“How dare—” Annie started.
“No! How dare you. Dumping your kid off like a sack of groceries whenever you want to go have some fun with your married boyfriend. Not even checking to see if he’s okay. Did you see what Reva did? Did you see—”
“Yeah, I saw. She put my son in front of some crazy man with a gun.”
“Our son. And she saved him from the crazy man with a gun, in case you didn’t notice. What the hell is wrong with you that you can’t understand how to be a mother? Or a wife?”
“I—”
Todd’s shoulders drooped. “Just stop, Annie. Just stop.”
Officer Teckley and his crew swarmed the room, cuffed Adam, and called an ambulance for Nick. Great, Reva thought, we spent most of the evening giving statements and now we go back and do it again.
“Hey Todd.” She waited for him to cross the room to her. He’d handed the gun to Teckley as soon as possible and stood back while the others did their jobs.
Todd pulled Reva in and hugged her. “You okay?”
“Yeah, but do you mind if we just do something normal and boring next time you want to impress me? You know, like maybe grill burgers in the backyard or order KFC?”
He stared at her and she knew he couldn’t muster a laugh, though she’d tried to lighten the moment. He clenched his eyes for a second, then opened them and lifted a lip in a forced grin. “I guess we could do that.”
The police hefted Adam to his feet and started to escort him to a waiting squad car.
“Adam?” Reva summoned.
“What.”
She felt the coldness in his body language. Every nerve – ice cold. “You are so fired.”
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
Reva was pretty good at running away from places that held bad memories. She’d learned that when she escaped from Nick. It had been four weeks since the police handcuffed Adam and took him away.
He had been charged with murder. Two counts apparently and Reva was stunned. His truck apparently had dna evidence that pointed to the disappearance of a woman. She’d seen it on the news for days and was stunned when they connected it back to Adam. Once in custody, Adam had confessed and explained it as an accident. Reva was saddened that she hadn’t seen the depths of darkness and anger during the time he worked for her. Sure, she had feared him a little, but she thought it was a result of her own issues, not his. Nick’s death came as a shock at first.
Nick had not survived the surgery to repair his gunshot wound. He’d lost too much blood. The doctors had been a little surprised that he’d been weakened so by the shot.It had not appeared life threatening. Apparently, he had some blood deformity that introduced complications. Reva’s sadness was short-lived. Relief seemed more appropriate and she hated that she had such brief remorse at the loss. After all, she’d loved the man once. Hadn’t she?
Looking at the obituary, she realized there was little love in the partnership they’d formed. It had been forged in fear and servitude. It had been difficult to call the girlfriend and inform her of his death. After multiple attempts where she’d hung up before an answer, she finally rang through to a voice. The girlfriend had disappeared and forwarded his phone to his office. Like Reva, she’d taken the opportunity to save herself. Reva wanted to applaud the bravery. Instead, it made her sad. How many other lives had Nick tortured? And who had done it to him?
She walked to the front door with Todd at her side. His truck behind them was filled with boxes ready to be packed full. She’d not spend another night alone in this house. Reva sighed.
“Does it make you sad to leave?” Todd asked.
“Not really. It’s more of a cleansing. A chance to finally wash the uglies out of my life.”
“That’s a good way to look at it. I wish you’d stay with me though.”
Reva touched his cheek. He leaned into her hand. She understood that this slight gesture meant something to him, the gentle stroke across his shadowed jaw. He’d said as much when they sprawled across his tangled sheets last night. When he’d asked her again to move in.
“Give me a little time, okay?”
He clasped the fingers and pressed them to his lips. “You got it.”
They lugged boxes inside and spent the next three hours stuffing them full. It amazed Reva how much junk she’d collected in the short time she’d been in the house. Sweat trickled between her shoulder blades, tickling against her spine. A grumble in her stomach encouraged her to check her watch. It was almost one!
The clip clop of heels on the concrete signaled someone’s arrival. “Yoo hoo. Reva?”
Reva turned to share an annoyed look with Todd.
“Dammit, Annie, can’t you leave the girl alone?” he said when the bobbed blonde tromped in the open door, shadowed by Reva’s cousin, David.
David hesitated on the threshold, nodding at both occupants. “I have some good news for you. We’ve come to a—” He placed a palm on Annie’s shoulder and squeezed before continuing, “We’ve worked things out. I thought you’d want to know.”
Todd and Reva shared another startled exchange.
“Yeah,” Annie added, “David and I have spent a lot of time trying to come to some sort of compromise about your time with Eric.” Annie fumbled with the button on the bottom of her too-tight blouse.
David grinned. “Just tell them, sweetie. They need to know.”
Sweetie?
“See, I haven’t been exactly straight about Bob. I’m not really seeing him. He dumped me eight months after I left you, Todd. He never really intended to leave his wife and marry me. He just said that to—well, you know.” Annie bit into her lip and worked it hard. Reva thought her eyes glistened a bit as if a tear might drop. “He thought it was the perfect setup with me being married too. What an ass. I just couldn’t say anything. I’d really screwed up. I was so stupid. So, I kept coming over and dropping Eric off. Sometimes because he wanted to see you and sometimes because I needed to be alone.”
The puddle in her eye gave way to a couple of tears that rolled down and ruined her perfect make-up. Reva reluctantly felt her heart tug.
“Go on,” David prompted.
“I didn’t want Eric to see me crying all the time so if I couldn’t face you, I’d just drop him and go home. I’d crawl in bed and cry. I was so mad. I didn’t dare tell you but I thought I wanted you back. Only I knew you’d never have it, Todd. In a way, I also knew that wasn’t right for either of us. Then you met Reva.”
Reva turned and plunked a stack of books into the box behind her. Her face started to warm. Here it comes.
“I could see you really cared for her and it made me jealous and well, more lonely.”
David cleared his throat and rubbed her shoulder. “Todd, what Annie’s agreed to is this: Eric will stay with you during the summers and every other weekend, unless you can’t take him. He’ll stay with Annie during the school year. If you’d rather do it differently, she’s open to ideas.”
Annie hiccupped and Reva turned to see Annie’s make-up smeared face watching her. “I’m sorry Reva. You saved Eric’s life and I never really thanked you. I was so angry at myself and how badly I’d botched everything up, I just saw you…”
“As the bitch who’d weaseled into your family?” Reva grinned.
Annie giggled. “Well, yeah.”
All four adults stood staring at the floor for endless minutes until the back door flung open. Eric swept in and hugged Todd, then Reva. “Dad, how are you gonna box up all that stuff in the backyard?” he asked.
Annie seemed to welcome the interruption that broke their tension. “What stuff is that, sweetie?”
David groaned. “Not you, too, Reva? Ben’s filled your yard up with all that junk?”
Reva laughed. “Hey, now. It’s art. Some of it isn’t all that bad either. In fact, he’s sold a few pieces to Todd’s company. They’re putting it in their catalog this fall.”
“Good.” David looked at Todd. “Maybe you can buy all mine too
then.” He grabbed a box and started loading it from the kitchen cabinets. Annie joined him and rubbed a hand across his back. Well, well. Looks like they worked out more than just Todd’s parental rights.
Todd leaned into Reva’s hair, his breath warm against her ear, and whispered. “He could do a lot worse, I guess.”
She turned and kissed the corner of his mouth. “Yeah, they’re cute. Who would have thought that?”
Eric flipped on Reva’s music and pressed the button that she’d programmed to Disney tunes for him when they’d painted shirts. He grabbed a box and joined the packing party, though he danced more than packed. Within thirty minutes, the small team had moved to the bedroom when voices calling caught their attention.
“Where’s the party?” That had to be Ben.
“Back here,” Todd called. He and Reva went out to meet him. Only it wasn’t just Ben. No, Ben, his kids, Tim, and Reva’s parents all strolled in.
Reva’s mom held a big bucket of KFC. “I thought you guys might be hungry.” She smiled.
“You’re an angel.” Todd hugged her, covering her forehead in sweat. He swiped the boxes off the table and grabbed paper plates.
“Hey, David! Why don’t you guys get in here and see this.”
Some scuffling in the back occurred, then David and Annie appeared.
“What’s up? Oh, food! Whew, thanks.”
Todd motioned to Reva. “Hey, gorgeous, why don’t you dish it up for everyone?”
“Are you really trying to get me to serve food to this group? I think they can handle it themselves. I’m not your waitress,” Reva huffed. She picked up a plate. “But I’ll go first if you don’t mind.”
She slipped the lid off the chicken and started to reach in when her fingers touched—fuzz.
“What the?” A felt box. She stared down at it, befuddled. A breeze hit her sweaty legs as Todd dropped down next to her.
“So, what do you say, babe? Think you and I could do it right this time?” He glanced over his shoulder at Annie. “No offense, Annie.”
“None taken.” Still, there were tears in her eyes.
Reva looked at the box, then at the man on his knee in front of her. “Todd Grisham, are you proposing to me with a box of chicken? Seriously?”
He laughed. The whole room clapped. Her family roared with laughter. All of them. “Yes, honey, that’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m being normal. Straight up normal and I’m asking you to be boringly and exquisitely average with me for the rest of your life. Right here. In front of your whole family. With this ring and a box of chicken. And I promise I won’t lay a hand on you if you turn me down.” Todd crossed fingers over his heart and held them up, then stood.
He lifted the box out of the chicken and brushed the crumbs away, then opened it and placed it in her hand. “So, what do you say?”
She smiled around the room. Yes, this is how it was intended to be. Everyone around for all the big moments. Nothing hidden in the dark or behind closed doors. This is how someone loves you. And you love them.
She gulped down the knot in her throat and took the ring out. “Wow, that Datemydad.com website really works!”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shelley grew up on a farm outside of Kansas City, Missouri. She‘s a graduate of Oklahoma State University with a bit of post-graduate work at OSU and University of Wyoming-Casper. She now resides near Houston with her family.
Other titles by Shelley K Wall include:
Numbers Never Lie
Bring It On
The Designated Driver’s Club
For a more current list, go to www.shelleykwall.com
Sassy, Sexy, and Stalked Page 20
