Chapter 23 Piling On Me
PILING ON ME
“Iwas surprised to get your call last night to meet for breakfast.”
“I know, Mom. We haven’t really talked much. I miss you.”
Her mother reached her hand over and laid it on hers in the diner where they’d met. They’d both get to work with plenty of time. It didn’t take long to get served here.
“I miss you too. Is everything okay? It’s not like you to want to meet before work.”
“There is so much I need to tell you.”
Their breakfast was set in front of them. A mound of pancakes and a side of bacon.
She was starving.
What a workout she’d had last night.
Then she’d slept like the dead in Clay’s arms.
He found little amusement in her big spoon comment, but she didn’t care.
She was too happy at the progression of their relationship.
Before she could have an internal argument that it might not be a relationship in his eyes, exhaustion took over and she was out.
Getting up this morning alone in bed hadn’t surprised her.
She’d expected it.
But not finding him anywhere had frightened her.
When she heard the noises in the basement, she got worried, but saw the door open and slowly crept down.
There was Clay, shirtless, his back on a bench, pressing an enormous amount of weight on a bar up and down as if he was trying to push all the evil spirits away.
He turned his head, made eye contact with her without pausing, and she slipped back up and went to the hall bath to shower.
A nice cold shower was what she needed after that stimulating sight of his body in motion in the light.
“That doesn’t sound good. What’s going on?”
“So much I’m not sure where to start.”
“I’m getting concerned.”
It wasn’t what she wanted and had to play this off as best as she could. “I wasn’t truthful with everything concerning Fredrick and me and the breakup.”
Her mother’s eyebrows lifted. “How so? Please don’t tell me you cheated too.”
“Oh God no. I’d never do that. Just my reaction to what happened.”
“You were mad. Upset. Embarrassed. You told me that.”
“And I let those emotions take over.” She confessed everything she’d done to Fredrick’s possessions, from the glitter in the boxes, to the stitches in his pants, even deleting his video game creation.
“Meredith,” her mother said, shaking her head. Then the laughter came. “That was wrong. Funny, but wrong. I’m sure he didn’t appreciate it.”
“Then he should have kept his dick in his pants,” she hissed. The last thing she needed was anyone to overhear those words.
She’d even whispered what she’d done to his stuff.
“I couldn’t agree more. I’m actually proud you had the courage to do something, but not sure I would have advised all of that. Maybe stop at the glitter and the stitches. Changing the contacts in his phone was brilliant. His mother should know the type of man she raised.”
“Thanks, Mom. And no, he wasn’t happy about any of it. There were a lot of nasty texts and voicemails over the phone contact switch. The glitter went on for a while. He kept finding it places. It’s difficult to clean up.”
He always complained about that in the house; she was just proving him right.
You’d think he would have appreciated that she agreed with him.
“A little glitter is good for the soul.”
Meredith laughed. “I get that from you. But he didn’t find it that way. He got back into the apartment and rearranged my art supplies.”
“You’re particular about those things.”
“I am. I was annoyed and then had the locks changed. That was a few weeks after he’d moved out. Then when he found out about his video game, he took all the flowers out of my pots and dumped the dirt on the porch.”
“That’s a big mess. Did they die or were they ruined?”
“I think that was his plan, but I salvaged them with the help of Karl and cleaned it up.”
“Your neighbor?”
“Yeah. He’s been nice and helpful through this. Last month I came home after my interview with Clay and there was a dead fish in the wrapper opened on the porch covered in flies.”
Her mother sighed. “Now I’m more concerned.”
“I was angry. I had it out with Frederick. I asked him to call it a truce. I thought he did. He said he did. Things seemed fine.”
“But?”
“Someone scratched and put a dent in my car. I called him and he said no, it wasn’t him. I then discovered that people had their cars broken into at the apartment complex, so maybe that’s what happened.”
“Could be.”
She was eating and talking at the same time. She realized now she had a lot to say before they had to leave.
“Last weekend I got a nasty anonymous letter delivered to the house. I thought it was him based on something that was typed.”
She filled her mother in, and what Fredrick’s response was to it.
“So now his ex is mad at you?” her mother asked.
“Sounds it. He started the chain of events and it’s all piling on me.”
“I don’t know why you stayed with him as long as you had.”
“Because I was so desperate to find my person I turned a blind eye to what was happening. That he was trying so hard to be this perfect guy and that was all a smoke show so that I didn’t see what he was truly like.”
“I’m so glad to hear you say that. You’ve always wanted this happy ever after for yourself that you put up with more than you should.”
The same could be said about Clay.
Anyone would say she was handing out more than he was.
But when he wanted to be nice. When he wanted to show another side to him, he did it.
Maybe he wasn’t happy about it, but it was there.
Tender, gentle moments that escaped without thought.
Those were the best ones.
The right ones at the right times.
That was where the hope was.
“I know. It’s not done though. Yesterday I came home from school and my front window was broken.”
She gave the rest of the story there, from Clay coming to help, Ford and the deputy.
“Meredith. This is crazy. Was it Fredrick or Lana? You need to get some kind of protection in place against them.”
“It wasn’t Fredrick. He said he was at work and could prove it. The police are checking. But when I called, he threatened me with harassment, said I won’t leave him alone now.”
“Don’t listen to that nonsense. Let the police do their job and protect yourself. Did you stay in your house alone last night? I’m so mad. You should have called us and come home.”
And this was the next part. The harder part.
“I stayed with Clay at his house.”
“Clay? Your boss? The one who boarded up the window. Which just registered in my mind you’d said that.”
“That’s him.”
“Are you dating?”
“I’m not sure,” she said, frowning and picking up a piece of bacon.
Surprisingly, the pancakes were all gone.
“What isn’t there to be sure about?”
“I know what I feel and want. I can only guess with him. It’s like pulling teeth. But he’s a great guy under the layers of confusion. He’s been super sweet in his way regarding all of this. He’s crazy protective of me.”
“Outstanding traits to have. I know he comes from a good family. He’s got that new business going now. Where was he for years before that?”
“In the Navy. He’s got some baggage.”
Her mother sighed. “It seems every guy you end up with has that.”
“That’s right. I’ve got it too. Don’t judge.”
“Do you know anything about it?”
“Not a thing. I’ll try to find out. I guess. I don’t know. I just wanted to keep you up to date. That is where we stand.”
“This is a lot for me to digest. Not as much as those pancakes you put away, but still a lot.”
Meredith laughed. “I know. But when don’t I have things like this going on in my life?”
“There is always something with you, but usually positive fun things, not this.”
“Yeah. Tell me about it.”
The check was brought over and she grabbed it and put cash on the table before her mother could.
“How do you feel about things?” her mother asked.
“Regarding what?”
“All the crazy events happening and then Clay. Both things?”
“The rock was the last straw to hit home last night. I’m trying not to be scared, but I am.” Even though she tried not to let Clay see it, she was positive he did.
“Where are you going to stay?”
“I’ll talk to Clay after work. I’d like to spend the weekend with him. My landlord can fix the window on Monday. I hope to go home then. If I can’t stay with Clay, can I stay with you and Dad?”
“Of course. You don’t need to even ask that. I almost want you to anyway, but you’re stubborn and will do what you want like you always do.”
“I need to figure this thing out. Lots of things.”
“Especially with Clay?”
“Yes,” she said.
Meredith had some momentum and there was no way she was slowing this progress. As well as she thought she knew him, he’d take advantage of stepping back if she gave him the space.
“Which tells me how you feel about Clay. Are you sure it’s not a rebound or a savior part?” She burst out laughing. “What’s so funny?”
“The savior part. I didn’t even tell you about those.” She filled her mother in on the first day tripping, then falling off the table, the cut on her foot.
“Meredith. Are you ever going to go a full day without something happening to you?”
“Probably not.”
“I remember he caught you from falling out of the tree house as a kid, right?”
“He did.”
“Have you been thinking of him for years?” her mother asked.
“Kind of. But not until recently. I mean, we moved and I didn’t see him. He went into the service. But when I saw him again over a month ago, it all slammed back.”
“He’s different from anyone else you’ve dated by the sounds of it.”
“Very. So I’m going in with no expectations.”
“You always have expectations.”
She sighed. “I do. Bad habit. But anyway, there you go. I’ll let you know what is going on later.”
“You do that,” her mother said. “And regardless, I want to meet this man again. Not the boy I remembered when you were a child, but the man who has put stars in your eyes.”
She smiled. “That might take some work, but I’ll try.”