Page 27 of Penn

The only bright side to this whole situation is the check that came in the mail today. My insurance money. It’s not a fortune, but it’s enough to make me feel like I might have something to offer now. Not a lot, but I can stop feeling like I’m a charity case.

And I can buy a new pair of shoes that don’t make my feet ache like the worn-out flats I’m wearing now. Being on my feet all night makes my ankles swell, and anything with a slight heel makes my back ache. I never expected pregnancy to be this hard on my body.

In fact, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever have kids after what happened when I was seventeen, but here we are. And I’m honestly happy even if I have no idea how I’m going to do this.

A dark sedan pulls up just as I’m out of reach of the back door of the Seven Crows, and Stephen steps out. He wears his expensive button-down shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, trying to look every bit the pharmaceutical rep he expects people to be impressed by. His brown hair is combed back, but he looks tired. Dark circles rest under his eyes, and his jaw clenches as he looks at me.

My heart immediately races. What the hell is he doing here? Wasn’t taking away my home and trying to take my life enough? Is he here to finish the job?

“Dixie,” Stephen says, his palms up as he steps forward like he’s approaching a terrified animal.

I suppose he is. Because my flight-or fight reaction is completely broken right now. All I can do is stand frozen as he comes closer.

“You shouldn’t be here,” I say once I find my voice. “You need to get back in your car and drive away before someone sees you.”

“I don’t care if people see me,” he says, though his eyes flicker around the dark lot in case anyone may come out to the line of motorcycles parked in front. “I heard about the police report. I know they officially ruled your condo being set on fire as arson. Dixie, I swear, I didn’t do it.”

He didn’t do it. Of course not. That’s not something Stephen Patterson would do. No, he’d hire someone. That makes what he says not a lie, but it’s not entirely the truth either.

Now that I’ve been away from him for months, I can see this is how he operates. Always gives half-truths. He’s not outright lying, but there’s never anything he says that’s full honesty, either.

I let out a dry, humorless chuckle. “You think I’m stupid, don’t you? I’ve had a lot of time to think about everything, and I know how you operate, Stephen. How you’re so good at sales. You’re a natural salesman.”

“Dixie—”

“You wanted me gone. You were pissed when I said I wasn’t getting rid of my baby, and you don’t want your perfect life you have set up ruined.”

His eyes blink rapidly like he’s struggling to process the hurt I’ve inflicted, but I know it’s nothing but lies. The equivalent of crocodile tears.

“Don’t even. You may not have been the one to light the match, but you organized it.”

“It wasn’t me!” he exclaims, his face flushing as the charm cracks. I can’t believe how I never saw the desperate man beneath the façade before. “I was in Castlerock that night. I have receipts. People who can place me there.”

“We both know you do. And we both know that doesn’t mean you didn’t set the whole thing up.”

“You really think I’d—”

“I didn’t give your name to the deputy,” I cut him off. “You want me out of your life, and I’m more than happy to oblige. As long as you stay away from me, your secret stays safe.” I wait a beat before adding, “Both of them.”

His jaw loosens, and his shoulders sag. “If you really believe I would try to kill you, why not give my name to the authorities? Why not try to take me down?”

“It’s not for the reasons you think,” I say.

“And what reasons are those?” he asks, stepping forward with the same seductive look he’s given me a dozen times.

I move before his hand can reach me, thankful my paralysis seems to have faded enough to come to my senses. “It’s not you. Trust me.”

He frowns, crossing his arms over his chest. “Then what would those reasons be?”

“Your wife. And your children. You didn’t succeed, so I’m going to count this as just a very bad decision. But the biggest reason is that I never want to see you again.”

“You can’t be—”

“If you don’t stay away, Stephen, I will seek out your wife. And I will tell the sheriff. I will have you investigated, and we’ll see where the chips land. Stay away, and we don’t know each other. Simple as that.”

His tongue slides out and over his lips, and I know he’s trying to entice me. He’s trying to make me weak in the knees and beg him to take me against the side of the building. And even though I’m desperate for sexual release these days, I don’t want him to touch me.

I’m desperate, but I’m not that desperate.