When the Bough Breaks (Rose Gardner Investigations #6) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,90
the wall, tuned in to a game show. I started to head toward the booth James and I had sat in, but I’d never fit, so I took a seat at the counter, hoping Sandra was working.
She came out from the back seconds later, offering me a weary-looking smile. “Miss Rose.”
I was startled that she remembered me, and then alarm set in, making me reconsider this decision. Why had I risked coming here? Of course she was loyal to him and not to me.
She must have seen my fear, because she gave me a warm, nonthreatening smile. “Rose, you’re safe here. You hungry? I can cut you a fresh slice of strawberry pie.”
“That’s okay,” I said, remaining in my seat but ready to bolt. She ignored me, turning toward the small refrigerated display case on the counter. “I’ve got apple and coconut cream too, but strawberry seems to be everyone’s favorite.” She cut a slice and served it to me on a small plate. “Mr. Malcolm likes it too.” With that comment, she met and held my gaze. “Why, I left one at his place yesterday.”
Other than Jed, Sandra was the only other person who knew about James’s house in the woods. He had her come to clean and stock him up with food twice a week, but he’d claimed she was in the dark and didn’t know it belonged to him.
The air left my lungs, and I started to jump out of my seat, but she covered my hand with hers, squeezing tight.
“It’s okay, Rose. You’re safe. I saw you outside and sent the fry cook out on an errand. It’s only you and me.”
“James said you didn’t know it was his house.”
“I’d always suspected,” she said, “but I didn’t know for sure until you started goin’ out there.”
“I made him sloppy,” I said, my heart sinking.
“You made him happy.” Sadness filled her eyes. “When you stopped goin’, it broke him, girl.”
“He pushed me away, Sandra. And then…”
“The baby?” she asked, glancing down at my belly then back up to my face. “I ain’t dumb. I can do the math. That’s why he pushed you away. That and this dreadful business he’s gotten mixed up in.”
“You know about his business?”
Frowning, she nodded. “Enough to know he’s on a dangerous path.”
“I know. I tried to stop him, but he’s mad because I refused to get rid of the baby.”
“He’s scared he’s gonna end up like his own father, and I confess, at this point, he ain’t far off. He’s drinkin’ all the time and meaner than a snake.” Tears filled her eyes. “As much as I love that boy, I’m not sure I’d trust him with a baby.”
My throat burned as I stared at the untouched pie. “I loved him, Sandra. I loved the man who met me here last year. The man who saw me as an equal.” I realized he’d shared more with me back then, when I was the Lady in Black, than when I’d become his girlfriend.
“But do you love him now?”
I slowly shook my head. “Not the man he’s become.”
She gave me a long look. “He loved you too. Maybe still does, but between the alcohol and the bitterness, he’s drowned out everything good in his life. Jed. You. The chance for a family.”
I started to cry.
“Now, now, girl. I tried to help him, and I know you did too. The only thing you can do is move on with your life,” she said, tears streaming down her face. “You’ve got to think about that baby. James made his bed. Now he’s got to lie in it.”
I started to sob in earnest, realizing another part of my connection to him was falling away. Part of me didn’t want to let him go, while the rest of me wanted to run far and wide.
“He’s mixed up with some bad, bad men, and I suspect this is gonna end ugly. You and the baby can’t be anywhere near that.”
I nodded, and the baby kicked hard. I put my hand on my belly as another contraction grabbed hold, and I started to breathe through it.
Concern filled Sandra’s eyes. “You in labor, girl?”
I shook my head. “No.” I breathed a couple more times, then said, “False labor.” I added, “Don’t look so worried. I’ve been to the hospital twice now, and they just keep kickin’ me out.”
She gave me a worried look but nodded, waiting.
When it subsided, I said, “Will you still look after him?”