘Let me help you, okay?’ she says, lacing her fingers with mine. ‘Whatever you need. Whatever it costs, just let me help you get Bo.’
I nod, yes. This time I’m not too proud to accept that I need all the help I can get.
‘You want to stay here tonight?’ I ask, pushing my luck, and she smiles.
‘Absolutely not.’ She leans in to kiss me. ‘When the dust settles on all this, and we’ve spoken to Bowie, maybe. Tonight, no.’ She stands and pulls me up to join her. I wrap her up, pressing my lips to the top of her head, then we head inside so she can say goodnight to my family. I hate the idea of her alone tonight and must have reminded her twenty times to lock the doors and text me when she was safely tucked up in bed. I could go up and stay with her. I know Mama wouldn’t mind being on grandma duty, but I can’t leave my baby tonight. I need to be close to her. I hate it, though. I don’t think Jessie will do anything as crazy as trying to hurt Cara, but who knows what she’s capable of?
The vibration on my nightstand startles me as I wake to my cell ringing, lighting up the dark room. Cara.
‘Baby, you ok…’
‘There’s someone in the house,’ she whispers, but I can hear the way her voice shakes.
‘What?’ I sit up, jumping out of bed and putting the phone on speaker so I can pull on some clothes.
‘There was a smash, and I can hear them down there.’
‘Lock your bedroom door, then go into your bathroom and lock that door too. Take your phone. Do not open either door until I tell you to. I’m on my way.’
The rational part of my brain is telling me this must be Jessie. The rest of it is telling me it could be anyone, someone who wants to and is capable of hurting the woman I… No, I can’t let it happen. I grab my keys and shove my feet into my sneakers, rushing for my bike and hauling ass to get to her.
Rushing up the porch steps, I see the door wide open. The kitchen light is on, and a lamp is lit in the living room, where the window is smashed, and Cara’s belongings are thrown all over the room. Her sofa is slashed, and there are feathers from the cushions everywhere. It’s trashed.
I sweep downstairs. There’s no sign of anybody, so I head upstairs. I check that Cara’s bedroom is still locked, then check the other rooms. There’s nobody up here, and it doesn’t appear they came up at all. Everything is as it was.
I pull my cell out of my pocket.
‘Doug,’ she breathes my name, relief at my call pouring out of her.
‘I’m here, baby. You can come out.’
I hear the distant click of the bathroom lock, then the bedroom door, before she steps out onto the landing and rushes into my arms.
‘I felt so useless.’ She huffs, annoyed, and I laugh. I can’t help it.
‘What do you mean, useless?’
‘I’m not some wee damsel. I should have gone and confronted them, but I knew you’d tell me off if I did.’
‘You’re damn right, I would.’ I press my lips to her head. ‘They’re gone now, but it’s a mess downstairs.’
‘Do you think…’
‘I don’t know, but it’s pretty spectacular timing if it wasn’t her. I’m going to call Bree. You want to get dressed before she gets here?’
She nods and heads back into her room, and I call the Chief.
‘We’re going to need to talk to Jessie,’ Bree says as she stands with us in Cara’s kitchen. ‘The threats she made yesterday, and then this—pretty big coincidence. Is anything missing?’
‘I don’t know.’ Cara sighs, leaning back against me on her stool. ‘I’m not used to where everything is yet, so I can’t spot if something is out of place. Does that make sense?’
Bree nods, yes. Cara barely got to live here, and now this.
‘Okay, honey, leave it with me. We’ll be out of here soon, and you can get cleaned up and secured.’ She glances up at me, knowing I’ll be the one securing the window and changing the locks. Bree turns and walks into the living room, where Deputy Jenna is making herself busy.
I reach down and spin Cara’s stool so that she’s facing me.
‘You okay?’
She nods and gifts me a little half-smile. ‘If this was Jessie, I don’t want her to get into any trouble.’
What? My wide-eyed expression must give my confusion away.
‘She’s hurt, Doug. She’s just realized she’s finally going to have to let you go, and she’s probably going to lose Bo. I know it will help your case if she’s charged with this, but I don’t know. I mean, I don’t know her, but it feels like she’s just lashing out, maybe even a cry for help.’
Huh. I don’t know about that.
‘Why would you be nice to her after this?’
‘She’s Bowie’s mum.’
And just like that, my perspective gets a little clearer. Cara is going to be in Bowie’s life. She knows it as much as I do, so Jessie is going to be a part of hers.