Page 26 of Love's Bloom
As she sat down, David arrived and sat beside her.
JoEllen was telling everyone about the hunky man she saw in the next town when she spent an evening there. “I asked him to stop by. His name is Vince something. You should see his muscles. He makes a lot of guys look like weaklings.”
Vince?Misty felt her entire body go numb. Dizzy, she cupped her face in her hands. When she could get her breath, she looked up and found Crystal’s worried gaze on her.
Crystal stood. “I’d better go, and I’m taking Misty with me. If that man should appear and ask about either of us, please say nothing. That could be dangerous to us.”
David got to his feet. “I’ll go with you.”
Misty could barely walk away from the table because her knees were wobbly.
Crystal stopped and turned back. “I’m serious about this, JoEllen. Not a word. Understand? If you do, you’ll live to regret it.”
“Why is everyone always picking on me?” JoEllen whined.
“Got it?” said Crystal, scowling at JoEllen.
“Okay,” said JoEllen. “Guess he’s the guy who beat up Misty, huh?”
Crystal didn’t bother to answer. She grabbed Misty’s arm, and the three of them walked out of the bar.
“Where do you want to go?” David asked, glancing around.
“She can’t stay with me,” said Crystal. “It won’t be safe. He knows I’m her sister. He might try to find her through me.” She turned to Misty. “Why don’t you go home with David until we’re sure the man is not Vince Tucci? I’m on my way to tell Nick about it.”
“Maybe it’s another Vince. I don’t want to bother anyone,” said Misty, though her body had grown cold at the thought of seeing him.
“Most likely, it’s a different person, but we can’t take that chance,” Crystal said grimly.
David was quiet during the exchange but now took Misty’s arm. “You’ll be safe at my cabin. Whoever this guy is, he won’t know about it.”
“You’re right. This may seem silly to you, but as Crystal says, I can’t take the chance it could be the Vince I know. My ex, Vince Tucci, has threatened to kill me.” Misty choked on her last words.
David’s eyes widened. “C’mon, let’s get into my truck and get out of here.”
“I’ll let you know what Nick has to say,” said Crystal. “He can talk to JoEllen about the man she met and get a better description.”
Misty and David hurried to his truck parked in back of Jake’s and took off for his cabin.
###
As he drove, David’s expression was grim. Misty knew how upset he was and noticed that, after they left town, he relaxed his grip on the steering wheel.
He finally spoke. “I’d heard some things about your past when you first returned to Lilac Lake, but I had no idea things were that bad. My God! He threatened to kill you? No wonder Crystal and you are reacting this way. He’s a monster.”
“She’s still trying to keep me safe, like the big sister she’s always been,” said Misty, shaken by what was happening.
“Rightly so,” said David. “Earlier, you told me you had a bad experience in the past. If this is what it was about, it’s much more than a bad experience. No matter what went on, I’ll help you.”
“Thank you,” she said, touched to the core.
“Want to talk about it?” David asked in a gentle voice.
“Yes, but I might need a glass of wine to do it,” she said, unable to fight off images of Vince’s face when he became angry. It was grotesque.
“I teach the kids in my karate class to fight. But it’s all done with respect for others until they’re forced to defend. It’s a fine line between anger and violence, and it’s hard for some people to hold back. But once they give in to those impulses, it takes a lot to change them.”
David pulled into his driveway and helped her out of his truck. “It’s a pleasant night. We can either stay outside on the porch or go inside.”
