Page 59 of Just One Spark

I nodded miserably."I finally feel like I'm living.I can't remember a time when I wasn't worried when Dad was going to come home and if he'd be drunk when he did.Would the police be at the door this time?Would he have hurt someone?It was awful."

"I can't even imagine," Jovie said.

Feeling grateful, I said, "Thank you for being there for me.I'm sure it wasn't always pleasant."

"I'll always have your back, whether you realize I'm here or not.But let's get this place cleaned up for tomorrow.It's not going to slow down until after the holidays."

We refocused on cleaning, and I wondered if I should go see my mom now, when I was feeling better.

We were almost done cleaning up when Jovie asked, "What are you going to do when the brewery opens?"

"The plan was to tell everyone we broke up.That the strain of the business was too much.He wanted to focus on the business, and he doesn't have time for a relationship.That's what Malcolm thinks anyway."

"I don't know why everyone thinks Malcolm gets a say in anything.He's so infuriating."

"Have you had a run in with him?"I asked her, concerned that he'd hurt her somehow.She lived next to the Hart property and ran a flower farm in the warmer months.

"I've gotten a few strongly worded emails about what I'm doing on the property line that abuts his."

"Is that where his home is?"

"Yup," Jovie said."I half expect him to show up one day and yell at me."

I frowned."For what?"

"He doesn't like my flower farm being so close to his property.He seems to think it's on Hart property.Even if it is, what would he do about it, flatten my flower garden?"

I thought about what I knew about Malcolm."He might."

Her forehead wrinkled."I don't have the money to order a survey to prove that it's mine.We've always just used the natural border of the trees as the property line.Why does Malcolm have to be such a jerk?"

I rubbed her arm."I'm sorry.You want me to talk to Rowan about it?"

Jovie pursed her lips."From what you've said, Rowan doesn't have any pull with Malcolm.He runs everything in that family."

I nodded."If he bothers you, I want to know."

She waved a dismissive hand."You won't be part of the Hart family much longer anyway.Don't worry about it."

The thought of not being part of the family caused pain to bloom in my chest.

She sighed."I can handle Malcolm."

"Malcolm pressured Rowan to stay away from me.I'm a distraction apparently."

She tipped her head to the side."As far as Malcolm knows, you're engaged, right?"

I nodded."Only you and Meg know the truth."

"Malcolm thinks that his brother's fiancée is a problem he has to deal with?"Jovie asked incredulously.

"That's exactly what he thinks.But I'll be out of the picture soon, and Malcolm can rest easy knowing that Rowan is focused on the business."

She sighed."I'm starting to think the Harts aren't worth the trouble."

"I'll be able to extract myself from their family soon"—even if the thought of the loss made it hard to breathe—"but you'll always share a property line with them."

"I won't let him get to me.He might have more money and corporate lawyers at his beck and call, but it can't go much further than threatening letters, right?"Jovie asked, her voice tinged with worry.