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“Yeah, Red. What can I do for you?” She blushes at the use of the name Red. I started calling her that when she woke up the other morning and her face was so fresh and clean, the sun was shining in the room and she looks like a phoenix rising from the ashes.
“Mrs. Prose is here. She is saying something about the mole on her foot.” I groan and put my head in my hands. She is one of my most stubborn patients and the biggest hypochondriac of all of them. I look up to see Florence giggling and it brings a smile to my face.
“Funny huh baby. I tell you what, you are going to sit in with me and let’s see how funny you find it then." I wink at her and relish the pink of her cheeks and how she tries to hide the smile behind her hands.
As I walk toward her, taking in her tiny frame and soulful eyes, I vow to remove the hurt from her heart but also the fear from her head. I am going to hunt him down and end him, even if I have to hire someone to do it.
I will be the hero in her story and the knight in her dreams.
ChapterFive
Florence
A Few Days Later
Fletcher and I have settled into our routine quite nicely and I’ve even made friends. It’s been years since I’ve been allowed to hang around anyone who wasn’t related to me. I’m not stupid, I know that once Gary and I got married, he’d isolate me even further. That’s how abusers assert their power over their victims.
When Rachel, the Mayor’s wife, invited me out for drinks with the rest of the women under forty in town, I hesitated to ask Fletcher for permission to go out. When I finally mustered up the courage, he told me that I didn’t need to ask his permission for anything. I smiled at him and kissed him. On the lips. It caught me by surprise, but I know he was surprised too. It took him just a second to groan and deepen the kiss. When he pulled away, we were both panting for breath. I didn’ know a kiss could be so life altering, so soul shattering, but with him, it was. Even now, I can still feel his lips on mine.
Now I’m sitting at The Saloon with a bunch of women who are interested in getting to know me. At Ladies Night. It’s just us and a really old guy sitting at the bar. He looks so sad, I want to go over and give him a hug. He’s been nursing one beer since we’ve been here, and it doesn’t look like he’s leaving anytime soon. I get up to go over to him and do just that, when Rachel stops me, shaking her head sadly.
“That’s Mr. Picard. He used to be a lawyer here in town, but retired a few years ago when his grandson, Greyson, took over the practice. Lucy, his wife, passed away last week. They just celebrated their sixty-fifth anniversary last month.”
“Was she sick?” I ask, feeling tears well up in my eyes.
“No and that’s the worst part. She was killed in an accident in Charleston. She had gone Christmas shopping with her sister, Miss Virginia, from the library, and neither one of them made it home. A drunk college kid was driving the wrong way and they all died. She was healthy as a horse. Probably had many years left.”
“That’s so sad,” I say.
“He hasn’t spoken to anyone but Tobias since the day of the funeral and that’s just to order his beer. After a few hours, he walks home.”
“He must have loved her very much. He’s lost without her,” I murmur. I can’t help but wonder if Fletcher will ever feel that way about me.
“Definitely,” Hannah says. I love that these women are all sisters and while similar they are also completely unique.
“So, how are liking Hollow’s Hollow?” Miriam, the sheriff's wife, asks before taking a drink of her soda. No one else at this table is drinking because they are in various stages of pregnancy. Me? I’m on my second margarita. While I don’t normally drink at all, I was nervous about tonight.
“I love it here,” I answer honestly. I really do. The town, the people, my husband, especially my husband. It’s hard to believe that it’s only been two weeks since I’ve been married but I love that man. He’s done more for me and my self-esteem in two weeks than Gary did in three years.
“We’re glad you’re here. Lloyd knew this town needed new blood and after the old ad got put back out there, he decided it was fate.”
“I love that. I didn’t know mail order brides were still a thing, but I’m glad I saw the ad. I needed to get away from my old life,” I say.
“You running from something?” Lavinia, the pastor’s wife, asks me, patting the back of my hand.
“Yes,” I reply, biting my bottom lip, wondering how much to reveal to these ladies. Suddenly, I hear a slurping sound and I realize it’s me finishing my second drink. I was as The Saloon owner, Tobias, whisks my glass away and puts another into my hand, making me smile. “My ex was not a nice man,” I begin, deciding to tell them the truth. For some reason, I know these women would never betray me. Once I finish, six pairs of inquisitive eyes stare back at me.
“And this makes it hard for you to trust your husband?” Sadie, Carter’s sister-in-law, asks me.
“No. That’s the thing, I do trust him but I think he senses there’s something wrong with me.”
“There is nothing wrong with you, girl. Your ex took things from you that you didn't want to give him. It’s not your fault. Look, I know Fletcher and I know he’s a good man. He would never hurt you,” Ada says.
“I know he wouldn’t, but when I try to take it to the next level, he stops me. I don’t want him to stop me.”
“Girl, you want to bang your husband don’t you?” Rachel asks.
“I do. I really, really do,” I say, without hesitation.
