Homecoming (46 page)

“Maybe.” The background noise stopped completely. “I just got to my parents’ house. I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Yeah. And don’t forget about my offer. I’m happy to come down.”

“I know. I’ll call you if I need you.” She sniffled again, and said, “I always need you. I’ll call if I need you quickly.”

“Take care of yourself, Lizzie. You’re precious to me.”

“Thanks,” she said, her voice still shaky. “You too.”

Jill hung up, got into her kayak, pushed off and paddled furiously to vent some of her anxiety. She mused that she’d been sure having six brothers and sisters would have made things easier for Lizzie. Her instincts had been bad.

***

It was almost impossible to relax and enjoy the day while she was anxiously waiting for a phone call. Even a warm, sunny September Sunday on the water, her favorite place. Thankfully, the next call was much better. Janet and Mike had successfully reassured Lizzie that Mark was going through his own troubles right now, and would surely come around in time. Lizzie sounded much more like herself as she drove up to Bellows Falls, where her other brothers all lived. Hopefully, they’d make this less about them, and more about Lizzie.

Now that Jill was more at ease, she tried to clear her mind of distressing thoughts and concentrate on her paddling. It was just the first week of September, but the lake was already noticeably colder than it had been last Monday when they’d gone out on “Stiff Ripples.”

Jill put all of her energies into paddling hard, working her body to its capacity while she enjoyed what might be her last time on the lake this season. The summer had all gone by too quickly, but next summer she’d have Lizzie with her the whole time. That would make it a great one, no matter what the weather held in store.

By the time they’d paddled back to the shore, Jill’s arms were like wet noodles. Her abs had finally calmed down from wake boarding, and here she was stressing them again. When her girlfriend could twist herself into a pretzel without even breathing hard, she was going to have to fight to stay in shape.

They went to a juice bar and had smoothies, then Samantha and Carly had to get home to their kids. Assuming Lizzie would be home late and would need to talk, Jill headed home for a nap.

As she approached her house, her whole body tingled with sensation when she caught sight of Mark’s truck filling her driveway. Something about the way the big, black truck took up her access and blocked the way to the garage felt like a violation.

She pulled over and turned off the car, then spied him sitting on the front steps. There were two perfectly comfortable chairs on the porch, but he’d plunked down on the middle of the top stair, his hands on his knees, looking more like a statue than a man. That was the posture of a guy who was furious. As she got out, she thought of his heavy muscles, perfect for knocking her halfway down the street.

She walked up the sidewalk, tentative, anxious, and angry all at the same time. By the time she stood in front of him, he still hadn’t lifted his head. A ball cap was pulled down low, covering his eyes, and the red flannel shirt he had on stretched across his back, the seams straining.

Without meeting her eyes, he spoke, cold fury staining his words. “How long have you been after her?” A second passed, with the question barely registering in Jill’s puzzled mind. “How
long
?” he said, tilting his chin so his rage-filled eyes locked on her.

For the first time in her life, she was afraid of him, but her fear wasn’t as strong as her anger. Words started to tumble out before she had a moment to let her fear temper them. “I don’t have to explain myself to you. This is between me and Lizzie.” She turned to go back to the car, but before she could blink he was right next to her. His incredibly powerful hand locked onto her forearm, stopping her like she was a child.

Heart beating wildly, she forced her voice to remain calm and level. “Let me go.”

“How long have you been after her?” he demanded, his volume rising again.

She was tempted to scream. Her neighbor across the street was the kind of person who loved to call the police at any and all violations of the penal code—even though she imagined most of them. And she was almost always home.

Jill tried to put this into perspective. She’d known Mark her whole life. There was no way he would hurt her. But when she tried to move forward to get some distance, his hold tightened. She wasn’t sure if he’d pressed on a nerve or what, but her arm started to tingle, then she was on her knees, holding her arm as she stared up at him.

“What in the fuck do you think you’re doing?” she cried.

“I didn’t do anything!”

He looked at his own hand, like it had snuck away and done something he couldn’t possibly be responsible for.

Jill got to her feet, her arm stinging like it did when you hit your funny bone. They faced off, with Jill moving back towards Lizzie’s car. Then Mark advanced on her again, clearly as angry as he’d been when she pulled up.

“I asked you a question, and I want to know the answer.”

She studied him carefully, looking for the slightest indication he was going to touch her again. When he stopped a few feet away, her pounding heart slowed enough for her to decide to answer.

“I’ve never been after her, Mark. I thought your sister was straight, and I was perfectly happy to be her friend.”

“Nice,” he spat. “Blame it on her.”

“I’m not
blaming
anything on her. I’m telling you how it was.”

“Bullshit!”

He said that so loudly, she was almost certain Mrs. Higgins was already on the phone to the cops. Normally, she would have taken him around to the back so they could talk in peace. That was no longer an option. She wasn’t going to put herself into a vulnerable position. Staying out in the front would provide more witnesses if he lost control.

Just so Mrs. Higgins could see she was there by choice, Jill carved a wide path to walk up to the porch and sit down. Mark followed, standing in front of her, glaring.

“Listen,” she snapped. “I’ve got a neighbor who thinks this street is a hotbed of crime. She might have already called the cops, but if you touch me again, I guarantee a patrol car will be here in a flash. So sit down and stop being such a jackass.”

“
I’m
a jackass,” he fumed, jerking a thumb towards himself as he fell into a chair. “You’ve had your eye on my little sister since she was a kid. You’re a fucking pedophile!”

Stunned, Jill stared at him. “Listen to yourself! I haven’t seen Lizzie for eighteen years! Pedophiles don’t wait for their victims to turn thirty, you idiot. That’s Lisa talking.” She almost bit her tongue at that last comment, but it was too late to take it back.

“I think for myself,” he growled. “But Lisa was right about you. One hundred percent right. You’re a god-damned pervert. And I mean that literally. You’re gonna burn in hell for what you’ve done to my sister.”

She couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes. With all of the evil in the world, how could a reasonable person believe God was obsessed with adults being in loving relationships? “Things are changing, Mark. The Pope doesn’t even believe that any more. Come on into the twenty-first century. It’s nice here.”

“Go fuck yourself,” he grumbled. “Of course, you’d rather be fucking my sister.”

“I love your sister,” she said, her anger ready to boil over again. “And I don’t appreciate you talking about our relationship like that. Have some fucking respect. For her, if not for me.” Her phone rang, and she almost ignored it. But if it was Lizzie, she didn’t want her to worry. She pulled it from her jeans pocket and looked at the display, then swiped across the screen and lifted it to her ear. “Hi, Janet,” she said, trying hard to sound calm.

“Is Mark there? Christian said he took off hours ago, and won’t answer his phone.” She was almost panting with fear.

“He’s here.”

“Let me talk to him, Jill.”

She extended the phone. “Your mom wants to talk to you.”

He grabbed the phone and said, “This is between me and Jill.” Then he stabbed at the “end” button and tossed the phone back, with Jill fumbling to stop it from falling.

“What are you going to do? Beat me up?” she demanded, then realized how foolish she was being. She didn’t know this guy at all. Her old friend was a twenty-two year old who was gone—a ghost from her past. And acting like that gentle soul was the same person as this hulk glaring at her might get her into a whole hell of a lot of trouble.

As she feared, he didn’t take the taunt well. “I might. I just might kick your ass,” he spat. “Something your family should have done when you started this crap. If they’d beaten this out of you when you were a kid, you might have straightened out.”

She jumped up and stood behind the chair, just to have something to slow him down if he made a move towards her. “What in the fuck are you talking about? Jesus Christ! Who’ve you been listening to?”

“Nobody tells me what to think. I know what you’ve been up to. You’ve fucked your way all across Vermont and New Hampshire, and now you’re trying to screw my sister up. To make her like
you.
”

“She
is
like me,” Jill said clearly. “And neither of us needs your permission to love one another.”

“What do you know about love? You had it staring you in the face for…” He screwed his eyes closed, then shouted, “Years! But you had to throw it right back in my face.” He was so angry, so filled with hate that she feared he’d strangle her. She was sweating, even though it was cool and windy on the porch. Images of his hands closing around her neck made her jump off the side of the porch and start for the street. But he got up at the same time and tried to cut her angle off. “I’m not gonna let you break Lizzie’s heart too.”

A car roared down the street, and from the corner of her eye she saw red lights flashing. Thank God for Mrs. Higgins! Doors opened and slammed, then a pair of cops were striding quickly up her sidewalk. “Step away from each other,” one of them said, and Jill gladly moved back, well out of reach.

“We’re fine, officers,” she said, surprised by how weak and tremulous her voice was. “My friend was just leaving.”

Having the police right in front of him brought the eager-to-please Mark back. “Yeah,” he said, now mumbling in a low, quiet tone. “I was just leaving.”

One of the officers approached Jill and guided her over to the driveway, out of earshot. “What’s going on?” he asked, gazing at her with penetrating eyes.

“Nothing. He’s an old friend who just found out I’m dating someone he doesn’t think I should be with.”

“Has he hit you before, ma’am?”

“No! We’re just friends. We’ve never been involved.”

“Did he have his hands on you?”

She almost lied. Almost let the good years give him a pass. But this guy, this angry, bitter guy didn’t deserve one. “He grabbed my arm to try to make me stay and listen to him. I…” She pulled her sleeve up, saying, “I don’t think it left a mark.” But there were now dark red fingerprints across her forearm, and a purple mark on the pale skin underneath. “I didn’t realize he held me that tightly,” she admitted.

“We’ll take him in,” the officer said. “That’ll give him a while to cool off.”

She closed her eyes, thinking of the repercussions that would have. “Please don’t,” she said. “I’ll leave and go to a friend’s house.”

“He’ll come back,” the officer said. “You should consider getting a restraining order, ma’am.”

Immediately, her protective instincts roared to life. Having Mark arrested would upset Lizzie. And Janet. And Mike. She couldn’t do that to them. “That’s not necessary,” she said quickly. “If I leave, he’ll leave. I’m sure of it.”

The cop started to speak again, but Jill interrupted him. “He’s got a very controlling wife. If he’s not home soon, she’ll do much worse than give him time to calm down.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am. Is there a way you can just let this drop? I don’t want to make this a bigger deal than it is.”

He stared at her for a few seconds. “That can be a fatal mistake, ma’am.”

“I know that,” she admitted, “but this is a unique situation.”

He rolled his eyes. “A guy wants what he can’t have. That’s not unique.”

“In this case, the guy doesn’t want me to be in love with his sister. He just found out, and he’s freaked out about it.”

“Oh.” His eyebrows lifted. “I haven’t heard that one.”

“Yeah, that’s probably not the most common reason you’re called. I’m willing to give him some time to calm down. He’s got a wife, kids, parents and three brothers nearby. I’m sure they can reason with him.”

“All right,” he sighed. “But I’m still going to write this up, just in case.”

“Oh, shit,” she grumbled. “I don’t want him to have a record.”

“I’m just doing an operations report. I’ll need ID, names and addresses from both of you.”

“My name? I didn’t do anything!”

“And you’re not being charged with anything. But if he comes back and kicks your door down, the officer who responds will be able to look at this and see he’s already had a warning. This is for your protection, ma’am.” He met her eyes. “Can I see some ID?”

She took her wallet from her back pocket and produced her license. Then he walked over to Mark and the other officer and spent a minute talking to them. Jill watched him go back to his patrol car and start typing on the laptop wedged between the front seats.

When he came back, he handed her the license. “I think it’s a good idea to go see a friend. Someone he doesn’t know. We’ll keep him here for a few minutes, then let him go.”

“Great. Thanks for being so understanding.”

“No problem. But if he comes back…”

“I’ll stay in the house and call you. Promise.”

She walked back to Lizzie’s car, not making eye contact with Mark. As she started it up, she could see him standing on the porch, hands in his pockets, staring at the ground as the police officer stood with his arms crossed over his chest. Mark didn’t look so imposing now. He’d probably seem even smaller when Lisa got done with him.