stopping by with the kiddos. Maybe we could all go out on the water. “Coming.” I headed for the door, pulling it open without even thinking of looking through the peephole first.
A man in his mid-fifties stood before me in slacks and a polo shirt. “Ms. Kenna Morgan?”
“Yes, can I help you?” I felt suddenly exposed. The Gables was set far away from any other houses. I’d gotten so used to having Harriet and her nurse close by, I hadn’t thought much about how isolated this property really was. If I screamed, no one would hear a sound.
The man reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “You’ve been served. You are required to appear in court at the date and time stated in these papers. If you do not appear, there may be a default judgment against you. Have a good day.”
I stood in my open doorway, unable to move. The paper, just run-of-the-mill white, seemed to burn my fingers. I had the sudden urge to run to the ocean with it, to submerge my hand in the water, and beg the tide to take it away. But that wouldn’t matter. It wouldn’t change a thing about the reality in front of me.
My hands shook as I opened the papers. The words blurred, but I could see enough to get the gist of it. The Abbots were contesting Harriet’s will. Challenging whether she’d been of sound mind when she made the changes. And if they were taking this to court, they were going to do everything in their power to win. They always did.
I slowly slid down onto my front step. If I didn’t sit, I’d fall. I met the stone with a jolt that rattled my spine. All I could remember were the papers I’d been sent before, the ones demanding a paternity test, the one that came next demanding that I keep my mouth shut. A dark part of my mind wondered if the stress of it all, of trying to keep it together amidst my heart breaking and the assault of the demands from the Abbots, had been a part of me losing my baby.
My body shook as I remembered the pain. I saw the bloody sheets in my mind, felt the terror as if it were all happening again. I couldn’t see the gravel drive, the grass that lay beyond that. I couldn’t feel the breeze or smell the sea air. I was back in that dorm room, in the bed where my baby ceased to be.
“Brown Eyes.”
The voice was familiar but so far away, as if I were under water, and he was on the surface, calling out, trying to find me.
“Kenna, you’re scaring the shit out of me right now. Answer me.”
I blinked rapidly, my vision slowly coming into focus, the dorm room slipping away as Crosby appeared in front of me.
“There she is.” His forehead pressed against mine, and I realized he was on his knees in his suit.
“You’re going to ruin your slacks.” There was a rasp to my voice as if I hadn’t used it in days.
“Don’t give a fuck about my suit.” He pulled back, cupping my face, studying me, assessing me for damage. There would be too much for him to catalogue if he knew the truth. “Are you okay?”
“Not really.” I handed him the papers. It took a second for my arm to obey the command of my brain. Sluggish, almost as if I were drugged. Crosby let out a colorful string of curses. “I don’t think Harriet would care for that language.” I almost choked on her name. Harriet. I couldn’t let her down. Couldn’t let her greedy family steal The Gables and turn it into something she’d never want, either by filling it with their hate, or selling it to the highest bidder.
Crosby slipped a hand under my fall of hair, squeezing my neck. “They aren’t going to win.”
My breath hitched in my chest as I shoved the sob down. Down to the place where I pushed every other emotion that had the potential to make me break. “You don’t know that. They won’t give up. Not because they especially want The Gables or because they need the money, but because they don’t want me to have it. I could lose my home, Crosby. The only place I’ve ever truly felt safe.”
The words had bubbled out before I could stop them. But the truth in them was undeniable. I’d given