Page 96 of That One Night
The thought was like a knife twisting in his stomach. It made him want to hurl.
“We’ll work it out,” he told her, his voice low. “We can do it together. You’re not alone, not anymore.”
She inhaled raggedly. “You don’t know how good it is to hear that.”
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Emery’s momwas waiting for her when she came down the stairs. She looked as tired as her daughter, like she hadn’t gotten much sleep either.
“Hi.” Emery shot her a smile. She needed coffee. And lots of it. She walked past her mom and reached for the pot.
“What was going on between Trenton and Hendrix last night?” her mom asked.
Get straight to it, why don’t you? “Nothing,” Emery said. “Just some old enmity coming out.”
“Well, maybe Hendrix should stay away,” her mom said, shaking her head. “I can’t believe Trenton came all the way here to see you and our neighbor butted in.” She looked at Emery. “Why didn’t Trenton come in when he dropped you off?”
Emery tried not to sigh. “I told you, he has work. He needed to get home.”
Her mom frowned, like she was completely confused. “I just don’t understand why he didn’t tell you he was coming. I could have made dinner. I’m sad he didn’t come in to say hello.”
Yeah, well Emery wasn’t. After more recriminations he’d driven her home, he barely let her get out of the car before hewas spinning his wheels and heading away from the farm and back to Charleston.
The last thing she needed was for her mom to know that he’d pretty much threatened to scupper any sale of the farm.
Taking a long sip of the coffee – black, because she needed the energy boost – Emery looked out of the window to see that Hendrix’s motorcycle was gone. She felt a little pang. She’d been so happy last night before it all went to hell. So ready to fight the world. And now she felt like she was at sea again.
He’d been sweet, offering to see if he could help pay off the lien. But this was her problem, not his. She wasn’t going to depend on somebody else to pull her out of the hole she’d made for herself.
If only she’d said no to Trenton’s pleas at the very start.
“The realtor called,” her mom told her. “He’s already had some interest in the farm. He’s setting up the viewings.” She gave Emery a half-smile. “And I’ve looked through all the listings he sent over. I’m going to make some appointments to view three houses in town.” She looked at Emery. “You’ll come and look at them with me, won’t you?”
“Of course.”
“Are you sure everything’s okay?” her mom asked. “You look pale. Was it seeing Trenton? You must miss him?”
Like she missed a hole in her head. “Everything’s fine.” She forced a smile on her lips. Because it would be. She was going to make some phone calls. This time to a real estate lawyer. Figure out how to get that damn lien removed. “I’m just a little tired.”
Her mom tipped her head to the side, looking concerned. “Are you sure there’s nothing troubling you? You seem… I don’t know? Distant, I guess. It’s okay if you can’t come with to see the houses with me. I know I have to do some of these things alone now.”
“No, of course I’ll come with you.” That wasn’t even in question.
Her mom nodded. “If there was something wrong, you’d tell me, right? Because you don’t have to bottle everything up. I know the past few months have been tough. I haven’t been the mother you’ve needed.”
“Mom, you’ve been fine.” Emery put her arms around her mom, holding her tight. “It’s me that’s all over the place.” She forced a smile onto her lips, determined not to let her mom know that inside she was panicking. “It’s just that end of summer feeling, you know?”
“I know.” Her mom patted her back. “Not long until you go home to Charleston. I’m dreading it, too.”
The field was warm and dusty, the sweet smell of the late harvest clinging to the air as his uncle’s workers loaded their baskets full of sweetcorn, their silky outer cases golden and ripe. This was the final harvest they’d do in the field. Next month they’d be busy with the corn his uncle grew for animal feed. But Hendrix couldn’t think about next month.
He could barely think about tomorrow.
Last night he’d tossed and turned, unable to sleep, unable to do anything apart from think about Trenton’s threat to Emery.
No, not a threat. A promise.
