Page 83 of Tactical Revival

I need to do something.

Anything.

Even if it’s just picking up some of the trash at the B&B while I wait for the contractor to show up. I’ve just started my car when my cell dings. Jaxson’s name brings a smile to my face as I open his text. Since he’s been on bodyguard duty today, I haven’t heard much from him, but we have plans to meet up for dinner at the diner.

Jaxson: I cannot stop thinking about you.

Me: Same. You’ve been on my mind all day.

Jaxson: Dinnertime can’t come soon enough. Oh, also, you should know, Michael knows that we’re seeing each other now and has decided it’s time to give me the “What are my intentions” talk, so I might be a bit late.

I roll my eyes.

Me: Just remind him that he married my best friend and I didn’t say anything about it. I can date one of his and he doesn’t get a say.

Jaxson: LOL. I’ll give it a try.

Me: How is today going?

When he doesn’t immediately respond, I go ahead and turn up the music, then start the drive. As the weight of everything I have to do starts to crush down on me, I turn the drive into a mini worship session, blasting my Christian music as loud as I can.

I belt out Strong by Anne Wilson, nearly tearing up in the process. Life really has been hard. The blows just keep coming, and even as I know that Jesus overcame the world, just as it says in John 16, it’s still hard to keep my eyes focused on Him when all I want to do is curl in a ball and cry.

The B&B looks depressing when I pull up and see the empty parking lot. With a sigh, I climb out and make my way up to the front door, unlocking it and pushing inside. Aside from water damage and the thick stench of smoke, the lobby is relatively untouched.

At least until you look to the left and get sight of the charbroiled stairway.

What once was gleaming mahogany is now singed black wood.

It makes my heart ache just looking at it.

The floor creaks behind me, so I turn. Chad is standing in the doorway, and seeing him there instantly brings a wave of fear over me. Is Knight Security still monitoring the exterior cameras? Will someone hear me if I scream?

“Hey, Margot.” He remains in the doorway, not coming any closer to me.

“What do you want, Chad?”

“I’m going to be leaving town for a bit, heading to an alcoholic rehab facility, and I just wanted to leave this.” He holds up an envelope. “Then I saw that you were here, so I figured I’d just face you.”

Crossing my arms, I don’t take the bait. “What is that?”

“An apology.”

“My lawyer said you sent one to her already. She forwarded it to me.”

“This is in addition to that. Everything I’ve done to you is wrong, and I know that. I think I knew it even in the midst of it, but I—” He trails off and rubs a hand over the back of his neck. “This is harder than I thought. I broke things off with Chelsea.”

“Am I supposed to be happy for you?”

“No, it really doesn’t matter. I just—I don’t even recognize myself anymore. Something Jaxson said to me in the interrogation room has stuck.”

“What was that?”

He shoves the hand not holding the letter into his pocket. “He said ‘you destroyed your family. That choice was on you and you alone.’ And then reminded me that if I wanted to start a new life, I needed to get right with God and ask for forgiveness.” His eyes fill. “You were the best thing that ever happened to me, and I ruined it.”

This is not a side of Chad I’ve ever seen before, and it throws me off. Sure, he’s gaslit me before, but this feels different. And the way he’s looking at me is different. “I don’t want to go back to when we were together.”

“I know. I’m not asking for a second chance with us. I only—I want to do what’s right by you and Matty, so there’s a check in here, too. It’s not much, but it’s everything I had in my savings account that I didn’t need for this program. I’ll be staying with my parents when it’s over, so I hope it’ll be okay if I’m in town.”

---