Page 44 of Loving My Enemy

Inside the envelope was a subpoena to appear in front of Judge Mayburn the day after tomorrow at nine in the morning. I groaned as anger welled up in me but the tears fell first. “They filed an injunction to stop me from spending any more of the insurance money.” My own damn parents. How despicable could one couple be? I was half-tempted to ignore the subpoena and let them keep the money. But I couldn’t. That money was mine, and Austin wanted me to have it, not them. I had to fight it because my pride was the only damn thing I had left. “Thanks for letting me know, Penny. You’ve been a good friend to me.”

She nodded, looking sad and resigned to how things were. “What will you do?”

“There’s nothing I can do but show up and hope it all works out. I’m not holding my breath though.” If life had taught me anything, it was that good didn’t always triumph over evil, that bad people won just as much as good people, and that anytime my parents wanted to screw me, they would.

“I’m here if you want to talk, Elka. I know they put you through hell, but you’re an adult now and you don’t have to do it all on your own. That’s the beauty of friends. Strong shoulders.” She flashed a smile and snatched half of my veggie sandwich from the plate.

“It’s the only way I know, but I’m hoping to change that,” I admitted. Leaning on people wasn’t easy and nothing about my life had been easy since I moved to Tulip.

“Somewhere else,” she said and it wasn’t a question.

“Yeah. Everyone probably thinks I killed Austin for the insurance money so they’ll be happy to see me leave.” It hurt to say but leaving this time would be easier because there wasn’ta lifetime of memories and hurt here. This time, it was a few friends and some great memories. And some bad ones too.

“You’re wrong about that, but I can see you don’t believe it.”

“Why would he do this, Penny? Everyone keeps telling me what a stand-up guy he is, how nice he is and kind to others, but I’m not seeing that guy. Not enough of him, anyway.” And I was the idiot who’d slept with him. Fallen for him.

Penny flashed a smile that wasn’t mean-spirited but it was … weird. “Some men go crazy when they fall. They don’t know how to handle it, aren’t ready for it, and make a mess of everything before they fix it. I think that’s the category Antonio found himself in.”

“That doesn’t make any of this better.” Certainly not my pain.

“Then forget about him. What about the rest of us? Haven’t we made you feel welcome and cared for since you moved here? Why isn’t that enough?”

“It is,” I insisted. “But I can’t live my life with someone actively trying to run me out of town. No one can live that way forever.” And that’s what it came down to, the fact that this would never end. “I’ve thought about it from every angle and I can’t do it. I’ve already lived my first twenty-four years as a disappointment and I can’t do it again. I won’t.”

“Well I can’t argue with that, but I’m not giving up on getting you to stay in Tulip. You’re just the right kind of weird for this little town and I think we’d all be better off with you around.” Her words brought tears to my eyes and when Penny wrapped her arms around me and squeezed, I let a few fall in farewell to the women who’d opened their hearts to me and called me a friend.

“Thanks for saying that, Penny.”

She left with a sad smile, but I wasn’t fooled for a second. In the next few days, there would be a group of women on mydoorstep making a pitch for me to stay, which meant I had less than twenty-four hours to get a plan together and leave town.

But first, I had to go in search of the materials I needed for court.

Chapter 27

Antonio

Elka was avoiding me, more like ignoring me completely and honestly, I couldn’t blame her. That didn’t mean I was done trying to get her to talk to me, because I wasn’t. Instead, I was determined, that’s why I woke up early this morning and went for a long run to clear my mind. It didn’t work, my mind was anything but clear or focused since Elka had refused to see me when I showed up at her house, refused to talk to me when I called. Hell, I couldn’t even get her to return a damn text message.\

Again, not that I blamed her. I didn’t. Not at all. I screwed up. Made assumptions I shouldn’t have and hurt her feelings in the process. Worse, I made her feel unwanted just as I noticed how devastating it would be to her.

The run didn’t do a damn thing to help me figure out what to say to her when I saw her at the courthouse. Since I knew exactly where she would be today, I decided to ambush her and by ambush, I mean show my support. And to show her how much she meant to me. That didn’t mean I had a clue what to say but at this point I had to figure the words would just come.

Or they wouldn’t.

At five minutes to nine I stepped into Judge Mayburn’s courtroom and stopped right in front of the swinging doors and I enjoyed them less when they smacked into my backside. “Looks like I wasn’t the only one with this idea.” The courtroom was filled with people, most of them sitting on the left side. Behind the empty table.

“Not so special after all,” Preston mumbled beside me, a smug knowing smile on his face.

He wasn’t wrong. Everyone had shown up. Nin and Janey were in the front row, of course, but so was Bo and Penny, Mayor Ashford, Ry and even Nate. Looks like Elka had made an impact on more than just me. Only unlike me, these people were all smart enough to enjoy and appreciate her from the beginning. “Yeah, I guess not. Where’s Elka?”

Preston shrugged. “No one knows. She’s been barricaded in her house for days. Nina thinks she’s packing up and leaving town.”

Shit. That thought never crossed my mind, which it should have. Elka wasn’t from Tulip, this wasn’t her home. Not really.

But she wanted it to be and I took that from her. “Dammit.”

Preston clapped me on the back and flashed a sympathetic smile. “Don’t listen to Nina. I think you still have a chance. You see them,” he pointed to where Elka’s parents stood talking with their well-dressed attorney, all three looking like the proverbial fish out of water in their expensive clothes and accessories. Miles Nyland wore expensive wool slacks, despite the heat, a sky blue Oxford shirt with a tie and wing tips. Clara wore white pants with a red blouse and sky high heels that would’ve been more appropriate for a Junior League meeting than a small town courthouse. “They are the reason Elka is upset, not you.”

---