Protect Me Page 3

  The old hardwood floors are dirty and dinged up, but they give the place character. I pull back and walk up to the door, finding a sign taped to the front with a phone number. I take my phone from my pocket and take a picture of it, wanting to see how much it’s going for before I let myself get too worked up.

  Climbing back behind the wheel, I drive across town and grab two roast beef dinners from our local diner, then head to the neighboring town to visit my mom. Pulling into her drive, I notice that the house is dark. I shut off the truck and grab the bags with a deep breath leaving my lips. I’m mumbling to myself as I make my way to the door.

  She’s probably already drunk and passed out. Maybe Vesper is right. I need to figure out how to get her into rehab or give up on her completely. I can’t keep doing this to myself.

  I pull open the screen door and walk inside, finding her on the couch, burning candles lining the shelves and table in front of her. “What’s going on?” I ask, setting the bags of food down on the table.

  “The damn electric company shut off the power again.” She leans forward, grabbing a cigarette and lighting it.

  “Again? Mom, you can’t keep doing this. You know, every time they turn it back on, they charge a reconnect fee. It would cost way less if you just paid your bill on time.” I shake my head as I dig her food out of the bag and hand it over.

  “I can’t pay it if I don’t have the money, Amy. You know that.”

  “What did you spend your money on, huh?”

  “I don’t have to explain anything to you.” She opens the plastic container, picking at her dinner.

  “Mom, I…” I sit on the couch at her side and hold my head in my hands. “I can’t keep doing this with you. You must get help. I mean, you’re drinking more than half your income. You don’t have any food in the fridge. You don’t have any power, and I’m sure the water will be next. Are you even paying rent?” I sit back and look at her.

  She acts like I have no right saying any of this. Her nose is wrinkled with disgust and her eyes are squinting at me. “Amy, you need to mind your own business. I’m a grown woman. I can take care of myself.”

  “Really?” I ask, almost amused. “What would you eat if I didn’t bring you food? What would you wear if I didn’t wash your clothes? This place would be a rats’ nest if I didn’t come and clean it.”

  “Well, if I’m such a pain in your ass, then stop coming over here and sticking your nose in my business. Leave!” She stands and gestures toward the door, nearly falling over from her quick movement. “I don’t ever want to see your face again.” Her nostrils are flaring, and her red, bloodshot eyes are narrowed on me.

  I grab my bag of food and stand. “Fine. Call me when you’ve come to your senses.” I storm out the door without a look back.

  Chapter Four

  It’s finally Friday, and I haven’t been to my mom’s since. The weight of this knowledge is heavy. Who knows if she’s even still alive. She could have drunk herself to death, and nobody would even know. Behind my eyes, visions of walking into her house and finding her lifeless body haunt me. I can see her lying in a pool of her own vomit, reaching for the bottle. It causes my stomach to hurt and my eyes to blur with tears, but I refuse to go over there again. Maybe when she sees how far away she’s gotten, she’ll come around. I pray that she does.

  I walk into the clinic to find Vesper already behind the counter. “Good morning,” I mumble as I walk back and set my things down.

  “How’s your week been?” she asks, looking me up and down. Apparently, my appearance is showing everything I’m trying to hide.

  “Horrible. I had it out with my mom the other day after we talked. I haven’t been over there since, and I’m worried about her. And I hate that I’m worried.” I plop myself down on the stool behind the counter. “God, what’s wrong with me? She obviously doesn’t care. Why do I?” I rest my head against the desk.

  “I’m sorry, Amy. It’s always hard to watch someone you love go through something like this.” She steps up to my side and gently rubs my back. “You know what you need?”

  “What?” I tilt my head to the side so I can see her from over my shoulder.

  “You need a night out. Have some fun. Maybe even find a sexy guy to take home.” She smiles and wags her eyebrows at me.

  I laugh, but then suddenly remember my night with Tyler. I was so upset that he left without a goodbye, but this past week, I’ve been so occupied with my mom and trying not to worry about her, that I completely forgot about him.

  “Nah, I think I’m good on the one-night stands for a while.”

  Vesper pulls a stool up to my side and sits down, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. “You are upset if you’re rejecting a night out and a booty call.” She laughs.

  “You make it sound like I have more hookups than relationships.”

  Her brows furrow. “Don’t you?”

  I let out a deep breath. “Yes, but I don’t want to. Not anymore, anyway.” I sit up and stomp my foot. “My life sucks!”

  She laughs. “No, it doesn’t. You just need to find your happy place and I’m going to help you.” She smiles wide, tossing her strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder. “In fact, I took the liberty of setting up a dinner for you, me, and Liam tonight.”

  I open my mouth to argue, but she holds up her hand, stopping me. “You don’t have to talk about your business venture, but if you want to, it will be the perfect opportunity.”

  “What time?” I ask in a monotone voice, not at all happy that she’s trying to push me into this.

  “Seven o’clock on the dot.” She stands and walks away.

  “I’ll bring the wine!” I shout back at her. God knows I’ll need it, because if I know Vesper, she’s already talked to Liam and made him agree to act like it’s the first time he’s hearing the news.

  It’s nearing seven when I pull into the drive at the ranch. The sun is just starting to slip beyond the horizon, and it makes me thankful for the longer days and warmer weather.

  I grab the bottle of wine from the passenger seat and head for the door.

  Vesper steps outside before I’ve even made my way up the front steps. She’s wearing a wide smile as she opens her arms, pulling me in for a hug. “I’m so happy you made it.”

  I roll my eyes before pulling away. “You’ve already talked to him, haven’t you?”

  “Of course not. I said I wouldn’t, and I haven’t. Come on. Let’s drink some wine.” She takes me by the wrist and pulls me through the open door.

  “How are you, Amy?” Liam asks, stepping up to Vesper and wrapping his arm around her waist.

  “Great. How are you doing?”

  He shrugs and glances down at Vesper. “A lot better if I could talk my fiancée here into taking a vacation with me.”

  I laugh. “Still fighting it, huh?” I tease her.

  “I said I’d think about it.” She gives him a sidelong look. “Let’s get that wine.” She takes my hand and leads me into the living room where I hand her the bottle of wine I brought.

  “I’ll let this breathe for dinner. I found this amazing bottle that I’m dying for you to try.” She takes the bottle and disappears into the other room just as Liam is sitting down in the lounge chair across from me.

  “So, Vesper tells me you’re thinking about leaving the clinic.”

  Here we go. I nod. “I’m thinking about it. Nothing is set in stone yet.”

  He seems intrigued, placing his elbows on his knees and leaning in. “What is it you’re thinking about doing?”

  I want to roll my eyes but refrain. I’m sure she’s already told him all about it, but I explain anyway. “I’m just…I’m looking for my happy place, and being a receptionist isn’t what I want to spend my life doing. I’d really like to open a coffee shop in town. Well, coffee shop/bookstore. We don’t have either in town, and I think it’d be a nice alternative for the non-drinkers since all we have in town is a bar and a few restaurants.”


  He nods as he leans back. “That does sound like an excellent idea. Do you have a location in mind?”

  Vesper comes back in and hands us both a glass of wine. I take my glass and have a small sip. “I have my eye on a place, but I have no idea what shape the building is in or what they’re asking. I need to do some digging.”

  “Have you considered a silent partner?”

  Automatically, I glance from Liam to Vesper.

  Her eyes grow wide as she holds up her hands, showing me her palms. “I swear, I didn’t say anything other than you may be leaving.”

  I force a smile and turn back to face him. “I really haven’t thought much about anything yet. I wanted to have a whole presentation before going to the bank for a loan.”

  Liam waves his hand through the air. “You don’t want to go to the bank. They’ll give you a high interest rate with your credit score. Let me join you. I love having my hands in a little of everything, plus I have an excellent track record with running a business.”

  “How do you know what my credit score is?” I feel my brows pull together.

  He clears his throat and readjusts his sweater. “I…uh…it’s nothing personal. I just, I like to know who I’m dealing with. You don’t have bad credit—you just don’t have much of anything on your report other than your truck, and that was nearly seven years ago.”

  I laugh and shake my head, hoping to clear it of the confusion I’m now feeling. “I don’t know what to say, Liam.”

  “Say yes!” His eyes are wide and he’s wearing a big smile. “We can go over the details later.”

  “I can’t just take that much money from you. I mean, starting up a business like this is expensive. There’s the price of the building, and who knows what repairs it will need, plus the startup costs. I just…I can’t. It’s too much.”

  “I’ll make you a deal.” He leans forward and locks his eyes on mine. “I’ll be a silent partner. I’ll give you all the money you need. We’ll set up a payment plan that starts five years after your opening date.” He glances from me to Vesper and back. “It’s common knowledge that a business doesn’t make its money back for the first couple years,” he explains. “But in exchange, I want you to pop in and out of here over the next week—help Tyler with the animals, help the vet if needed. Feed the cat and water the plants, that kind of thing.”

  My face wrinkles in confusion. “You want me to house-sit?”

  “Exactly. We’re…” He looks quickly at Vesper. “We’re taking that vacation.”

  “You are?” I ask Vesper.

  She nods once. “I guess we are.” She smiles. “But only if you take this deal.”

  I lift my glass and take a long drink, thinking it over. “Okay. Deal.” I stand and hold out my hand. Liam stands and slides his into mine, and we shake on it.

  With that out of the way, dinner goes smoothly—nothing but a couple of friends laughing and talking.

  “So, when are you leaving for your vacation?” I ask, taking a bite of the perfectly grilled steak Liam brought in.

  “Sunday evening,” he replies.

  “And where are you going?”

  He grins. “That’s a surprise.” He darts a glance at Vesper, who looks a little uncomfortable. Knowing her, she probably is. Vesper isn’t the surprise type. She’s a bit of a control freak and likes to know everything. This surprise vacation is probably stressing her out.

  “How romantic,” I coo in her direction, rubbing it in because only I know how much this is driving her crazy.

  “It will be nice to get away. You think you can manage at the clinic?” she asks, setting her fork down and picking up her wine.

  I wave my hand through the air. “No worries. I may smack Dr. McAsshole around a little if you don’t mind.”

  She laughs. “Don’t run him off and please remember to call him Judah, I don’t want you slipping up with that nickname.” She points her finger at me. “Seriously, it took me forever to find him.”

  I roll my eyes and sit back. “Next time, try to find someone with a personality,” I joke…kind of.

  The rest of the dinner goes smoothly, and I promise to stop by Sunday afternoon to send them off.

  It’s going on nine o’clock by the time I’m driving home, and it quickly passes through my mind that I should stop at the bar and chill out a little before heading home since it’s still so early. But then I think of my mom, and the urge to want to kick back with a cold one passes. Looking back on our lives, it’d be way too easy to get lost down the same rabbit hole she’s in.

  I drive straight home, take a long hot shower, then cuddle up in bed with a good book and a cup of hot tea. The comfy bed, my warm, fuzzy pajamas, and my tea relax me to the point I find myself drifting off with the book still in my hands. Finally, after fighting off sleep for an hour, I place the book on the nightstand, pull the blankets up to my chin, and drift off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

  It’s going on eleven when I wake up Saturday morning, and I have to rush to get to the animal shelter on time. Vesper is already in the back, looking over today’s lineup.

  “What do we have on the schedule for today?” I ask, dropping my bags onto a nearby table.

  She spins around, panic painting her features. “I’m freaking out here, Amy!”

  “What? Why?”

  “This vacation! I couldn’t even sleep last night.”

  I wave her off. “Don’t be silly. What could happen other than you not getting to plan out every minute of every day?”

  She rolls her eyes. “He’s doing this on purpose.”

  I laugh and playfully smack her arm. “Listen, he sees how much you do. I mean, you have enough jobs to employ the town! He wants you to relax. Why’s that so hard for you?”

  She lets out a deep breath.

  “Nothing is going to go wrong. I promise. The clinic will run fine; it has this far. And you’ve already approved all the plans for the new building. What’s the big deal?”

  “What if Judah gets sick and can’t come in? I won’t be here to pick up his position at the clinic.”

  “Then we’ll do what we did before you hired him and you got sick. I’ll call all the patients and reschedule.” I place my hands on her biceps and narrow my eyes on her. “Take a deep breath and enjoy your time off. Before you know it, you’ll be planning a wedding and going crazy with that. Not to mention, I’m sure some baby Liams will be popping out in the next few years.” I laugh.

  Her eyes grow wide. “Oh my God! I didn’t even think of that. How am I going to handle having kids with all this work?”

  My laughter picks up and nearly has me doubling over. “Stop overthinking everything and just chill. Enjoy this day. Today is the only thing you need to think about. Let life happen, Vesper. You can’t control everything.”

  Chapter Five

  Sunday rolls around and I make the drive out to the ranch. Liam is carrying their bags out to the car as I’m pulling up. I wave him a quick hello, grab my bags, and head into the house where I find Vesper running around like a chicken with her head cut off.

  “What’s up?” I ask, dropping my things onto the kitchen table.”

  “I’m just going through my checklist.” She looks at the coffee pot, then stares up at the ceiling, counting things off on her fingers.

  “Did you pack enough clothes?”

  She nods. “I packed a little of everything since I have no idea where we’re going.”

  “What about your makeup, hair products, shoes?”

  “Check, check, and check.”

  “Birth control?”

  Her eyes grow wide and her mouth drops open. “Oh my God. How could I have forgotten that?” She quickly runs upstairs, leaving me laughing.

  I turn and open the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water.

  Liam walks in. “Where’d she go now?”

  I quickly swallow the water in my mouth. “Upstairs. She forgot something.”

  He laughs and shakes his head. “I gue
ss an impromptu vacation is more stress than she has already.”

  I lean against the island. “Yep, Vesper is more of a planner. I mean, she needs several months’ notice. Just a little information for next time.”

  He nods and leans against the fridge. “Next time, it will be our honeymoon. She’s already started looking up suggestions online. Hopefully, I’ll get her to set a date this week.”

  I laugh. “Knowing Vesper, the date she’ll set will be two years away.”

  “Stop talking about me and my organizational skills.” She walks back into the room, shooting daggers at both of us.

  Liam and I both laugh.

  “We’re just amazed at how well you manage everything you do, honey.” Liam holds out his hand and she walks to his side, taking it in hers.

  “Yeah, yeah.” She rolls her eyes playfully.

  Liam raises his hand, glancing at the time on his watch. “We should probably get going. Are you ready?” He looks down at her.

  “I don’t know. I think so. Amy?”

  I nod with a smile in place. “Get out of here.” I shoo them toward the door. “Have fun and don’t worry. I’ve got everything covered!” I yell from the open door as they make their way down the steps and to the car.

  “Thank you, Amy,” Vesper says before sliding into her seat.

  “You’re welcome!” I shout.

  Liam closes her door, then walks around the car to take his place behind the wheel. “Thank you, Amy.”

  I smile and wave, leaning against the doorframe as I watch them disappear down the driveway.

  When they’re no longer in view, I turn to head back inside, but get a flash of something out of the corner of my eye. Tyler.

  Again, the night we spent together had been lost in everything else going on. It’s only now that I see him that the emotions I was feeling that night come rushing back.