Chapter 28

The next morning, I woke to the soft morning light filtering through the curtains. For the first few blissful moments, I listened for the sound of Rix shuffling around downstairs since he was usually up first. Then I remembered.

He was gone.

After he'd left the prior night, I'd tried to carry on. I hadn't wanted to waste the onion rings so I'd eaten a few before my stomach finally rebelled. There was no way Meatball could have really known what was going on but he'd followed me around as if he could sense that I was unsettled.

"I need to stop being such a baby," I muttered as I climbed out of bed.

This was how things originally were supposed to be, wasn't it? Rix was never meant to be my roommate; he had just stumbled into my life. But I had gotten used to him being there making noise and annoying the hell out of me. Now the house felt so big, and the silence seemed so loud.

After a quick shower, I padded downstairs to the kitchen and started making breakfast. A quick glance at my calendar showed that I didn't have any appointments today which I was grateful for. I could curl up on the couch and work on my laptop without having to see anyone.

Meatball followed me over to the table as I sat down with a plate of scrambled eggs. Usually he perched right by my side hoping to catch anything that fell but today, he stopped by the chair on the other side of the table.

The one where Rix usually sat.

"He's not here, buddy." I whistled softly and waited until he came to sit by my side. I scratched behind his ears. "It's just you and me in this big old house now."

Meatball looked over at the other chair again and whined.

I glanced at my phone, wishing there was someone I could call. I could use a friend right now, but for obvious reasons I couldn't call Tana. The main reason I'd wanted to keep things quiet was because of how awkward it would be for her to be in the middle of us. She shouldn't be forced to pick sides.

Retta would say to chase after Rix and bring him back. A part of me wanted to, but there was so much going on in my head.

Maybe he was right and it was better to stop things while we could. With this lawsuit hanging over my family like a dark cloud, I was in no place to make plans for the future.

My heart ached thinking about my little sister possibly having to live with her stuffy grandparents. The thought of her being taken away, after all I had done to keep our family together, made me feel sick.

After I finished breakfast, I cleaned up the kitchen. Last night, I hadn't been thinking clearly and had left it a bit of a mess. Now I took out my frustration with a sponge, scrubbing everything down, even the cabinets.

Once I was done, I went back upstairs to get my phone. Even though my mom said she was handling things, I needed to do some research of my own. I hadn't even known that ‘grandparents' rights' were a real thing but I needed a crash course on whatever law that was and fast. Billie was counting on me to fix things and I couldn't afford to drop the ball now.

Then I walked in my bedroom and was hit with a memory of Rix laying spread out in the middle of the bed so I was forced to climb all over him. For such a grump, he was quite a cuddlebug. So many mornings I had woken up half draped over his chest, clinging to him like a starfish. I had loved that.

I had loved him.

I sat down right in the middle of the floor and sobbed. Meatball whimpered and forcefully pushed his way under my arm. I gathered him into my lap and cuddled him close. He licked my cheek, his entire body trembling as he tried to get closer.

"I'm okay." I wiped my eyes and took a deep breath as I tried to get myself under control.

My laugh turned into hiccups as I sat there missing Rix so hard it was a physical ache. The man had said he'd been in love with me since we were kids and I hadn't said anything. This was not the most convenient time to realize I had let the love of my life walk away but then again, I had always had impeccable timing.

Why did it seem like everything was always falling apart at once? I couldn't even deal with how badly I'd screwed things up with Rix because of everything else going on.

There was something seriously wrong with people as rich as the Delacourts coming after someone like my mother who was already in the middle of a legal battle because of their son. I might not know them well, but I knew their type.

They probably didn't even want Billie to live with them full-time. This was more about their image than anything else.

So maybe I needed to remind them I had no problem singing like a canary to whatever reporter would listen. I'm sure someone would be interested to know how little time they'd spent with their granddaughter before this.

I wiped my tears and pulled up Alan's number. No more waiting around, it was time we went on the offensive. I wasn't going to let anybody take Billie away and I definitely wasn't going to let anyone push me into selling my home to defend against this ridiculous lawsuit. I'd apply for custody before I'd let that happen. Billie had a family and a home here in Violet Ridge and that had to hold more weight than people who only saw her twice a year.

It was overwhelming to think about all the things that were against us right now, but I'd never been one to back down from a fight.

The funny thing was that Rix was the main one who'd tell me to give everybody hell. He was the one who'd reminded me this town, this home, was my legacy and that I needed to fight for it.

He didn't know it yet, but I was going to fight for him, too.

* * *

Two days later, I felt like I had spent years on the phone with lawyers. Alan had assured me the Delacourts suit had no merit but I had called a few other lawyers just to get a second and third opinion. Everyone had pretty much said the same thing. It was apparently pretty difficult to take a child away from their mother, so most thought we didn't have too much to worry about.

That made me feel a little better but I knew I wouldn't truly relax until the suit was withdrawn.

In all this time, I hadn't seen Rix once. After my little breakdown on my bedroom floor, I had decided not to message him right away. It wasn't fair to talk about the future when things were still so unsettled. But that was when I assumed he'd be coming back to finish the few outstanding projects upstairs. He had started replacing the windowsills in the guest room that would be Billie's. Also the small bathroom downstairs had only one wall painted so I'd figured he'd be back to finish that, at least.

Nothing.

I exchanged texts with Tana, Carter and even went so far as to text Van to see if anyone knew where he was.

Nothing.

Then a little before lunch my phone rang. When I saw who was calling, I almost fumbled my laptop reaching to answer it.

"Hey, Van. Thanks for calling me back. I'm sorry to bother you."

"You're not bothering me. I just saw your message. Rix told me he'd be working late on a rush job for a client."

Even though what he said sounded perfectly fine, there was something in his voice that sounded…off. It was like he was reciting something from memory or reading items off a list. Which meant he was simply repeating what Hendrix had told him to say.

"Okay, thanks for letting me know." I hung up before I embarrassed myself by crying on the phone.

How was I supposed to fix things when he wouldn't even talk to me? This was why I hadn't wanted to get involved. Sleeping alone and keeping things casual would have kept me safe from feeling like this. But I'd gotten sloppy by letting him sleep in my bed and falling in love with the big lug.

Now that the renovation was mainly over, he apparently had no problem moving on.

I hated that Janelle had turned out to be right, after all. Once I no longer needed him, he was gone.

Joke was on him though because I needed him now more than ever.

* * *

"Oh Charlotte, honey. Thank god you finally picked up!"

Groggy, I sat up and looked around in confusion. I had meant to take a quick nap right after lunchtime and ended up sleeping for almost three hours.

"Hey Mom. What's going on?"

"It's Billie. She got hurt at camp. They just called me."

I jackknifed straight up on the couch. "Is she okay?"

There was a rustling sound and my mom's voice was huffy like she was running. "They said she broke her wrist. I'm going up there to get her right now."

"Okay, I'll follow after I get someone to watch the dog."

"Are you okay, honey?"

Now she wanted to pay attention to my moods? Normally she wouldn't notice if I was out of sorts. If it wasn't so typical, I would have laughed.

"I'm just worried about Billie."

That must have satisfied her because after promising to call as soon as she knew more, she hung up. I sent Tana a text and then went upstairs to pack. Since I didn't know how long I would be gone, I just grabbed all the clothes in the top drawer of my dresser and dumped them in my suitcase. Meatball appeared in the doorway to the room, whimpering. I scooped him up.

"You can tell something's going on, huh buddy?"

He snuggled in to my chest and I scratched him between the ears. His weight was a comforting bundle in my arms so I carried him with me downstairs even though it meant I had to haul the suitcase with one hand. I was still holding him when Tana came to the door twenty minutes later.

"Hey, I got your text and came straight over."

"Thank you. Mom already went to pick Billie up but I told her I'd come as soon as I got Meatball settled."

Tana leaned over to take the dog. "We'll be just fine. I hope Billie's okay."

"Have you heard from Rix today? I texted him but I don't know if he saw it yet."

It was embarrassing to have to ask but I didn't want to just leave without letting him know. What if he tried to come by the house to talk and I was already gone?

Tana didn't look over, just keep scratching Meatball underneath the chin. His leg started kicking in time with her scratching.

"He isn't at work?"

"Van said he was working on some rush job. But it's not like him to not answer his phone."

"Hmm. It's also not like him to take a rush job. You know Rix. He would tell someone to shove it before taking a job that meant he was working around the clock."

Looking worried, she pulled her phone out of her pocket. While Tana was busy, I packed a bag for Meatball with his food and his favorite treats.

Tana appeared in the doorway, Meatball circling her ankles. The look on her face did not help my anxiety.

"What is it?"

She shook her head. "I just talked to Van. He said Rix was busy doing inventory."

Neither of us said anything for a minute but it was clear we were thinking the same thing. Why would Van tell me one thing and Tana another? Unless he was covering for Rix.

Covering for him because he didn't want to talk to me.

"I'm almost scared to ask what's going on," Tana admitted. She still wouldn't look at me.

"I'm in love with your brother."

Her eyes whipped up to meet mine. "You are?"

"Yes. Tana, I know you remember everything that went down at the bar that night but you never said anything."

"You never said anything either!"

"Because it's weird! And I thought that maybe you were mad at me."

"Charlie, I'm not mad at you." She let out a big sigh. "I thought you still had a thing for Carter. I knew Rix liked you but I was so scared he was going to end up getting hurt. You loved Carter for years and I wasn't sure if Rix had a chance going up against that kind of history."

I winced. "Confession time. Tana, I've never had a thing for Carter. All those times you thought I was talking about my feelings for Carter, I was talking about Rix. You assumed and I let you because it was easier than admitting how I felt about a boy who hated me."

Tana laughed. "Wow. This changes how I remember some things. Actually, this changes everything."

"I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. Because I was upset with you for keeping secrets but I've been doing the same thing. Everything isn't okay. The shop is in trouble and I'm terrified I'm going to lose everything I've worked for."

I blew out a breath. "It seems like we've both been holding back trying to protect each other. We never used to do that. Why did we start?"

She pulled me into a hug. "I don't know but we need to quit it. No matter where you end up living, you're still my best friend."

Meatball let out a bark that startled us both before shoving his face between us.

I leaned over to kiss the top of his head. "Be good for Tana, huh? I'll be back when I can."

Tana squeezed my arm. "I don't know what's going on with my brother but don't worry about things here. Just make sure Billie is okay."

I grabbed my suitcase and rolled it to the door. The eyes on the picture of Billie Holiday seemed to follow me accusingly as I walked by.

"I'll be back." I said the words aloud, as if hearing them would give them more weight.

Suddenly it seemed like everything was happening so fast. I still didn't feel right about leaving without saying goodbye to Rix. I rubbed the center of my chest which was suddenly aching.

It shouldn't be a huge deal. It wasn't like he wouldn't understand. Billie was hurt. If he'd been there, he would have told me to go.

But I had a terrible feeling that walking out that door was saying goodbye to my life in Violet Ridge forever.