Page 12 of Unbreakable
Grace
In a few hours, I'm heading back to Polson with my daughter and Jake. To say I'm slightly nervous is an understatement. For two years I've built relationships with everyone in town, especially Bella, and for those two years I've been living a lie. On the surface, I worry they will hate me, but deep down in my heart, I know they aren’t like that. My friends are the least judgmental group of people I know.
Then there's Glory. Glory Keller has been my best friend since I was eight years old. If she wasn't with me at my house, I was at hers. Glory's family is very wealthy, but you would never know it because they aren't the kind of people who go about showing it off. We were inseparable. She's also the only person allowed to call me Anna anymore. Little by little I had fewer communications with the people I loved. I noticed a change in Ronan. He was becoming more irritable, and extremely suspicious of everyone around him, to the point we stopped going to family dinners on Sunday, and he also started having an issue with the time I would spend with Glory. Before I knew it, he had control over every facet of my life.
Over time I began to notice all the dirty secrets the De Burca family kept neatly tucked away from outsiders. It got to the point Ronan didn't try to hide the filthy and illegal things he and his 'employees' were up to. I've heard him threatening the lives and livelihoods of so many people I stopped counting. I remember the first time I witnessed him and one of his men beat another man near death. I wanted to turn and leave the room but Ronan ordered me to stay. He wanted me to see what happens to people who didn't do as they were told.
I became a prisoner in my own home. Things got worse once I became pregnant with Remi. Fear of him hurting me and causing harm to my baby had me complying with every command he made. I hide the fact I was keeping in touch with Glory after my mom died for some time until he found a cell phone I had kept secret from him. Remi was three then. That was the first time he ever hit me in front of my daughter.
"Babe,we need to hit the road soon so that we can make it before sunset," Jake walks up behind me and rests his chin on my shoulder then kisses my neck. The contact instantly causes my skin to prickle.
"Okay.Let me give Glory a call before we leave," I tell him.
"I'll be out front when you get done." He gives me a reassuring squeeze and walks away.
Pulling my phone from my back pocket, I give my best friend a call. It rings a few times before she picks up.
"Hey," Glory says, her voice sounding tired.
"You sound exhausted. Still not sleeping well?" I ask her feeling concerned.
"When have I ever? Insomnia has run my life for years. I think I'd freak out if I slept for more than two hours straight," she laughs trying to play it off. It's true. Ever since she was teenager, she has suffered from insomnia. I sleep like a log, so I can't imagine running on empty all the time as she does. "Well, I'm packed. We should be pulling out and heading to Polson in about thirty minutes. I wanted to give you a call before getting on the road," I tell her.
"I'm so happy you decide to go back to Polson. Jake sounds like a good guy, and he will do anything it takes to protect you and Remi," She admits.
"You going to be okay by yourself? You’ve had her company for the past two years," I tell her.
"I'll miss her presence, but Remi is right where she needs to be, with you," Glory quickly responds.
"I promise to call you once we've gotten settled." I sigh and flip the last light switch off in the apartment before stepping outside.
"You'd better," she mocks in a motherly tone, "and tell Remi I love her," she says somberly, which leads me to believe the adjustment of being alone in an empty home will be harder than she realizes.
"I can hear your thoughts. Stop it. I have Bo to keep me company," she says. Bo is her overgrown basset hound.
"I love you. I'll talk to you soon."
"Ditto. Drive safe."
She ends the call, and I shove my phone back into my pocket. With my keys in my hand I lock the door to the duplex. As the landlord suggested, I walk next door and knock. He asked that I leave my keys with my neighbor who also happens to be his grandson. Chris opens the door greeting me with a smile.
"Hi, Grace. Leaving, huh?" He rubs the back of his neck with his hand and quickly glances towards Jake who is mounting his bike.
"Yeah. Please give these to your grandad and tell him thank you for me." I reach into my bag and pull out an envelope. "And this is the two weeks rent I owe him."
"Sure. You take care of yourself, Grace," Chris says with a slight smile.
"You too," I tell him and make my way to my car where my daughter is waiting for me in the front seat. Climbing in, I throw my bag into the back seat. "Put your seatbelt on, Peanut." I instruct my daughter who complies along with a dramatic sigh. Once Jake makes way for me, I back out and head towards the diner.
Before leaving town, I need to swing by and say goodbye to Janet. I called her yesterday-a call I found out she was expecting to let her know I would be quitting. I was worried that I would be leaving her in a tight spot but turns out her daughter is moving back home with her grandchild in a few days and would need a job, so the whole situation worked out perfect.
I pull into the parking lot a few minutes later, and Jake pulls in beside me. "I won't be but just a minute." I turn and address my daughter. "You want anything for the road while we're here? It will be awhile before stopping again."
She puts her earbuds in, "I'm good, Mom."
The door chimes the moment I open it and Janet is standing behind the register handing a receipt with the change to a guy, so I stand off to the side and wait for her.
"Grace," she gives me a motherly hug. "I hate to see you go, hon, but you and I both know you were never happy here. I think your heart was always somewhere else."
