Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
ERIKA
“Thanks, Drew. You’ve been a huge help to get all the stuff in the house.” I put the last box on top of the pile just inside the kitchen. I heard Vinny’s shower kick on upstairs.
Drew shifted his weight from foot to foot, eyes dropping to the ground. “So, now that you’re staying, maybe you and I could, um…” He cleared his throat. “Maybe we could go out? Like, actually go out on a date?”
“For real?” The words tumbled out before I could catch them. I took a step toward him, and he instantly retreated like I was holding a lit match. His shoulders curled inward, bracing for impact. “Why would you want that with me?”
He opened his mouth like he was about to speak, then shut it with a frustrated exhale.
I huffed a bitter laugh. “You were my plus-one to prom because I was a mess. I’d just dumped Josh, and I thought I could, I don’t know, feel something again.
I practically threw myself at you in the parking lot, and you looked like you were about to piss your pants when I tried to kiss you.
” My throat tightened. “It was humiliating. For both of us.”
“You were so pretty and…” He swallowed hard. “I freaked out over what Josh would do to me if I kissed you. That was a long time ago.”
“Are you sure you want to go out with me?”
“I always thought you were the smartest and prettiest thing in the state.”
“That’s sweet of you. Thanks. Isn’t there a girl you’re into around here that might be more suited to you?”
“Eh.” He shrugged.
“There is someone.” I rocked my head, evaluating him. “Let me guess. She’s into Josh.”
“That’s a problem.” He cast me a weird, furtive look.
“Who is it?”
“Just a girl.”
“Do you need me to push Josh out of the way for you so you can make your play?” I fiddled with the edge of a half-open box. I’d do it for Drew. “Have you talked to her about it?”
He had his baseball cap off and crushed it in his hands. He stared at the floor. “Not really.”
I asked gently, “Did you ever ask her out or did you march into her place of work straight off the farm and start doing that thing you’re doing right now with your hat?”
He stopped messing with his hat. “I think you and I should go out.”
“I don’t know.” I wondered if that weird look from him was because the someone he liked was me. “I just got out of a not-so-great relationship. I’m not looking to jump into something else.”
“If you went out with me, Josh would know for sure you’re not available. Then he’ll stop being crazy. It might make work go better for you since you’ve decided to stay at his clinic.”
“It’s our clinic, not his. What do you mean by crazy?”
“If you date me, he might leave you alone. At least he should settle out. He’ll focus on moving past you. I’ve known him forever. He may have let you go back in school, but he didn’t want to. He needs to see that you’ve moved on for him to accept it’s over.”
“What do you mean by he didn’t want to let me go back then? He kissed Milly at school. It sure looked like he meant it. Are you saying he did it on purpose to break us up?”
“Did I say he didn’t want to do it? I meant, he was a two-timing asshole.” Drew’s insecurity, like he’d messed up, put me on red alert.
I stepped into his personal space, not intimidated by him towering over me. Drew was a big guy, a few inches taller that Josh. But he was a teddy bear. “Tell me exactly what you know. Why did Josh kiss Milly in high school?”
He held up his hands. “I don’t know much.”
I took another step forward and poked him in the chest. “Tell. Me.”
He stepped backward. “It seemed weird to me. Sure, she was always angling to get him to notice her, but he never had before. In fact, he disliked her since middle school because she was always so mean to you. Then suddenly out of the blue he kissed her in public where you would be sure to find them?” He held up both hands palms up. “Seemed suspicious.”
Josh forced me to break up with him? I couldn’t wrap my head around the reason he’d have done that.
I acted as if I was about to poke him again, but Drew avoided me and backed up a step. I asked, “What else?”
Drew spurted out, “I think he regretted it all and would’ve apologized to you, but then you went and stole his clothes that day. After that, it was game on for him.”
“For the record, I never stole his clothes. He ran outside in his underwear to yell at me. Then he got locked out. I did accidentally steal his keys. I was giving them back. Why would he force me to break up with him the day before prom?”
“Assholish move. I’m not arguing that. I’ll always be your plus-one when you need it. I was proud to have you on my arm that night. It’d be in your best interest for him to accept you’ve moved on.”
“Why is it best he thinks I’ve moved on?” I didn’t understand this. “I did move on. It was over. It is still over.”
“Is it? He went apeshit after you had your argument at the reception. He was all worked up. I don’t want a repeat of him busting into my place when I’m not dressed to yell at me about how my house smells and that I have no right to want to date you.”
“For real? He did that?” My chest squeezed so hard I had to do a little choke cough to get air moving. How had he been that jealous? “So, you only want to go out with me because you want Josh to stop pestering you.”
“Yeah—No. No!” He shook his head. “I want to go out for real. Side bonus would be getting him to stop bothering me.” His face broke into a smile so wide it showed all his teeth. “You’re going to say yes. I don’t even care if it’s because it’d make Josh nuts.”
“How would you know we argued after the funeral?”
“Everyone heard it. He stormed to my trailer that night all hyped up to fight. I almost shot him, but Dante stopped me.”
“You sure that was because of me?” My face felt uncomfortably hot.
“I haven’t seen him lose his shit like that since high school.
Back then every time he lost his mind it had something to do with you.
Like how he beat the crap out of me after our baseball game, that championship he showed up to naked.
I thought it’d been about me missing the catch that would’ve won us the game, but it turned out to be about me giving you that peck on the lips after prom. ”
“He did that in high school?” This was a whole unknown side of Josh. “Why would he have a hissy fit about this back then and now?”
“All I’m saying is he’s been running hot since you came back. Around you, he hits redline faster than a teenager in a borrowed sports car.”
“Then if I follow your logic, you and me dating would make him run hotter, not simmer down.”
“If there’s one thing I know about you, Erika, it’s that you’ll make it crystal clear who you’re dating. Which will be me.” A slow, self-satisfied grin spread across his face. “I’ll be the luckiest son of a bitch in the county to have you on my arm—and he’ll know it.”
My brain short-circuited under the weight of Drew’s spectacularly bad-good idea.
He sounded like he genuinely wanted to date me, which was alarming enough, but there was also a distinct poke-the-bear vibe.
This wasn’t about calming Josh down. This was about lighting him up and watching the sparks fly.
“I work with him,” I said. “I really don’t need to make him angrier than strictly necessary.”
“It’ll work. And if it doesn’t, you’ll still give us a shot. We could have something real.” He paused, then added, like it sealed the deal, “Spring festival’s next week.”
He lifted a hand in a casual wave and disappeared before I could form a coherent objection.
* * *
An hour later I determined it time to sort through all the bills and mail on the kitchen table. My phoned dinged with three texts, all from Jay.
Jay: I’m sorry. We’ll see you on Friday. Right?
Jay: I found your hairbrush in my bag. Must’ve accidentally packed it up. Let’s talk when you come get it.
Jay: Thinking about you tonight.
The two wink emojis after that grossed me out. I blocked him.
In the middle of the pile of bills was a letter addressed to me from Dad. No stamp. There was a sticky on it that said: Send one week before birthday.
My birthday was in two months.
My fingers shook as I broke the seal. Three pieces of paper fell out of the envelope.
My heart raced so hard it hurt my ribs. These were his last words to me.
Dear Erika,
Happy Birthday. This is a big one, not in numbers, but you’re about to be done with schooling. I couldn’t be prouder of all you have accomplished.
Long ago you drew me an idea to expand the practice. You showed me the plot of land that was ten minutes out of town but closer to the interstate and put us within driving distance of several towns. I wasn’t ready then, but I bought the land a few years back. Now I’m giving it to you.
I wasn’t there for you after your mother passed. I drifted, and I let you handle more than you should have. I’m not proud of that. But I’m asking you to stop running. Come home.
Maybe you see Vision as small compared to your big cities. But dreams don’t have to be small just because a town is. Whether you admit it or not, you left a piece of your heart here. You need to come back for it before it’s gone forever.
Let’s build this dream you once had.
Love, Dad
The second sheet was the deed to the property.
It was an old farm that hadn’t been utilized in twenty years.
I’d analyzed the location for weeks when I was twelve before determining it was perfectly situated for a practice that could feed many neighboring towns in addition to Vision.
The third piece of paper was the drawing I’d made in middle school when I’d plotted out a larger clinic, one with a hospital for the large animals and pastures for horses or whatever needed recovery outside.
And a small animal clinic in a separate building.
I pushed the chair away from the table with my foot and sagged down in it.
I’d have to figure out how this land fit into my life now. I could sell it to pay off Josh, but then what would I do? Maybe, just maybe, I could start my own emergency clinic. Here.
The shuffle of feet coming downstairs broke the silence. Vinny stood in the doorway.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Can I sleep in the big bed with you?”
“Is there something wrong with your bed?” The words came out practical when what I felt was uncertainty. We still barely knew each other. His request landed heavier than I expected.
“Bad dream,” he said.
We stared, measuring each other in the quiet.
“Please?” he added, voice wobbling. “Mom used to let me when I’d have the dream about the rabbit with a balloon chasing me.”
My chest tightened at that. “Okay,” I said gently. “I’ll be there soon. Let me brush my teeth and change first. I was about to go to sleep anyway.”
He ran into the master bedroom. I grabbed some clothes to change in the bathroom while he settled onto the far side of the bed. Once changed, I sat on the edge of the bed opposite him. “How big was this rabbit?”
“Like the size of Coach Drew.” He didn’t roll over to face me.
“That’s a damned big rabbit,” I muttered.
He let out a small giggle.
“I’d be terrified if that showed up in my dreams too.” I knew only too well that bad dreams were rooted in stress. “Is there someone at school that’s like the big rabbit?”
He swallowed so hard I heard it. “There’s a kid who sort of looks like a rabbit.”
“Is he mean to you?” I worked hard to keep my tone even.
“Sometimes. Mostly he gets the other kids to leave me out. Sometimes he steals from my lunch. Once he copied my test and threatened me if I told.”
Bullying. I’d never had much patience for it. “How long has this been going on?”
“A while.”
That set my teeth on edge. “How often does he take your stuff?”
“Sometimes.”
“Tell him no.”
“He might hurt me.”
“Then make him swing first. If he does, you punch him in the nuts.”
He looked at me, eyes wide. “You won’t get mad?”
“I’m your sister, not your mom. Don’t start the fight. When he starts it, you finish it. You might get in trouble, but I’ll be proud of you. I guarantee he won’t pick on you again.”
“I’d get sent to the principal. She’s mean about fights.”
“They’ll call me. I’ll come get you.”
He rolled over and launched himself at me, arms tight around my neck, and finally broke down crying.
I hugged him back. “I got you, Vin. I swear.”
He hugged me tighter. I resisted trying to loosen his arms. He needed this.
I didn’t let go. “I know you’re missing your mom. I’m sorry she’s not here.”
“Are you going to leave me? Put me up for adoption?”
“No.” I smoothed his hair. “We agreed we’re Team Chomping now. That means I got your back and you got mine. I won’t lie and say things will be easy. It’s going to be tough, but we’ll figure it out.”
A while later he settled down in bed and said softly, “These don’t smell like mom and dad anymore.”
“I washed them before we left.” I fluffed my pillow, the one I’d brought from up north.
“Can we go visit Mom and Dad on the highway where they left for heaven?”
“Sure,” I said hoarsely. “How about after school tomorrow?” I swiped a tear away.
“Do you love Coach Hurst? Josh?” Vinny asked.
I sucked in a breath. “Love is a strong word.”
“You make him different. It’s good different. I mean he’s happy and sad and mad all at the same time. It’s different.” He was quiet for a moment. “He was fun and funny at practice. He isn’t funny very often. Mostly, he’s serious.”
“Loving a person and being able to live or be with them are entirely different things.”
“Okay.” He got quiet for a little bit. “You came back here for him, didn’t you?”
“I came back because this is where both of us need to be right now. Time to sleep, Vinny.”