Dance Away with Me(61)

Jeff and Diane both had a deer-in-headlights look, and Ian could only imagine his own expression. But Tess was so forceful, so competent, so commanding—the fools did exactly as she said.

Jeff inched toward the driver’s side. “Well, if you’re sure . . .”

“Of course. Easy peasy,” the woman known as Tess Hartsong chirped. She opened the passenger-side door for Diane with one hand and pushed her in with the other. “Go on, now. Enjoy her.”

The next thing Ian knew, Tess was waving like a fool at the Dennings’ Lexus as it disappeared down the road.

He grabbed her by the shoulders. “You! Inside! Now.”





Chapter Thirteen




Tess wanted to race after the car. Grab it by the bumper like Supergirl and bring it to a screeching halt. What if Wren decided not to cry her little heart out from four in the afternoon until six? What if she didn’t wake up three times tonight? Or neglected to have one of her explosive poops? What if she didn’t test them?

Tess had taken the risk of a lifetime.

“Did you hear what I said?”

It was the voice of doom. He loomed over her, even larger and more ferocious than he’d been at their inauspicious first meeting. This time, an actual vein bulged at his temple.

“What possessed you?” His hand flew out, jabbing the air. “Have you lost your mind? What can you possibly hope to gain by lying like that? And not just any lie! Oh, no. This is the Grand Canyon of lies!” On and on he went, his words so scathing her skin should have blistered. He grabbed her elbow and perp-marched her toward the front door only to come to a dead stop and start yelling at her again. “How exactly do you expect this to play out? In what dim corner of your brain did you decide this would work?”

She answered honestly. “It was the only thing I could think of.”

“Think? You weren’t thinking at all!”

She grabbed his flailing arm. “You wrote down everything for them, right? You told them she has to sleep on her back and to be patient with her feedings. And— What if something goes wrong? What if they try to call us when we don’t have a signal? Did you give them the doctor’s phone number?” She moaned. “What did I do?”

“Wren is going to be fine,” he said. “You, on the other hand, are not!”

She couldn’t deal with him right now, not while Wren might be crying her heart out. She had to get away. Someplace. Anyplace. She snatched up her phone—her only lifeline to her baby—and fled, leaving Ian fuming behind her. “Come back here!”

She raced for the cabin, the only refuge she could think of. Please, Wren. Be your worst today. You can do it! You have to!

But what if she didn’t?

A cobweb broke across her face, and a deer ran across the trail. Her feet hit the bridge so hard the boards should have snapped. He wasn’t following her—either because he was afraid he’d kill her or because he knew she needed some time. She let herself into the cabin. It was blessedly empty.

As her heartbeat steadied, she called Fiona Lester at the B and B and learned the Dennings were getting settled. Fiona was understandably curious about the baby with them. “Friends of the family,” Tess stammered, and hung up before Fiona could ask more questions.

Knowing the Dennings hadn’t taken off for New Jersey with Wren didn’t ease her anxiety. They could change their minds at any time. She threw back the curtains, grabbed a broom, and abandoned it. She should crawl into bed and sleep, but she was too agitated. She found a rag and took a couple of swipes at the dust that had accumulated in the last month, but she could only think about Wren and how to deal with the rickety house of cards she’d built for herself with Ian.

She spotted her Bluetooth speaker and carried it outside. Fallen branches and storm-scattered leaves cluttered the yard. She set the speaker on the splintered picnic table, discarded her jacket, and pulled up her music.

Justin Timberlake.

She let the song sink into her bones. Come on, dude. Do your job. Take me into your feel-good jam. You do the work, Justin, because I’m all done in.

It had been so long since she’d tried to dance away her feelings. She tilted her head. Her hair curled down her back. The trees spun above her as she turned. She breathed in the smell of skunk, pine, and creosote. The cool air slithered through the weight of her hair to brush her scalp.

I will fear no evil, J.T. For thou art with me.

Beyoncé took command next. Glorious Beyoncé. You’re a mother, Bey. You understand. Watch over my baby, will you?

Her movements grew more random, more disjointed. Her knee hurt. But she didn’t stop.

“Are you deaf?”

The words came from her past. From the first time she’d seen him.

She stopped. Sucked in more oxygen. Let her hands fall to her sides and tried to catch her breath. She’d known he wouldn’t leave her alone for long. She was surprised he’d given her this much time to pull herself together.

He stood in the exact same place as that first morning. Instead of his red-and-black flannel shirt, he wore a white T-shirt that molded to his body. His hair was just as unruly—thick and dark, curling at his neck. He no longer looked as though he intended to strangle her, but he didn’t look friendly, either. He switched off her speaker, the same as he’d done the first time, silencing Mother Bey.