by D. A. Young
“Mama, I don’t care if he does! He’s not going to get away with disrespecting me like that!” Annabelle declared with finality.
“You’re absolutely right, baby.” Samantha kissed her daughter’s forehead. “If Davis can’t appreciate your worth, then one of your other admirers will. Let him be some other girl’s headache. Lord knows there are plenty who wanted to take your place. They were just waiting for you to slip up. Obviously, he’s crazy about you when everyone else is crazy about him, but if you need space, then you should have it. Would you listen to me rambling on? Get some sleep, dear. Things will look better in the morning.”
Long after her mother left, Annabelle lay thinking about her advice.
***
Samantha was right. The next morning, Davis showed up with a dozen white roses, begging Annabelle to take him back. She watched in disbelief as he got on his knees and apologized, “I messed up, Annabelle. You’re one in a million and the best thing that’s ever happened to me. A smarter guy would recognize that instead of being an asshole. Will you please forgive me and give me another chance?”
Her mother’s words had stayed with Annabelle. “They were just waiting for you to slip up. Obviously, he’s crazy about you when everyone else is crazy about him.”
She’d seen the angry, scornful looks the other girls threw her way. She knew they were all thinking the same thing. That Annabelle didn’t deserve a catch like Davis. He was out of her league with his good looks and money. Annabelle was angry about the insecurities she’d developed regarding Davis. She was good enough for him! They were just like Edith Fowler, and Annabelle was determined not to let them win. She took the flowers from him.
“Don’t let it happen again.”
***
“He was the perfect gentleman for the remainder of my time in high school.” Annabelle stared into her empty wine glass, unwilling to meet Graham’s gaze. She still couldn’t believe that she’d allowed such a monster into her life. “Davis kept his hands to himself and was very respectful toward me. Meanwhile, I was spending more time at the hospital and Brenton authorized me to observe more procedures and urged the vets to share surgery techniques with me. I was so hungry to learn everything, that I didn’t even mind when he started introducing me to everyone as his future daughter-in-law. I never questioned his recommendation that I go to the same school Davis was attending in California as well.
It was more expensive and farther than I wanted to go, but the store was doing so well, that my parents insisted I go. The other convenience stores had gone out of business. They couldn’t compete with the Gas ‘N’ Go prices or quality product. Things were going extremely well.” Annabelle paused and anxiously glanced at Graham, and his muscles turned to stone. Instinctively, he knew what she would say next, but the thought of Davis touching her was more than he could bear, but for her, he would.
Graham leaned forward and kissed her tenderly, loving the way she melted in response to his touch. He pulled back before he was tempted to explore her sweet taste further. “There is nothing that you can say that will change the way I feel about you or us. Put it all out in the open, Doc.”
“We…consummated our relationship, and it was decent. I honestly didn’t get the big deal about sex. It was like taking a lukewarm bath. Davis said I would get better in time.” Her lips curled into a self-deprecating sneer. “I was the kind of student that was always eager to learn more and couldn’t fathom the concept of failing. I read books and studied positions, determined to be the best he’d ever had. It worked, and Davis couldn’t get enough of sex with me. I was happy that I’d achieved my goal, but I still couldn’t connect on that level with him.
Davis grew jealous of anyone I shared my time with. He was convinced that I was sleeping with everyone. From professors to classmates, even a barista at the coffee stand in the student union! The first time he hit me was when a neighbor stopped by to return some mail that had been delivered to him accidentally. I was a fool not to leave then. Not that it would’ve done me any good.”
Chapter Fourteen
Past
Gingerly, Annabelle placed the ice pack to her stinging cheek, still unable to believe that Davis had struck her. Warily, she watched him approach the sofa she sat on.
“What’s his name?” Davis demanded, standing over her with curled fists.
“Gino; he lives across the hall,” she answered back automatically. “He lives across the hall and was just returning our mail. Why are you asking me that when he offered to help us move our furniture? You know who he is.”
Davis pounced. “So you do know him! That’s why you felt comfortable opening the door wearing that! Were you trying to impress him?!”
“It’s a yoga outfit! I was on my way to my class and opened the door. He was standing there with the mail! I don’t need to explain myself to you!” Annabelle jumped up and pushed past him. “I’m leaving! You and I are through!”
She grabbed her bag and headed toward the door. Suddenly, Annabelle was propelled forward until she slammed, face first, into the door. Pain radiated through her as the motion was repeated before Davis flung her backward and jumped on her. “You ain’t goin’ nowhere, you stupid bitch!”
His fists driving down was the last image Annabelle saw.
***
“He beat me so bad, I lay there for the rest of the day and night while he went about his business. Like I wasn’t even there; like I wasn’t shit! He made dinner for himself, talked on the phone to his friends, and watched television while I lay not fifteen feet from him bloodied, numb with disbelief, and ashamed of what I allowed to transpire, drifting in and out of consciousness. Davis took my purse, car keys, and phone. He stripped me off my clothes and refused to let me put anything on and starved me. We stayed in our apartment for two weeks like that. Anything he considered a slight was handled with…calculation.
No more hits to my face, arms or legs. We missed our classes, and Davis made up some excuse that we both had pneumonia while allowing the cuts to my face to heal and bruises to fade. Davis taunted, ridiculed, and berated me for not being a real woman. Said a real woman would know how to get herself off without a man’s help. That if I was so big, bad, and independent I would have figured it out instead of being so pathetic. He said if I told anyone what happened that he’d kill my parents. By the time he allowed me to leave the apartment, Davis had accomplished his mission in breaking me. I never defied him again. In public, we were the perfectly poised couple. Davis was so smooth and charming that sometimes, I wondered if I imagined what he’d done to me. I learned not to question him and kept up the façade of having my shit together. In order to do that, I had to withdraw from the ones who knew me best: Kenya and Chelsea.
It would have been Georgie too, but she was already gone. I avoided them at all costs, rescinded their invitations to come and visit me. I barely came home for summer breaks, choosing instead to work for a local veterinarian. Kenny had been right about Davis, and I was too scared that something would happen to my parents to admit it to her even though her father was the sheriff at the time. His father visited along with my parents, and Davis took great delight in cozying up to my mama and daddy. They thought the world of him, and it was killing me.”
“That pie ready, Annabelle? You really outdid yourself with dinner.” Davis spoke loudly for their parents’ benefit. He leaned in and kissed her cheek, whispering, “Next time easy on the salt, or I might think you’re trying to kill me. We wouldn’t want that now, would we?”
God yes, she did.
Casually, he picked up the paring knife she’d used on the apples for the pie. “What kind of sound would good old Thomas make if I stuck this into his side? It doesn’t have to be right now. He’s stepped out for a walk while smoking his cigar the last couple of nights. It’d be a shame if he met with an accident.”
Annabelle was shaking so bad, the dishes in her hand were rattling against the sink.
“Easy now.” Davis sank his teet
h into her shoulder through her denim shirt, biting down until the rattling stopped. “Your fear makes me so hard, Annabelle. Damn, I can’t wait to fuck you later.”
Davis grabbed the pie dish, whistling cheerfully on his way out. “Who’s hungry for pie?”
Annabelle turned the faucet on full blast to cover the sounds of her violent retching.
“We didn’t return to Baymoor until we’d completed school then moved into his parent’s pool house. The next day, his parents threw us a big party to celebrate our new positions in the hospital and during the party, Davis proposed.” Annabelle’s eyes shut tightly. “You will never know how much I wanted to say no. I looked out at the sea of happy, expectant faces, and my eyes met Kenya’s. I could see the abject disappointment and concern in her eyes as I said yes, but my hesitation earned me a beating that night.”
Annabelle opened her eyes, feeling raw from exposing her sordid past. She’d noticed the more she talked, the darker Graham’s eyes became. Currently, they were obsidian. She shouldn’t have been able to see anything, but she saw everything he was feeling and felt his fury rolling off his still form in sonic waves.
“I think that’s enough about me for one night,” Annabelle offered lightly. “I don’t want to look back on this time, thinking that I bored you to death with my past. Although I do have one regret. I didn’t get to say goodbye to Auntie Cee, Inez, and my friends.”
Graham said nothing. Instead he raised his hand, signaling he wanted the check, which was promptly brought to the table. He signed it before assisting Annabelle out of her chair. In her ear, he whispered words that were a healing balm to her reopened wounds, “You were too much for him. Too smart, too powerful, too strong, and too beautiful. Too everything for Fowler, and it made him hyperaware of his inferiority to you. Let’s go. We have something to do.”
***
“Move it, prima donna!” Georgie shouted as she walked down the steps of Wade and Eliza’s craftsman bungalow. “I’m starving and we’re supposed to be at the Comfort Table in fifteen minutes.”
Eliza shoved her black beanie on and thrust her arms into her black wool coat before buttoning it completely. If Wade even caught her traipsing around town improperly bundled, Eliza was sure he’d do something crazy, like try to withhold sex from her. Damned sheriff had all the leverage when it came to her crazed hormones. “Would you calm your ass down? They wouldn’t start without us. We can be at the café in ten minutes.”
Eliza locked the front door, and the sisters huddled together against the light snowfall and made their way through the town.
“How are the renovations going on the new house?” Georgie quizzed as they passed a two-story farmhouse that was under construction.
“Slow. Now that the inn is complete, I wanted to start gutting it immediately and get it done before we start accepting guests. Unfortunately, this morning sickness is killing me, and it looks like it’s going to be with me for the long haul. If it wasn’t for your impatient behind, I’d still be in bed.” Eliza slipped her arm through Georgie’s. “Your words from the other night have been replaying in my mind nonstop, Little Bit. Having children is a big deal and something that you and Max can decide together; when you’re ready. Have the two of you even discussed it?”
“Not since my fashion show when I pretty much begged him to take me back,” Georgie said with a cheesy grin. “I just know he wants babies, not a baby.”
“Awww, but it was such a cute video. You know it’s been watched on YouTube at least a million times. Everyone has seen the love the two of you have for each other. The world knows your love can withstand a few hiccups because that’s all they are. Marriage isn’t a straight line to happiness, but as long as you’re walking the path in sync, you’ll get there. You deserve the best in life, so claim it, sis.”
They’d reached Town Square where the lights, strung through the trees, twinkled as late afternoon drifted into dusk. Baymoor’s decorating committee was busy removing the holiday decorations in preparation for January’s Donut Festival. One person, in particular, stood out in her bright red coat. “Is that—”
“Ingrid doing her best impression of a normal human being? Yup, it sure is. Just keep walking because I’m so not in the mood to deal with that bundle of bitch today.” Eliza cracked her knuckles, and the sound was ominous, even muffled by her mittens. “Keep moving; we’re almost there. If she has some shit to say, let her ass catch up.”
“Catch hands is more like it,” Georgie grumbled but followed Eliza’s lead.
“But why you out here tryna fight crackheads?”
Georgie smacked her arm. “How about I put these mitts on an Olive Oyl lookin’ heffa instead?”
“Biiish! Don’t make me and my baby kick some Hobbit ass out here!” Eliza retorted and smacked her arm back.
“Take it back!” Smack!
“You take it back, rude ass!” Smack, smack! “That’s why your mama’s a ho!”
“Yeah, well she’s your mama too,” Georgina paused mid-smack to let that sink in. “Man, we’re really sick and twisted.”
Eliza waved the comment off. “I don’t think anyone would hold it against us. Let them try to walk in our shoes first. Come along, Georgie-girl; you’re making us late.”
***
The inside of the Comfort Table was warm, cozy, and filled with the tantalizing aromas wafting from the kitchen. As usual, it was packed to capacity with a crowd patiently waiting to eat chef Raymond Beauvoir’s cooking. While they waited, employees served them complimentary slices of fresh mozzarella-stuffed rosemary focaccia bread. Eliza swiped one and bit into the fragrant goodness.
“Did you just mug that kid for a piece of bread?”
“Mug is such a harsh word, Georgie.” Eliza tore a piece of bread and shoved it in her sister’s mouth. “Try this! The sea salt sprinkled on top brings out the rosemary perfectly; plus, it keeps you quiet. It’s a win-win.”
“It’s about time you guys got here!” Chelsea scolded as she hugged Eliza and Georgie. “Come on, let’s go!”
The sisters followed her down the hallway to Nate and Valerie’s large office where their Uncle Nate, Chef Raymond, Chandra (his girlfriend and the café’s part-time manager), Max, Wade, and Kenya were sitting at the large table usually reserved for meetings and tastings. Greetings and hugs were exchanged before Georgina and Eliza took seats by their men and the chef.
“Bonjour mes chéris!” Raymond greeted in his gravelly Cajun accent as the sisters kissed his cheek. “We done waited long enough for dis! Come and sit a spell! You like to give ol’ anxious Chandra here an attack of the heart.”
Chandra laughed and kissed the top of his shiny bald head as he squeezed her waist with fondness. “Hush up, you old fool! You’re lucky I love you.”
Raymond gave her a sly grin as he stroked his salt and pepper mustache. “Heh-heh; luck don’t got nothin’ to do with why you love up on ol’ Raymond so much, ma cherie.”
“Ray-Ray!” A flustered Chandra shushed him as she glanced around the room with chagrin. “That is our business and no one else’s!”
“Yeah, Ray-Ray,” Max snickered and Wade cosigned. “Keep that to yourself. No one wants to picture what fogs your glass eye up.”
“Ewww…what would that even look like?” Wade looked ill but wisely refrained from continuing as Raymond swung his head in their direction with a grizzly bear worthy growl. Under the office track lighting, his glass eye shined menacingly as he bared his teeth at the younger men whom he’d formed a love-hate relationship with. Not many dared to stand up to the cantankerous chef, for fear of being cut off from his scrumptious cooking, but Max, Wade, and Graham were the exception. For that, Raymond grudgingly gave them his respect every now and then. Just not today.
“It’d be a wise thing for you and ol’ Smoky Bear there to shut yo’ damn traps right now, for I slap ‘em shut, Mr. E-I-E-I-O!” he threatened in true irascible form.
“Are you trying to hypnotize us with that thing,
old man? Put it away,” Max laughed at the chef but stopped when Georgina elbowed him sharply in his side.
“If the three of you are finished,” Nate interjected pointedly. When he received no objections, Nate opened his laptop and typed in some info as everyone crowded around him. They waited with bated breath as the laptop made the connection.
The screen was black then fuzzy before a sharp image of Annabelle with a tremulous smile appeared.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the room as Chandra collapsed against Raymond with a joyful cry, and he patted her hip consolingly. Kenya and Chelsea clung to each other, as did Max and Georgie, Wade and Eliza, and Nate and Val.
“Hi, guys,” Annabelle waved at them before promptly bursting into tears.
Chapter Fifteen
He was making her nervous the way he was fixated on the floor numbers of the elevator of the Maxim Hotel. Annabelle was surprised when they’d bypassed the lobby and headed straight for the elevator. Graham was not looking at her but still had a tight grip on her hand. Annabelle tugged her hand loose of his, startling Graham out of his pensive thoughts.
He’d been silent since they left the restaurant, appearing to be deep in thought. The only indication that given that Graham was still aware of Annabelle’s presence was that he hadn’t let go off her hand except to open her car door before going back around to the driver’s side of the car. “Did you get a room? If so, you’re awfully sure of yourself, aren’t you? How do you even know that I’m interested in taking our relationship to that level so soon?”
Since hearing Annabelle’s story, Graham had been thinking of all the ways he was going to torture Davis Fowler when he finally got his hands on that motherfucker. Maybe he’d allow Alexei Romankov’s dogs to toy with Davis then run him into the ground? Or string him up and then break every bone in his body? It didn’t matter. Fowler was going to die, but not before Graham savored every fucking whimper, moan, and groan he could pull from that bitch. Normally, he didn’t play with his target, but yeah, he was definitely going to make an exception for Annabelle’s ex.
