The Second Time Around: a Hope Valley novel

by Prince, Jessica

  “She’s fine, darlin’,” Mr. Dixon informed me. “Don’t you worry about her. She gets a little high-strung from time to time. Best to just let it run its course.”

  The woman’s head shot up all of a sudden, and she turned a murderous glare on her husband.

  “I am not high-strung!” she clipped, the crying jag all but forgotten.

  The older man let out a bark of laughter, his green eyes—the same green as Bryce’s—dancing with humor. “Woman, you’re probably the only person since Victorian times to still get the vapors.”

  “Samuel Dixon! You stop telling lies. You’re going to make Tessa think I’m a crazy old loon!”

  “If the shoe fits,” he muttered under his breath.

  “You’d be smart to remember who cooks your food,” she warned. “All it takes is one internet search. Just one.”

  “Internet searches are how people get caught, Mom,” Bryce added helpfully.

  She arched a brow, and I suddenly knew where her son got that talent. “Then I guess I’ll have to go old school and hit up the public library when we get back home.”

  “You know, dear, you’re not really makin’ a very good case to show Tessa here you aren’t twelve kinds of batshit crazy.”

  For some reason, I found myself lifting a hand and interjecting into the hilarious domestic squabble unfolding in front of me. “Um, if I could make a suggestion?”

  “What’s that, sweetie?” Mrs. Dixon asked, the venom gone from her eyes as she turned back to me.

  “The ID Channel,” I told her. “Watch that. Those shows are the perfect guide on what not to do. And there’s no way of leaving a trail that will lead back to you.”

  A slow, stunning smile pulled across her face. “Oh, Tessa. I think you and I are going to be the best of friends.”

  * * *

  After the bumpy start, things quickly picked up. Mrs. Dixon finished making breakfast, as we all sat at Bryce’s kitchen to dig into a heaping stack of pancakes and a huge pile of bacon.

  At first, I’d wondered why she had cooked so much, but after a few minutes it became clear the woman new exactly what she was doing. Bryce and Mr. Dixon laid waste to the insane amount of food.

  They asked about Hope House and how I liked working with the children there. It quickly became apparent Bryce had kept his family up to date on everything about me.

  Halfway through breakfast, Bryce excused himself to make a phone call. I stuck at the table with his folks, feeling surprisingly at ease as I talked about each of the kids I was in charge of. “I just think what you’re doing is so honorable, Tessa. How you and your team help those kids . . . it’s amazing.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Dixon.”

  “Please, call me Lily. And Bryce’s dad is Sam. No need to be so formal. We’re family, after all.”

  I returned her smile, their easy acceptance warming me. “Well then, thank you, Lily.”

  Bryce returned, bending at the waist and pressing a kiss to the top of my head before resuming his seat and digging back into his food.

  “Are you allowed visitors at Hope House?” Lily asked, resting her elbow on the table and bracing her chin in her hand. “I’d love to see you in action and meet the kids, if that’s all right, of course.”

  I polished off the last of my orange juice and put the glass back on the table before answering, “It shouldn’t be a problem. If you guys are planning to be in town a while, I can look at the calendar when I get to work later and call Bryce to set up a time.”

  “That’s perfect!”

  “And we’re having a Halloween Festival in town soon,” I added. “We’re setting up a haunted house, and some of the kids are going to be part of if. They’re really excited. You guys should come by.”

  “Wouldn’t miss it, darlin’,” Sam said, his cheeks puffed out and full of pancakes.

  “Speaking of the haunted house Hunt and I, and a couple other guys from Alpha Omega, are in the middle of converting an old barn we’re usin’,” Bryce said to his dad. “Feel like gettin’ your hands dirty while you’re here, Pop?”

  “Does a bear shit in the woods?” was his reply, which I took to mean yes, he’d be happy to get his hands dirty.

  I took my last bite, stuffed to maximum capacity, as my phone rang from inside my purse on the kitchen island. I didn’t remember bringing it downstairs, or even coming into the kitchen before this morning, but there it was.

  “Might wanna get that, beauty,” Bryce muttered after sucking back a swig of coffee. “Might be someone from work.”

  Excusing myself from the table, I flipped open the little clutch and pulled my phone out.

  “Hello?”

  “Ms. Day? This is Teresa over at Valley Inn. I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”

  “No, not at all.”

  “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but, um . . . well, we just got word that your room needs to be vacated.”

  “Wait. What? Why?”

  “Well, uh. It has to be, uh . . . fumigated! Yeah, that’s it. It needs to be fumigated.”

  My forehead pulled into a deep frown. “Fumigated for what?”

  “Um, well, I’m not really sure.” The woman on the other end of the line hemmed and hawed. “I was just told that your room needs to be cleared out.”

  “Okay, well . . .” I blew out a sigh, trying to remain calm as I rubbed at my temple. “Could I move to a different room, maybe?”

  “Sorry, but we’re all booked up,” she blurted, rapid-fire. “I guess a lot of people are in town for the festival. We don’t have anywhere we can move you. You’ll need to have your stuff out by Thursday.”

  “Thursday?” I yelped. “That’s only two days away. How am I supposed to find somewhere else to stay by then?”

  “I’m so sorry for the inconvenience, ma’am, but if it helps, we’ll reimburse you for the remainder of the month you’ve already paid for.”

  Then it dawned on me.

  When I turned back to the table, Lily and Sam quickly jerked their heads forward, but they hadn’t been fast enough. All three of the Dixon’s had been listening in on my conversation.

  “Just out of curiosity, Teresa,” I said, keeping my tone level and my eyes pinned to Bryce. “How come I haven’t been told about my room needing to be fumigated before now?”

  “Well . . .” she was silent for a beat, almost like she as trying to remember what she’d been coached to say. “It, um . . . was unexpected.”

  “Huh. Unexpected. That’s weird. And you said I had to be out by Thursday?”

  “That’s right. Thursday. The . . . um, fumigator guy was very specific.”

  I bet he was.

  The phone call Bryce had to suddenly make in private in the middle of breakfast. My purse conveniently sitting on the counter. The day I had to be out conveniently falling on my only other day off this week. It all made perfect sense.

  “Well, these things happen, I guess. Thanks for calling to let me know, Teresa.” I narrowed my eyes and glared at the man who was currently watching me unrepentantly. “You know, instead of waiting to see me in person. Good customer service.”

  “Well, like I said, sorry again. Hope you enjoy the rest of your morning.” Then she hung up without another word.

  I slowly lowered the phone to my side. “It’s the strangest thing,” I said conversationally. “All of the sudden, out of nowhere, my room at the inn has to be fumigated. And oddly enough, the place is completely booked up. For the first time since I’ve been there.”

  “Wow, that is strange,” he replied calmly. “Guess there are lot of visitors in town for the festival.”

  “Yeah. That’s exactly what Teresa said.”

  He shrugged and popped a piece of bacon into his mouth. I wasn’t going to get anywhere with him, so I turned my focus on his parents, who happened to be watching the exchange with rapt fascination. “Are you guys staying here while you’re in town?”

  “We booked a room at the inn,” Sam an
swered.

  “We must have gotten the last available one.” Lily pinned a sympathetic look on her face that was as unnatural as tits on a rooster. “Oh dear, that’s bad luck. It’s a good thing Bryce has all this space.”

  “Isn’t it though?” I deadpanned, cutting my gaze back to my husband.

  “I’d say the timin’ works out perfectly. Now instead of havin’ to take you around town to look at places, we can just use your day off to move you in here.”

  “Bryce,” I growled, “what did you do?”

  He scooted his chair back and picked up his now empty plate, an innocent expression on his face that I didn’t buy for a second. “I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”

  “You called the inn earlier. You got them to kick me out so you could set this whole thing up.”

  He set his plate in the sink before making his way toward me, cocky as could be. “You think so?”

  “I know so. This has your name written all over it.”

  With a big, shit-eating grin, he leaned forward and placed a kiss on my pursed lips before whispering, “Prove it.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Tessa

  “So? What do you think?” I turned to Lily as we made our way down the hall from the common area.

  It was the day after Bryce’s covert op to force me into moving in with him, and Bryce and Sam had swung by to drop Lily off on their way to work on the barn.

  Her face was soft, her smile sincere as she replied, “They’re lovely. Each and every one of them. I can see how this would be your calling, sweetie. You’re so good with them.”

  “I understand where they’re coming from,” I confessed. “That makes it a little easier for me. And they appreciate having someone looking out for them who’s walked in their shoes.”

  She linked her arm through mine as we made the slow trek down the long hall. “I hope you don’t mind, but Bryce told us about your parents.”

  I gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. “I don’t keep it a secret. I’m not ashamed that I was a foster child. It’s just the hand I was dealt.”

  “Precisely,” she said with a firm nod of her head. “It breaks my heart you had to suffer that kind of loss then live the way you did. But it made you the woman you are today, a woman who can look at these kids and see the potential in them they might not see in themselves. Life is all about the bumps and bruises we receive along the way. Each one builds character. They mold us into who we’re supposed to be and help us appreciate the little things we might have taken for granted.”

  I turned my head and looked down at her, a piece of my heart now belonging to this wise, big-hearted woman as I mimicked her word. “Precisely.”

  “Ms. Tessa!” We both turned to find Charity skipping down the hall, excitement stretching across her face. She waved a piece of paper in the air as she skidded to a stop in front of us. “I got my report card today. Check it out!”

  I took the paper she offered and scanned down the list of grades, my eyes going big.

  “Four B’s and two A’s,” she chirped, hopping in place.

  “Charity, this is . . .” I looked up from the report card, my mouth hanging open. “Sweetheart, this is amazing!” Reaching out, I pulled her in for a hug. I didn’t care if hugging wasn’t her thing, I was damn well going to give her one. This was epic. “I’m so proud of you,” I said softly, feeling a lump form in my throat.

  “I can’t believe I did it,” she said once we broke apart, her eyes shining and her cheeks bright pink. “I mean, I worked really hard to get my grades up, but I still wasn’t sure, you know?”

  “I was,” I stated firmly. “I knew you could do it, Charity. You’re one of the smartest, strongest girls I’ve ever known.”

  She ducked her head bashfully, looking up from beneath her eyelashes. “Thanks, Ms. Tessa.”

  “Anytime.” Grabbing Charity’s hand, I shifted her to face Lily. “Charity, I have someone I want you to meet. Lily, this is my girl, Charity.”

  I didn’t miss the way her shoulders squared with pride at me calling her my girl, but I didn’t draw attention to it.

  “Charity, this is Mrs. Dixon, Bryce’s mother.”

  “No way!” The girl’s eyes bulged out of her head. “You gave birth to that huge dude? But . . . you’re so little!”

  “Had two more before him,” Lily said on a laugh. “Each of them just as big as the last. They get their size from their father.”

  The shock slipped from her expression, replaced with the tough girl persona she liked to wear so often. “He told us he was an idiot and screwed up with Ms. Tessa, but that he was trying to make it right now.”

  I caught the flash of surprise on Lily’s face before she masked it and nodded. “That’s correct.”

  “So, since you’re his mom, you can like make sure he doesn’t act like an idiot again, right? ’Cause if he hurts Ms. Tessa, I might have to do something that won’t make her all that happy and might get me picked up by the cops again.”

  “Charity!” I cried, a laugh coming out that was only partially aghast.

  Lily reached out and patted my arm, silently telling me she had this. She had three boys who were probably just like Bryce; clearly, she knew what she was doing. “We wouldn’t want you having to do something that would upset Ms. Tessa or lead to a visit with the cops. I’ll keep my boy in line, but you have my word, if I fall down on the job, you’re the one he’ll have to answer to. Deal?”

  Charity gave that some thought before nodding. “Yeah. I’m cool with that.”

  From the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of movement, and turned my focus on Diana, who was waving frantically from the end of the hall. “Thanks for having my back, Charity, but it’s homework time. I’ll be by in a little while to help out, okay?”

  “All right. See you, Ms. Tessa. Nice to meet you, Ms. Lily.”

  “You too, my dear.”

  As soon as Charity disappeared into the common room behind us, Diana all but ran down the hall. “Reggie sent me to get you. We have a problem.”

  The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. “What kind of problem?”

  “Ava Winslow,” she hissed, rage radiating from every pore. “She’s out front makin’ a scene.”

  “Crap,” I clipped, starting in the direction she’d just come from. “Diana, stay with the kids. You and the rest of the adults keep them inside and away from the windows, but don’t let on that something’s going on. You know the drill, call the police and inform them there’s someone on the premises that isn’t allowed. And take Mrs. Dixon with you.”

  “I’m going with you,” Lily insisted, her shorter legs pumping to keep up with me.

  I came to a stop and spun around on her. “I can’t let you do that. This woman is volatile, and I don’t know what I’m walking into—”

  “I’ve raised four children, Tessa. Three of them boys chock-full of attitude and hormones. Trust me, I can handle anything, and I’m not letting you deal with this on your own.”

  I didn’t have time to argue, and I could tell by the firm set of her jaw she wasn’t giving in. “Fine,” I said, blowing out a breath. “But you stay back, okay? Let me handle it.”

  We hit the entrance, and through the glass double doors, I saw Ava Winslow in a standoff with Reggie. He was standing sentry, his arms crossed over his chest, blocking her path as she raged at him, hair flying and arms swinging.

  We pushed through the doors, Lily thankfully hanging back while I rushed forward in the hope of doing some damage control. “What’s going on here?

  The sorry-excuse-for-a-mother’s eyes came to me, narrowing into vicious slits. “What’s goin’ on is that I wanna see my daughter, and this asshole won’t let me in!”

  Reggie remained still in the face of her fury, not giving her the satisfaction of a reaction.

  “Ms. Winslow, I’ll ask that you keep your voice down and watch your language while you’re on this property.”

  “And I’ll ask th
at you stop bein’ such an uppity bitch and go get me my kid!”

  “That’s not going to happen,” I informed her. “You know how this goes. You have supervised visits with Charity that have to take place in a public location with the caseworker involved. You’re not allowed to just show up here to see her.

  “And you also know that, after what happened last time, Charity’s caseworker had no choice but to inform the judge of your behavior and that the man you brought along for the visit was under the influence of something. And last, you know that, because of everything I just stated, you’ve lost your visitation privileges for a month. But even if you hadn’t, it bears repeating: you are not allowed to come to this house. It’s a violation of the court order. So you need to return to your car and leave.”

  “That’s bullshit!” she shrieked. “I didn’t do nothin’ wrong that last visit! You’ve just got it out for me, ’cause you’re tryin’ to steal my daughter!”

  My blood went from a simmer to a rolling boil in a heartbeat. My rage was so great it actually scared me. I wanted nothing more than to drag this woman to her car by her over-processed, ratty hair, after knocking her teeth down her throat. But violence wasn’t an option, no matter how badly I wanted to lash out at this despicable woman for everything she’d put her daughter through.

  “Ms. Winslow, I can assure you, that is not my intention—”

  She scrunched her face up and mimicked in a high-pitched voice, “I can assure you, that’s not my intension, blah, blah, blah. How ’bout you stop bein’ a fancy-ass bitch and try talkin’ normal, huh? And I’m not stupid. I know you’re tryin’ to replace me. But guess what, skank, you ain’t her momma!”

  “Ms. Winslow—”

  “All she’s been talkin’ about for the last month now is Ms. Tessa this and Ms. Tessa that, like the sun rises in your snatch or somethin’. You ain’t special, and you ain’t gonna steal my kid from me. She’s my kid! Not yours!” She jabbed her finger like she wanted to gouge my eye out, and Reggie moved faster than I’d ever seen him move, shoving me behind him and out of that vile woman’s reach.