Page 85 of Second Dance
The sound of tires crunching over gravel pulled us both to the window. Esme’s car rolled into the drive, and the moment the girls climbed out of the backseat I knew something was wrong. Grace’s braid was messy and her face as pale as expensive card stock. Madison hopped out clutching her unicorn, seemingly oblivious, but the other two girls moved like they were carrying weights on their backs.
I ran out the front door, my gut cold, with Gillian right behind me. Esme rounded the car, her cheeks flushed.
“What’s happened?” Gillian asked.
“It’s Darren.” Bella burst into tears and launched herself into my arms. “He was in town.”
The name hit like a punch to my lower abdomen. “Did he hurt you?”
“No, but he shoved Grace,” Bella said against my shoulder.
“What?” It came out as a roar that clearly frightened everyone. “He shoved Grace?”
Madison started crying. Esme knelt to whisper something in her ear. The child nodded—holding tight to her unicorn—and ran into the house.
“He must have seen us walking into the store,” Esme said. “And followed us.”
“Grace, tell me exactly what happened.” My voice came out low, edged with steel I couldn’t temper.
“Um … okay … I was in the pasta aisle reading labels about how much sugar a jar of sauce had in it like my mom does, and all of a sudden this big, smelly man came around the corner. He was talking weird.”
“Weird how?” Gillian asked softly.
Grace bit her bottom lip. “Just drunk talk, I guess. About how he didn’t have any use for spoiled girls and that I should stay away from Bella. At least, I think that’s what he said. I was so scared I kind of blacked out.”
“He was kind of weaving down the aisle and shouting nonsense,” Bella said. “I spotted a flask in his back pocket.”
I closed my eyes for a moment, pinching the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger against the throbbing headache that had suddenly appeared. “He was just at the attorney’s office with me.” That was neither here nor there, other than he hadn’t seemed drunk then. Hungover maybe, but not drunk.
Esme’s voice trembled. “He cornered Grace and shoved her into a display of dried pasta.”
“I wasn’t hurt, Alex,” Grace said. “I promise.”
At the sight of her sweet, innocent face, something in me broke loose. “That bastard. I swear to God, I’ll kill him.” The words tore from my throat, more of an animal growl than that of a human.
“By the time I got there, Bella had her pulled free,” Esme said. “He was shouting. Threats. Ugly ones. But he seemed too drunk to really do anything. The store manager called the police, but Darren bolted before they got there. They took our statements and said they’d check the security footage.”
“It was scary, Alex, but I’m totally fine,” Grace said, bottom lip trembling. “Please, don’t be mad.”
“I’m not mad at you, sweetheart.” I let out a tremendous sigh. “At either of you. I’m just scared.”
“I’m sorry, Dad,” Bella said, crying. “This is all my fault.”
“Come here. Both of you.” Gillian held out her arms, folding the girls into an embrace.
The edges of my vision blurred. I turned away before I said anything I couldn’t take back, pacing the length of the small porch like a caged animal. My fists ached from how hard I was clenching them.
He’d touched Grace. An innocent child who had nothing at all to do with Darren or this situation. And he’d put his filthy hands on her. He’d shoved her.
I gripped the railing, forcing breath into my lungs, but it didn’t ease the storm. Every muscle in my body screamed to go find him, end this myself. But the other voice—the one I couldn’t drown out—whispered that this was my fault. That if I hadn’t dragged my mess of a past into Gillian’s life, her girl wouldn’t be trembling in her arms right now.
“Alex, let’s go inside and talk this through,” Gillian said behind me, her voice careful, steady, like she was trying to anchor me.
But I couldn’t turn to her. Not yet. Not when the only thing keeping me from exploding was holding onto the damn railing. I bowed my head, jaw clenched so hard it hurt. I wanted to protect them. To fix this. But all I could see was Darren’s smirk in that conference room, and Grace’s white face.
“Take the girls inside,” I said, hoarsely. “I need a minute.”
All four of them did as I asked, Bella and Grace holding hands as they slipped inside. Esme and Gillian with linked arms. Women understood innately how to take care of each other. But what about me? How was I failing this badly at looking after the people I loved most in the world?
