I roll my eyes at her nonchalance and buckle up for whatever she has planned.
I’m not working today since it’s Bridge’s first day at daycare. Although I told my boss it’s because of the court hearing.
“She got nothing.” Renee places a singsong cadence on the last word.
“She didn’t deserve anything,” I say and stare straight ahead as we pass Main Street. The bakery’s sign is getting a fresh coat of bright white paint around the script letters that read Melissa’s Sweets.
I roll down the window and the faint smell of fresh mulch and spring flowers fills my lungs. Resting against the seat, I take in all the small-town shops that have been here since I was a child. From way back when my mother was still alive and my father still pretended to be a good man.
“I’m sorry you had to go through it all,” Renee says and this time she sounds serious.
My throat’s tight as I smile at her and give a little nod. “It’s done now.”
“Still …” she trails off then huffs, and the wind from her own rolled-down window blows back her hair. “To go through the scandal, the breakup, your dad dying. All at once and not getting closure for three years.” She shakes her head slightly.
“A small sum of money isn’t closure,” I say, correcting her. “I lost my dad a long time ago. Four freaking years. The scandal isn’t mine, even if everyone acts like it is.”
“He tainted your name. Williamson used to hold a certain regard in this town. Your family was a good family with a trusted name.” Even though the car comes to a halt at the stop sign, she keeps talking.
She’s not saying anything I don’t know but instead of looking at her as she rants, I watch Mr. Henderson tend to his garden in his front yard.
“Your father destroyed your family name, left you with nothing after embezzling and stealing from practically every family in this town. Nothing but a money-hungry ho who fought you for four years over the pennies he left behind.”
The way she says the last sentence under her breath makes me chuckle. It’s been more than three years, the settlement is final and now I can finally breathe. I just need to shake off all this bad energy.
“And the bastard had the nerve to die of a heart attack when it all broke.”
My father was an asshole for what he did, but I still hate that he died so suddenly. I hate that I have no family. Especially in a small town like this. Tears prick, but I keep them back.
“I’m sorry, Mags.” Renee’s no-nonsense attitude is what I need ninety-nine percent of the time. Maybe today I should take some time alone, though.
“Today’s just an emotional day,” I say, giving her the lame excuse and dabbing under my eyes as we move forward. I focus on the scenery of the town I grew up in as it passes us by. Beaufort is a beautifully maintained small town with Southern charm.
Anyone who comes here for a visit would fall in love.
They don’t see that it’s filled with old secrets. Grudges passed down from generations long past. And judgment from literally everyone. This town talks and four years ago, the name Williamson became synonymous with scandal.
I was a debutante and heir to an enterprise my father built. In one night, I became a pariah. Add in the pregnancy conception that night too and well, no one wanted a thing to do with me.
I had debt I couldn’t cover. An education I couldn’t continue with … having the rug ripped out from under me didn’t exactly make perfect sense at the age of twenty-one.
“I’m happy I have you and Robert.” I come to the conclusion at the same time I speak the words. I have my two other girlfriends too, but as we’ve gotten older, our time together is less and less. Four years ago, when shit hit the fan, I didn’t want to be around anyone. Renee insisted on helping me, and Robert, much to my surprise, did too. I didn’t realize how much I needed them to get through it all. I don’t know how I would have survived without them.
Renee’s brow raises at “Robert,” but she bites her tongue.
“You know I couldn’t have stayed here if he hadn’t helped me.” She knows that’s true. Not a single soul who was capable of helping offered me any assistance. Renee is my best friend, but she didn’t know a single thing about the charges and how the legalities would play out, let alone have the money to pay for everything up front. Robert did, using his local family connections, and he stood by me when no one else with his background would.
The town whispers that he still loves me. They think I broke up with him when I found out I got pregnant by someone I cheated on him with. Inwardly, I roll my eyes. They have no idea what the truth is, but I let them talk. I wouldn’t tarnish Robert’s name when he’s the only one who protected me and provided for me financially, emotionally … and in other ways too.
“He stood by you in one way and threw you under the bus in another.”
“Because he didn’t want to date me anymore?” My voice is filled with ridicule.
Renee remains silent. She knows what happened when most people here don’t.
“Thank you for not judging me,” I say softly, not wanting to fight. Especially not over Robert. If Renee is known for anything, it’s the fact that she can hold a grudge like no other.
“I would never judge you. Never, Mags. Never. You have to do what’s right for you,” she says, her tone adamant as we pull up to my townhouse. “Even if you are a complete disgrace to your Southern heritage,” she says, mocking Robert’s mother’s accent.
Everyone else I give a pass to because that’s just how this town is. That woman, though, is a bitch with a stick up her ass. I don’t even like to cuss, but she gets two of those words in her description in my thoughts.
The car slows to a stop in front of my door.
“I’ll pick you up at eight?” she suggests and I relent to the idea of having a few drinks to celebrate.
“Yeah. Eight works,” I answer and mindlessly go over the schedule I have for today. Opening my car door, I think out loud and say, “Miss Terbont will be here then. Although you know she’s usually ten minutes late.”
Renee grins wide and says, “That works for me. I can have a quick tea party with my little Bridgey.”
“Perfect,” I say and shut the door after adding, “See you tonight, love.”
Renee blows a kiss to me and I watch her drive off before finding the key to my front door.
I don’t need it, though, since Robert’s standing on my porch with a handsome smile on his face.
“Robert.” I greet him warmly and can’t help that I smile when I see the way he looks at me. Once you have love for someone, I think it’s always there. Either that or hate, and I could never hate him.
He’s always in dress pants and a tie. The one he’s wearing right now is my favorite. The deep navy blue fabric matches his eyes and makes them pop. With a clean-shaven face showing off his angular jaw and his hair cut short, but a little longer on top, he is the epitome of a Southern gentleman. A good ole boy with dirty blond hair and a twinkle in his eyes.
“Told you that you’d win,” he says with a slightly cocky undertone and then he reaches out for me. His strong arms open wide and I don’t hesitate to fall into him. He lets out a rough groan of victory as he picks me up off my feet.