A Blast from the Past (A Second Chance Romance) (16 page)

I
looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"You
know I got money from your dad's passing," she said.

I
nodded.

"You
gave me the money for the divorce," I said.

"Yes,"
she said. "You paid me back. You know how every month or two I
give you a little money? I get the kids a few things. We all go out
for a nice dinner."

"Yes,"
I said. "You get payments from the life insurance you had on
dad. I tell you that money's for you, but you insist we all use it."

She
looked down at her hands.

"Mom,"
I said. "What's wrong?"

"It's
not from life insurance," she said. "That money comes from
Zander, Olivia. He calls me every two or three weeks to see how
you're doing and if everything is okay with the kids."

"Since
when?" I snapped. "How have I never picked up the phone?"

"Since
the day his mom told him you were getting a divorce. He always calls
while you're at the bakery. You can't say anything to him. Do you
hear me? That man cares. I can't believe I never knew you went to New
York. The two of you are something else. I promised him that I
wouldn't tell you about the money. I was supposed to use it to make
your life easier. I did the best I could with it. You can't tell him
I told you."

"I
thought he didn't care about me, mom," I said. "I've been
so angry with him for so long. He left me. That's how I've always
seen it. When I saw him kiss that woman, I knew he would never want
me. His mom's right you know. He's too good for me. I'm so damn
confused. He's going to walk back out of my life in a few days. I'm
going to lose him again. I don't know if I can handle it."

"Then
do something about it," she said.

"What
am I supposed to do?" I asked. "I can't ask him to stay.
That is his life. He has a job. People count on him. I would never
want him to not be doing that. It's so much more important than being
here with me."

"Go
to him," she said.

"What?"
I asked. "I can't leave here. What about you? What about Carol?"

"What
about us?" she asked. "We are grown women. We'll be fine."

"What
about the bakery I've always wanted to own. It's mine. I can't just
leave it. I can't just pack the kids and go. Their dad lives here.
Zander doesn't want kids, mom. What if I pack everything and go there
and he turns me away? What will I do then?"

My
mom stood up and turned to walk up the stairs to her room.

"I
guess you don't care about him as much as I thought you did,"
she said before leaving.

What
was that supposed to mean, I wondered? She expected me to pick up my
entire life and both of the kids and move to a huge city. I had no
idea if he even wanted me there. He never said he did. Maybe he was
just happy throwing a little money toward me. Maybe that made him
feel better about leaving me and cutting me out of his life. There
was no way I could take a risk that huge. I had the kids to think
about. They needed to come first. I had always lived in that city. I
didn't see him coming after me. He was only there because of his
father. If it hadn't been for his dad's passing, I would never have
heard from him.

My
mind was a jumbled mess. I had no idea what was really going on.
Trying to figure him out was like a puzzle. I wasn't sure it was one
I was willing to try and solve.

I
crawled into bed next to April and pulled her against me. All I could
think about was him and how good he had been with her and Jack. Why
did he have to come back? Why was I letting him get to me? I was
angry with him. I couldn't let him into my life. I just couldn't. He
was the only one that could destroy me. There was no way I was
letting that happen.

Olivia

I
was up before the sun and on my way to work the next morning. When I
got into my car, I looked up at his bedroom window. It was dark. I
couldn't help but wonder what he was dreaming about. Was it me? Did
he ever dream of me?

As
soon as I got to work, I started baking. The whole town was still
sleeping. I was busy making bread, cookies, cakes, and so much more.
Baking really was my stress reliever. It helped me through some rough
moments. Anytime I worried or felt sorry for myself, I baked. I came
up with some pretty creative things in my craziest moments.

I
cleaned the front of the store while I waited for some things to
finish in the oven. It was pretty clean considering everything I had
made for the funeral. Thoughts of Carol and the things she had said
about me popped into my head. I sat down in a chair and put my head
on the table in my arms. It hurt so badly that she could talk about
me like I was less than her or Zander after everything I had done for
her. I never expected money or even credit for anything. I spent
hours and hours with her and Pete those last few years. It was time I
could have spent working or playing with my kids. Instead, I helped
them.

Honestly,
it helped me feel closer to Zander. I felt like I was doing something
to help him. Maybe that was how he felt about helping me. I didn't
care about money. He knew that. I had no idea why he would think
money was what I needed. It probably made him feel less guilty for
not being there in person.

I
peeked up from between my arms when I heard the bell on the door
jingle. It was too early for my employees, and I wasn't opened yet.
It was still dark out. When I saw Mike standing at the door, with his
nose wrapped, looking over at me, I was up and away from my chair.

"What
do you need? The bakery's not open yet," I said with confidence,
even though I was shaking like crazy.

"You
two looked pretty happy," he said. "What do you see in him
anyway? I want to know what he has that I don't."

"What
are you talking about, Mike?" I asked. "I helped his
parents the past four years. There was no way I wasn't going to be
there for her. You know that. There was nothing going on between me
and Z. I helped with the funeral and dinner after. I don't know why
that even matters to you. We aren't married anymore, Mike. You can
come back when the bakery is open to get the stuff you need for work.
I need you to leave."

"You're
mine," he said. "I was the one that was here when he
wasn't. What did you tell him about me?"

"I'm
not yours," I said. "That was over the day you sliced my
arm open with a broken bottle. He didn't know anything about us until
after that stunt you pulled at the funeral home. My only connection
to you is April and Jack. Other than seeing them, you need to leave
me alone."

"You
know I didn't mean it. I'm not like that anymore. I'm a good man,
Olivia," he said.

"I'm
sure you are. I've never spoken badly of you, Mike. We just aren't
together anymore," I said.

I
was nervous. I couldn't tell if he had been drinking. He said he
wasn't anymore, but he was pretty upset at the funeral home. I
couldn't be sure. There was nobody around. The bakery door should
have been locked. I never locked up when I got there. Nobody ever
bothered me that early.

"Do
you love him?" he asked.

"What?"
I asked. "This has nothing to do with him. He came in for his
father's funeral. He'll be leaving in a few days. I don't understand
why you're even asking me that. You need to go."

"You
loved him before he left. I know you did. Why don't you just admit
it? That's why you weren't a good wife to me."

"Bullshit,"
I snapped out at him. "I was a very good wife to you. I worked,
cleaned, cooked, and took care of the kids. You didn't have to lift a
finger. You were the one that ruined it, not me."

I
moved to step away from him toward the kitchen. He moved forward and
had my back against the counter.

"You're
my wife, not his," he said. "There is no way he's getting
you."

A
light shined on the window from the headlights of a passing car. I
quickly pushed him off of me.

"Leave
now," I said. "I'm not with him or you. He's leaving in a
few days to go back home. We will never be together again. I'm sorry
you feel the way you do, Mike. I'm just trying to raise the kids and
spend time with them. That's all I want."

A
ding rang out from the kitchen to tell me my food was ready.

"I
need to get that before it burns. You need to go."

"I'm
a changed man, Olivia," he said.

"I'm
happy for you. I want you to find someone to be happy with, Mike. I'm
not that person. Go home."

He
turned and walked toward the door.

"You
were the one I always wanted. I was so happy when he left," he
said before walking out the door.

I
got to the door quickly and turned the lock. It would never happen
again. I would never leave the door open.

When
I grabbed my phone from the kitchen counter, I dialed the police
station. I wanted something on file in case he ever did anything like
that again. He drove by my house every now and then, but I never
thought anything of it. He never said anything or got out of his car.
The funeral was the first time he had really said anything in those
four years. He came in to get baked goods for work every day, but it
was always business. He never even asked about the kids or anything.
Something set him off at the funeral, and he wasn't letting it go.

An
officer came to the bakery and took down some information so they
could have on file that Mike had been there. The rest of the morning
went pretty quickly. I had been worried about April and wanted to get
home to check on her. As soon as noon hit, I told one of my employees
I'd be back in about an hour. Everything was already made for the
day, so the afternoon would be pretty easy. I tried to make sure when
I came back from lunch the hardest part of the day was usually done.
Some days, I only went back to clean and close up. It was nice owning
my own business. I felt like I had accomplished something important.

When
I got home, the car Zander was driving wasn't in the next driveway. I
found myself feeling relieved. As soon as I walked in, both of my
reasons for living ran up to hug me. They told me about their morning
while I made lunch. As soon as they were finished eating, they took
off to their rooms to play. I sat at the table talking to my mom. We
had a whole conversation before I finally told her.

"You're
not going to believe my morning," I said. "Mike showed up
at the bakery before it was open."

"No
way," she said. "Why would he do that? He hasn't talked to
you in four years. I don't understand why he would suddenly want to
talk."

"I
didn't tell you about the funeral home," I began.

I
told her about Mike and what he said. Then I told her about Zander
punching him. She was surprised. None of the other guests had heard a
thing.

"I
think that was what got him all pissed off. Zander shouldn't have
done it. He doesn't have to deal with Mike's shit. He gets to go
home. I'm the one that has to see his ass. When I looked up and saw
him in the doorway this morning, I stood quickly."

I
went on to tell her the stuff Mike had said about our marriage, me,
and Zander.

"I
don't get why he got all bent out of shape. We haven't even spoken in
four years. It seemed strange that he would come in to confront me
about it. When he had me backed up against the counter," I said.

"What?"
I heard from behind me. "Did he touch you?"

I
swung my head around to see Zander standing behind me with his hands
clenched into fists and a bag in his hand.