Page 6 of Vanishing Point
She didn’t know what she would have done without her second cousins. It had been a crazy, last-ditch effort to call them up out of the blue last year—people she’d only seen at funerals and family get-togethers even when she’d still lived in Wyoming.
And they’d taken her in, very few questions asked. They’d given her not just a home, but a place first to hide, then to heal, and finally to bring her baby home to. They’d kept her going through Mags’s stint in the NICU, and when they’d finally brought Magnolia home, they—along with their fourth roommate, Rosalie and Audra’s cousin on their mom’s side—had fed her, taken turns with nighttime feedings, ensured that not only Magnolia thrived, but Vi did too.
They’d become her best friends in the world, her family, her support.
The other night had been the first time in months she’d felt overwhelmed, and that was only because Franny had been awayon her book tour, Audra had been at some women-in-agriculture meeting, and Rosalie had been off on a case.
Vi didn’t let herself get self-recriminatory about not being able to handle it all on her own. The old Vi would have blamed herself, called herself every terrible name in the book, and known she was an utter failure as a person and mother.
But new Vi—the woman who was going to be strong for her baby girl and find alifeafter the horrible things she’d been through—had accepted that everyone, especially mothers, had bad nights when their babies were sick.
Maybe they didn’tallrun into their hotter-than-they-were-in-high-school ex-boyfriends when that happened, but…
She paused on her way down to the dining room, as she had multiple times over the past few days when Thomas had popped into her mind.
It was so strange. She didn’t trust cops. She’d made that mistake in so many blinding colors, and had vowed to never,everlet herself fall into that trap again.
But this wasThomas. It was hard to imagine him as a cop, as a detective, even though that had always been his plan. He’d been one of the sweetest guys she’d ever known, and that was a direct contrast with the police officers she’d had dealings with over the past few years.
Well, she supposed she could have a fun little fantasy where he was that hot,nota cop, and she was anywhere near capable of rekindling some old high school flame. Because it was only ever going to be afantasy.
She shook her head, started heading for the dining room again. The doorbell rang almost at the same time she was about to pass the front door.
“I’ll get it,” Vi called out. She hated answering the door still, which was ridiculous. In the almost two years since she’d finally left him, Eric had never once tried to come here. Sure, he stillleft her threatening messages sometimes—no matter how many times she changed her phone number—same with emails and the like, but he wasn’t going to expend any energy to come all the way from Richmond tonowhereWyoming.
He’d have done that by now if he wanted to, she was sure of it.
Had to believe it.
“No, I will!” Rosalie shouted from deeper in the house. She came barreling out of the kitchen like a wild woman, which was notunlikeher younger cousin.
“Hey, thought you were showering,” Rosalie said, sliding to a stop in front of Vi like she was going to jump between her and the door.
Which was a bit much, even for the energetic Rosalie.
Vi pointed at her wet hair. “Yeah, I was.”
“You know, you’ve had a rough week. Why don’t you head back upstairs and I’ll bring dinner up to you?”
“No, I’d like some company. I’d like to feel like a normal human being.”
Rosalie opened her mouth, but no words came out. She looked like she was scrambling for some other excuse. Which made no sense.
Vi pointed at the door. “Are you going to open the door?”
“Oh, it’s probably some salesman.”
“Rosalie, no salesman is coming all the way out here in the middle of nowhere. What is going on?”
“Nothing!Nothing.Was that Mags? I thought I heard a cry.”
Vi pointed to the baby monitor hooked to her waistband. Then went ahead and moved past Rosalie and twisted the doorknob open.
“Vi—”
But if she mounted any other excuse, Vi didn’t hear it. Because there on the porch stood Thomas Hart. He was dressedmuch as he had been the other night. Slacks. A sort of business casual polo shirt underneath an unzipped jacket.
Everything kind of stopped for a second. “Thomas.” She didn’t know how he did it. Looked so completely like the boy she remembered, and yet so much…well,better.
