Page 93 of Right in Front of You

“I didn’t want to worry you.”

“And he threatened you?”

“A little more than threatened, but I handled it. I got a restraining order, and I have pepper spray in my purse.”

“What did he do, Molly? Please don’t spare me any details.”

And she didn’t. She told me how rude he had been when she treated him and how he had pulled her into the storage closet. I cringed listening to her. My pulse raced, and at one point I had to hold onto my neck because my jugular vein was on the verge of popping. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked her for all the gruesome details.

“I’m going to kill him.” I pushed the chair back as I stood up and it crashed to the floor. My father briefly peeked inside the room to check what was going on and then left.

“Carter, please. Just let it be. Leave it alone. I’ve handled it.”

“A restraining order won’t stop him, and you know it.”

I took the car keys off a hook and headed for the door. Molly followed me outside. “Carter, you can’t. Not today. What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to make sure that he never comes near you again.” I opened the car door and turned around to see her fear-stricken face. When I woke up this morning, I hadn’t expected this day to turn for the worse this quickly. A stronger gust of wind blew the dark clouds closer to town, along with the first few raindrops.

“Why can’t you just leave it alone, Carter? Just forget him and let me be. Let us be. Look at what’s right in front of you, not to the past or behind you. If I’d let the past guide me, I wouldn’t have become a doctor. I wouldn’t have had the balls to move away from Hope Bay. Look at where we’re at now. Just you and me, Carter. It’s so perfect. Please. Look at us and only us. No one else.”

The plea in her voice was breaking my heart.

“Please don’t ruin your mother’s birthday,” she begged. “Please don’t go. Not today and not tomorrow. I already pressed charges and the police told me they’ll let me know as soon as they find him.”

“He’s in hiding?”

“I think so.”

I sighed. The man part of me wanted to drive straight back to the city, stampede into the restaurant where Ron Fowler worked, and strangle him to death. I wanted to do anything to make that ache that filled Molly’s life each day go away. But if he was in hiding and the police were looking for him, I wouldn’t have known where to start.

“I’m sorry, Molly. I just wish I could do something more.”

“I know. Me too.”

She slid her hand down my arm and intertwined her fingers with mine. Hand in hand, we went back inside and joined my parents for dinner. Hoping to have another talk with Molly, I hurried through dinner, dessert, and the additional cake. We helped my mother clean up afterward. I made a cup of tea for us and asked Molly to join me on the back porch. Heavy raindrops splattered against the windows and a forceful wind swayed the trees back and forth.

I looked to Molly, who seemed to be lost in thought. That glow of happiness on her face I was used to seeing was gone. I wanted to ask her about additional locks for her apartment door, but she already looked so sad that I had a difficult time bringing it up. I hadn’t meant to ruin her day today by mentioning her father. I just wanted her safe and happy. I finally set the mug aside and took hers away as well.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“We’re going to skip in the puddles.” I took her hand and pulled her out from underneath the rooftop and out into the rain. Immediately she lifted her face up to the sky and let the water flow down her cheeks. It was pouring, and Molly looked like she was in heaven. She transformed into a different person the minute the first drops touched her face.

“You’re crazy!” I called out over the hum, which now seemed to be a torrential downpour. I’d never seen this much rain fall, but it didn’t matter. With Molly beside me, it felt like it was the sunniest and warmest day of the year.

“I know!” she shrieked with happiness.

The drops fell on us as if each one was a bucket, soaking us. I found the first puddle, took her hand, and we jumped in at the same time, splashing the rainwater over our jeans. She of course laughed.

“I’m crazy about you!”

“And I’m crazy about you!” she called back.

We hopped from one round wet patch to another, holding hands the way we had when we were little. I finally stopped and turned toward her. She was out of breath. Her chest was rising and falling, and her shirt was drenched and stuck to her body, outlining her beautiful silhouette. She looked stunning. I took her by the hips and pulled her in closer, slowly following an upward path of her curves. We had wandered so far away from the house that we could barely see its outline through the thick rain.

“Molly, I’m so deeply in love with you that it hurts. You fill my heart with everything. You complete me. I love you.”

Despite the falling rain and her wet face, I could see the shiny tears of happiness form in her eyes and slowly dribble down her cheeks, mixing with raindrops. It was another one of those beautiful sights that took my breath away.

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