Finding Love in Ivy Falls

Chapter Twenty

TESSA

Leverage

I wasn’t sure what shocked me more. The sight of seeing my ex again or the fact that a cut sliced through his left eyebrow and a thin stream of blood dripped from his mouth.

‘Billy, what happened? Why are you holding Old Mrs Vanderpool’s dog?’ I said.

Before he could answer, a female paramedic, along with Deputy Ben, rushed toward us. They called for us to move back as Silvio appeared on the lawn holding on to a white-robed Mrs Vanderpool.

‘Baby? Baby?’ she cried out over and over. ‘Has anyone seen my precious dog?’

‘Here,’ Billy choked out with a flinch as the paramedic pressed at the cut over his eye.

When Silvio and Mrs Vanderpool reached us their eyes went wide.

‘What are you doing with my dog, you hooligan?’ She moved quicker than I thought possible and yanked Baby from Billy’s arms. ‘Did you hurt my boy?’ She patted the wet dog like she could determine if he had any injuries.

‘Hurt him?’ Billy gasped as the paramedic cleaned the gash on his lip. ‘No. I was driving through the square, and he ran in front of my car. I swerved and hydroplaned into the damn tree to avoid hitting him.’

More people started to fill the square, heading toward Billy’s crumpled black Charger that I’d always hated.

Mrs Vanderpool kept patting Baby, but her eyes softened. ‘I was taking him out for his late-night potty break. Just ran inside for a minute to get my umbrella. When I went back out, he was gone. There must be a hole in my fence. Been walking the neighborhoods for at least an hour. Didn’t think my old boy had it in him to get this far.’

The paramedic checked Billy’s eyes with a penlight. Trying to be subtle, Deputy Ben leaned in like he wanted to see if he could smell booze on Billy’s breath.

‘The cuts on your head and lip are superficial. No stitches needed. Did you hit your head when you crashed?’ the paramedic asked, placing a white bandage over his eyebrow.

‘No. When I skidded, my phone flew off the console. Popped me in the mouth and head.’

‘You’re lucky you’re only walking away with a few scrapes,’ she said. ‘That big oak is one tough lady.’

Billy glanced at his car, his pride and joy’s front bumper crumpled up accordion-style against the tree.

He stood slowly, and the paramedic watched to see if he was wobbly on his feet. When he looked steady, Mrs Vanderpool stepped in closer.

‘Don’t like you much, Billy Newton. Never have. But I won’t forget what you did to avoid hurting my sweet Baby tonight.’

Her lower lip trembled as she tucked the dog closer to her chest and let Silvio lead her away.

The crowd started to grow around the accident, and I turned back to Billy.

‘Answer my question. Why are you back in town?’

He shivered. His clothes soaked to the bone. ‘Can we go somewhere warm and talk?’ he asked.

He gave a quick glance in Manny’s direction. Much to his credit, Manny didn’t say a word, but the way he had his arms crossed over his chest said he wasn’t too happy about how our night was turning out.

‘Do you need to ask Billy more questions or can we go over to the P&P?’ I asked Deputy Ben.

He hesitated, scratched uncomfortably at his chin.

Billy held out his arms at his sides. ‘Go ahead and give me a sobriety test,’ he muttered.

Deputy Ben led him over to another patch of grass as the rain started to taper off.

‘Tess.’ Manny came up beside me. ‘Are you all right?’

‘Yes,’ I heaved out. ‘It’s just a shock to see him.’

‘What can I do?’ he asked.

Make him disappear again. Make him a better man. A better father.

I pushed the thoughts away and said, ‘All I need is for you to stay here beside me. To be my friend right now.’

His lips thinned at the word ‘friend’ after what just happened between us, but in his typical Manny way, he gave a steady nod.

We waited in the wet, dreary night as Ben put Billy through a series of tests, which he passed.

‘He can go back with you now,’ Ben said when they were finished. ‘I need to take some pictures of the scene.’ His mouth went grim. ‘Make sure his story lines up. Then we’ll have the car towed. Once that’s done, I’ll need to come to the store and take an official statement.’

He started to walk away but paused and turned back to Billy.

‘That was a real good thing you did for Mrs Vanderpool. Avoiding hitting her dog like that. Not sure what she’d do without that little mutt.’

Billy gave him a half-smile and followed behind me and Manny to the store. Once we were through the back door, I had him sit in a chair next to my desk. Manny leaned back against the wall. Fists tightened at his sides.

In the light, it was hard not to gasp at the way Billy looked. His frame had always been thin, but now he appeared too bony for his own good.

‘Tess, you’re shaking.’ Manny moved to the desk and pulled a pink cardigan off my chair, laying it gently over my shoulders. I gave him a smile, and he went back to his spot against the wall.

Billy watched us with his lips pressed thin.

‘Okay.’ I couldn’t keep the exhaustion from my voice. ‘Explain to me why you’re in Ivy Falls.’

‘I left Atlanta a couple of days ago. My plan was to come back here. Get my life on track again.’ He let out a sigh and winced like he was in pain, which only made Manny’s fists clench tighter. ‘Drove in past the welcome sign. Started toward the limestone fountain when Baby darted into the street. As soon as I hit the brakes, car started to skid, I tried to control it, but I spun, went up and over the curb and collided with the fucking tree.’

He winced again as he tapped at his lip, the skin already starting to swell.

‘Manny, can you get some ice from the refrigerator in the break room? And grab one of those dry towels?’

It was like he didn’t hear me, too caught up in leveling his murderous stare at Billy.

‘It’s okay, Tessa. I’ve been worse,’ Billy mumbled as his lip grew fatter.

‘Manny!’ This time I put an edge to my voice, and he finally looked at me. ‘Ice. Dry towel. Please.’

He pushed off the wall in a sharp move that made Billy flinch. ‘I’ll be right back.’

Once he was gone, Billy said, ‘Tessie, I’m sorry about all this. I wanted to get my life straightened out before I saw you and the girls.’

‘I don’t get it. The last time we talked, you were looking for work in Atlanta and getting an apartment with…’ I broke off because he knew what I was going to say next. ‘For months my lawyers have been trying to track you down to give you the final divorce papers. Where have you been?’

‘Yeah, about that…’ He pushed back his hood, revealing he’d buzzed off most of his shoulder-length white-blonde hair. A new tattoo of a tear was inked into his skin a few inches below his right ear. ‘Trini and I broke up. She’s too young. Always wanting to go out and party.’

Several caustic remarks flew through my head.

That’s what you get for running off with a nineteen-year-old.

How could you be so stupid?

It serves you right, dumbass.

Before I could say any of them, Manny barged back into the office and slammed a bag of ice and a purple towel down onto the desk.

‘Thanks,’ Billy said, uncomfortably shooting out his hand. ‘Seen the show you’re doing with Torran. It’s good.’

Manny didn’t reply, or shake his hand, he just leaned back against the wall and gave my ex the same dead-eyed stare.

Billy had the sense of mind not to say anything more to the guy who looked like he wanted to rip him in two.

‘What are your plans now?’ I asked.

He shrugged. ‘Look for work. Figure out my shit. Honestly, Tessie, this is my home. I miss my girls. All I want is to make things up to all of you.’

‘Where are you planning to stay tonight?’ Manny’s steely voice cut the air like a knife.

‘Uh, well, I was gonna stay at a motel outside of town, but now that I don’t have my wallet… It’s in the car which is being towed…’ Billy dropped his head in his hands.

There were a thousand reasons why I despised him, but he was still my girls’ father. I couldn’t let him leave here tonight without anywhere to go.

‘You can stay on the couch at the house, but only for tonight. Tomorrow you’re going to figure out your life. A life somewhere besides Ivy Falls.’

He started to protest, but I held up my hand. ‘This is my place with the girls. You need to “figure out your shit” somewhere else.’

He gave a defeated nod. ‘Guess I deserve that.’

‘Tess, can I talk to you for a second?’ Manny’s fevered gaze said he didn’t like my plan.

I followed him out the office door, and he stopped near the mahogany counter where we had the cash registers. He dragged his hands through his hair, and his lips thinned like he was carefully considering what he wanted to say.

‘It’s not my business to question what you’re doing. Why you invited him to stay at your house, but I’m worried about you.’ He stepped in and ran his thumb across my jaw. ‘Can I be honest?’

‘Of course. I want you to be.’

‘I think the story he just fed you is bullshit. The way his car was crumpled, that wasn’t some leisurely drive through town.’

‘I know he’s not telling the total truth, but he’s beat up, and it’s late. I can’t in good conscience let the father of my children sleep on a bench in the square.’

He continued to stare at me with a warmth that I loved. That said he was only looking out for me.

‘One night only,’ I promised. ‘Then he’s gone and out of our lives.’

‘One night,’ he repeated like he was trying to convince himself it was all going to be okay.

Which it was.

‘Be careful with him,’ he whispered. ‘He knows he’s got leverage in your life. Don’t let him use it to make you feel guilty. He’s the one in the wrong here.’

‘Billy may think he can still sweet-talk me, but I’m a much different person than the last time he saw me.’

Ben knocked on the front door, and I let him in, pointing to where Billy was waiting in my office.

Once he was out of earshot, Manny’s mouth went grim. ‘You know who’s going to hate this more than me?’

I let out a groan and dropped my head in my hands.

When Torran and my father found out Billy was back, all hell was going to break loose.