Chapter 10 #2
When Theo had asked if he scared her on Halloween, she’d almost laughed, because he didn’t have a clue what it was like to be truly frightened. Him professing his affection for her didn’t even make a blip on her horror radar because…why would it?
She meant what she’d said to him about not trusting her instincts, but damn if she didn’t want to believe what they were telling her about the man.
Given her past, she was shocked by how easily she’d let herself be swept away by Theo Storm.
The cloak of self-preservation she’d worn like armor for most of her life had fallen off in Gracemont, simply because it was no longer necessary.
Everyone she’d met here had been nothing but genuine and kind and welcoming, so it made it simple for her to be herself without fear of repercussions or judgment or violence.
Gretchen grinned when a strong arm wrapped around her waist, Theo’s breath warm against the side of her face, the scent of hops and citrus reminding her of the beer they’d both drunk.
“Your party is a hit,” he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
Gretchen spotted his mom glancing their direction with a pleased grin.
She didn’t bother tugging away from him because the horse had already left the gate on Theo’s pursuit of her.
She discovered the day after Halloween that gossip was gold in a small town, and apparently the fact Theo had been seen kissing her on the dance floor was big news, the tidbit making the rounds quickly.
Too many of the older women in Gracemont, Edith included, wondering if there were two Storm weddings on the horizon.
Gretchen had quickly shut that idea down when Edith mentioned it, even though it amused her more than frightened her.
“This is our party,” she corrected him.
“I tossed a couple ideas at you, and you ran with them, putting in the hard work to make it successful. So your party,” Theo countered.
As always, he minimized his contributions, praising her efforts.
After too many years of constantly hearing only what she did wrong, his kind words never failed to lighten her spirits, make her soul sing.
“Looks like things are winding down,” she observed.
“With the patrons, yes. But something tells me my family is just getting started. My dad is so proud, he could pop. He ordered four more pitchers for the table, and I’ve come to drag you back to help us drink it. You’re too much fun to stand over here like a wallflower.”
Gretchen looked over where Mr. Storm—who insisted she call him Rex—was definitely doing his best to keep the party going. Not that it was much of a struggle, as Levi grabbed a pitcher and started topping up everyone’s glass. She grimaced when she watched him fill hers back to the brim.
She was a lightweight when it came to drinking, and she was already two pints deeper than she should be. It was a foregone conclusion that she’d be starting her morning with a headache. “I think this might be the night I’ll finally need to use Koda’s Uber services.”
Theo twisted her until she faced him, his hands on her waist. “Or you could stay here.”
“Here?” she asked.
“Spend the night with me.”
She narrowed her eyes. “How much have you had to drink?”
Theo chuckled. “Enough. Too soon?”
Gretchen nodded. “It’s way too soon,” she replied, even though her body rejected that assertion. “You and I sleeping together right now would be a bad idea.”
“Maybe so,” he conceded, “but it would be a good bad idea.”
“Theo,” she said, playfully smacking his chest, recalling Edith’s assertion that she should make a bad decision.
“Besides, all I heard in that rejection was right now , which means my future is looking bright.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
Theo shook his head. “Nope. Just stubborn and determined. But I promised we would take this at your speed, and I don’t break promises, so I won’t ask you to stay with me again…until tomorrow.”
Her heart fluttered.
Even though there was another promise he’d offered that had meant more to her. When he swore he would never hurt her, she tried to dismiss the comment as empty, pretty words, but she had played them over in her mind so much this week it drove home how much that vow meant to her.
And how much it would hurt if he broke it.
Theo had the power to hurt her way worse than Briggs.
Which meant there was now another reason why she needed this thing between them to go slower.
Probably slower than it was, but what could she say?
He was an awesome kisser, and there was a part of her that felt as if she’d inadvertently skipped over this young girl/first love thing when she was a teenager.
At eighteen, she’d moved in with a man twice her age, instantly thrust into a committed relationship without taking the time to flirt or date or make some of those bad decisions.
Gretchen crossed her arms. “Well, if we’re going to keep things rolling tonight, I need to grab my sweater from my office. It’s getting chilly.”
Fall was starting its march toward winter, and while it was still warm enough to sit outside, thicker clothing was required.
“I’ll walk with you,” Theo offered.
Gretchen playfully pushed him away with a hand on his face. “If you go with me, we’ll start making out in my office and we’ll never return to the party, and that bad idea of yours really will start to sound like a good one.”
“Then I’m definitely coming with you.”
She laughed and pointed to the large table and his family. “You are most definitely staying here.”
Theo gave her an adorable pout but didn’t fight her. “Hurry back, kitten.” He gave her a quick, hard kiss, one that ensured she would do just that, because she was becoming too accustomed to always being with him. More than that, she wanted to be near him.
The short walk from the brewery to the brewhouse was well-lit, and while she was anxious to return to the party, she didn’t rush, enjoying the smell of fall in the air as well as the peaceful sounds of evening. This was the first moment she’d had to herself all day, so she took advantage of it.
She’d just reached her office when her cellphone rang.
She pulled it out of her pocket, frowning when she saw Brenda’s name.
Her former boss had called three or four times, shortly after her escape from Harrisburg, to make sure she was okay, but it had been over a month since the last call.
While they’d grown closer during the last six months of Gretchen’s employment, it was probably a leap to call her and Brenda friends.
It was more that Brenda had stepped up when she’d needed her, offering her help to leave town, and after that, their common bond no longer existed.
“Brenda,” Gretchen said.
“He knows where you are.”
Gretchen staggered across the office to her chair, sinking down heavily. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Briggs obtained my phone records without a warrant, which is illegal as hell. Don’t think my lawyer mom isn’t salivating, ready to press charges for that.
Briggs asked my brother if I knew anyone in Gracemont, Virginia.
Douglas said he didn’t think so, then asked why Briggs wanted to know.
That’s when Briggs said he’d pulled my phone records.
He saw from the records that I’d called someone in Gracemont a few times and he knows the number belongs to a Tracfone, which sparked his suspicions. ”
“Oh,” Gretchen breathed.
“Douglas is finally starting to see the light about Briggs. Because in addition to invading my privacy, he’s acting obsessed and more than a little crazy. Briggs has gone off the deep end, Gretchen, and I’m worried about you.”
“Oh,” Gretchen said again, suddenly breathless, her chest too tight.
He knew where she was. She’d known this day was coming, known Briggs wouldn’t stop until he found her.
She thought she was ready for it, but given how quickly this panic attack was coming on, that was another lie she’d been telling herself.
“Okay,” she said because her brain had stopped functioning.
“I’m sorry, Gretchen,” Brenda said, distraught. “If there’s a bright side, I don’t think he knows your new name.”
Maybe not. But she hadn’t met a single other Gretchen in Gracemont yet. She should have moved to a hell of a lot bigger city, like New York or L.A.
“It’s okay,” she repeated, as if that would make it so. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”
Brenda continued apologizing, but Gretchen couldn’t focus on the words.
Briggs knew she was in Gracemont. With that information, how long would it take before he found Edith’s address? Gretchen pressed her fingers to her lips, feeling nauseous that she’d put the dear woman in harm’s way.
She needed to reach out to Edith. Now. Right away.
“I have to go, Brenda,” she said, interrupting the woman who was still quite upset.
“I need to…” Gretchen was light-headed, her mind whirling as she pictured Edith at home, Manny sleeping off the party in one of the other guest rooms, as his aunt insisted he wouldn’t drink enough water or take aspirin if she wasn’t there to look after him.
Disconnecting the call, she tried to figure out next steps, and she needed to do it quickly because her hands were already trembling violently, the edges of her vision going gray, her breathing too rapid and shallow.
She pulled up Edith’s name in her phone and sent a quick text, lying and saying that she was having a sleepover with Nora. She couldn’t go back to Edith’s in case Briggs showed up there.
If she hadn’t been out of her mind with terror, the quick thumbs-up and okay gestures Edith replied with might have made her laugh, because Gretchen had only recently taught her how to use emoticons as text responses.
Staying away from Edith’s only solved one problem.
Just as she wanted to ensure her beloved landlady was safe, she also didn’t want Briggs around the Storms. Originally, she feared him showing up here in case they believed Briggs’s lies about her mental health.
That was no longer as big a concern, because she didn’t think Theo or his family would fall for Briggs’s bullshit.
But after a lifetime of being hurt and disappointed by people who should have cared for her, she couldn’t shut down that teeny tiny insecure part of her that still worried they would.
She hadn’t protected her heart. She’d allowed herself to be swept away in this new magical, amazing, happy place, believing there was some sort of dome over Gracemont that would ward off all the bad shit and keep Briggs out.
She thought she’d been getting stronger, but now, when faced with the likelihood of Briggs’s arrival, she found herself reverting to that same terrified, weak woman.
Gretchen covered her mouth with her hand, bending over to reach for her trash can.
She gagged several times, the contents of her stomach threatening to come up.
The idea of facing him again made her physically ill, and a lifetime of insecurities broke free from where she’d buried them, too many voices screaming in her head.
Ivan cursing her out as the police put him in handcuffs, shoving him outside to the squad car after he’d hurt Shaw. “You worthless, stupid cunt!”
Gretchen closed her eyes.
Her mother shouting at her after Ivan’s arrest . “Having you was the biggest mistake of my life! You’ve been nothing but a disappointment. Why do you think your father left? It was because he couldn’t stand the sight of you!”
She covered her ears, wishing the hateful words would go away, but now that they’d escaped, they fell over her head like an avalanche.
When Briggs’s voice came next, she began to shake in earnest.
“I treat you like a fucking queen, and you’re too stupid to do a simple thing like wash my goddamn shirts! Do you know how fucking hard I work, how stressful my job is? Why can’t I come home and fucking relax? Why can’t you do what I say? Why do you make me hurt you like this?”
She hadn’t replied to that, hadn’t been able to, because his hands were wrapped too tightly around her throat, choking her and leaving behind the bruises Edith had seen upon her arrival.
Stupid.
Worthless.
Disappointment.
A mistake.
Her stomach clenched again, and this time, she did throw up. Coughing several times, she emptied her stomach as tears streamed down her cheeks.
When there was nothing left, she rubbed her chest, trying to ease the pain before she reached for her phone. Gretchen clicked on Theo’s name. It took her a long time to type out the short text message, her fingers shaking too violently to hit the right keys.
Migraine. Edith picked me up.
She hit send, then placed her phone on the desk, face down.
The immediate swish that followed told her Theo had replied, but she didn’t bother to read it. Instead, she closed the door to her office, turned off the lights, then sank down behind her desk.
Alone in the darkness, she curled into a ball and gave in to the panic.