“You should have told me. I’d have understood.”
“I—I did what he wanted me to do, expecting it to be enough. I can’t ever risk losing Felicia, Sara. She’s all I have left of Ann, and she owns my heart.”
“So that’s it? You just lay down and let Ann’s father run over you? Was it really that easy to toss me away?”
“No.” Terry’s voice shook with emotion. “It wasn’t easy. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”
“He can’t just take your child from you. You’re a good mom. Anyone with eyes can see that.”
“You don’t know him. He won’t stop until he gets his way. He’s got a lot of money and determination. It took years for Ann to get out from under his thumb. She had to fight to take the money she inherited from her grandma and put it into a trust for Felicia. It nearly bankrupted us. When she died, it bankrupted me because William refused to help pay for the funeral. He was still angry she refused his money.”
“Sounds like a right bastard.”
“He is. And he’s used to getting what he wants. I never thought he’d do this. He was angry that, although I sold the house in Quebec, I wasn’t moving to Vancouver. And why would I? I’m from Whitehorse, and my mom needed help, so it made sense to come here. He said if I came to Vancouver, he’d take care of us, and we’d want for nothing.”
“Why didn’t you do it?” Sara fought the urge to wipe the tears from Terry’s face. It killed her to see the sadness in her eyes.
“Ann wouldn’t have wanted me to. She hated his money and how he throws it around to get what he wants. She didn’t want Felicia exposed to that.”
“And that’s when he threatened you?”
“He flew to Quebec and tried to take Felicia home with him. I nearly called the police to stop him. Since then, he’s been on the phone harassing me at every opportunity. I offered to let him come to see her in Whitehorse, but he made excuses for not coming here. Twice my mom flew to Vancouver so Felicia could see her other grandparents. Both times he tried to buy Felicia’s affections, which says right there how little he knows about her. She’s not into material things at all.”
“Terry, you should have told me all this from the beginning. You should have told me. All those times we stayed up all night talking—did you think I wouldn’t want to stay with you or something?”
“No. Never that.” Terry’s voice softened, but Sara heard a slight tremble in her words. “I can only say I’m sorry. It was a huge mistake, and I’ve missed being with you every minute of every day since. I don’t know what else to say.”
Say you love me, Sara thought. If Terry would say that, she’d be in her arms in a nanosecond. But those words weren’t forthcoming, and Sara knew it. The chasm between them was bigger than the Grand Canyon.
“I don’t know either.”
Terry sniffled as fresh tears slid down her cheeks. “I need you as my friend. I’ve missed you, and I know I screwed up, but I need you. I have no one to go to. No one that understands or knows me the way you do.”
“Friends?”
“Yeah. Do you think we could try? Please?”
The hurt in Terry’s eyes was heart wrenching. Could Sara be satisfied with a friendship with Terry? Did she even want one?
Yes. She did. She wanted nothing more than to have Terry back in her life. She loved her with all her heart, and if there was a tiny chance Terry would one day see that, Sara was willing to take it. But the road to trusting her again would be a long one.
“You’ll have to earn my trust,” she said. “We can’t have a friendship without it.”
“I’ll try. I promise I’ve told you everything. There are no more secrets.”
“Good.” Sara swept her arm toward the kitchen. “Why don’t you come in? Want some tea? I’ve got jasmine.”
“I don’t think I can say no to jasmine tea.”
“Then don’t. Hang up your jacket. I’ll get the tea ready, and we can talk about this mess. And you can tell me why you were at the pub last night.”
“I was hoping to run into you,” Terry said. She stared at her hands like they held all the answers in the world. “I saw you with that girl and left. I didn’t want to intrude on your date. You looked like you were having a good time.”
“We were. She’s been good for me.”
“I’m glad. Um…may I use your bathroom?”
“Sure.”
Terry retreated down the hall.
Sara didn’t know what to say. She busied herself and placed the cups and saucers on the table, along with the tea. She reached for the kettle at the same moment there was a knock at her door.
She answered it and was nearly bowled over as Angel shoved her way inside. “Hey! What the hell are you doing?”
“Who is she?”
“What? Angel, get the fuck out of my house.”
“I want to know who she is.” Angel shoved her way into the living room, pushing Sara back as if she were a nuisance. “You said you didn’t want to date two women, but that was clearly a lie. I saw you with the blue-haired chick, and then I saw a different one come in here just now.”
“Get out of my house.” Sara tried hard to keep her voice steady. “I don’t want you here.”
“I don’t give a shit.” Angel spun around and came at Sara so fast Sara found herself backed against a wall. Angel loomed over her, one hand grasping Sara’s shirt. “Who the fuck is she? What’s she got that I don’t? I saw that shitty truck she’s driving. You into trailer trash now?”
Angel’s hand raised as if to strike Sara.
There was a frightening glint in her eyes. Before Sara answered, Terry was there. She pulled Angel away from her and shoved her toward the door. In that moment, Sara realized how dangerous Angel could be. As it was in the car, Sara felt a wave of violence come from her and instinctively tried to keep Terry away.
“Stop. Angel, you need to leave. Right now.”
Angel lunged toward Sara, but Terry shoved her, causing Angel to stumble backward. She caught herself on the door frame. Terry spoke through clenched teeth. “She said leave.”
“Who the fuck are you?” Angel glowered, but Terry didn’t budge.
Terry’s calm voice belied the shaking Sara felt under her hand, which rested on Terry’s arm. “None of your business.” She opened the door, keeping Sara behind her. “Out. Now.”
The expression on Angel’s face scared Sara. She seemed indecisive—fight or leave. “Go, Angel,” Sara said, “Now.”
“Call the police, Sara,” Terry said without taking her eyes off Angel. “She’s trespassing and I’m pretty sure what she did would be considered assault and battery. It’s time you pressed charges against her.”
Angel locked gazes with Sara, who made no move for her phone. Angel edged toward the door. “This isn’t over,” she said to Terry. “You have no idea who you’re fucking with.”
“I don’t care who you are. You need to leave. Right now.” Terry gently pushed Sara back a few steps as Angel headed for the door.
“You’re going to regret this, Sara,” Angel said as she left the house. “I’ll be meeting with Greg first thing in the morning.”
Sara’s gut tightened at the thought. She wanted to stop her. “Angel—”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of this one, too.” She pointed to Terry and left.
Terry gently closed the door. She stood at the small window beside it for a few moments before letting her gaze rest on Sara, the angry lines on her face now softened with concern. “You okay?”
“Yes. No. Both?”
Sara let Terry lead her to the kitchen table. Terry reheated the water while Sara sat down. “I’m sorry,” Sara said. “I went out with her a couple of times, and she decided we were a couple. She’s the one who dumped me along the roadside.”
“That was her? I should have kicked her ass when I had the chance.”
“No don’t. That would only make things wors
e. Her cousin is my boss at the bank, and Angel’s realty company brings a lot of business in. She’s used that fact a couple of times to get me to have dinner with her. I haven’t talked to her since she kicked me out of her car. I thought we were done.”
“We should call the police.”
“Why? She didn’t hurt me. There’s nothing to tell them.”
“She’s harassing you, and if I hadn’t been here, she might have hurt you.”
“I think it would make things worse if I reported her. She really has pull at the bank. What if she tells my boss I’m harassing her? What if she pulls her accounts? Then what?”
“You beat her to the punch.” Terry removed her cell phone from her back pocket and dialed. “I’m going to help you do this.” She spoke into the phone. “Yes, I’d like a police officer to come see me. I need to report someone for harassment and assault.”
Sara waited nervously while Terry gave information to the police. When she was done, Sara didn’t know if she should hug her or hit her for taking matters into her own hands.
“Done.” Terry finished her tea. “You want another cup?”
“I haven’t touched the first one.”
“Then I’ll reheat it.”
“I don’t know if this is a good idea.”
“Sure it is. Cold tea is gross.” Terry got up and put the cup in the microwave, a hint of a grin on her face. “As for the police, it’s totally a good idea. Angel needs to be put in her place, Sara. I don’t give a shit who she knows. If she talks to your boss, then I’ll talk to his boss.”
“You don’t have to try so hard to win my trust back, you know?”
“Of course I do.” Terry put the steaming tea in front of her, leaned down, and kissed Sara on the cheek. “I wouldn’t be a good friend if I didn’t do this.”
“Will you stay until the police get here?”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Sara wanted to read so much more into that statement. Terry not only got rid of Angel, but she was ready to protect Sara from her at the same time. Only Liv had ever done that for her. When had Terry become her knight in shining armor? It’s not like she needed it. Sara was sure she could handle Angel on her own, but the idea that Terry felt strongly enough about her to get right in Angel’s face, be ready to rush to Sara’s defense against anyone she needed to—it tipped the balance for Sara. She’d work on the friendship and see where it led.
Sara sipped her tea and asked, “You really don’t have any other friends?”
“I’ll accept the change in topic for now.” Terry gave Sara a small smile. “And no. I don’t. I mean, Frank sort of counts, but he’s more my mom’s friend and a super sweet guy who likes to help me out. He wasn’t ready to retire when he sold me his business, but I guess his wife sort of pushed him into it.
“Anyway, I don’t go out, ever. The only people I meet are clients, and I’m not interested in any of them. The only friends I had were your friends, really. And most of them are too pissed off to have anything to do with me.”
“That’s sad, Terry. You need to go out once in a while. Meet new people. Have some fun.”
Terry laughed. “I have lots of fun with Felicia. Maybe not the kind of fun I had with you, but it’ll have to do for now. Though I would love to be able to call you now and again to talk. We used to be good at talking to each other.”
“We were, until I found out the huge secret you were keeping from me.” The smile faded from Terry’s face, and Sara regretted her choice of words. But she was angry and hurt all over again and wasn’t about to let Terry off the hook for it.
Terry’s eyes dropped to her teacup, and she looked utterly defeated. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s it? Can’t you at least help me understand why you did it?”
“I don’t fully understand myself. I know I have to protect Felicia at all costs. Even if the cost is my own happiness. Everything I do affects her. Even she can see that I’ve been miserable since I broke up with you. She wanted to meet you, and she was upset she didn’t get to. I still hear about it because Felicia never forgets anything.”
“Then let me meet her.” Sara hardly believed what she was saying.
“You want to meet her?” Terry’s expression was somewhere between fear and shock.
“I do. I think it’s best we pick up where we left off—in a manner of speaking. I should meet your family. I think that’s a good start. You’ve met my family, such as it is.”
“I only met your mother the one time.”
“That wasn’t enough for you? She wore you out dragging you around the mall while she shopped for shoes.”
“She does love her shoes.” Terry gave her a lopsided grin.
“She does, but she’s not the topic of discussion here. What do you say? Let me meet Felicia?”
Terry didn’t seem like she needed to give the idea much thought as her answer was immediate. “Yes. What are you doing Sunday afternoon? I can make lunch, and you can join our Sunday picnic/teatime in the living room.”
“A picnic in the living room?” Sara asked, her smile mirroring Terry’s. “That sounds cute.”
“Trust me, it is. Felicia gets all dressed up for it and usually puts a bow in Elmo’s fur. We get out her best plastic China and make a very big deal out of it.”
“It’s a date.”
“Sunday at one?”
“I’ll be there.”
Terry smiled sweetly and the expression made Sara weak in the knees. Her heart raced and she wanted so very badly to take Terry into her arms and kiss her forever. But she held those emotions in check.
“Too bad I have to work tomorrow.”
“How so?” Terry asked.
“I’d ask to come over. I don’t want to wait until Sunday.”
“It’s only a couple of days,” Terry inched closer and Sara was tempted by the proximity of her lips…
There was a knock at the door and her thoughts switched back to Angel, cooling her hormones like a cold shower. She watched quietly as Terry opened the door and led an officer into the living room. Sara trudged after them, hoping like hell that this wasn’t going to come back and bite her in the ass.
****
Greg called Sara into his office first thing the next morning. Greg Rutherford might not be as tall as his cousin, but he was no less imposing. His dark eyes observed everything, and Sara doubted anyone, or anything, ever got past him. He was brilliant at his job, even if he lacked personality.
His blond hair, cut close to his scalp, revealed the hint of a receding hairline. Greg didn’t appear to care about such things. He always came to work in crisp, white, button-down shirts and a black tie that matched his black slacks and black shoes. As a boss, he was fair and always had Sara’s back.
He didn’t say a word when she walked in, just pointed to one of the plush chairs in front of his over-sized oak desk. He waited for her to be seated then sat up straight and gave her his full attention.
“Thanks for coming in. I know you’re busy, so I’ll get to the point. I had an interesting conversation with Angel Harrison on my way to work this morning.”
Sara braced herself. In her hand, she held a copy of the police report she’d filed. Charley Townsend, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police sergeant who responded to the call, was kind enough to fax it to her first thing this morning. It helped that she and Charley went to school together. Sometimes living in a small community was useful. She looked up at Greg, who, as usual, sported no particular expression on his face. She waited for him to continue.
“What may or may not go on between you two outside this building is none of my business. However, Angel is threatening to take her clients to the Royal Bank of Canada. That wouldn’t be ideal for us, but it’s not the crushing blow she thinks it is. Nor is it of much concern to me. What is of concern is that she claims you’ve sexually harassed her here, in your office.”
Sara started to speak, but he
held up a hand to stop her. “I haven’t worked with you very long, Sara, but I know you well enough to believe you would never be anything less than professional in the workplace. Angel filed a formal complaint, so I have to investigate it, and I am. She claims this happened several months ago, after you went on a date together. She says you pressured her to go out again and made calls to her during work hours so often that she’s had to block your office number and your cell number.
“Now, this is all her side of things. I’d like to hear yours.”
“She’s lying. It’s that simple. Several months ago we did go out, but when I made it clear I wasn’t going to sleep with her, Angel hit me.”
For the first time since they’d started working together, Greg reacted to her words. His eyes narrowed and Sara could sense his anger building.
“I refused to see her again, even after she apologized to me. I had another relationship after that, and I didn’t hear anything from Angel until it ended. She came to me and said I should go to dinner with her. She kept saying she could easily pull her clients from our bank and how bad it would be for me if she did, so I went out with her. Twice. The second time, when I made it clear I wasn’t interested in a relationship, she dumped me out of her car along Highway 1, in the middle of the night, about twenty kilometers south of here.
“Last night, she showed up at my house.” She placed the police report on his desk. “You’ll find everything you need in there. The officer did suggest I take out a restraining order against her, but I don’t want to do that. I think this ought to be enough. The officer told me they’d investigate things, and I suspect, given that she called you this morning, the police have already spoken to her.”
Greg read over the report, and Sara tried to be patient while he did. She kept her hands in her lap, clasped tightly to hide the trembling.
After a few tense minutes, Greg put the report down. When he looked at her, she was certain she saw genuine concern in his dark eyes. “May I keep this report?”
“Of course.”
“Sara, let me say I’m sorry this has happened. I will make sure this accusation of Angel’s goes no further than my desk. You’re good at your job, and I won’t allow her, or anyone else, to make false accusations. If you need anything from me regarding this matter, please let me know.”
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