My Hope Next Door (6 page)

He moved a throw pillow so his mother could sit on the couch beside him. “What were they saying?”

She frowned deeply. “Nothing I care to repeat. But I know this much for sure: that child needs all the kindness we can offer her.”

CHAPTER 10

K
atie tugged on the back of the couch, maneuvering it another six inches from the wall. She’d gone back and forth between pushing and pulling and finally had it positioned so it could be picked up.

“There’s no way you and I can get this thing to the truck,” her dad said, staring at the sleeper sofa with as much disgust for it as she had. “Why do you think it’s still here? It was my granddad’s, and back then they made things out of steel.”

She didn’t doubt it. The cushions were marred with multiple tears and cigarette stains. Not to mention the embedded cat hair and an odor that reminded her of sweaty feet. She didn’t care if they had to take a chainsaw to the frame, they were moving the couch
today
.

“Let me call some guys from work,” he offered.

What he meant was
Let me call Cooper
. Her father’s hints about her ex-boyfriend had been anything but subtle. Apparently, the manipulative jerk had wormed his way into her dad’s good graces while she was gone. Well, her opinion wasn’t nearly as pliable. The answer wasn’t just no, but H-E-double-hockey-sticks
no
.

“I already called for reinforcements.”

“Who?”

“Our neighbor.”

Her dad kicked an empty cardboard box, and it bounced off the wall. “I told you I don’t want him sniffing around here.”

She threw up her hands. “Well, I don’t want Cooper here, so it looks like we’re at an impasse.”

“Except it’s
my
house.”

That was true, but Katie had spent a week sweating and sorting and cleaning. She had a right to expect a little understanding. “It’s just a couch, Dad. He won’t even go down the hallway. Ten minutes. That’s it.”

He tightened and released his fist like he was trying to control himself. “Katie, I’m glad you’re home. I wanted you here, but there are boundaries I do not want crossed. You know my limits, and between the fighting with your ma and you turning my house upside down, you’re getting very close to pushing too far.”

The doorbell rang, and he made a grumbling sound in his throat. “Don’t invite him over again.”

“Fine,” she said with an edge honed by years of arguments.

Her dad marched toward the door and swung it open with annoyance. “Hope you ate some spinach this morning,” he said without a hint of humor.

Asher’s brow pinched together as he tried to come up with an acceptable response, but her dad didn’t give him time.

“Whatever. You’re too young to know what I’m talking about anyway. It’s in the dining room. Just follow the sound of Katie huffing and puffing.”

She’d seen her dad be rude, but never like this. Every word was stretched and harsh, like he thought Asher had personally wronged him in some way. Only she knew he hadn’t. His only crime was that he’d been born to the town’s pastor.

Asher’s attempted smile communicated something between complete discomfort and mild defensiveness as he stepped over the threshold. Her dad shoved a piece of cardboard under the door to prop it open, still grumbling under his breath.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding for the last few days.” Asher examined the partially cleared space that had stolen a week of her life. “It looks good.”

“Hardly.” There were still two columns of boxes and half-built metal shelves in the room, now shoved to the side so they could move the eyesore beneath her hands. She leaned in and whispered, “Sorry about my dad.”

“No worries. I’m used to it.” He circled the couch and settled at the other end. “How do you want to do this?”

“Personally, I want to burn it, but I’ve been told I’m being rash.”

“Trying to move this thing last-minute and without proper manpower is what’s rash,” her dad griped, joining them in the room. If the aggravated energy between her and her father bothered Asher, he gave no sign of it. His face was a mask of concentration as he measured the couch and then the doorway.

“I think it will fit through the opening with just a slight tilt. I guess we can try to carry it. Mr. Stone, can you and Katie take that side?”

The older man nodded.

Asher squatted down to get a grip. Katie and her dad did the same, each taking one corner. After the count of three, they all lifted. Heat ripped through Katie’s fingers and up her arms, but together they got the monstrosity airborne.

After fifteen grueling minutes, multiple readjustments of the upholstered beast, countless bursts of angry commands from her dad, and various strained muscles among them, they finally closed the truck bed behind the couch, each of them gasping for air. Her father was wheezing so badly she had to bite her tongue not to remind him that smoking tends to wreak havoc on one’s lungs. But even she knew when her old man had reached the breaking point, and he was there.

“That’s the last time I cater to your stubborn, stupid pride. Next time, we get more help,” he announced between puffs. Without even a
thank-you
to their guest, he stomped up the rotted front steps and slammed the door.

Asher jumped from the bed of the truck, and Katie fought the urge to kick the tires repeatedly. Buried rage swelled in her belly, reminding her why she’d spent most of her adolescence either gone or locked in her room with Laila.

“I’m so sorry. I had no idea he was in such a mood.” She closed her eyes, humiliated by her family. It wasn’t worth it. Here she was sacrificing and suffering for them, and yet they both seemed to resent her all the more for it.

“Is it always like that between you and your dad?”

She pulled at a hangnail until the sting forced her to stop. “No, sometimes we throw in awkward silence and uncomfortable small talk.”

“And your mom?”

“The same. Just add in a dose of sarcasm and a heaping spoonful of bitterness.”

Her body sagged against the truck. “I had hoped it would be different than before.” Though she didn’t know why. Nothing had changed. If anything, her inability to connect with her parents had only worsened.

“Are they the reason you left town?”

She wished it were that simple. “No. I left town because I couldn’t breathe here anymore.”

And suddenly, that feeling returned. The constricting regret, the ache of knowing she’d hurt so many. She tried to focus on Asher. His long legs, the way his elbow barely touched her arm, the careful way he asked just enough to know her but never pushed too hard.

“I’ve felt that way before too. Like I couldn’t breathe,” he said.

Her pulse settled, and she studied his profile. “What did you do?”

“The same thing you did. I left.” He shifted his body so that he faced her direction. “How did you know it was time to come back?”

“I can’t really explain it. My dad called to tell me about my mom’s diagnosis, and I just knew. Even before he asked me, I knew it was time. Like something deep inside was pushing me, telling me to go.” She’d fought with herself about it too. Her life had finally become stable. She had a new apartment and a job, and yet she’d packed up and left it all behind. Because she still believed that if she could do one good deed, maybe all the bad ones would stop haunting her.

“Were you happy in Florida?”

“Not at first.” Not even close. Her first two years had been spent flitting between boyfriends, crashing apartments, and so entrenched in darkness that it was a wonder she ever broke free. “But later I was.” After that wonderful night when she’d surrendered her life to Christ.

“Like I said before, I think you’re incredibly brave.”

She shrugged, uncomfortable with his compliment. He didn’t know her. He didn’t know everything she was hiding from. “It’s just a few months, right? I’ll get them settled and then go back to my life in Tallahassee. I lived with them for twenty-two years. I can certainly last a summer.”

“And you have your friends, right? I remember a certain blonde who stayed permanently attached to your hip in high school.”

A gust of wind spun through the air, making the trees rustle and the birds chirp, but all she could feel was grief. And it hurt. Deep inside her, under her rib cage, beneath her lungs, the memories pulsed with never-ending shame. “I don’t have anyone. Not anymore.”

His hand brushed hers. “You have me. I’m right next door, and I’m kinda short on friends right now too.”

She cleared her throat, managing to banish the worst of the pain. “Be careful what you offer. At this rate, I may end up moving in.”

He pushed himself off the truck but didn’t argue with her exaggeration. It almost made her think he wouldn’t mind the idea so much. But that was crazy.

“I guess I should get home. I’ll be working on the deck later if you still want to help.” He walked backward, keeping his gaze focused on her.

“I guess it is different this time,” she said.

“How so?”

“Dr. Mills never knew when I used his power tools.”

Asher’s face lit up with a smile so bright it warmed all the parts of her that had gone cold. “Not a chance. Sandpaper only.”

“We’ll see about that. I told you. Be careful what you offer.”

He threw his head back and laughed, then gave her a quick wave before starting the trek back to his place.

Somehow, the whole world felt lighter as Katie walked up the steps.

Friends with Asher Powell? Her?

Yes, she could certainly get used to that idea.

CHAPTER 11

G
oose bumps covered Katie’s arms as she turned the corner for the deli case. She’d managed to avoid Fairfield’s only grocery store since arriving ten days ago, but after she’d tossed out three trash bags full of expired food from her parents’ kitchen, her mom demanded she go shopping. Whatever. She was done arguing, especially since her dad was still barely talking to her.

She kept her focus on the shelves of turkey, ham, and salami, ignoring that prickling sense that someone was watching her. She was being stupid. It was midmorning on a Thursday. Half the town was at work.

“Excuse me,” she called to the woman working behind the meat counter. Katie wanted to move, to get in and out of the store and back to the relatively safe haven her house had become, but the girl simply pointed to the phone she was chatting on and shifted her body so all Katie could see was her back.

Fine. She’d get prepackaged meat today.

Turning away in frustration, she shoved her cart forward, only to have it collide with another one and elicit her worst-case scenario.

Cooper.

Her former boyfriend studied her with dark eyes that seemed to soak in every inch, from her still-damp hair down to the flip-flops she’d thrown on in a rush to escape her mother’s fiery words.

Within seconds, he had navigated around their locked carts and moved right into her personal space. “You never came by.” It wasn’t a statement but an accusation.

His scruffy chin obviously hadn’t seen a razor in a few days, but as always, his faded blue uniform lacked even a wrinkle. The memory of his meticulous ironing brought a shiver to her spine.

“I told you I wouldn’t.” She tried unsuccessfully to pull her cart free from his grip.

“You’ve told me a lot of things—including that you loved me.”

She couldn’t look at him. “That was a long time ago.”

“Not for me, Firecracker.” The warning in his voice forced Katie’s attention back to him. “I deserve more than a casual hello. I put up with it at the Stop and Go because you surprised me, but I’ve been stewing on it for over a week.”

Her mom had been right. The confrontation in the gas station was only the beginning. She’d been lying to herself, believing that he’d let her start over.

His hand slid up the edge of the metal cart until it landed on hers. Her fingers trembled beneath his hold. “Why are you scared of me? I’ve never laid a hand on you.”

No, but he had a temper. She’d seen it, had felt it rumble through her body. Had experienced the rippling effects of his vicious words.

She tugged her hand free. “I’m not scared. I’m just finished.”

He stepped forward until her retreat pinned her up against the meat display case, his arm resting casually beside her as if he were simply perusing the selection.

A mom with two kids who were arguing over cereal pushed past them. Cooper nodded a hello and with his free hand pulled their carts out of the aisle. He still didn’t touch her, but he was much closer than necessary. His chest rose and fell in rapid succession, the telltale sign that he was fighting every instinct to lose control. She felt her courage shrink within. Cooper intimidated her. He always had, and this physical display of dominance was all too familiar.

“May I help you?” A woman in a hairnet and red apron—not the woman who’d ignored Katie but an older, friendlier one—appeared on the other side of the meat counter.

Cooper didn’t miss a beat. “Hey, Sally. I need a pound of turkey and some salami. Maybe just a quarter.”

Her smile broadened. “You got it, Coop.” She busied herself with his order.

Cooper’s demeanor morphed from flirtatious back to resolute. His hand encircled Katie’s arm and pulled her away from Sally’s eavesdropping. She went willingly, grateful for the escape, even if it was short-lived.

They stopped near the ATM nestled back in the corner for privacy. The loudspeaker announced a sale on cookies, and Cooper shoved her arm away as if it singed him.

His jaw was tight, and a line formed between his eyebrows. “Your dad asked me to give it some time, and out of respect for him, I waited. But I’m done. You owe me a conversation.”

“I don’t owe you a thing. We ended it.” It was her turn to get heated. He was doing what he always did. Demanding, controlling, pushing until she exploded.

He ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. “We were angry. Messed up. But we would have fixed things if you hadn’t left.”

“There was no fixing what happened that night.”

An immediate ripple of tension made every part of his body turn hard and furious. “You don’t get to make that call. Not when the rest of us were stuck here wondering what the hell happened to you. The rest of us didn’t get to run away.”

Katie tried to return to her cart, but Cooper blocked her path. Her head ached and her throat cracked from all the repressed aggression.

“I’m sorry, okay?”
Let it go, please.

“Sorry’s not good enough.”

“Then what do you want from me?” She was going to lose it. Right there in front of a market full of witnesses. “I’m not staying, Cooper. I’m here to help my parents, and then I’m moving right back to Florida.”

“I want a conversation.”

“We’re having one.”

“No, not like this.” Cooper paced back and forth. Glanced at the counter where his order waited for pickup. And finally fixated on a blue diamond painted on the floor. “Meet me tonight at The Point.”

Her body went cold. “No.” He was trying to force her back to the past. To rip open the box she’d carefully sealed shut.

“I never told Laila.” He looked at her, a hint of remorse slipping past the drawn eyebrows. “Not any of it.”

Of course he hadn’t. It was his fault too. “I’m not meeting you at The Point.”

Anything resembling concern disappeared, and his eyes went blank. A scary kind of opaque she couldn’t read. “You’ll be there, or I’m gonna start talking, and I won’t stop until this whole town knows what you did.”

Katie stumbled back, tripping over herself. Keys slid through her fingers and clattered on the floor. “You wouldn’t.”

“Don’t test me, babe.”

Silence spun out, muffling the ding of the cashiers, the wails of a hungry baby, and the slamming of Katie’s heart against her rib cage.

He picked up her keys, dropped them into her clammy hand. “I’ll be there at seven. Waiting for you.”

Cooper was a con artist. A master of the bluff. He wouldn’t tell. Would he?

She couldn’t think. Breathing was all she could handle. Breathing and watching him walk away, once again, with the victory.