Page 53 of Dream Chaser

I straightened, heart thudding. “Yes. He started renovations without my knowledge. I can’t think of a reason other than using it as proof that he invested in the property.”

“Well…” He pushed his reading glasses up his nose. “Our first step would be to file the petition for divorce. I’ll get the paperwork ready immediately. You should also document all communications with him.”

Hope sparked inside me. Finally. This was the first step toward my freedom and building the life I’d always dreamed of. “Thank you, Edward,” I said. “Let me know if you need anything else from me.”

***

The short drive to Eleanor’s gave me time to ponder what I should do next.

Talking to Edward brought me a sliver of relief. I’d be calmer if I had my keys to Grandma’s house that Preston took, but he kept ignoring my texts and calls.

As I stepped out of the elevator on Eleanor’s floor, specks of laughter drifted from her apartment. I unlocked the door with the key she’d given me and let myself in.

The laughter ceased.

“Nova?” Eleanor called from the kitchen. “Come meet my family.”

“Good afternoon,” I said from the doorway. She’d told me she had a son and two grandbabies—who I assumed were the chubby twin girls perched on her lap as she, her son, and his wife sat at the table, enjoying coffee with cake.

“This is Nova,” Eleanor said. “Nova, these are Steve and Mary, and these”—she squeezed the twins, making them giggle—“are Holly and Annie. Come sit with us.”

Steve and Mary smiled, so did Eleanor. I hid my discomfort behind a smile of my own as Steve pulled out a chair.

Eleanor was kind. Warm. Staying with her was infinitely better than sleeping in my car or at the office, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was intruding. Inconveniencing her.

I needed—and wanted—my own place. A place I could call home.

“How was the meeting?” Eleanor asked as Steve poured coffee into my cup.

“Thank you,” I said, taking it. “The meeting was good. Edward seems to be great at his job.”

Annie wriggled in Eleanor’s lap. She set her on the floor, smiling affectionately as the toddler ambled over to her mom.

She clung to Mary’s legs, and she laughed. Steve drew an arm around his wife’s shoulders, giving her a tender look.

Now I felt even more like an outsider. I stirred sugar into my coffee just as my phone buzzed. My heart plunged to my stomach.

Preston, finally returning my call almost a day later.

“Excuse me,” I said, standing. “I need to take this.”

I slipped out of the kitchen and ducked into my bedroom, pressing the green icon. “Preston.”

“I need to see you.”

I leaned against the door, heaving a sigh. “I can’t drive to Millford.”

“I’m in Emerport.”

“Did you bring my keys?”

“I did,” he grumbled.

I squeezed my eyes shut. Crap. I’d rather not see him, but I needed my keys, and avoiding him would only make me seem weak.

“Let’s meet, then,” I said. “Coffee Time on Seventh?” Just a short stroll away from Eleanor’s, and the area Preston knew well from when he went to college here.

“Fine. I’ll be there in twenty.”