Chapter 31 Chase
CHASE
“She’s here,” Luke shouts from his lookout point at the front window of the farmhouse.
I glance around the farmhouse’s kitchen and give him a thumbs-up. “I think we’re ready.”
Sure, the cupcakes we made are from a box mix and definitely not decorated to Molly McAllister standards, but we sampled one and they’re tasty. It’s the thought that counts, right?
“I’m almost finished with my card,” Laurel says from the table, her tongue sticking out at one corner in concentration.
I’d planned to work on the greenhouse the whole time Molly was at her appointment, but the twins are off school today thanks to some electrical issues in the building after the storm. When they suggested putting together an impromptu celebration for her boot removal, I couldn’t resist.
I managed to get most of the glass and wrecked pots cleaned up and a tarp over the shattered corner to protect it from the elements.
The weather forecast is clear for the next few days, with bright sun and blue skies expected to stretch wide over the foothills.
I’ve already ordered glass from the local hardware store that we can use to replace the panels.
After the chaos and emotion of last night, we need this. A moment to celebrate and the reminder that healing is possible, even when things still feel messy. Being with Molly and her kids has given me a taste of an emotion I have very little experience with—hope.
I haven’t told her about signing the contract with Linda yet or my plan for subdividing the property.
I wanted to make sure I had all the details worked out, and I have to believe she’ll share my vision for the future.
The real estate attorney I spoke with assured me that what I want to do is actually doable.
“I’m done.” Laurel hands me the bucket of markers and crayons and adds her card to the stack in the middle of the table.
I even made a ‘congratulations on giving the boot the boot’ card. My footwear drawing looks more like a wet noodle, but hey, once more on the thought counting.
“She’s coming up the stairs,” the kids whisper-shout, bouncing on their toes.
There’s a strange flutter in my chest, like nerves before a ride.
Something loosened in me last night. Maybe it was simple relief or the realization of just how much these three have come to mean to me.
The way they looked at me with trust instead of fear absolutely destroyed all the walls I’ve spent so long building.
The three of us crouch down behind the sofa as the door opens.
“Now,” I whisper, and they pop up, throwing the streamers I found in a bin in the laundry room into the air.
“Surprise!” we yell.
I’m grinning ear to ear as I stand, but my smile falters as I take in Molly’s expression. Something’s not right. I don’t know what it is, but something’s for sure not right.
“What’s this about?” she asks as Luke and Laurel run toward her.
“It’s a bye-bye-boot party, Mommy,” the boy tells her. “We made cupcakes.”
“You know I love cupcakes,” she says as she hugs them both. Her gaze snaps to mine, then quickly away. I don’t know what’s going on behind those green eyes, but my stomach knots. She’s pulling back. I can feel it like a door closing between us.
“Are you all better?” Laurel asks.
“One hundred percent,” she says, “but there’s no need for a party. We knew this was going to happen.”
“The cupcakes were Chase’s idea,” Laurel tells her mother.
“That’s very nice.” But she doesn’t look like she thinks it’s nice. She looks pissed as hell as color rises on her cheeks, and not the good kind.
“Congratulations,” I say as I move forward, then stop when she stiffens.
I feel like I did that day at the assisted living facility when my mother reacted so aggressively after mistaking me for my dad. Molly’s not screaming at me not to touch her, but the message is coming through loud and clear.
“Come on, Mommy.” Luke tugs her forward. “Let’s have cupcakes.”
“That sounds great.” But her voice is hollow.
“Hey, guys...” I make a show of glancing at my watch. “I forgot I told Ray I’d help him with something at his ranch this afternoon. Can I take my cupcake to go?”
“Does he have more kittens yet?” Luke asks.
“Not right now, but I’ll be sure to ask when the next litter of fosters is coming.”
The kids have moved away from Molly and into the kitchen to start loading their plates. I peeled some oranges and took out a couple of packages of string cheese, too, because protein balances the sugar. At least I think it does.
“What’s going on?”
“Thank you for your help, Chase.” Her gaze doesn’t quite meet mine. Something is very wrong, but how can I knock down the wall between us when I don’t know why it’s there? “You’ve more than paid off that debt you think you owe.”
“What is—?”
“I don’t need your help anymore.”
“Mommy, do you want one or two cupcakes?”
“Just one.”
She turns and opens the door, staring at a place just over my shoulder.
“Molly, talk to me.”
“What should we discuss?” She makes a little humming sound in the back of her throat and taps a finger against her chin. “How about me running into George from the insurance company. And him telling me you went under contract on the farm last week.”
My stomach drops like a rock off a sheer mountain face, plummeting with no way to stop and nothing to catch my fall.
“I can explain—”
“What’s under contract mean, Mommy?” Laurel licks a bit of icing off her finger as she glances between us. “Is Chase going to keep working here after you buy the farm from Nana?”
Molly crosses her arms tight across her chest as if she’s trying to hold herself together. “Now that I’m better, we’ll have to figure out our plans going forward.”
“We want to stay here,” the girl insists.
“Forever,” Luke adds.
“I know,” Molly whispers, her voice breaking.
“Let me explain,” I say again. I’m trying to stay calm, but the words come out rougher than I intend.
“We’ll talk later.” Her tone manages to be light and menacing at the same time. “Right now, you’ve got to get to Ray’s, and I’ve got a cupcake celebration to enjoy.”
“I want to keep taking riding lessons,” Luke says, “because I’m going to be a cowboy.”
Molly smiles at her son, but she’s blinking rapidly. Like she’s blinking away tears I caused. “We’ll work that out, too, sweetie,” she says. “Goodbye, Chase.”
The unspoken message—don’t let the door hit you in the ass—lands hard.
“You have to let me—”
She gives me a little shove forward then turns to her kids. “I’m going to walk Chase out to his truck real quick.”
I start to turn when the front door shuts behind her, but she points forward.
“Not so close to the house. I don’t them want to hear this.”
Despite the slight breeze cutting through my chambray shirt, my palms and pits are sweaty. “This isn’t what you think,” I say when we get to the bottom of the steps. “I’m not kicking you out.”
“You signed the contract without giving me a chance to talk to Linda first.”
I rub a hand over my jaw and look up at the cobalt blue sky, trying to figure out how the good deed I wanted to do went so bad. A few fluffy clouds drift over the mountain peaks, but it feels like we’re right back in a storm again.
“I saw Bryson in town last week. He said there’s a developer from the East Coast looking for available land in the area for a master planned community. They were going to approach Linda as soon as she got back with an offer bigger than anything you or I could make.”
Molly narrows her eyes. “Why would he tell you that?”
“He thinks keeping the land around Skylark locally owned is better for the town.” I shrug. “I’m the hometown boy people want to see win. I had Bryson contact Linda to expedite the sale.”
“You didn’t think to talk to me first?”
“You were so excited about the wedding reception, and I didn’t want you to feel discouraged before your big event.” I wince at how weak my reasoning sounds now. Fucking hindsight. “Then everything happened with my dad and the storm…”
I shake my head. “I talked to a real estate attorney about subdividing the property so you can buy the acreage you need. We’ll split the land, and you keep the house.
I’ll sell it to you for a fair price.” I offer her what I hope is a convincing smile.
“You kind of have an in with the owner, you know.”
Molly goes perfectly still, her lips pressing into a thin line. “Because I’m having sex with you.”
“What? No. That doesn’t have anything to do with—”
“You should have told me.”
“You said you might not have the money until the end of the season. I didn’t want you to worry about whether or not you’d be able to swing it or if Linda would wait. I was trying to take care of you.”
“Right. Like everybody in my life tries to take care of me. And make my decisions without me. Because nobody seems to think I can handle it.”
Her words land like a slap, and I visibly flinch. But I don’t know how to fix it. How do I make her see this came from love, even if I haven’t said those three words out loud?
“I didn’t do this to control anything. I did it because—”
“No.” She holds up a hand, and her voice cuts like broken glass. “I can’t talk to you right now. I’ll say something I’ll regret.”
“Molly—”
“Please leave.”
She’s looking at me like she doesn’t even recognize the man in front of her.
I need to make her see that I wanted to protect what we were building.
That I thought I was doing the right thing.
But the way she refuses to meet my eyes, holding herself closed off and still, tells me I’ve broken something that might not be fixable.
So I do the only thing I can. I walk away for now, hoping like hell I haven’t just ruined the best thing that’s ever happened to me.