Fixing Fate: A Pleasant Valley Novel Read online

  Freak accident kills family. That’s what the headlines said. That’s how callously the story was reported for the whole world to see. Front-page news, like a damn tabloid.

  Mature trees surrounded our childhood home. My sister, Sophia, and I had played in those trees growing up. Trees we used to climb on. Trees that provided shelter when it was too sunny or when we played hide-and-seek. But it was the largest one that ultimately fell onto the roof, crushing through and taking the lives of the only family I had.

  A storm... a goddamned storm ruined my life. A fucking force of nature took away everything I ever loved. A single gust of wind damaged me permanently. Not only did it take away my family, but I lost myself, my ambition, and my heart has been frozen ever since. Until now, until her. I thought it impossible that a single ray of sunshine could penetrate through the ice, let alone melt it away.

  When I get to the house, an idea hits me, so I call Jay real quick and send Nate a text to let him know I won’t be working today. What I’m going to do will be worth any delay it might cause.

  Eleven hours later, I pull into my garage and grab the surprise I have for Mellie. The house is quiet once I get inside and devoid of any sign of her. Nothing new. The lingering smell of garlic tells me she still made dinner for me.

  I head upstairs and knock on her door. “Hey.”

  She opens it a crack and with tired eyes meets my own. “Hi.”

  “Were you sleeping?”

  “Yeah.” She yawns. “I edited a large manuscript today, and I’m beat.”

  “I didn’t end up getting any work done on the house today.”

  “Umm, okay.”

  “I was too busy getting something for you.” Before I’m able to show her what I have, the damn cat meows.

  Mellie screeches and whips the door open all the way. “Mousie!” She rips the crate from my hand and pulls out the ugliest cat I’ve ever seen. It looks like a pile of white fuzz. “I’ve missed you. Oh, my little girl, I missed you so much.” She cuddles the thing and laughs as it climbs up her body and nuzzles her face.

  The smile and laughter coming from Mellie make my sore ass worth it. It’s been too long, for my liking, since she’s been as happy as she is now. She deserves to be happy like this all the time, and I’ll do whatever it takes to see that beautiful smile.

  After a few minutes, I clear my throat, and she finally acknowledges me by giving me a one-armed hug. “Thank you, Smith.” Her lips brush over my cheek as my arm accidentally brushes over her practically bare ass. I was too busy looking at her face to notice that she’s only wearing a sweatshirt and no pants.

  She backs up a step, and I look away, reaching down to pick up the crate. “I have her stuff downstairs. I can bring it up.”

  “I’ll get it. You don’t need to. You’ve already done enough. Thank you. So much. It means the world to me that you thought to do this.”

  “You’re welcome.” She doesn’t need to know that I have my own selfish reasons for bringing her cat to her. I should be ashamed, but I’m just not. I want her to stay with me, and if I have to look at a ratty ass cat to have her here, then that’s what I’ll do.

  “Listen.” She shifts the cat in her arms. “I’m really sorry about everything... the stuff that’s happened.”

  “You don’t need to apologize.”

  “I do. It shouldn’t have happened. I’m really sorry.”

  “Mellie, please don’t be sorry for that.”

  “Did you see Jay?” She changes the subject, but at least, she’s talking.

  “No. He just gave me the code to get into his house since she was staying there.”

  “Oh. Well, thank you again.”

  “You’re welcome, sunshine.”

  Then she turns tail and shuts her door. I take a shower in cold ass water, and by the time I get out, she’s moved the supplies from the kitchen. While I’m down here, I eat some of the leftover roast she made and then go to bed.

  * * *

  A week and a half of this shit and honestly, I’m getting pissed. I realize I’ve been working a lot, but I know she’s avoiding me on purpose. It’s not a coincidence.

  She’s in her room with the door closed when I leave in the morning. When I get home at night, she leaves me a note that my dinner is in the fridge, even after I told her to stop cooking for me. She has probably continued cooking since I eat what she makes every night. She’s a damn good cook, and eating a homemade meal has been the highlight of my day. The only time we talk has been when I call her to update her on the house and give her options for materials and prices.

  Even with the cat, she doesn’t come around when I’m home. The last time I actually saw her was when I brought Mouse to her that night.

  I haven’t gotten to see her light and her beautiful face, and it’s killing me. Slowly draining the blood out of my veins, I feel a fuckin’ hole in my chest that she’s hiding. Like I’m a goddamned predator or some shit.

  Well, it’s Sunday now, and I’m finally taking a day off. So when she wakes up, she’ll have no choice but to run into me. I’ve gotta talk to her about the house anyway. Just as I’m putting my plate in the dishwasher, she practically floats into the kitchen.

  “Hey, sunshine.” My voice makes her pause.

  “Oh, umm. Hi.” She remains at the bottom of the stairs and almost trips over the cat at her heels.

  “What are you doing today? You usually take Sundays off, right?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

  “Yeah. I do.” Her fingers twist together.

  “I was going to work on some landscaping in my backyard. I’ve been putting it off, but I thought that maybe you’d want to come with. You can help me pick out some stuff, so it doesn’t look like shit.”

  She seems about to grab the bone I’m tossing her. We have to move on from this awkward avoidance shit. “Yeah, you know what? I would.”

  Thank you, Lord. “Cool. I’m just gonna hop in the shower. No need for you to rush.”

  By the time I get dressed, she’s ready. We ride in silence to the garden store and shop for some patio furniture. She wanders over to the flowers and rubs some petals between her fingers. I step aside and let a family pass in the aisle as I continue to watch her. She smells a couple of the roses and smiles.

  “Whatcha doing?” I ask.

  Without looking at me, she answers. “My mom’s favorite flowers were roses. We always had them in the house. I remember walking into the kitchen, and even if she was cooking, the scent of the flowers lingered.” With a shrug, she turns to me. “You ready to go?”

  “What color?”

  “Huh?”

  “What color do you like? We can get some and plant them outside.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to do that.”

  My gait is purposeful as I approach her. Stopping in front of her, I lean down to make sure she’s listening. “I want to.”

  Her lids slowly lower, and when she raises them, her eyes sparkle. “Red. Red roses are the best.”

  “Let’s get you some roses, then.”

  She piles the flowers into the bed of the truck after I load the new patio set and fire pit. When we get back to the house, I carry the stuff to the back, and she brings the plants. As I’m putting together some of the furniture, a sandwich is placed on the ground in front of me.

  “Thanks, babe.”

  “I’m trying to butter you up.” She presses her lips together and sits cross-legged in front of me.

  “Why is that?” I take a bite and wait for her answer.

  “I have no clue how to plant rose bushes.” She rushes to continue talking. “I should have said something earlier, but—”

  “It’s fine.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m sure I’m going to kill them.”

  “Let me finish this up then we’ll try to figure it out together.”

  “Okay.” She sighs. “But I wouldn’t get your hopes up. I can’t even keep a cactus alive.”

  “You’ve managed to ke
ep a cat alive, I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

  While I’m eating, she flips through the instruction manual for the fire pit. Once I’m done, she stays out back and helps me. Thanks to her, I remembered to buy cushions. She places them on the seats, and we both step back to look at everything.

  The white furniture is the perfect contrast to the dark stain of the deck, and the bright accent colors she picked out work perfectly.

  “It looks great, Smith.”

  “It does,” I agree. “Let’s see if we can plant these bad boys.”

  I grab two bushes, and she carries the third one. We walk to the left side of the house, which is opposite the garage, so there’s really no reason she would ever see back here. She peeks around the corner. “What’s that?”

  “An old car.”

  “Um. Okay.”

  I drop the bushes. “Let me go grab some shovels.”

  Without an acknowledgment from her, I walk around to the front of the house and open the garage, grab some shovels, and then head back. “I think this spot will be good because this area gets a lot of sun.”

  “Why do you have an old car sitting under a tarp on the side of your house?”

  Damn, right to the chase. “It belonged to my grandfather. I can build a house with my bare hands, but a mechanic I am not. I don’t want to get rid of it, but I don’t want it to take up space in my garage. So here it sits.”

  “Can I see it?”

  “Yeah, sure.” I wipe my hands on the back of my jeans then pull the tarp off. “Here she is.”

  Mellie looks inside and walks around it in a circle. “It looks pretty clean for just sitting out here.”

  “Hmm.” She’s too damn observant for her own good. I’m not sure if I like the fact that she can read right through me or not. “All right, let’s plant these flowers.”

  I dig some holes, and we toss the bushes in, cover them with dirt, and then water them.

  “Guess we’ll just have to keep watering them, right?” She asks as she picks up the empty soil bag.

  “I suppose.”

  We both head inside after we throw out all of the trash, and I grab a shower in my bathroom while she uses the guest one. The night is approaching, and I order some delivery from the Italian joint in town.

  When she comes downstairs, her hair still partially wet; I can’t help but get turned on by the fresh, flowery scent that is her.

  “I ordered Italian.”

  “Oh, that sounds great. We should eat on the patio.”

  “Definitely. Let me go light the Tiki torches and start the fire.” Unintentionally, I set a romantic mood out on the patio. With the new added touches, it looks awesome out here. I don’t know why I never decorated before. Probably because I never came out here… Had no reason to, really.

  But now, the moon is shining brightly above, and I’m excited to eat with her. It’s been so nice today; she’s still not carefree like before, but she is acting more herself. I wish she understood she doesn’t have any reason to be embarrassed. She doesn’t need to be shy around me because I want her just as she is. All of her.

  After the food arrives, she carries it out with some plates and forks while I grab a bottle of wine. I got this from the store when I knew she’d be staying here for a while. I don’t even know if she likes wine, but she’s a woman, and I pretty sure all women like wine.

  When we eat, neither of us talks. I don’t mind silence in the car, but I don’t like it right now. So I decide tell her something about me. Something personal. Since I know about her, maybe it’ll make her feel better if she knows more about me.

  Chapter 7

  Mellie

  “Sometimes, I try to count the stars,” he confesses. “I lie there on that old rusty car and count the stars like I’m a kid again.”

  I pause, my fork halfway to my mouth. I knew something was fishy about that car. The way he evaded my questions was strange, but his whole demeanor changed. “Why do you do that?”

  “Well, for one, I didn’t have any lawn chairs back here.” He finishes his glass of wine and pours himself another before topping off mine. “And I thought that since I know something you didn’t want me to know, I would give you the same.”

  My fork falls out of my hand, and he quickly reaches over and grabs hold of both of my hands. He continues without letting them go. “I was really close with my grandpa. He handed down the business to my dad. I learned almost everything I know from him. My dad taught me a lot too, but it was my grandpa who would spend hours in the garage with me. It makes me feel close to him; I have memories with that car, but I can’t bring myself to sit inside it. So I settle for sitting on the hood.”

  “And count the stars?”

  “Yeah.” He releases my hands and sits back a little. “I used to do it when I was a kid. It’s not a big deal or anything, but you’re the only person who knows that.”

  I understand now what he’s doing and appreciate it so much. It does make me feel better. “Thank you.” I pick up my fork to finish eating, and before I know it, we’ve emptied a bottle of wine and are sitting in the lounge chairs, laughing. He’s telling me stories about Jay, and I’m trying to top him.

  We do the same thing the next night, except I make chicken. Tonight’s topic isn’t Jay, but we laugh all the same. And the following day, we do the same thing. He peels back a layer each night, and while he might not realize it, I am doing the same to him, too.

  He left for work this morning, and since it’s been a week since we went to the garden store, I go for a drive. I need some girly stuff from the store, and I don’t want to get myself stuck in the same routine. I need to force myself to get out of the house, so my agoraphobia doesn’t return.

  Once I get in my car and pull away from Smith’s house, a fear I haven’t felt in weeks immediately strikes me. I didn’t purposely not leave his house, but I had no need to. Smith always has food, and I have everything I need with me. Plus, old habits die hard.

  I hated avoiding him after that thing happened in the kitchen, but I was so damn embarrassed. And scared. And just so unsure of myself and what I should do. But in doing so, I missed him more than I probably should have.

  The terror I was so used to feeling while asleep has come back some nights. Sleeping with Mouse helps keep the nightmares at bay, though. Still, I’ve had my clothes packed multiple times, telling myself the next morning would be when I’d go home. But I can’t bring myself to do it. I can’t leave him. I don’t want to.

  Just as I’m getting to my car from the store, my phone rings with Smith’s name flashing on the screen. I get in the car and lock my doors. “Hello.”

  “Where are you?” He blurts the question out, and the words jumble together.

  “Leaving the store.”

  “You’re not here.”

  “Where is here?”

  “Home. You’re not home. I came home, and you weren’t here, and it scared the hell out of me.”

  I have to take a breath and hold my emotions together. Jay has been the only person in over ten years who cared about me enough to worry where I was. “I’m sorry I didn’t leave a note.”

  “It’s okay.” I hear him exhale. “I’m just glad you’re safe.”

  “You’re home early.”

  “Yeah. They finished clearing out the asbestos in the basement today.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep.”

  “Can I see the inside? I’m dying to see what you guys have done to the rooms you could work on.”

  “You can.”

  “Awesome. Well, I’ll be home in a little bit. I’m going to stop there on the way home. Bye!” I hang up and toss my phone onto the seat. Entering the address into the GPS, I drive to the house. As I get closer, I feel my throat tighten. My nerves are acting up for some reason.

  When I stop at the curb, I take a moment to breathe, and when I finally look up, I’m shocked to see how torn up it is. Even more so than before. A large dumpster is overflowing o
n the left side of the yard, and most of the front porch has caution tape draped across it.

  I slide out of the car and walk up the makeshift ramp leading to the front door, digging through my purse for the key. Shit. If it’s even the same one... doubtful since it’s a whole new door. As my fingers search through all the junk, my phone buzzes. Jay’s name flashes on the screen, so I slide it unlocked to answer.

  “Hello, bro—”

  “He’s missing, Mellie.” His frenzied voice causes an immediate panic. My throat swells even more, and my head pounds. “I’m not sure how long... a few days, maybe. But to be on the safe side, I want you to stay at Smith’s. Do not leave his side. Do you hear me... Mellie!”

  My throbbing head becomes dizzy and spots dance in front of my eyes. My entire body contracts so hard I can barely breathe. His voice fades away, and I think I’m going deaf, but as the phone is pulled from my ear, I realize he’s found me. Warm body heat presses against my back, and my joints lock as my heart tries to claw its way through my chest. I watch as a man’s finger presses the button to end the call, then drops the phone, shattering the screen.

  All of the times Jay taught me how to fight simply disappear with my dignity. My eyelids slam closed. I can’t see him... don’t want to see him. I didn’t the first time, and I don’t want to now. The painful memories are enough to haunt me. “Please—” I’m not sure I even got the word out before he cuts me off.

  “Shh…” he whispers, tucking some hair behind my ear as his lips graze the lobe.

  My body is not functioning right now. I’m unable to think, to move, to breathe. The vomit that threatens to rise burns in my stomach. The only thing I can do is stand here and shake. And silently cry. He’s come back for me.

  His lips trace over my jawline, and I squeeze my eyes shut even tighter. The smooth skin of his cheek presses against mine, and he makes a mewling sound that causes tears to leak out through my closed eyelids. The tip of his tongue touches my face when he licks the tears away. Silence surrounds me as my ears buzz and my brain fogs over... taking me to a different place. Anywhere but here. I go to the haven I made myself go the first time this happened.