Finding Love in Ivy Falls

Chapter Forty

MANNY

Talk A Tough Game

Most days you could easily move in and out of the aisles, linger in front of the bookshelves, at the P&P. Tonight that was impossible, because almost every resident of Ivy Falls packed the small store. I sucked in a breath, inching my way around the tables and small couches set around the space. People crowded around the coffee bar. The shrill whoosh and hiss of the espresso machine matched the rising volume in the room.

No matter what was happening between Tess and me, I couldn’t keep the smile from my lips. When you asked Ivy Falls to show up, they did it with a wild kind of zeal.

Near the front door, Deputy Ben stood with Miss Cheri. Their conversation floated my way, and I smothered a laugh.

For weeks Miss Cheri had been prodding every able-bodied person in town about becoming the director for the upcoming production of Mary Poppins Jr. at the children’s theater. So far, she hadn’t talked anyone into the voluntary role.

Like the good person he was, Ben listened intently before making an excuse about wanting to try another flavor of tea.

My eyes scanned the room for Tess, but I hadn’t seen her since Lou and I arrived. I started to walk to the coffee bar when a rough tap on my shoulder stopped me.

‘Manny.’ Beck’s business partner, Pete, stared at me with intense eyes. His dark hair was slicked back, and his sleeve of tattoos was a sharp contrast to the starched white polo shirt he wore. ‘You’ve been avoiding my calls.’ Pete’s lips thinned. ‘We still need to make an appointment with Teddy Ray to talk about the plans for his restaurant.’

‘Sorry, with the work we’ve been doing on the old Thomas Place, I’ve been a little distracted,’ I confessed.

‘Distracted by other annoyances too.’ Lauren pushed into our small circle and eyed me like a painful thorn in her side. ‘Don’t think that you can run away from the show. You’re too important to it.’

Pete stared down his nose at her. ‘Excuse me, we were having a conversation.’

Never to be intimidated by anyone, Lauren squared her shoulders. ‘You’re excused,’ she said in that sweet Georgia voice before latching on to my arm and pulling me away. Once she had me cornered in a quieter part of the store, she lost most of her vibrato. ‘Manny, I swear you’re going to give me gray hair before I reach thirty.’

‘I never meant to put you in a tight spot with the show, but you know how I feel about my daughter.’

She held up a finger to stop me. ‘Before I leave tonight, I need you to write down every detail you want in the contract. Parameters around social media. How many, if any, public appearances you’re willing to do. If you want security cameras at your house or a fence. Mr Adler and the network have agreed that whatever is required to make this work for your family, they’ll make it happen.’

‘How the hell did you pull that off?’ I chuckled.

‘I don’t think you realize how valuable you and Torran are to the network. Your reruns have the highest ratings in the afternoon time slot. Mr Adler might talk a tough game, but your show is a hit, and he’s not letting you go.’

My gaze moved to Lou sitting with the girls at a nearby table, reading them her favorite picture book, Knight Owl .

‘And they’ll agree to all my terms, including little to no social media?’ I asked, needing to confirm I’d heard her right.

‘Yes. At this point, I think Adler would let you write your own damn contract if it meant you’d stay.’

I hid my smirk as she continued to tap her pointed heel anxiously.

‘There is one other thing I might want.’

‘Okay. Anything,’ she said.

‘Could you get Lou an introduction to Dolly Parton?’

‘Uh, well, that might be hard. I suppose we could track down her PR person…’ Lauren sputtered until she watched me grin. ‘You idiot. Don’t tease me like that!’ She swiped at my shoulder.

‘Go get yourself a coffee. You’ve earned it.’

She let out a caustic laugh. ‘Make that list, Manny.’

‘Yes, ma’am,’ I said, pointing her in the direction of the bar.

She stalked off, and I searched the room for Tess. My gaze moved over the growing crowd and landed on Piper Townsend who sat alone on a couch near the front window.

‘Hey,’ I said, approaching her. ‘Thanks for helping Tess with the espresso machine. I owe you one.’

‘You don’t owe me a thing. Happy to share my barista skills.’

I tipped my chin to the space beside her, and she moved to make room for me.

‘You did amazing work on the bar,’ she gushed. ‘That custom counter designed to match the buffet is incredible. Tessa is really lucky to have you as a fr—’ She broke off quickly. ‘Well, she’s lucky to have you in her life.’

She smiled, gave a wave to Beck, who always seemed to be checking in on her.

‘I never really had a chance to make a ton of friends. Well, not since we had to leave Ivy Falls when I was a kid.’

‘This place sort of gets into your bones and settles in deep. Once you’re a resident, you become family. Everyone in this store, including me, is your friend, Piper. Whatever you need, support you might want, it’s here if you reach out and ask for it.’

‘Beck tells me that often, but thanks for the reminder,’ she sighed. ‘I wish I could do more. Actively take part in the community.’

Just at that moment, Miss Cheri’s booming laugh filled the room.

‘I heard the Ivy Falls Children’s Theater needs some help.’

Her eyes went alight.

‘Why don’t you go talk to Miss Cheri about it?’

Her arms flung out and she gave me a quick hug. ‘Thank you, Manny!’ She jumped off the couch and raced in the direction of Miss Cheri.

I took a minute to look for Tess again. Why couldn’t I find her at her own damn party?

Penny walked by, and I said, ‘Have you seen Tess?’

A knowing smile crossed her lips before she tipped her chin toward the back office. ‘She went to grab change for the registers.’

I moved across the room, waving to Deputy Ben who was chatting with Dr Sheridan and Silvio. When I reached the office door, it was locked. I knocked, but the store was too loud to hear if Tess answered. I knocked again, pressed my ear to the door. The sounds of shuffling feet and Tess’ voice, sharp and frightened, bled through the door. Warning sirens blared in my head. Using all my strength, I jammed my shoulder against the door until the frame splintered and the lock popped open.

Tess stood behind the desk, her eyes wild. Billy stood next to the open safe. I’d only met her twice, but I was sure the woman with burgundy hair standing only a foot away from him was Trini. I blanched at the bank bag she clutched against her pregnant belly.

‘What the hell is going on here?’ My roar vibrated through the room.

Billy’s body tensed, and Trini rounded on me with wide eyes.

‘I came in to get some change and found them in here,’ Tess said quickly. ‘Yesterday, I thought things looked out of place.’ Her stare narrowed on Billy. ‘He must have taken the spare key hidden in the desk drawer. Thought he could come in the back door without being noticed.’

I hated the brittle tone of her voice. The way defeat colored her eyes. She’d given him a second chance, and here he was stealing from her. Breaking her heart again.

‘Tess, tell me what you need, and I’ll do it.’ I said the words as a vow because I meant it. I was done letting this asshole hurt her.

She clutched her fists at her sides. ‘Close the door. Stand there and be my witness.’

I gave her a firm nod, but my stare stayed on Billy. In my head I had visions of making him pay for what he was doing to her, but giving him a black eye, a broken nose, wasn’t what Tess needed right now, and it flew in the face of what I’d always told Lou about not getting physical with people – even if they deserved it.

‘I’m done with you, Billy.’ Tess kept her voice level, but it was threaded with venom. ‘Time and time again you’ve let me down. Broken my heart. Made the girls confused and sad. All that ends now.’

‘Please, Tessie. Let me take this money. Go off with Trini.’ His gaze flicked to the open back door and the black Charger idling outside. ‘I’ll never come back to Ivy Falls.’

‘You don’t have to beg,’ Trini spat out.

Billy rounded on her. ‘Quiet. I’ve got this handled. I know Tess. She won’t fight me on this.’

Tess gripped the edge of the desk. Every instinct to protect her flared in my body, but I planted my feet. She’d clearly communicated what she needed, and I wouldn’t let her down.

‘Is this why you came back? Pretended to change? All because you wanted to rob me? Steal from our children?’

‘I came back because I missed you.’ His gaze slid in my direction. ‘But then I saw you two from inside our house on Halloween night. You were supposed to come in the door, and we’d have this great reunion, but it wasn’t hard to see how you felt about him. How you looked at each other. The way Rosie was so content asleep on his shoulder. It wasn’t the right time to let you know I was here in Ivy Falls, so I took off.’

Tess’ gaze went murderous. ‘You bastard! I should have known it. You left that damn box of your favorite cereal on the counter! You never could put anything away.’ She took a forceful step forward. ‘The park. Were you there? Have you been sneaking around so no one would see you? Was Manny right about that too?’ Billy’s lip twitched as Tess said, ‘You’ve gotten to be a much better liar. Let me guess, you threw the rock at the window too?’

He gave a brazen shrug. ‘I was angry. It was me who should have been here with you. Not him.’

‘That makes no sense. You made your choice, Billy. You chose her.’

‘We broke up.’ Trini snapped. ‘He left, and then I found out I was pregnant.’

Tess’ beautiful eyes went wide. ‘That’s why you went back to Atlanta? She’s your “loose ends”?’

Trini gave him a heated stare.

‘Yes,’ Billy breathed out. ‘Trin said she needed me. That this is a chance for us to start fresh. We’re headed to California. I’m going to get some gigs playing music, but we need cash to make that happen.’

‘And you thought stealing from me was the answer? You couldn’t just get a job like a normal person? What about the money you made working for Silvio?’

‘Used it to fix the car. What was left went to you for the girls.’

‘What? That was only a few hundred dollars.’

‘Come on, Tessie. Let us take the money. Five hundred bucks means nothing to you. Right now you’re throwing a party for a new coffee bar.’

‘You asshole,’ she fumed. ‘Why do you think I built the coffee bar? This place is bleeding money, and I’m literally a few bad months away from losing it. If you ever gave a damn about me, or our family, you’d know that I’m doing everything I can to save my mother’s store!’

He had the gall to laugh, and I about lost my fucking mind. I took a step forward, but Tess shook her head at me.

‘You’ll never lose this place,’ Billy scoffed. ‘Your daddy would bail you out. Hell, this whole town would give you money if you needed it. Me and Trin, we’re alone.’

‘Alone by choice,’ she flung back. ‘You had a life here, a family, until you threw it all away. Hell, even after all that, this town was still willing to give you another chance.’

‘Yeah, a family, and an entire town, who did nothing but judge me. Belittle me. I tried to change, but even then, you wouldn’t take me back.’

The bastard had actually made a play for her, even after everything he’d done?

‘That’s your fault,’ Tess blasted at him. ‘The life you built, the people you let down, that was your doing and no one else’s. For God’s sake, Billy. Stop blaming the world for your problems, and for once in your life, grow the hell up.’

The shock on his face said he’d never seen this side of Tess before, and I couldn’t have been prouder of her.

‘Let us go.’ Billy’s tough veneer crumbled. ‘Please. Trin and I need this.’

Tess yanked an envelope off her desk, pulled out a few sheets of paper and slapped them down. ‘Sign the divorce papers, and maybe I’ll think about not pressing charges against you both.’

‘Do it,’ Trini hissed as she rubbed at her belly. ‘You’ve got your new family to think about.’

‘We don’t need you here, Billy. Move on, and we will too,’ Tess added in a voice so concrete there was no room for misinterpreting her message.

Billy’s mouth tensed as he stared at her. It took every ounce of willpower I had not to punch him in the face.

‘I have rights, Tessie. I bet I could find a judge to agree to joint custody. Ask for whole summer vacations. But…’ A disgusting smirk lifted his lips. ‘If you let me take the money, I’ll sign whatever you want, giving up any rights to the girls.’ He rolled back his shoulders. ‘Then you and him can do whatever the fuck you want.’

All the things I’d worried about, how he’d lie, hurt her again, made the rage rise up in me. She didn’t deserve any of this. And the way he could just toss away Rose and Iris made me bite the inside of my cheek, hold back all the curses I wanted to fling his way.

To her credit, Tess’ face stayed an unemotional mask. On a barely audible breath, she said, ‘Look up.’

Billy’s gaze moved overhead to a small white ball and a little black camera I’d installed after the rock came through the window.

‘If you don’t leave now, I’ll call Deputy Ben in here. Show him the recording, proving your intent. I’ll press charges for theft, trespassing and whatever the hell else I can think up.’

‘You wouldn’t,’ Billy challenged. ‘Think what that would do to our girls. They’d hate you for sending me to jail.’

‘They are my girls,’ Tess said roughly. ‘One day I will tell them that you chose yourself over being a real father. That they have many other men in their life who love and care for them.’ Her gaze darted to me and then narrowed back on Billy. ‘They’ll understand eventually that their lives are much better without you around. Iris and Rose are young. Over time you’ll fade from their memory, and one day, it’ll be like you never existed.’

‘You wouldn’t dare. It’d tarnish that “Little Miss Goody Two Shoes” persona you have in this town.’

A thin smile crossed her lips as she lowered her voice. ‘You don’t know me. You’ve never really cared enough to get to know me. These last ten years of my life have been tainted by your presence. That’s over now. Everyone in this town knows who I am and loves me for it.’ Her gaze went heartbroken as she looked at Trini and her round belly. ‘Sadly, you’ve never loved anyone in your life except yourself.’

Tess reached out and tugged the bank bag away from Trini, who took a startled step back.

‘Sign the papers, or I’ll go to the police. I’d hate to do that to your poor baby.’ Her voice quivered for a moment. ‘But if you don’t do as I say, I’ll make both your lives miserable.’

Pride flooded through me as I watched her go toe to toe with Billy and Trini and not flinch. She didn’t need me to break his nose or yell at him. She had enough force and strength to take him down all on her own.

‘You’ll regret this, Tessie.’ He scratched out his signature and tossed the pen onto the desk.

‘The only thing I regret is trusting you. Letting you back into our lives. Now leave, before I have Manny throw you out.’

Billy hesitated until I took a step forward, curling my fists as a warning.

‘Let’s go, Trin,’ he said, towing her out the back door.

With a roar, his car sped out of the parking lot, leaving a hazy cloud of brown dust in its wake.

I waited two full breaths before I said, ‘Are you all right?’

She gave me a weak smile. ‘Yes. I’m relieved, actually. Having him here only caused chaos. His stupidity and callousness just made it easier for me to get him to leave for good.’

‘Hey.’ I started to reach out my hand to her and then dropped it to my side, unsure of where we stood. ‘I’m proud of you. Standing up to him took guts.’

She pressed her warm hand to my cheek, and my aching heart did a double beat. ‘Thank you for letting me handle the situation. It couldn’t have been easy to stand by and watch that unfold, but I appreciate you trusting me.’

‘Tess, you’re strong and brave. There isn’t anything you can’t do if you set your mind to it. I want to be here for you in any way I can. In any way you’ll let me.’ I leaned into her touch. ‘That day, after the Dairy Dip, I was wrong to lash out at you. I need you in my life in whatever way you’ll have me.’

‘I’ve made so many mistakes.’ Her lower lip trembled. ‘Part of me was scared. Afraid of getting hurt again. But I know now that the most certain thing in my life is what I feel for you. I hope you can forgive me for being so terribly wrong.’

‘You were doing what you thought was best for you and the girls. And I understand being scared. The steps we are taking are fucking terrifying, but I want you to know that I’ll take things as slow as you want. That no matter what, I will always support you. Believe in you. I care for you, and all I want is for us to figure out a way to be together.’ I hesitated, pulled in a long breath. ‘To make our families one.’

‘That’s what I want too.’

Her mouth found mine in a hungry, desperate kiss. I pulled her in close, needing to feel her body next to mine. I moved my tongue around the edge of her lips until she opened for me. We stumbled back against the desk, and I lifted her up onto the corner. Our kisses became more frenzied, like we were trying to make up for all the weeks we’d been apart.

She moaned against my neck as she worked kisses down along my throat. I tugged her in against me, wanting her to feel what she did to me every single time she touched me. She ran her hands down my back and tugged out the hem of my shirt, tracing the waistband of my pants before her hands slid lower.

A low growl left my throat as I plunged my tongue deeper into her mouth. As I was tugging up her blouse, running my fingertips over the top of her lacy bra, the sound of voices outside drew closer. I stepped back quickly, my heart nearly beating out of my chest.

I loved the wicked smile dancing across Tess’ lips as she slid off the desk. A second later, Piper came in the door with Torran on her heels. Neither of them noticed the damaged doorframe as they took one look at us and burst out laughing.

‘Sorry to interrupt,’ Torran said with a sly grin as she stared at her sister’s crumpled blouse and tousled hair. ‘But you’ve got a room full of people waiting on a ribbon-cutting ceremony.’ She gave us another long look. ‘We can stall them for a while if you two’ – she gave an annoying wink – ‘want to continue whatever was happening in here.’

‘Change,’ Tess blurted out. ‘We were getting change.’

Piper gave a full-throated laugh. ‘Sure you were. Come out when you finally find the “change”.’

She threaded her arm through Torran’s and dragged her out of the room.

Once they were gone, Tess tucked in her blouse. The pink flush to her cheeks made me pull her in again. I reached up and smoothed out the hairs that had escaped her braid.

‘I can fix that for you,’ I teased.

‘Let’s make a promise to each other,’ she said, straightening out my shirt, her hands lingering on my chest. ‘Whatever is happening between us, we consider it a partnership. I don’t need you to fix everything for me. To swoop in and be a superhero.’ She grinned.

Yeah, she’d never let me forget that costume.

‘I can’t learn that way,’ she went on. ‘And I’m tired of people seeing me as meek and helpless.’

‘After the way you just eviscerated Billy, that will never be my assumption.’ I pressed a quick kiss to her forehead.

‘I’m serious, Manny. If we’re going to be in a relationship, I want to be equals. I help you and you help me. We support each other whenever and wherever we can. Listen and respect each other’s opinion. I’ve spent too long relying on other people for help. I need to be an active participant in my own life. Going through hell with Billy has taught me that much.’

‘I’ll agree to whatever terms you lay down as long as I get to kiss you.’ I gave her a full-watt smile. ‘Wherever and whenever, and of course, in any spot I want.’

Her cheeks flushed that delicious pink again. ‘That, Mr Parks, is a deal I can definitely agree to.’

I pressed another hungry kiss to her mouth before she finally tore herself away and pulled me back into the store.

When things quieted down, we’d have to talk more about what happened with Billy. How she’d have to explain his sudden disappearance again to her family, and probably the entire damn town. But, for now, I wanted Tess to enjoy this victory because, in so many ways, she’d earned it.