Page 133 of Bitter Sweet Heart

“Great.” I look to the woman sitting in the back seat, hands clasped in her lap. “Mindy, you can stay in here until we’ve got the situation handled in the house. Does that sound good?”

Mindy gives me a faint nod. “What if he won’t let me get my things?”

“We have a court order, so that won’t be a problem. We’re going to do our best to ensure you don’t have to see or speak to him, okay?”

She blows out a nervous breath. “Okay. Thank you.”

“Just give us a few minutes to get him out of the house, and then we’ll get you in.” I give Clover a quick peck on the cheek and meet Logan on the front porch.

BJ and River are busy unloading cardboard boxes from the moving truck, and my dad and Rook are standing off to the side, ready to intervene if necessary.

Over the past six months, Clover and I have done a lot of talking, and we came up with an idea—one that’s probably going to turn into a full-time gig eventually.

When she started working at the library in Pearl Lake, she discovered they’d created a reading program for kids of the women who live in the shelter on the outskirts of Lake Geneva. These women are escaping abusive relationships and living in temporary accommodations, with most of their belongings still in their homes, which they’re unable to access without facing their abuser.

So we put our heads together and came up with a volunteer program in which former and current athletes escort the women to court or to help retrieve their belongings from their residence. I proposed it to my dad to see if he would be interested in helping me get it off the ground. He was all for it, and my aunt Sunny, who oversees several not-for-profit ventures, came on board as well.

It started as a community initiative, but it’s quickly picking up steam.

I knock and wait for the ex-dickbag to open the door. It’s nine on Saturday morning. He’s aware we’re coming, but it doesn’t mean he’s going to be easy about it.

A man in his early forties, wearing dress pants and a button-down, stands in the open doorway. Abusers come in all forms. They can be everything from drugged-out lowlifes to doctors. This guy happens to be a surgeon and a well-respected member of his community. He also has a habit of getting drunk when he’s not on call and knocking his wife around.

“Where’s my wife?”

I ignore the question and give him my best patient smile. “Hello, Dr. Doran. We have a court order that indicates you need to allow your wife to enter the premises so she can collect her things.”

“I’d like to speak to her. Is she in that car?” He points to Clover’s black car. It’s not the one she drives every day, just the one we take when we make visits to asshole exes.

He tries to push his way between us, but Logan holds his arm out, barring his way. “I can escort you to your vehicle so you can leave while Mindy collects her things.”

“I’m not leaving. If she wants her things, she has to talk to me.”

“Actually, according to the court order, which was hand delivered to you, you must leave the premises while your wife is here.” I clasp my hands behind my back and roll up on the balls of my feet, smiling serenely. My heart is beating a million miles a minute. Adrenaline is a beast and my best friend in these situations. “Failure to do so will result in an arrest. Now I’m sure you have a reputation you’re trying to uphold in this neighborhood, which we’re clearly doing an awesome job of ruining by being here in the first place. Unfortunately, your inability to workwithus instead of against us is the reason you’re in this situation in the first place. If you would prefer Officer Butterson to cuff you and escort you to his police car, that’s absolutely an option.”

“I’m going to sue your ass.”

“You can go ahead and try, but we have the court order, so you’re not going to get very far. You have caused someone you’re supposed to care for and love an incredible amount of pain. Your wife’s arm is in a cast because you can’t control your temper. Do you think, Dave, just this one time, you could behave like a human being with a shred of decency instead of an untamed animal?”

His jaw works, and his fists clench.

“You throw a punch, and you’re in the back of the cruiser, and no one here is going to be kind about how we get you in there. Just something to think about,” Logan offers calmly.

Dave’s lip twitches. “I’ll get my keys.”

We wait at the door while he aggressively gets what he needs.

“Eyes on the ground. Do not look at that car,” Logan warns.

“I’m not a fucking criminal.”

“Don’t kid yourself. You abuse women. You’re pretty low on the human-decency meter.” Logan escorts him to his vehicle and positions himself so Dave can’t see past him. “We’ll text you when we’re done here.”

We wait until the car disappears down the street and then check the house before we deem it safe.

Two hours later, we have all of Mindy’s belongings in the truck. We drive to her new apartment, bring all the boxes and furniture in, and set up what we can before we leave her and the friend who met her here to finish.

“That went pretty well,” I say to Clover as I walk her back to the car.

---