“Thanks, uh, Lynnie, someone called for you said he was your father.”
My heart stops. Why the fuck would he be calling me? How the hell did he get my number? This small town shit is getting old fast.
“Th...Thanks, Tank.”
“Sure.”
When I walk in the house I see they already got my doors fixed. I might actually get to stay at home tonight. Frank is sitting on the couch with a glass of water. He looks up when I walk in and stands.
“Tank has the food outside. Why don't y'all take a break and eat something. I think we got all we are going to get done today. I can clean the rest up.”
“Okay, thanks.”
He walks past me and pats my back as he goes out the door. I walk to my house phone on the kitchen counter. That man has never called me. He has no reason to and I have no desire to talk to him. I unplug the phone from the jack, walk outside and sit on the porch with the guys. They must have been talking about me because as soon as I open the door they stop talking and turn to me. I hope Frank isn't thinking about firing me because that job is all I have right now besides Marshall and I don't want to lose it.
“We changed your locks too, Lynnie. The new keys are on your counter.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem. Do you want us to help clean up the rest of the house?”
“No, you two have done enough. Thank you for everything.”
“It was not an issue. But I do want you to take off for a couple of days. I will do it with pay, but you have things to do here so just come back Monday okay?”
“Sure, Frank. Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Are you thinking about firing me? I know this all started at the restaurant and I don't want to lose my job.”
“Of course not. We are going to head out, okay? Just take the next few days off and get things sorted.”
“Okay.”
They stand and walk towards the truck. I wave and watch as they pull away. If they had not come and helped me, I would still be staying in the hotel. I will never be able to say thank you enough. The house is eerily quiet when I walk inside, it's like I don't feel safe in my own house anymore. Someone came inside and violated my privacy.
I sit on the couch and pull out my phone. I think about calling Marshall and to ask him to come sit with me. I don't want to be alone, but I also know that anytime alone with Marshall could end up with us locked in my room. However, I don't know that I want to start our relationship out like that.
I want to know more about Marshall. Who he was in his time away from here? I Google his name on my phone and see that his parents own and operate a coffee shop in California and Alabama. The one in Alabama is a few miles from my home. I remember seeing it a lot on my way to town. There is a picture of his mother and father in front of the shop in California. The headline says that it just recently opened. I took a closer look at the date on top of the article, and it says July 12, 2014.
I feel a coldness come over my body. That can't be possible there is no way. I grab my phone and look at the date. It was only a month ago. In the photo, his mother looks happy and his father’s arm is around her shoulders. She has a big smile on her face. There's no way. He said his mother was sick and that was why he was back in town. To spend the time with her that she had left. Why would he lie to me?
Nothing makes sense. I feel tears in my eyes as I close the link on my phone and text Marshall. He was the one steady in my life, a lifeline that I could feel myself starting to rely on for comfort from what was trying to hurt me. Now I felt like maybe I should listen to the guys. Maybe he had other reasons for getting close to me.
Me: Hey, how's ur mom?
Marshall: Feeling good today. What are you up to?
He's lying. Why? If his mother was really sick wouldn't there be an article on that in the paper too? I take a deep breath and text him back.
Me: Finishing cleaning. I have to go I’ll ttyl
Marshall: ? Why does it feel like you want something else?
I throw my phone on the table and let the tears come, with all the recent events catching up to me all at one time. He lied. I wish I had a mother I could call and ask for advice or a father who is overprotective and stands on the porch with a gun like in all the photos you see online. But I will never have that. I will never know what it's like for a parent to love you more than life itself.
They say girls always turn out to be Daddy's little angel. Somehow that missed my dad. Thinking of him reminds me that he called so I hook the phone line back up and go to the shower. I want to get to the bottom of this. He is the only one I know that hates me. At least he never lied to me about that.
**
As I stand under the water with my head against the shower wall, the tears mingle with the water that runs down my body. I remember Marshall’s hands on me. The way his lips fit against mine, and the sound of his voice and how it made me want to beg for him to take me.
When the water starts to run cold, I step out and wrap the towel around me. Standing in front of the mirror, I look a mess. My eyes are red, and my hair is hanging in wet strands all around my head. All I want to do is crawl in bed and cry. The phone rings and my heart starts to race again.
I run to the living room and pick up the line before they hang up.
“Hello?”
“Ah, Joslynn, my unwanted child.”
Just his voice chills me, and I remember how his breath smelled.
“What do you want?”
“No I miss you?”
“That would be a lie.”
His laugh flows through the phone and straight to my bones. I hate this man.
“Am I not allowed to call and check on my only daughter?”
When I say nothing he continues.
“I wanted to know if you were still alive, Jossie.”
“Don't call me that.”
“Forgive me?”
I slam the phone down and hit the floor. My sobs fill the silence of the room. That is where I have heard that before! My father would always laugh and say, ‘Forgive me’ after every night of yelling and cussing. I guess he thought it was funny that he had that kind of control over me. One of those ‘I have already knocked her down with my words, why not kick her while she's there too’ kind of things. But why would Marshall say it? My heart has broken into a million pieces.
Chapter Nine
I sat on the floor for so long the light outside changed from dark to morning. The birds chirping outside do nothing to calm my nerves. I used to love sitting on my porch and listening to the birds and the crickets, but now all I can think about is getting away from here. Just packing a bag and driving until my car runs out of gas and call the new town home.
Change my name and hair color and always be looking over my shoulder to see if they found me yet. But I can't do that because Taylor needs me and this is home. This is the only place I have ever known. I stand from the floor and make some coffee. The only way to beat this is to show it that I am not scared. No matter how much my inner self is yelling at me to run.
Sitting at the table I think about everything I learned about Marshall and the fact that he said the same thing my dad did. But why would he say the same thing? My phone chirps and I jump.
Marshall: We still on at 4 today?
Me: No I need to paint and finish some things here. Sry..
Marshall: uh ok. Need help? I am a pretty good painter. Lol
I have always heard keep your friends close and your enemies closer. But I don't know if I want him in my house. I have such strong feelings of wanting to be around him and getting to know him but feeling like I should remember more. I take a deep breath and text him back.
Me: sure
Marshall: Be there in 30
After coffee I set to painting the house. Frank and Tank did so much but painting was one thing I wanted to do myself. I go to my room and start painting. The walls weren't touched too badly, but I don't want any reminders of what th
ey'd done. I feel like if I don't paint the walls, then they can still see me. They will know what I am doing.
I am halfway across my room when I hear Marshall knocking on the door. I look in the mirror and fix my hair into a ponytail. As much as I want to think of him as one of the bad guys I can't help but want to be with him. I walk to the living room and open the door.
Marshall is standing with his hands in his pockets and a huge smile on his face. He's wearing a black t-shirt with a silver cross on it and blue jeans.
“Morning, Joslynn, forgive me for being rude but you look like hell.”
“I feel it too. Come in.”
I step back and motion with my arm for him to come in. He walks into the kitchen and looks around. I watch as his eyes take in the broken kitchen table and chairs. He walks all around the house, seeing the broken couch and the TV. Someone spent a great deal in here making sure they demolished everything they could.
“Wow…”
Is all he says when he walks back to me.
“Yup, that about sums it up.”
“Why would someone do this?”
“Dunno.”
“Well, I could call some friends to come help and we could have this done in no time. I actually have some of these household items in a storage unit if you want them.”
“That would be amazing.”
I smile at Marshall. He has done nothing to me except tell some lies and say a phrase my dad used to. I want to think it was a coincidence, and he isn't the bad guy. Maybe he has a good reason for the lies. Marshall smiles and takes his phone from his pocket. A few phone calls later, he looks at me and nods his head. His smile takes my breath away. I want to taste his lips again. Feel his tongue in my mouth and his hands in my hair.
I shake my head and pick up a paint brush.
“Well, let's get started.”
About an hour later, there's a knock on the door. When I open it, I freeze. There are three men standing on my porch each one of them has a smile on their face.
“Joslynn?” The one in front sticks his hand out for me to shake. He's tall with long blond hair and baby blue eyes.
“Nice to meet you!?”
“Oh, sorry my name is Josh and this is Anthony and Trevor. Marshall called us and asked us to come help paint.”
I nod my head and look at the guys. Anthony has short red hair and glasses. He looks like he would much rather be playing a video game than painting the walls of a house for some chick he doesn't know. He holds his hand out next, and I shake it. Trevor looks like a shorter version of Marshall. He also has brown hair and tattoos covering his arms.
“I remember you. You're the girl my brother would never shut the hell up talking about,” he says laughing. He steps forward and wraps his arms around me in a bear hug, picking my feet up off the floor.
“Wow, nice to see you again.”
He puts me back on my feet and I step to the side to allow them to walk in. It's the same routine watching them take in the site around them. Each one of them walking around the house and then coming back to me. The sad part is we cleaned most of it yesterday, so they are only seeing a small part of what was done.
“Damn, girl, who did you piss off?” Trevor says.
“The police and I would both like to know that,” I say and shrug.
Marshall walks in the kitchen and stops.
“Trevor, I didn't know you were coming.”
They stay silent for a while, and you can feel the tension in the room. I look to the other guys, and they are both standing silent watching the guys in front of them.
“I remember too, Marshall,” Trevor says and looks to the floor.
“Hey, guys, can we get this done? I do have a date with some zombies later,” Anthony says.
“Well, here is the paint, have fun,” I say and motion to all the supplies scattered around the kitchen floor. The guys move about and set to painting separate rooms. Marshall and Trevor stand and stare at one another for a few seconds longer before Marshall shakes his head and walks back to the bathroom to finish his painting.
I can't help but feel like they both know something about me that I don't know. Something that has stuck with them all this time. I want to ask Marshall, but he has already told me enough lies. Will he tell more?
****
Between the five of us, we get the house painted in no time. I sit on the living room floor and sigh. This may never again be the same house, but at least now I can get rid of the feeling that they are watching me. Marshall shows the guys out and sits down beside me on the floor.
“I'll get the furniture from the storage tomorrow. Do you need anything else tonight?”
“Food.”
“What do you have here?”
“Nothing. But we can order pizza.”
“Sounds great, where is your phone?”
I point to the kitchen counter and watch as Marshall orders the food. When he comes back to the living room, he sits behind me and wraps his arms around me. My body goes stiff for a few seconds before I finally relax in his arms. This feels like home. Here in his arms, he can't be the bad guy. He is my knight in tattooed armor with the voice of sex and the strength to keep the bad guys away.
“Marshall?”
“Yeah?”
I take a deep breath. I want to know the answers to all the questions running through my head. I have to know.
“What's the real reason you came back?”
His arms tense around me.
“I told you my mother is sick.”
“No, she's not.”
His arms let me go and he moves around me until he is sitting in front of me.
“Don't do this, Joslynn. Please, don't do this.”
He has tears in his eyes as he looks at me. Begging me with not only his words but his eyes to stop asking questions, but I can't. I know there is more he knows, and I know that it could either change everything I know about him and make me run away from him or to him.
“Marshall, even your brother knows. The whole time he was here you gave him things to do to keep him away and made sure he was gone as soon as the painting was done. Someone tried to run me over with their car. Someone broke into my house and violated my space. The one place that is supposed to be mine. They took that from me. If you know something don't you think it's only fair to tell me?”
The tears are now falling from his eyes and mine too. I know he knows a lot more than he wants to tell me. He knows things that could end this.
“I can't do this. I have to go.”
He stands from the floor and gathers his things.
“If you walk out that door DO NOT come back. You don't get to sit around and wait for the next accident to happen and then swoop in and save the day.”
He stands with his keys in his hands, his eyes on the floor. My breath catches in my throat, and I can't help but feel like I am letting the one person who could save me walk out the door.
“Say something, Marshall! Anything damn it!”
“I can't, Joslynn. Just don't trust anyone, okay, even the people you think you can... don't. Okay, just don't.”
With that, he turns and walks out the door slamming it behind him. My screams fill the room as I pick up my phone and sling it across the living room. I feel like my world is falling apart at my feet, and I can't do a damn thing to stop it.
“Pizza!”
I jump at the sound of someone yelling through the door and knocking. I am no longer hungry, but I walk to the kitchen and grab some money out of my purse. When I open the door, the man holds the pizza out to me.
“Here you go, ma'am.”
“Thanks.”
I hand him the money and his eyes go big.
“Ma'am, the pizza is only $25. This is $100.”
He looks to be in his teens with shaggy hair and pimples.
“Yup, buy yourself a haircut.”
I slam the door and lay the pizza on the counter. The smell is amazing and my stomach grumbles in complaint
as I walk away and go to the shower. I just want to wash the day away and sleep. I stand in the shower until the water runs cold. Stepping out, I wrap a towel around me, and then fall across my bed. Thank goodness they didn't come in here and break this. It is the one thing left standing and now my new bff.
He's standing over me with the same smell as so many nights before, laughing as his hand slaps my face. He's been in here for an hour yelling at me the same garbage he has for so many years before.
Say Something Page 4
