Page 19 of Ruined
CHAPTER NINE
I was completely lost in the beautiful scenery in front of me. Nothing but tall trees with a sky of leaves sat on the other side of the window. It amazed me how easily the storm inside me had been calmed after a few minutes of simply standing here. For the first time in, I didn’t even know how long, my fingers itched to paint, to capture this enthralling scene on canvas.
I heard Kenzie’s soft footfalls before she appeared at my side. “Now I know why it was so easy to leave everything behind and come here.”
“Yeah, there is just something about this view.” She touched my arm and when I turned to face her, her brows were pinched together, “Zoe, is that what you think? That I left you behind?”
“Don’t be silly, Kenz. I don’t think that for one bit.” A sigh blew over my lips. “I was the one who told you to come here in the first place.”
“I know that, but something seems different with you. In six months we haven’t seen each other once.” Kenzie faced the windows again, her arms folded over her chest. “Every time I wanted to come visit, you shot me down.”
How could I tell her that I hadn’t been in any condition to see her? I’d been living in my own personal hell, afraid that whoever entered might suffer the consequences with me. I tucked my hair behind my ear. After sucking in a fortifying breath, I spoke, “Kenz, I don’t resent you for following your heart, I admire you for doing it. Something happened, I went out and—”
“Good morning, ladies.” Fresh from his morning run, Brett came sauntering into the kitchen with an out of breath Blue in tow. Her nails clicked against the floor as she came barreling toward us. Kenzie was the first to receive one sloppy kiss after the other. When Brett shooed her with the words, “My turn to kiss my wife,” she set her sights on me.
Standing on her hind legs, her front paws on my chest, she was almost eye-level with me. One of the many perks of being five-foot-four. I scrunched up my nose while Blue furiously licked at my face. I managed to bring my hands up behind her ears, after a few scratches she calmed down and dropped to the floor with a grunt.
While Brett told Kenzie that their Sunday plans were canceled, I started on coffee. I pressed the power button, turned and leaned back against the counter. I’d tuned out what they were discussing, choosing to instead merely watch them. Kenzie kept her eyes on Brett as he spoke, the smile on her lips a testament to her happiness. Brett couldn’t go longer than a minute without touching her in some way. Either brushing her hair from her face or touching her fingers.
A sharp pain shot through my heart, so sudden, I almost brought my hand up to the spot. Love was a dream I had given up on a long time ago, was it possible that somewhere in the dark recesses of my being I still craved it?
I’d manage to go through life thus far without ever feeling or uttering those three little words that sent most hearts racing. Indulging in one-night-stands had become a way of living for me, I didn’t understand what people meant by making love. Whenever I shared my bed with a man, no feelings were involved, ever.
“Penny for your thoughts?” I looked over to find my friends staring at me.
I pulled my shoulders up in a nonchalant shrug, “Just thinking about the gallery.”
“And the arson thing?” Kenzie asked. I knew she wasn’t going to let it go, still, I never thought she’d bring it up in front of Brett. Guess they really did share everything.
“It’s only a suspicion, I don’t know for sure.”
Brett planted his hands on his hips, “It’s a pretty serious suspicion. Why would you think someone deliberately set fire to your building?”
I was going to have to give them something. Chewing on my lip, I uttered, “Because someone threatened to do it.”
“Zoe! Why didn’t you tell me before?” Kenzie sounded genuinely upset.
“The police are handling it. There’s nothing any of us can do.”
“How long have you been receiving threats?” Brett’s voice was full of concern.
Months.“It was just that one.”
He narrowed his eyes. I could tell he didn’t believe me, but for some reason he never voiced it. Maybe it was because he knew it would upset Kenzie? Whatever the reason, I was grateful he let it go for now.
“About the gallery,” Kenzie said. “Are you going to reopen it in TC?”
I hadn’t given it much thought. I was lucky enough that I had some savings, enough to start a small gallery if I wanted to. I wasn’t sure that’s what I wanted to do, though. “I don’t know,” I finally answered.
“Weeeell,” she drawled. “It just so happens that Willow Creek doesn’t have an art gallery.”
“Sweetheart,” Brett warned.
“What?” Kenzie threw her hands in the air. “I was simply putting it out there.”
With a chuckle, Brett pulled her to him and kissed her cheek. And just like that, we moved away from discussing my life. Conversation soon turned back to normal, long after breakfast was made and demolished we were still huddled around the breakfast nook chatting about our college days. This was exactly what I needed. Some girls believed in retail therapy when they were down, I only wanted friend therapy.
Later that afternoon, I offered to take Blue for a walk through their woodland backyard. The more I walked, the louder Kenzie’s voice rang in my ears. There was nothing stopping me from moving here.Except him…he’ll follow you wherever you go. As the thought formed, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I immediately got the feeling that I was being watched. Reason told me it was just my imagination. There was no way he knew where I was. Still, I couldn’t shake that eerie feeling.
