Chapter 10 #2
“Margie? Not a chance. This isn’t even a speed bump in her book, trust me.” Gina was seething. She knew the woman would never leave her alone. Maybe when the kids were grown and gone she would, but until then, she’d hound them and make their lives miserable. “Maybe we should break things off.”
“What? Why?”
“Because you don’t need this shit in your life, dealing with her and all her craziness.”
“You listen to me, little girl.” His voice was all authority and heat.
“I will not give up this relationship because of her. That’s ridiculous.
She wants you to be as miserable as she is, and I’m not letting that happen, even if I have to take her on myself.
I can’t believe you’d give up on us so easily. ”
A heaviness swelled in Gina’s chest and it was hard to breathe.
“It’s just that you don’t deserve to get wrapped up in this mess.
I feel bad because you’re a nice guy, a great guy, and you’ve got a beautiful little girl, and this kind of low-class, no-good trouble shouldn’t be visited on you because you made the mistake of falling in love with the wrong woman. ”
“You are the right woman, Regina Pritchard. Don’t ever say that again. Do you want to break up with me? Is this your excuse?”
No, no, no! This isn’t going at all the way I need it to! she heard her mind scream. “No! I don’t! I’m just trying to spare you some grief, that’s all.”
“Then you let me worry about me and you both, okay? Because I love you and I’m not going anywhere unless you tell me you don’t want me anymore.”
She took a deep breath and sighed it out. “That’s not going to happen.”
“Then we’re in this thing together. She’s gone for now. Be glad and we’ll worry about tomorrow when it gets here, okay?”
She couldn’t stop the tears that had started to fall. “Okay. I’ll try.”
“Stop crying, baby. It’ll all be okay. Come out here tomorrow night. You won’t have to worry about her bothering us here.”
“Okay. I love you, Kyle.”
“I love you too, honey. It’s gonna be okay, I promise.”
“Thank you. Talk to you tomorrow.”
“You will. Goodnight, sweetheart.”
“Goodnight, my prince.”
The phone went dead and Gina clutched it to her chest. Kyle Miller was the best thing in her world. She couldn’t let Margie or anyone screw that up. And she’d already decided something.
It was too soon, but if and when Kyle asked her to marry him, she was going to say yes. Yes to happiness. Yes to love. Yes to a long, sweet, precious life together.
And fuck Margie Ivitts. She could go straight to hell.
The sun was miserable. Kyle turned the tractor dragging the big disc harrow and started on the next row. Eleven more acres and he could call it a day. All the bean fields would be disced and ready.
He was making his last two rows of the day when he looked up and saw the golf cart coming toward him.
There was no doubt who it was. Kenton had the thing made especially for him.
It looked like a tiny little Jeep headed toward the big tractor.
When he got near, he stopped. Kyle held up a finger and turned to do the last row.
As soon as it was finished, he shut down the tractor and climbed down to talk to his dad. He took a seat on the golf cart’s bench and asked, “What brings you out here?”
“That crazy ex-mother-in-law of Gina’s,” Kenton said, his face drawn.
“What about her?”
“She showed up over at the house.”
“Your house?” Kenton nodded. “What the hell was she doing there?”
“Wanted to ‘warn us’ about this ‘slut’ our son is dating.”
“And what did you tell her?” Kyle asked.
“I told her to mind her own damn business and get off my property. She wanted me to tell her how to get to you, and I told her to get lost. Said it would ‘save you.’ She’s nuts.”
Kyle rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Dad. I appreciate it. She’s a troublemaker.”
“Son, what do you know about this woman you’re dating?”
“I know she’s a wonderful person who’s raising two great kids alone and working full time for the farm store. And she loves Myla.”
Kenton nodded slowly. “Yeah, her kids are great. Very polite, very intelligent.”
“Yeah. They’re both really special to me.”
“If she comes back, what do you want me to do?” Kenton asked.
“Tell her if she comes back a third time, you’ll call the police and report her for harassment. She’s going to come after me eventually, but at least it likely won’t be today.”
“Not unless she followed me on this thing!” Kenton said with a laugh.
“Don’t put it past her. I think she would if she could.”
The older man’s hand landed on his son’s shoulder and he gave it a squeeze. “Okay, son. I’ve always trusted your judgment. You did good with Becky, and I think you’ve got a good match in this one. Your mom’s still kinda hurt about having that sprung on her, though.”
“I know, but can you imagine the third degree I would’ve gotten if she’d known?” Kyle asked, laughing.
Kenton snickered. “Oh, yeah. No rest for the wicked and all that. Sorry to stop your work.”
“Eh, I’d finished this field anyway. That’s all the bean fields disced.”
“Good job. I’m going back to the house. Your mama will have dinner ready and I won’t be anywhere around.”
“Yeah, I’ve gotta get cleaned up and get dinner ready for all of us. See you later, Dad,” Kyle said as he climbed out of the golf cart. “Give Mom a kiss for me,” he called out as his dad drove away.
He left the tractor and harrow sitting at the edge of the field and walked to his truck on the spur off the main gravel road through the farm. In minutes he was walking in the back door to the sounds of Constance talking to Myla. What would he do without his sister? “I’m home!”
“Then I’m going! Talk to you later.”
“Thanks, sis. Myla, are you finished with your homework?”
The little girl ran from her bedroom up the hallway and clutched Kyle around the thighs. “Yes, Daddy. Can we go to Miss Gina’s?”
“They’re coming out here, cookie, so make sure you’ve got everything done.”
“Okay! I’ll pick up my room.” With that, she disappeared down the hallway and into her bedroom.
Kyle headed to his own room, but not before he’d thought about Margie. No more unlocked doors at their house. He made sure the back door was locked, then locked the front one. “Myla?”
“Yes, Daddy?”
“If somebody comes to the door, don’t open it. Hear me?”
“Yes, Daddy. I promise, I won’t.”
“Good girl.” If she showed up there, she wouldn’t be able to just walk into his house. And there was little doubt in his mind that she’d eventually turn up there.
It was only a matter of time.
Two weeks went by and it was quiet. Kyle and Gina managed to slip in date nights here and there, and the kids were cooperative.
Briley actually seemed to like having Kyle accompany him to the ball games, and Kyle got a kick out of watching the high school players.
Kids played with heart, something sorely lacking in professional sports.
“What looks good to you?” he asked Gina as they sat in one of the ritziest restaurants in town. It was new, and if it weren’t for a friend of Kyle’s who helped with the construction of the building, they never would’ve gotten in for dinner that Saturday night.
“I’m looking at the steak cordon bleu and thinking that sounds good,” Gina replied, face buried in the menu. “What about you?”
“I like the looks of this porterhouse pork chop. I think I want to try that. I hear their twice-mashed potatoes are very good.”
“Don’t you mean twice baked?”
“No. It says twice mashed. I have no idea what that means, but everybody’s raving about them,” Kyle answered.
“Think I’ll try them too. And the creamed spinach.”
“Yuck!”
“Oh, it’s good! You can try some of mine,” she offered.
Kyle grinned and winked. “I want to try some of yours all right.”
Gina let out a little giggle. “Typical guy.”
“Have the two of you made your selections?” the server asked when he came back to the table.
“Yes, I think so. Looks like the lady will have the—”
“Well, fancy seeing the two of you here!” a voice called out, and Kyle felt a frisson of anger jet up his spine.
“Ignore her,” he growled under his breath to Gina, who’d turned pale. “The lady wants the steak cordon bleu, creamed spinach, and a twice-mashed potato. And I’ll have—”
“Aren’t you going to speak?” the bitch asked as she made her way to their table.
“No. We aren’t. Please go away. We’re in a very public place and we’d really rather not talk to you,” Kyle ordered.
“What about you, Gina? You don’t want to talk to me either?” Margie asked.
“Please go. We’re trying to have a nice time,” Gina answered. Kyle took a look at the server to find a very confused young man standing there, still holding his order pad.
“I’ll have the pork porterhouse, twice-mashed potato, and green beans. And please ask your manager to come and have this woman escorted away, at least from our table anyway,” Kyle asked, then watched the server scurry away.
“Oh, I’ll leave, but not until you agree to let me see my grandkids!” Margie screeched.
Gina shook her head. “Your grandchildren don’t want to see you. They want nothing to do with you or their biological father.”
“That’s just wrong. You’ve turned them against us!” Margie yelled, and all the other diners turned to stare. Kyle was torn. He wanted to crawl under the table, but he also wanted to punch the loudmouth right in the kisser. “He ain’t never done nothin’ to them kids!”
“He beat their mother in front of them. I’d say that’s something,” Gina barked back.
“May I ask if there’s a problem here?” a voice chimed in, and Kyle turned to find a man standing behind Margie. His name tag read Andrew and right under it, Manager.
“Yes. This woman won’t leave us alone. She’s been following us around, and now she’s ruining our dinner,” Kyle answered quickly.
“Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” the young man said plainly.
“It’s a free country. I can go wherever I please,” Margie informed him, but he shook his head.