The River Valley Series

by Tess Thompson

  “I understand.”

  He turned his face to look at her. “I lied to you just now.”

  “What?” she asked, her heart thumping.

  “I did tell someone once.”

  “Who?”

  “My wife.”

  So there it was. Finally. “What happened to her, Drake? Did she leave you?”

  His eyes flickered with something she couldn’t read accurately. Was it uncertainty? Pain? And then, perhaps, a decision. “She died.”

  She opened her mouth to ask how but he shook his head, just a fraction of an inch in either direction, his eyes unyielding now. Do not ask anything further. Just let it be for now.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “So very sorry.”

  “Thank you.” His face relaxed. He rolled over onto his side, his face resting in the palm of his hand. “Now go to sleep. We’ll deal with Marco in the morning.”

  “Thank you for staying with me tonight.”

  “Of course. Now close your eyes.”

  She didn’t want to give in to sleep, knowing the nightmares waited there behind her closed eyes. But sleep came, despite her protests.

  Chapter 20

  Alder came into Annie’s room at close to ten, brushing sleep from his eyes, his thick hair sticking straight up on his head. “Morning, Mom,” he said, climbing into bed. “Something’s weird.”

  She felt nervous. Did he know Drake stayed with her last night? But surely he couldn’t. When she’d awakened at six, briefly, Drake was no longer beside her.

  “What’s that?” she asked, pulling the covers up to her chin.

  “Ben’s badass car is still here. I thought he was staying at Linus’s inn.”

  Right. Ben’s car. How could she explain this one?

  “And there’s only one explanation,” he said, tugging on the collar of his pajama shirt.

  She waited, her legs stiffening under the blankets. What was he going to say? “Yeah?”

  “He slept over.”

  “Right.”

  “But why is really the question.” He sounded like a detective from Scotland Yard, only without the accent.

  “Well, that’s really none of our business.”

  “Mom. Really? When did that ever stop you from wondering about everything and everyone?”

  She stifled a smile. Did her kid know her or what?

  “Anyway,” he went on. “I believe it to be one of two reasons.”

  Again, she braced herself for the inevitable. “Yes?”

  “Either he stayed over to play kissy face with Bella or he was too drunk to drive home and is passed out on the deck.”

  She stared at him with her mouth open. Where did he come up with these ideas?

  “I’m really hoping it’s the first reason. Because Ben and Bella are like so perfect for each other.”

  “They are?”

  “Mom. Totally. They’re both the ultimate in badass.”

  “Alder, please stop using that word.” She glanced towards the door, as if Drake stood there. “Ask Drake to teach you an appropriate word that captures the essence of whatever it is you actually mean.”

  “Mom, that word does capture the essence of what I really mean. Anyway, my point is this. Depending on which one it is will determine Bella’s fate.”

  “Her fate?”

  “Yeah, like he either chose to get drunk and act totally lame. I know about this because Lila at school—the one that’s so pretty with the blond ponytail?”

  “Right.”

  “Well, her dad gets drunk a lot and does stuff that makes Lila’s mom cry. She tells me all about it at recess sometimes and I have to hold her hand and stuff to make her feel better.”

  “You do?”

  What else didn’t she know about her son’s life?

  “Yeah. I’m totally crazy about her.”

  “You are?”

  He went on, as if she hadn’t asked a question. “So here’s what I’m thinking. If he did that then Bella would not have liked him enough to play kissy face. Therefore…” He paused dramatically.

  Therefore?

  “He will have blown it forever. But if he was nice to her and danced with her into the night, then it means they’re meant to be. You follow me, Mom?”

  She sighed and chuckled at the same time. “They danced all night, Alder. And I really hope you’re right.”

  He smacked his lips in satisfaction. “I knew you’d be on board, Mom.” He nestled farther into the pillow. “You know what else is weird?”

  “I can’t imagine.”

  “This pillow totally smells like Drake.” With that, he jumped off the bed and headed towards the door. “I’ll see you in a few, Mom. Gotta brush my teeth. Feels like they’re wearing fur coats.”

  Smells like Drake?

  What would he conjure from that if he figured out Bella and Ben so easily?

  Her kid was too smart. That was all there was to it.

  A few minutes later she found Drake in the kitchen. He was at his laptop at the counter, brow wrinkled, typing furiously. He looked up when she came in. “Good morning.” He glanced at the clock. “You slept. I’m so glad.”

  “You?”

  He lowered his voice. “I fell asleep in your room. Woke up at three with no clue where I was. Then I actually went back to sleep in my room until almost eight. So yeah, that’s a successful night’s sleep for me. Must have been all the fresh air.” He was talking fast and his cheeks had a good color to them.

  “How much coffee have you had?”

  “Only two cups. But I’m getting more and more excited about Hylink coming here. I’ve been playing with numbers and looking at some statistics for Ben, and this could change everything. Between this and the resort, we can employ hundreds of people.”

  We?

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Speaking of Ben, any sign of him this morning?”

  His face darkened. “No, neither one of them have showed their faces.” He shuddered. “I’m trying not to think about what they might be doing at this very moment.” Clutching his throat and swallowing, he made a gagging sound. “The thought makes me physically ill.”

  She laughed, teasing him. “You’re hopeless.” She went to the refrigerator, pulling out some eggs. “You won’t believe what Alder just told me.” She relayed the entire conversation, except for the last part. There was no reason to alarm him that Alder suspected anything between them.

  At the end, he chuckled and shook his head. “That kid’s too smart.”

  “Took the words right out of my mouth.”

  He sobered, looking slightly uncomfortable. “So, I listened to the rest of the voicemails.”

  She froze, dishtowel in hand. “And?”

  “More of the same.”

  “Any clues about where he is or when he might show up?”

  “No. The only thing I would say is that the voicemails got increasingly drunker sounding. Which says to me the guy isn’t in complete command of his situation. But this makes him unpredictable.” He threw up his hands. “I mean, basically, we’re at the same place we’ve been, which is, we don’t know when he’s going to show but we know he will and we know his aim is to hurt you.”

  The fear moved through her like a sudden ice storm.

  He got up from the counter, moving around to where she stood, taking the towel from her like it was something that might hurt her and holding her hands in his. “This is no different than what we’ve been dealing with. And the good news is we might be able to trace the phone calls from the cell. I’m going to call a cop buddy of mine in Seattle. I’ll ask him some questions about what he thinks our options are.”

  “What? You’ve given up on Fred?” She had wanted it to come out light but her voice cracked at the end and the tears felt close.

  “Don’t cry. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

  She nodded, staring at his chest, taking in a deep breath, but the tears came anyway.
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  He slipped his arms around her waist and held her against him, speaking softly into her ear. “Please, I’m going to take care of you.”

  Shocked by his sudden move, she stopped crying. His body was warm and hard against her. Her arms went around his neck. He smelled of soap and cologne. She felt his heart beating against her chest. They stood like this for a moment until he moved apart from her. “I’m sorry,” he said.

  “Don’t be.”

  “You know what sounds good?” he asked, standing now at the sink.

  “No.”

  He smiled at her gently. “Coffee cake.”

  “Coffee cake?”

  “Yeah. With cinnamon and that brown sugar topping. My mom used to make that for us. You know what kind I mean?”

  “Yeah, you just boil a little brown sugar and butter together. Nothing to it,” she said, already thinking through what recipe she would use for the batter.

  “Good. That distracted you.”

  “You’re starting to know me too well.” She scrutinized him. “You’ve never asked me to make anything specific. All these weeks. Not once.”

  He shrugged. “Desperate times call for desperate measures. Plus, I really do like coffee cake.”

  Annie was just taking the cake out of the oven when Ben wandered in, his hair mussed and looking distinctly like a man who had stayed up all night. But not the stayed up all night at a bar type of tired. No, this was a different variety of tired. This was, I’ve just made love to a woman all night and now I’m in love.

  “Well, good morning,” said Annie, smirking at him. “Or should I say afternoon.”

  “Um. Yeah.” He grinned, his eyes sparkling. “Sorry to barge in like this but the princess is requesting coffee.”

  She shook her head at him before pouring two cups of coffee. “You realize how easy this makes you look?”

  Laughing, he banged his forehead against the counter several times before looking up at her with an almost pained expression. “I’m in deep, deep trouble here.”

  “I cannot possibly feel sorry for you. I told you to stay away from her.” She rummaged in one of the cupboards until she found a serving tray.

  “But you didn’t really mean it.”

  “That’s true.” She smiled at him, placing the two cups of coffee on the tray.

  “She’s the most beguiling woman I’ve ever met. I’m completely gone. I’m going to have to move here until I can get her to marry me.”

  “Well, that works out well since you have an entire operation to build.”

  “I know. It’s so perfect.” He looked at her. “I’m not kidding, Annie, I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way in my life. I know it sounds crazy since I’ve known her less than twenty-four hours but it’s just something about her.”

  In love with a Webber herself, she simply nodded, trying not to betray how sad she felt. “When you know, you know.”

  “Makes me realize that my fiancée was right to call off the wedding. Neither of us felt the way we should about the other.”

  “It’s strange, isn’t it, when you look back on something that once gave you so much pain and realize it was all for the best? We just can’t understand exactly why in the moment.”

  “Absolutely. Does it sound insane when I tell you perhaps my whole life before this was simply leading up to the moment I met Bella Webber?”

  “Sounds more like the words of a diehard romantic.”

  Ben chuckled. “You’ve got me there.”

  Bella entered the room, wearing impossibly small shorts and a tank-top. No bra.

  “What smells like heaven?” asked Bella, her eyes on Ben.

  “Coffee cake,” said Annie, looking at Bella closely. She was the opposite of her new lover—fresh and flushed and glowing. Is this what having a handsome man making love to you all night did to a person? Annie sighed, slicing into the coffee cake. If only she knew from her own experience.

  But were those whisker burns on Bella’s neck? They were. Drake was going to lose it. She cut generous slices of the warm cake, the brown sugar topping seeping over the edges. Like two eager children, they hopped onto the stools at the counter.

  Bella ate her entire piece in four bites and then, in a terrible British accent, “Please, sir, may I have another?”

  How did the girl eat so much and stay so thin? Annie cut her another piece. She put an egg on the stove to boil for herself.

  “Girlie, you need to eat some cake,” said Bella, wiping a stray crumb from her upper lip. “It’s spectacular.”

  “No, I’m good,” said Annie, avoiding eye contact.

  Bella poked at the remainder of Ben’s cake. “You going to eat that?”

  “No, go ahead,” he said, looking amused. “It’s like you haven’t eaten for a month.”

  Bella held up her fork, mid-bite. “What? I’m hungry.” She lowered her voice. “I blame you.”

  “You two need to get a room,” said Annie, smiling. It was a matter of minutes, she supposed, before they were back in Bella’s bedroom working up an appetite for a late afternoon snack. No reason to feel bitter, she told herself. Just cook for them. This is what you do. It should be something hardy after all that sweat and exertion, maybe homemade mac and cheese with bits of bacon. There was always cooking. For those of us who never have sex.

  She went to the pantry and found a bag of macaroni, grabbing some bacon from the fridge. Be grateful Drake is keeping you and your son safe.

  Bella interrupted Annie’s thoughts by asking, “Hey, have you seen my cell phone?”

  “I think it’s on the table in the front room. The one near the window.”

  “I should check it. The battery’s probably dead by now. I’ll be right back. You gonna make that bacon?” she added, hopping from the stool.

  “Sure. And some eggs?”

  “Fabulous. With some cream cheese in them?” Bella headed towards the front room.

  Ben, still gazing at the doorway as if Bella still stood there, sighed and smiled, touching his fingers to his lips. “Have you ever seen a girl so tiny eat so much?”

  “No. It’s weird.” This man had fallen for Bella Webber. There was no question. How she hoped Bella would give him a real chance.

  Bella came back into the room then. But instead of the bouncy girl who was there only minutes before, this was a different Bella—the dark and sad girl who first arrived at Drake’s two weeks ago. What was on her phone?

  “What’s the matter?” asked Annie.

  “Nothing,” said Bella. “Just a bunch of calls on here. Something I need to take care of.” Her eyes darted over to Ben and then back to her phone.

  “Take care of?” asked Ben.

  “Yeah.” Bella seemed evasive, her eyes everywhere but Ben’s face. Graham. It had to be. Dammit, screamed Annie inside her head. Don’t blow this over the married guy. Ben really likes you. There could be something here. But Bella could not hear her silent screams. “Right. Like now, probably,” Bella said.

  “Like this afternoon?” asked Ben.

  “Right.”

  “I thought we were going swimming?” he asked, his eyes transformed into that of a man who didn’t trust. The eyes of someone who had been betrayed by the woman he loved.

  “Rain check, maybe?” said Bella.

  His face shut down all the way then. And like an old man, he got up from the stool, finishing what had to be cold coffee in one gulp. “Thanks for breakfast, Annie. I should be headed out anyway. Need to get showered and head up north.”

  Bella looked at him, finally. Her eyes were wary now, too, the eyes of a woman who had loved an unavailable man for too many years. “You’re leaving then?”

  He didn’t say anything for a moment, perhaps calculating how to answer. “Sounds like you’re busy and I’ve got to be back at the office tomorrow.”

  Bella shrugged, like it was nothing. “Oh, okay.”

  Annie wanted to shake them both. Don’t let the other person walk out that door. Go talk it
out. Tell him who the calls are from. Tell him you’re done with the married guy.

  “I’ll walk you out to your car,” Bella said to him.

  “Fine. Great.” He went around the counter, giving Annie a tight hug. “Thanks for everything. I’ll see you next month.”

  “Are you sure you have to go so soon?” asked Annie. “Drake would love it if you’d stay for a couple of days.”

  “No, I’ve seen all I need to see. There’s no question in my mind this is the perfect location for our call center. But I need to get back and report in to my boss. That kind of thing.” His voice sounded hollow, despite the way he was trying to hide his disappointment over Bella’s sudden change.

  “Stay in touch. Call us when you get home, okay?” said Annie. And ask to speak to Bella.

  “Will do. Tell Drake I said thanks,” said Ben.

  After they left, Annie looked around the now empty room, so brightly lit one instant and so dim the next. She put the macaroni package back in the pantry. At the sink, she peeled her lone boiled egg and ate it standing up.

  * * *

  She stood on the deck, searching for Drake and Alder. But the yard was empty; everything felt ominously quiet. The air was still. There were no birds tweeting or flies buzzing. A moment later, the silence was broken by the low hum of Ben’s car starting. Through the trees she saw his red car making its way down the driveway. She sat on the steps, watching a sparrow hopping about on the wooden swing. Why did so many love the wrong people? Bella had made a terrible mistake just now. And why? For empty promises, for a dream grasped by her fingernails for years now—a dream that would never come to fruition because people didn’t change. But people heard what they wanted to hear when it came to love.

  She loved Drake even though there was no way he could ever love her back. The truth of this filled her in a way she hadn’t allowed it to for weeks, always hopeful, cataloguing each gesture and kind word, and finally, his touches from yesterday and today. But he’d said it last night. He could not dance with her. She drew her knees up, wrapping her arms around them, and cried silent sobs, letting it all run out of her until she was exhausted and spent. Afterwards, she rose to go back into the house, gazing into the sky before turning abruptly and stumbling into Drake. “Oh my gosh, I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there.” Had he seen her crying?