Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
G retchen stepped off the ladder and spun around, surveying her work.
The barn had been transformed into a winter wonderland of twinkle lights, white tulle, and red ribbon.
She finished sprinkling fake snow on the large pine tree Theo and Sam had bought at a local nursery.
The tree would be planted on the farm following the big event.
The town’s annual Christmas party was going to be held at the event barn tomorrow night. Ordinarily, the festivities happened in Gracemont’s community center—same as the Harvest Dance—but a leaky roof required the place be closed for repairs.
When Edith told her the ladies auxiliary was afraid it would have to cancel, Gretchen suggested they hold the social at the barn.
Edith and her fellow party planners had jumped at the chance, and Nora and Theo had been thrilled by the opportunity to show off the barn to so many community members.
With any luck, this event would go off without a hitch and increase the number of future rentals.
It was a win-win for both the ladies auxiliary and the farm’s new business venture.
Gretchen had spent the better part of the day working with the ladies to decorate for the party, all of the other women leaving over an hour ago.
Gretchen had hung around wanting to put a few more finishing touches on everything, determined to show the space off in the best possible light.
That was when she’d decided the pine tree needed more snow.
She was probably being overly critical, but she really wanted the party to be a success.
This felt like her first true test as event coordinator.
Sure, she’d helped host Sam’s election celebration, and she’d made some tweaks and changes to Octoberfest. But this was the first major event to be held at the barn, and she wanted to prove to Nora, Theo, and the entire Storm family that their faith in her abilities wasn’t misplaced.
Christmas was five days away and for the first time in too many years, Gretchen was looking forward to it because she had places to go and good, kind, wonderful people to celebrate with.
The Storms had invited her to join them for Christmas Eve as they went caroling along Main Street. Apparently, as tradition dictated, they always ended their holiday singing at Edith’s house, where she invited them in for hot chocolate and fresh-baked cookies, warm from the oven.
Then Theo planned to spend the night with her at Edith’s, so that they could open gifts together—along with Manny—early on Christmas morning.
Edith had changed the menu for her Christmas breakfast at least half a dozen times already, excited that Theo and Gretchen had chosen to spend the morning with her and Manny, whose idea of gift giving—according to Edith—was gift cards. Just gift cards.
Gretchen was determined that the dear woman would have real presents to open this year.
She’d bought, wrapped, and hidden half a dozen gifts for Edith in her room, including a pretty cardigan, a couple of new books for their “book club,” some perfume, a box of her favorite chocolates, and a new muffin pan, as hers had definitely seen better days.
After the gift exchange and breakfast, the four of them were spending Christmas Day with the Storms, joining them for a midday feast and then games.
Shaw had also been invited, but he couldn’t take leave again so soon after Thanksgiving.
The two of them had made plans to FaceTime at some point during the day, and she’d already mailed his gift so that he would have it to open while they chatted.
His gift to her had arrived the day before yesterday, and she felt a bit like a kid, so tempted to peek to see what he got her.
To be honest, this was already the best Christmas she’d ever had, and it hadn’t even happened yet!
She plugged in the lights on the tree, humming “Here Comes Santa Claus.” She turned when she heard a side door open, expecting to find Theo, who’d already reassured her countless times today that the place looked great.
She frowned when she found Briggs there, instead.
Destiny said he’d let himself go, but she thought the other woman might have underplayed the situation.
Gone was the uniform Briggs liked to strut around in, walking around Harrisburg like he was freaking Superman, his cape flying.
In its place was a ripped pair of jeans, a dirty T-shirt, and a faded zip-up hoodie.
His hair was longer than she’d ever seen it—greasy and shaggy—and it looked as if he hadn’t shaved since the last time she saw him.
“What are you doing here?” She slowly reached behind her, praying her phone was in her back pocket. She sighed, her eyes sliding to one of the tables they’d set up by the wall for the refreshments. Sure enough, her cell was there, much closer to Briggs than her.
“No. That’s my question,” Briggs barked. “What the fuck are you doing here, Gretchen?”
She looked around the barn. “Decorating.”
He scowled. “No, you stupid bitch. What are you doing here ? In this fucking town? With that fucking guy?”
“Briggs, I?—”
“You promised you’d never leave me!” he shouted, cutting her off, and it occurred to her that he wasn’t too steady on his feet.
Taking a closer look at his face, she realized his eyes were bloodshot and framed by dark circles.
“You promised ,” he repeated.
She had made that vow…right after he dragged her away from the bus station. She’d been lying on the floor at the time, crying, ready to say anything if he would stop kicking her with those boots of his.
Gretchen forced herself to take several deep breaths, because giving in to the panic skirting around the edges of her consciousness wouldn’t help her get out of this barn unscathed. She had to keep her wits about her, find a way to talk Briggs down.
Internally, she scoffed. She’d never once talked her way out of a beating, not when he was angry. And right now, he was miles beyond any fury she’d ever seen from him.
“I did make that promise,” she admitted. “But, Briggs?—”
“No!” He slammed his fist down on one of the tables closest to the door, knocking over the centerpiece. He was moving closer. “No buts. You made a fucking promise to me, Gretchen, and you broke it.”
Gretchen shifted, slowly, positioning herself behind a different table. There was twenty-five feet and three round tables between them. If she could cat and mouse her way across the room, she might be able to make it to her phone or even the door.
The fact Briggs was out of his mind with anger—and possibly drunk—worked in her favor because he was too distracted to realize she was moving.
“I lost my job,” he said, his voice gruff but quieter. “They fired me for illegally obtaining phone records. They fired me because I was looking for you.”
“I’m sorry,” she lied, simply to try to calm him down.
Because she wasn’t a bit sorry he lost his job.
He’d abused his position with the force, used it to get close to a young, lonely girl.
One of the things she’d worried about since leaving was that he would use that uniform to prey on some other unsuspecting woman.
Briggs stumbled slightly, even though he was standing still. How drunk was he? “You have to come home. Nothing’s right without you there.”
Hell would freeze over first.
“Do you hear me?!” he yelled, when she didn’t respond.
“I hear you.”
“So you’re coming,” he said confidently, like he’d actually convinced her.
“No. I’m not.”
Briggs picked up one of the new folding chairs and flung it across the room. It crashed into another table, knocking the tablecloth and festive centerpiece off, the potted poinsettia crashing, broken petals and dirt littering the floor.
He looked at the damage he’d wrought with a malevolent grin, as if destroying her work pleased him. Pleased him enough that he kept going, overturning tables and chairs like he was some sort of rampaging Incredible Hulk.
While he was focused on destruction, she moved, rushing toward the exit.
She managed to grab her phone on the way by.
Juggling it, her hands trembled as she tried to open it and hold it up to her face, while still running for the door.
She managed to hit the emergency button just as Briggs’s hand gripped her upper arm, flinging her around.
He grabbed the phone and slammed it down on the floor. She heard it crack. “Who are you calling?” he screamed in her face. “Him?!”
Gretchen tried to pry his fingers off her arm, thinking she would have been smarter to ask Theo for self-defense classes rather than driving lessons.
Had the call connected? Was her phone destroyed, or was someone on the other end, listening?
“Let go, Briggs,” she said, as calmly as she could muster. “Let go and I’ll leave here with you.”
She couldn’t remain in this barn with him, not when he was holding on to her so tightly. Staying here, trying to resist him, would only end with him beating her. Right now, her best shot was to get outside, where she could hopefully outrun him.
Oh, and scream her fucking lungs out while praying someone was close enough to hear.
He didn’t release her arm. Instead, he tightened his grip painfully. “I was the only one who ever loved you, Gretchen. The only one. I took care of you, gave you a home, bought you food and clothes, found you a job. I was the only one! Everyone else left.”
Shaw didn’t leave, but she wasn’t about to say that aloud. She needed to get out of here. He was standing too close, holding her too tightly.
“I know, Briggs,” she said softly, desperate to get outside. Every part of her body was tense, remembering this all too well. She tried to brace herself, to mentally prepare for the punches, the slaps, the kicks.
As if those were things a person could prepare for.