Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 132834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 664(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 664(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
I dropped two twenties on the table and strode from the restaurant, leaving her sitting there fuming, and drove back to Heartstone on autopilot. Every time I loosened my tight grip on the steering wheel, my hands shook.
Custody. She was going after custody. Did she already have a lawyer? She’d said she had a lawyer, but did she actually have a lawyer? I didn’t know. More importantly, I did not have a lawyer. Not yet, despite both Finn and my mother telling me to get one.
I’d spoken the truth to Lydia. I did have evidence that I’d been trying to help Oliver stay sober and proof that she’d been doing the opposite. But not a lot. Not file folders full of it, just some text messages, pictures, and signatures on medical documents. And Lydia had shown me at lunch how well she could play the grieving mother. If she got in front of a judge and started crying . . .
I couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t get what she wanted, at least partly. And the idea of her having Nicky all to herself, the things she would tell him . . . He was only six. Could she poison him against me? I wanted to say no. No, of course not. We had a bond. Nicky loved me. Nicky knew how much I loved him.
But she was his grandmother. I’m sure she was fully prepared to shower him with every material thing he’d ever thought he might want. Between toys, candy, and ice cream, she could go a long way toward gaining his trust. And then . . . I couldn’t even think about it.
The last time Lydia invaded my life, it had started like this. Her determined to get her way, me saying no, Lydia pushing back, me saying no again. Over and over, her pushing, me pushing back, Lydia gaining ground until my life crumbled to pieces around me, until Oliver died. I couldn’t let it happen again. I wouldn’t.
A wave of nausea washed over me, so sharp my mouth watered until I thought I might actually throw up. I’d only had a few spoonfuls of the bisque and had skipped breakfast, too anxious to eat after seeing Lydia’s text.
Time ticked by as I sat on I-26, which turned into a temporary parking lot after an accident near the airport, stewing in my fears as it got later and later. By the time I closed the last few miles to Sawyers Bend, I was lightheaded, sick to my stomach, and my temples ached. I realized I was clenching my teeth, grinding them together from the tension.
I parked my car and went straight to the kitchens, knowing there was no point in changing. The boys had been home from school for more than an hour. I couldn’t play this off like I’d never left Heartstone. By now, I would have been missed. Either way, there were going to be questions I did not want to answer. It didn’t matter. I needed to see Nicky.
Chapter Thirty-Five
SAVANNAH
Nicky was at the table munching a cookie when I came in. August and Thatcher had scarfed their tea and taken off, but my mother still sat with Nicky, a cup of tea in front of her as she chatted with him while Finn worked on dinner. Both Finn and my mother took in my unusual choice of clothes and knew something was up. This was not the outfit I’d pick to run errands or see a friend.
Finn’s eyes narrowed first. He hadn’t liked that I’d only picked at breakfast, asking me if I was okay more than once. I shrugged and put him off, saying, “I’m fine. Everything’s fine.” That had only tipped him off further that everything was not fine. Now he studied me, knowing for certain that something was going on.
“Where did you go?” my mother asked.
“You look like you’re dressed for a job interview,” Finn said with a scowl.
“Or a ladies' lunch,” my mother added.
“Neither,” I said. “It’s not important. Everything’s fine. Is dinner on schedule?” I asked brightly. Finn didn’t bother to respond.
Dropping into a seat by Nicky, I opened my arms for a hug. “Did you have a nice day at school?” As always, Nicky threw himself into my arms, squeezing as tight as he could and giggling, “Backbreaker!”
Someday he would be big enough to break my back with a hug, but not yet. For now, he was still my little guy. I nuzzled the top of his head, the smell of shampoo and little boy bringing a rush of tears to my eyes. I squeezed back until he shrieked and squirmed away.
“Do you want a cookie, Mom?” he asked, pulling back and showing me the plate in the middle of the table. “I helped Mr. Finn make the cookies. We made them yesterday when I got home from school, and then we put the dough in the fridge, and it got all cold and hard, and then when I got home today, Mr. Finn helped me slice it into cookies, and then we baked them and we sprinkled different colored sugar on top.”