Bait

by Mia Carson

  “Come and sit down! I can’t believe she admitted to it! How’d you get her to do that?”

  He sat down on the couch and I sat in the chair across from him so I was facing him. I hadn’t turned on any lights, but there was enough light coming from my bedroom for me to see his face.

  “Wits and trickery. I told her I wanted to get together for a drink. I met her at her place, and I let her think you and I were on the outs after that blowout with Steve. I suggested that maybe she and I could hook up, and she spilled it.”

  I leaned forward, placing my elbows on my knees. “For some reason I doubt it was that simple.”

  He grinned. “It wasn’t much more difficult than that. I made her think I liked a woman who was willing to play dirty to get what she wanted.”

  “And she told you about the drug?”

  “More or less.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means she’s denying it again, and she’s plenty pissed off at me, but yeah, she admitted it as part of her spiel about how she should have kicked your ass back in high school and taken me away from you.”

  “If she’d tried, I’d have stomped her ass into the ground.”

  He chuckled. “Don’t I know it. I asked her if she did it for Steve, but she said no. She did it to try to relax you, whatever that means.”

  I sighed. “I was so dammed bummed by you being gone. I’d been moping for a week. I guess she was trying to help me feel better. Maybe her heart was in the right place, but that doesn’t change the fact that she screwed me over good.”

  “I know.”

  “And she told you all this because she wanted to hook up with you?”

  “Yeah. I guess she thought it would impress me.”

  I could tell he was holding something back. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Levi? This is no time to lie to me. You didn’t fuck her, did you?”

  “What? No! In fact, I told her ‘I wasn’t putting my cock where I wouldn’t poke a stick.’ She didn’t like that at all.”

  I grinned, enjoying the thought of Levi verbally slapping Cat. “So what is it, then?”

  He sighed softly. “I implied that I’d wished I slept with her in high school.”

  “Did you?”

  “No!”

  That wasn’t nearly as bad as I was afraid it was going to be. “What else did you tell her?”

  He shrugged. “I called her a nasty bitch, but she took that as a compliment. I also told her if you and her were to fight, I thought she’d win. You know, egging her on.” He shrugged. “That’s it. Before you ask, yes, I know you’d mop the floor with her.”

  “You’re damn straight! So now what? Can we go to the police?”

  “No.”

  “No? Why not?”

  “Because she’ll just deny saying it again.”

  “Didn’t you record it or something?”

  “No. No reason to. She’d just disavow the recording. In fact, she’s already started claiming it was all a lie. As I was walking out, between calling me names, she was yelling at me about how she made it all up because she thought that was what I wanted her to say. It was woven into her story about what she was going to do to you, kick your ass, that sort of thing, to win me from you, but I could tell when she said it, it was the truth. So no, legally, you’re no better off than you were before.”

  “So you accomplished nothing,” I said, my hopes crushed again.

  “I wouldn’t say that. I got what I wanted. The only thing I care about right now is getting Mom and Dad on your side. They’ll believe me when I tell them Cat admitted to drugging you.”

  “I guess,” I muttered.

  “Hey,” he said with a smile. “How do you eat an elephant?”

  “What?”

  “How do you eat an elephant?”

  I sighed. “I don’t know. How?”

  “One bite at a time. We’ll change people’s minds one person at a time, starting with Mom and Dad.”

  “I want to see that asshole Steve in jail for what he did!”

  “I know, Ella. I do too, but that’s a long shot. Let’s worry about getting the truth out there first, then we can worry about that, okay?”

  He was right, but I’d gotten my hopes up again. “Yeah, I know. You’re right.”

  He smiled. “We might not be able to have him arrested, but we can damn sure gut him with public opinion. Let him have a taste of what you went through. The difference is, for him, it’ll be the truth.”

  I felt a smile tugging at my lips as I thought about it. That would be sweet justice indeed. “I like the way that sounds, actually.”

  “I thought you might.”

  I got up and moved to the couch to sit beside him. I turned his face to mine and kissed him slowly. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, but I did it for purely selfish reasons.”

  “And those were?”

  “I want Mom and Dad on my side, our side.”

  “You think this will be enough?”

  “It’ll have to be. Dad said all they wanted was a shred of evidence and they’d believe you. Well, now I have it.”

  I smiled as I stood, turned, and sat on his lap, facing him, my knees on the couch to either side of his legs. “Thank you, Levi, for everything.”

  He smiled up at me as he placed his hands on my sides and slowly slid them up and down as he caressed me through my pajamas. “You’re welcome. I’m just sorry I wasn’t—”

  I placed my hand over his mouth. “We talked about that.”

  He placed his hand over mine and kissed my palm at the base of my fingers. “Remember the last time we did this?” he asked as he pulled my hand from his lips.

  “When I gave you a lap dance?”

  “You made me come in my pants, remember?”

  “I remember. It was for your nineteenth birthday. God, that was sexy. I think that was the first time I actually made you come.”

  “You’re a much better dancer now,” he said, watching my eyes.

  “You’re a pretty good bed dancer yourself.”

  He chuckled. “Is that what we’re doing, bed dancing?” he asked as he slowly kissed me between the breasts through my top.

  I pushed his head to my chest. “I thought that was the least I could do, considering.”

  “Considering what?” he asked, his hands sliding under my shirt to caress my skin.

  The dim light from the lamp in my bedroom at the far end of the trailer gave the room a romantic glow. I was wearing my winter PJs, the deep blue pair with the long sleeves and the long pants, but if he kept that up, I wasn’t going to be wearing them very long.

  “Don’t you remember? Two or three weeks before, when we sat in your truck and you reached into my shorts?”

  “Oh yeah. That was the first time I’d ever seen a woman climax. God was that hot.”

  “We shouldn’t have waited. Maybe if we’d—”

  “Shhh…” he whispered as he held my gaze. “We talked about that,” he said, parroting my words back to me.

  I smiled down at him. “I know. So many mistakes.”

  “Waiting wasn’t a mistake. We only made one mistake, and we both made the same one. We didn’t believe in and trust each other. I won’t make that mistake again.”

  “I won’t either.” He was still slowly caressing my back, his hands feeling wonderful on my skin. “Can you stay?”

  “No. I promised Mom and Dad I’d be home tonight.” He could read my disappointment. “I told them not to wait up and I might be late, so why don’t I hold you for a while?”

  I sighed. “You don’t have to do that.”

  “What if I want to?”

  I swung my leg over and moved off his lap, sighing silently as I saw the bulge in his pants. “If that’s the best we can do.”

  He kissed me on the head as I snuggled into his side. “If I take you to bed, I won’t leave, and that will hurt Mom’s feelings after
I told her I’d be home.”

  I took his hand in mine and held it against my chest so he’d stop slowly caressing my breast. That was making my desire for him stronger. “I understand.”

  I sat quietly, thinking. It had only been a little over two months since he’d returned, and already so much had happened. I’d been horrified when he and Steve had words at Goodall’s, and him going after Steve at Dolly’s had been even worse, but in hindsight his actions warmed me deep inside. He believed in me and was protecting me and fighting for me.

  He was totally back in the good graces of my family, and Abby was starting to adore him. She’d wanted him to read her story again tonight and was disappointed he wasn’t there to do so. He was such a good man, and he was winning the hearts of nearly everyone.

  I’d nearly ruined everything. Not by being raped, but by not trusting him. I still felt guilty for not trusting him and going to San Antonio, but he’d forgiven me, and even that deep wound was beginning to heal.

  I smiled as he kissed me on the head again. He was right. I couldn’t change that I’d been drugged or raped, and I couldn’t change that Steve hadn’t gone to prison for it, but I could change how people saw me. I was going to eat the elephant, and with Levi’s help, I was going to show Hamlinton I wasn’t the woman they thought I was, that I wasn’t a liar trying to blame Steve for my mistake. Steve might never serve time for what he did, but I decided that wasn’t the most important thing anymore.

  What was important was proving that Levi and my parents had been right to believe in me. It might take the rest of my life, or perhaps I’d never convince everyone, but I decided that wasn’t important to me either. There were only two people whose opinion I valued, outside of my family and Levi, and they were William and Judy McCormick. If I could convince them I was a good person and wasn’t a liar, then I decided I wouldn’t care what anyone else thought.

  It might take me a while to get there, but with Levi’s help, I thought I could. I smiled. Three months ago, I’d spent my days trying to keep my head down and not be noticed. Now I was contemplating giving the metaphorical finger to all those who continued to whisper about me. It was a very empowering thought. I just hoped I could get there.

  “What are you thinking?” Levi whispered.

  “How much I love you.”

  “Really? How much?”

  “More than you’ll ever know.”

  He kissed me on the head. “Oh, I don’t know about that. I’d say the same about you.”

  I smiled. “Abby asked about you tonight. She wanted you to read Goodnight Moon to her again.”

  “Sorry I wasn’t here to do it.”

  “It’s okay. She got over it.”

  “She’s a sweet kid. She takes after her mother.”

  “Despite all that happened, something good did come out of it.”

  “Very good.”

  I sat quietly for many long moments, tucked into Levi’s side, soaking up the feelings of love and support. “You should go. It’s getting late.”

  “I don’t want to.”

  I sniffed loudly in a single huff of mirth. “I don’t want you to, either, but I don’t want you falling asleep driving, and I don’t want your mother upset at me. You’re trying to win her over to not thinking I’m a bitch, remember?”

  Levi sniffed out a laugh. “I remember. Don’t worry. I predict by this time tomorrow, she will have a whole new attitude about you.”

  “And if she doesn’t?”

  “She will, Ella. Don’t worry. Dad is already starting to come around to the idea that you’re going to be part of my life again.” He paused. “Did I tell you that Rebecca and Kamron completely supported me taking a piece out of Steve’s ass for groping you?”

  “No. They did?”

  “Yeah, and told Mom as much, too. I know progress seems slow to you because you’re the one having to carry the load, but we’re starting to win.”

  I nodded. “The load isn’t nearly as heavy since you got back.”

  “And it will get lighter still. You’ll see.”

  I sighed as I pulled myself out of his embrace. “It’s almost midnight. I have to get up in the morning, and you still have to get home.” I kissed him slowly. “Thank you for coming by and telling me the news.”

  He said nothing but caressed my face with gossamer lightness. He used to do that all the time, and I didn’t realize how much I’d missed it. Levi was a toucher, at least with me, and I loved it.

  “I love you.”

  I smiled. “I love you too, but you have to go now unless you’re going to stay,” I replied.

  He stood and walked to the door. He paused and pulled me into a long, loving, kiss. “To keep me warm tonight,” he whispered before he opened the door and stepped outside.

  I waited, secretly hoping he would change his mind and come back, but when he backed out of my drive, I sighed and padded lightly down the hall to my room. I tumbled into bed and switched off the light. I lay in the darkness, eyes closed, waiting on sleep.

  I sighed as sleep began to pull at me, wondering how Will and Judy would react to Levi’s news. I didn’t know, but the one thing I did know was that I wasn’t looking forward to facing them again. The disapproval on Judy’s face when I’d brought Levi home had been hard to take. It was almost as if my own mother disapproved of me.

  I hoped Levi could win them over. I thought I could learn not to care what anyone else thought about me, with the exception of Will and Judy. I did care what they thought of me, almost as much as I cared what my own parents thought. If I could just win them over, I was confident everything would be alright.

  Levi

  I entered the kitchen to the wonderful smell of eggs, bacon, and coffee. Today was going to be a glorious day, I just knew it.

  “Morning,” Mom said. “What time did you get home last night?”

  I grinned at her slightly disapproving tone. “About 12:30. I told you I’d be late. Where’s Dad?”

  “Talking to Raymond Calhoun. He’ll be here in a minute.”

  “What’s he talking to old man Calhoun about?” I asked as I sat down in my traditional place at the table.

  “He called last night. He wants some help finishing up.”

  I grunted. I was surprised to hear that. I thought we’d finished all our contract harvesting yesterday, and all that was left was bringing the 9870s home and prepare them for storage. Looked like I had a little more work to do.

  “How’d it go last night?” Mom asked as she slid eggs onto plates.

  “I’ll tell you both when Dad gets here.”

  She must have heard something in my voice because she paused a moment, watching me, before she dropped the skillet into water and pulled biscuits from the oven.

  “Good, you’re up. We have about two days’ work for Calhoun,” Dad said as he stomped into the kitchen. “He wants to get the last of his crop in while the weather’s still good and not take a chance on the rain their predicting for the weekend.”

  “Okay. We’ll get’er done.”

  “You’re in a good mood this morning.”

  I grinned. “Yeah. I have some news. I’d have told you last night, but you were in bed. I talked to Catherine Meyer last night.” I paused to make sure I had their attention. “She straight up admitted she drugged Ella’s beer.”

  There was a long moment of silence as Mom and Dad looked at each other before looking back at me.

  “You’re sure?” Mom asked.

  I gave her my ‘of course I’m sure’ look. “One Ambien tablet stolen from her mother. She dropped it in Ella’s second beer. She said it wasn’t malicious, that she only wanted to help Ella relax because she’d been moping for a week, but she definitely did it.”

  “And Steve?” Dad asked.

  “He didn’t know about the drug, not until later.”

  Mom stared at me. “Ella was telling the truth?”

  “Every last word of it,” I said, all the cheerfulness gone from my voic
e to drive the point home.

  Mom and Dad looked at each other again. “I’ve been so ugly to her. How will I ever face her again?” Mom asked, glancing between Dad and me.

  “You start by apologizing,” I suggested.

  Mom pursed her lips. “Levi, I’m so sorry! I—”

  “She’s the one you need to apologize to, not me.”

  Mom nodded. “I know, and I will, but I’m still sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you when you said she was telling the truth, and I’m sorry I didn’t believe her. It’s just that—”

  “I know, Mom. She’ll understand, but you have to make this right.” I looked at Dad. “Both of you.”

  Mom and Dad stared at each other for a long moment, saying nothing. “You’re right,” Dad finally said with a firm nod, breaking the silence.

  “How will she ever forgive us?” Mom asked. She looked like she might cry.

  “Don’t sell her short,” I suggested. “Go to Dolly’s. You don’t have to make a big production of it, but go and apologize to her there in front of everyone. Let people see you do it.”

  “I don’t know,” Mom said, shaking her head slightly in denial.

  “You’re right,” Dad said at almost the same moment. “That’s what we’ll do.” When Mom looked at him, he nodded in encouragement. “We owe her that at least, Judy.”

  “I’m so ashamed.”

  “Here’s your chance to make it up to her. Trust me, she’ll understand. She knows how it looked. The important thing now is to get this mess behind us.”

  “Do you really think she’ll forgive me?”

  “She forgave me, and what I did was much worse.” I smiled. “I think there’s a pretty good chance.”

  Mom sat quiet for a long time. “She was like my own daughter, and when she really needed me, I turned my back on her.”

  “Everyone made mistakes,” I said softly. “You, me, Ella, all of us. Ella understands she made herself look guilty by the way she acted. She blamed herself for going to the barn in the first place, and for what happened afterwards, and for hurting me, and a bunch of other stuff that wasn’t her fault, but we can get past this. I know we can, because Ella and I did.”