Page 64 of Wicked Player
“He loved you,” I chime in.
“Yes… in his own way.”
My tea has cooled, and I finally enjoy a sip. “Did you go back to him?”
“He came to Everett’s place on the lake. Everett had a little cabin on the water. It was torn down years ago. There’s a huge house there now.”
I’m getting a little antsy. She’s such a slow storyteller. She’s driving me insane. I know she’s eighty-six and all, but c’mon. “Yes… lots of tear-downs on the lake… go on.”
“Caleb wanted to face the man who had stolen his wife. He wanted to hurt him. He barged in, half-drunk, and point blank asked him why he stole me.”
“Wow.”
“And you want to know what Everett said?”
I’m sitting on the edge of my seat now. “Yes! What did he say?”
“I’ll always remember those words…” she says, and her words trail off.
I’m afraid I’ve lost her again. I fear she’s heading down one of her many tangents. “What did he say?!”
“He said, ‘Caleb Brown… You think I don’t know… You couldn’t be more wrong. I’ve known your secret forever. You stole the person I loved most in the world years ago, and now it’s my turn to do the same to you.’”
“What the…”
“I don’t think Everett meant to say those words out loud. They spilled out of him in the heat of passion and anger. And that’s when it all made sense to me. I’d always wondered why he’d chosen me, how it was that he just happened to land on my doorstep one day, seemingly obsessed with me. I was no beauty, Clara. I was nowhere as attractive as you. I was a plain Jane. I couldn’t understand why an attractive man like Everett could be so taken with me.”
“I don’t understand…” I say, because I really don’t.
“He had an agenda,” she clarifies. “He sought me out. He pursued me with intent, intent to steal me away and hurt Caleb the way he had hurt him.”
“Oh… how awful. That’s horrible.” I’ve had many negative emotions about Colton these past weeks, but what he’s guilty of is nowhere as awful as this. To play with a woman’s emotions, to steal a woman from a man just because he can is just… unforgivable. “I’m so sorry, Judy.”
My phone pings.
I reach into my tote and grab it. There’s a text from Tina.
Sorry to do this. My boy is in trouble and I need to bail him out. Can you fill in for me for the rest of the day? It is only for two hours.
“Damnit,” I scoff.
“What? What is it?” Judy asks, concerned.
“It’s a lady I work with at the café. She needs me to fill in for her.”
“Oh…” she says, clearly disappointed. “Well… I can look after Christian if you need.”
“Oh… would you? It would only be for two hours,” I explain. “Tina has bailed me out a thousand times. She’s amazing. I owe her this.”
“It’s really no problem, Clara. I enjoy him so much.”
I stand and kiss her on the cheek. “Thank you. You’re the best, Judy.” I quickly type a reply to Tina, letting her know I’ll be there in ten minutes. I tell Christian to be good for Judy, and drop a kiss on his forehead.
As I climb into my Jeep, I wonder if I’ll ever get to hear the rest of Judy’s story. The Gods certainly seem to be against me.
