Forever Magnolia Read online

  "It makes me too sad during the day," I said.

  "People are going to talk," she said.

  For a moment, I considered telling her about Beau, but then I realized she would probably be even more judgy of the two of us if she knew we were alone. "People like to talk."

  "They do, Millie Mae," she said. "And I'd rather them not be talking about you unless it’s something good."

  "What did you have in mind?" I knew every word she spoke had a double meaning. She'd already made plans. Something to help me purge the pathetic girl who came crawling back image she wouldn't like me to have.

  "Church charity sale," she paused to take a sip of her coffee, "we're collecting donations this week."

  I took the opening to take a drink of my own coffee while I contemplated her words. She knew how I felt about church. It wasn't my thing. It was bad enough that she'd dragged me there until I moved. She was right back to her old agenda. Then, I realized this could work in my favor. I'd done something stupid by committing myself to helping Beau when I knew I probably couldn't trust myself to be alone with him.

  "It might be too soon, but what if I offer to help clean out Esther Miller's home? Help out whoever has taken over? I'm sure she'd want to see some things donated to help the church."

  Grandma smiled. "That's a fine idea. Her great nephew’s in town to settle everything. Guess he's some big wig who works on the Internet all day so he never leaves."

  "I'll go after breakfast," I said.

  "I'm pleased to see you taking initiative," she said.

  Forcing a smile, I focused into my oatmeal, hoping she didn't ask me to do anything else in town. Digging through old stuff and dropping it off was fine. If I wasn't careful, I knew I'd get roped into more. I had to come up with my exit strategy. I couldn't stay here long or I'd never get out.

  As soon as I was done with breakfast, I was going to post my resume online.

  I didn't manage to get to the Miller house until noon. The place looked even worse for wear than it had in the moonlight. I supposed the sun had a way of making everything more clear. Including the fact that I needed to establish clear boundaries with Beau.

  Even if I wanted to be in a relationship with someone, why would I choose the person who was just as eager to get out of this town as I was? He'd likely be gone soon, back to whatever glamorous life he was living. For all I knew, he was married and had children.

  I knocked on the door, then stepped back and waited.

  I knocked again.

  Annoyed that he got to sleep in while I'd been dragged out of bed, I turned away and left the house. I didn't know exactly what I should do to kill time, but I knew if I went back to my grandmother's she'd give me an even worse task.

  Deciding I needed an actual drink, I climbed into my car and made my way to Sully's. After all, Dale had asked me to come by and I was trying to be polite, right? Besides, I knew my grandmother would never be caught dead in the hole-in-the-wall sports bar. I could hide there for a few hours and try Beau again later. After a few drinks to bury my self-pity. Or exaggerate it. Either was a possibility.

  As I pulled away from the Miller house, I noticed a car behind me. There was nothing around here. Just the driveway to the Miller house and a road that led to my grandma's house and the Thomas's on the other side of us.

  Wondering if I'd just missed Beau, I adjusted the rear view mirror, trying to catch a glimpse of the driver.

  It definitely wasn't Beau. A woman I didn't recognize was driving and she was wearing huge sunglasses that covered most of her face. Frowning, I hoped it was a coincidence and that she was just lost.

  I turned to head toward town. The woman followed. A chill climbed up my spine, sending my pulse racing. I tried to shake the feeling of impending doom that was unnecessarily creeping into my subconscious. After all, this was Hearth. It wasn't Chicago. Obviously, someone would go this way. It was the only way into the main part of town.

  Passing Sully's, I kept driving, waiting for her to stop somewhere, anywhere, that wasn't where I was going.

  She continued.

  We were at the edge of town now, the only option being the freeway or the last gas station. Either were a likely option for someone to use. For a split second, I considered getting on the freeway and gunning it. I didn't have anywhere to be. I could drive the hour to the next town and back. Instead, I pulled into the gas station, choosing one of the spots in front of the sliding glass doors.

  The woman followed me, taking the spot right next to my car. If I hadn't been freaked out before, I was officially freaked out now. Deciding it was better to be around people and video cameras if she was some psycho, I quickly got out of my car and darted inside the gas station.

  The door chimed and a blast of cold air hit me as I walked into the store.

  "Millie?" a woman called.

  I turned to see Brittany, a friend from high school sitting behind the counter. Her face lit up with a wide smile and she threw her hands up into the air, screaming.

  Stunned, I forced a smile on my face and tried to imitate her enthusiasm. To be honest, seeing her here made me even more desperate to get out. Brittany was one of my closest friends in high school, but I still never felt quite right with her. She was interested in everything we were supposed to enjoy and was a good role model for me to know what I should fake. For that, I was grateful. But now, I knew I'd have to rehash all that attempt at fitting in.

  Brittany opened the door that caged her in to the clerk's booth and waddled over to me, her huge pregnant belly not letting her move quickly. "Oh my god! I heard you were here!"

  She grabbed me in an awkward, sideways hug.

  "Yes, I'm here," I said.

  "How long are you staying? And please say forever. Things have been so dull without you. Not that we can go back to the old days..." she pointed at her stomach. "I think beer pong and skinny dipping are going to have to wait a few years."

  I laughed. "Congratulations, Brit, you are positively glowing."

  "Nice of you to say. Honestly, I feel like a whale. Can you believe I still have three weeks to go?"

  The dinging sound of the door reminded me of why I'd come in here in the first place. I turned to see the woman with the sunglasses walk through the door. She lifted her glasses, resting them on the top of her dark hair. She didn't even look over at me before turning toward the coolers along the side wall.

  I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding and decided I'd been worried over nothing.

  "You have to come to my shower," Brittany said, not even noticing the newcomer. "It's on Saturday. Please say you'll come."

  "I'd love to," I said.

  "It's at the church at two," she said.

  "Can't wait," I said.

  Brittany's face scrunched up and she squealed. "Better go help that customer. I can't wait to catch up."

  I looked over at the woman with the sunglasses. She set a bottle of water on the counter, then reached into her pocket to pull out some cash. As she did, her black tank top lifted a little revealing what looked to be the handles of several blades shoved into the waistband of her jeans.

  She was probably not someone I should mess with. I walked over to the cooler and got myself a bottle of water, hesitating there until I heard the dinging sound that let me know she'd gone.

  I watched her car pull out before I paid, but I still couldn't shake the weird feeling she gave me. "Brittany, you ever see that woman before?"

  "Once," she said. "At Esther Miller's funeral. She stood in the back, though. Didn't talk to nobody."

  "You know where she's staying?" I asked.

  "Not sure," she said. "So, I'll see you on Saturday?"

  "I'll be there."

  As I left the store, I wondered what the gossip was around town. Since Esther died, two newcomers had arrived. Beau, and this other woman. I wondered if she was the long lost relative he was looking for.

  Chapter Six

  Millie

  There we
re only two cars in the parking lot when I pulled into Sully's bar. It really was the only other place I could go if I was trying to avoid my grandmother's, and after the encounter with the woman at the gas station, I didn't want to go anywhere near the Miller house.

  I needed to get the creepy feeling away and a few shots of tequila would probably do the trick. There was something about a nice comfortable buzz to make you stop over analyzing and overthinking every little thing.

  Besides, would it be so terrible to see a friendly face? Britney had caught me off guard, even Dale had caught me off guard when I first arrived, but if I was here for a little bit, maybe I should make the best of it.

  Thoughts of Beau drifted into my mind and I shook them away. I wasn't in any place to get romantically involved with anyone. Hanging out with old friends was different. Maybe doing something normal, like attending a baby shower, would be good for me.

  I knew it would keep my grandmother off my case if I attempted to rejoin society. I thought about how out of place I'd felt here. And how out of place I'd still felt in Chicago. At least I knew what I was getting into in Hearth. I wondered if that's really why I had come back. Comfort, familiarity, a place where I wouldn't have to encounter anything unexpected. I shook my head. As much as I wanted to feel like I was part of something, it wasn't me.

  Financially, I wished I could've stayed afloat a few months in Chicago on my own while I looked for a job. I hadn't been fired for poor behavior or poor performance, the company was sold and we were downsized. I knew it was only a matter of time before my resume got me some bites. But where did I really want to go?

  I knew I couldn't stay in Hearth, but maybe I came here for a reason, a mental break from the rapid-fire pace I'd been living for the last five years. I sighed, I was having a midlife crisis. But I was way too young for a midlife crisis.

  This definitely called for shots of tequila. I needed to stop analyzing my decisions and take a few deep breaths. There would be plenty of time for self-loathing and regret in the coming weeks I didn't need to go through all of it right here, right now.

  My legs felt heavy as I walked toward the front door, slower than I needed to. I hesitated before entering, was this really what I wanted? Drinking in the middle of the afternoon? There I went again, overthinking everything. I didn't have a job or any responsibilities. Why should I care what I did with my time?

  I walked through the door into the bar and was hit with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. How often had I come here on Saturday nights, getting that big black x on my hand that said I was under twenty-one, even though everyone in town knew everyone's age and face and birthday by heart.

  Scrubbing it off in the bathroom did no good, all the bartenders knew my name, but it didn't stop me from trying at least a dozen times. I thought back to the bad karaoke singing, the hungover breakfasts, and my wild twenty-first birthday that had resulted in so much free booze I spent the next six hours throwing up in the bathroom.

  I looked around, feeling wistful for those familiar faces but finding none. I was alone in the bar, which was a bit unusual, but it was two o'clock in the afternoon. I grabbed a stool at the bar top and took a seat, figuring I'd wait for someone to come out.

  The sound of high heels shattered the silence, clicking like a clock across the concrete floor, echoing from the back room. Finally, the source of the sound emerged behind the bar top and I felt my blood go cold. I hadn't seen her car here, but the woman with the sunglasses was now standing directly in front of me, a polished wood bar top the only thing between us.

  She leaned forward, resting her forearms on the bar. "So how long has it been going on?"

  "Do I know you?" Was it possible she was some long-lost person I knew in high school? Maybe she got some work done and I didn't recognize her. Or maybe she was a few years younger than me.

  "You and that squatter at the Miller house. How long?" she asked.

  I suddenly remembered the conversation at the gas station. "If you're here about the inheritance, I can tell you, he'd happily hand it over."

  "Bribery?" She leaned back and lifted her chin as she laughed. It was a startling sound, lacking any actual mirth.

  "I don't understand what's going on here, but if there's some weird family thing going on, leave me out of it." I stood, the stool screeching as it slid across the cement floor.

  Her hand closed around my upper arm before I could fully move out of the way. "Not so fast."

  I tugged my arm out of her grip. "Don't touch me." I walked toward the door as I breathed, "weirdo," under my breath.

  I heard movement behind me, but didn't turn to look back. Suddenly, the woman was in front of the door, blocking my exit.

  "Get out of my way," I said. "I don't know what the fuck you're doing here, or when the last time you took your meds was, but you need to leave me out of this."

  "I can tell you're trying to protect him, it's only natural, you think you're in love, that's what they do," she said.

  "What are you to talking about? You're delusional!" I laughed. "If you're some jealous ex-girlfriend or something, you have nothing to worry about."

  That was what it was all about. She must've been stalking Beau, parked outside his house when I left from there last night. She probably followed his car to my house, found out who I was and then followed me here.

  As soon as I got to my car, I was driving straight to the police station. This woman was unstable, and someone in law enforcement needed to get eyes on her quick.

  "I don't date his kind," she said. "And it's clear he cares for you, otherwise you'd have bite marks all over you."

  Now I was even more confused but I didn’t want an explanation. "Lady, get out of my way."

  "Or is it that he chooses to drink from someplace more intimate?" Sunglasses asked.

  "You are certifiable, now move out of my way or I'm going to scream."

  "Go ahead, it's just you and me in here, sweetheart." She cracked her knuckles, then rolled her shoulders. She looked like she was loosening up before a fight.

  I took a step back. This woman was even more unbalanced than I had thought. What the hell was she talking about? Why was she asking about bite marks and why did she think I was in some sort of relationship with a man I'd only met once? "You've got the wrong idea here. Whatever you think is going on between me and Beau is not happening. I met him for the first time last night. I fell in the mud and I was a mess. He let me clean up at his house and then he drove me home, like a gentleman. Nothing else happened. Nothing else is going to happen. Now let me through, and I will leave you alone, I will leave him alone, and this ends right here."

  "I wish it were that simple, but I've been chasing him a long time." She advanced on me.

  I continued to step backward, afraid to take my eyes off of her. She might be crazy, but girl clearly had some moves. I bumped into a chair and felt a biting pain in my hip. For a split second, I looked down as I pressed my hand against the injured part. When I looked back up, Crazy was on top of me, I saw the flash of something shiny and felt a stab of pain in my neck. I tried to open my mouth to yell at her. I tried to push her off of me, but I could no longer move my limbs or make myself do anything. I sank to the ground, a sense of panic tearing through me as consciousness slipped away.

  My head throbbed and my mouth felt like I had swallowed a handful of cotton balls. It was ten times worse than the worst hangover I've ever had, only there was no nausea. I supposed that was something.

  I tried to move my arms and legs, but found that they were bound, which was a strange relief. The last thing I remembered was losing the ability to move them all. The fact that I could move, and was simply restrained was weirdly comforting. I wiggled around until I discovered that the darkness around me was the backseat of a car. I groaned, realizing I must be in the back of that nutcase's car.

  "You're awake."

  I wiggled until I could get myself to sitting but instantly regretted it as my head throbbed even harder in th
is position. Squinting through the hazy grogginess I looked toward the front seat where my captor was sitting, her face forward, unconcerned about what I was doing in the backseat.

  I squinted again then widened my eyes alternating a few times between that and blinking before I was able to focus well enough to see outside the front window.

  I probably hadn't needed to struggle so hard, we were parked in front of the Miller house. Big surprise. So now she ups the ante from crazed stalker to kidnapper.

  I wanted to shout at her, threaten her, make some sort of snarky comment, but if she was this unstable what was to stop her from simply taking out one of those weird knives she had in her belt and slicing my throat back here? Maybe that was her plan all along. I wasn't keen on dying.

  Instead, I thought I'd give it one last attempt at the ‘I swear I'm not your boyfriend's lover’ angle. "You know, I just moved back in town yesterday. There's no way I could be in a relationship already. These things take time, don't you know that?"

  "Not when it's a mating bond," she said. "Most humans don't put a lot of stock in fate, but it's more dangerous and more intoxicating than you realize."

  "Yeah, I think I'm one of those humans that doesn't put a lot of stock in that, so you can just let me go. I swear I won't tell anyone," I said as I tugged at my restraints.

  This bitch might be crazy, but she had mad knot skills. The more I pulled, the more the ropes dug into my wrist. I was going to have red marks all over me when I got out of this. A pang of fear shot through me. If I got out of this. I wondered what she was waiting for. Why was I still alive? Not that I was in a hurry to see the end of her evil plot, but she must have some sort of reason for keeping me here.

  "Are we waiting for something?" I realized after I said it that it might have been the wrong thing to say. Why encourage the person who's holding you captive to speed up her nefarious plans?

  "I've been hunting him for a year. He's only my first assignment on my own. If I don't get him, I'm out."