“I would not suggest it if I didn’t think it was the right thing,” Terry went on as he reached over and patted her hand. “You have been here four times this week. Every time Wyatt leaves the house, you show up at my door, and I don’t know how to fix this for you. You won’t go to the doctor and get him to prescribe you something for your nerves. You’re having nightmares every night. It’s obvious you ain’t sleeping, and you’re stuck in a house where you have to pretend everything’s fine and dandy. This is as unhealthy as it can get.”
“Shit,” she moaned, knowing she was already defeated. She didn’t want Vaughn to win, and she didn’t have the heart to hurt Wyatt again, or herself. She would honestly rather die than just pack up and leave like she’d never had a second chance. “Fine, call her.”
Tabitha needed to talk to someone. She knew keeping it locked up was a horrible decision. This wasn’t the only bout of extended anxiety she had dealt with, and she had learned a long time ago that when she was drowning, the first thing she was supposed to do was reach for a life preserver. It was the reason she came running to Terry, but he was right. He wasn’t the right person to help.
She covered her face with her hands as her arms shook from the force of her fear. Why couldn’t she fight back? She was a strong woman. She had survived so much. She was successful and independent. Why was she letting one chance encounter with Vaughn in the hardware store destroy her?
She had done all the right things after she left Wyatt. She went to support groups. She got therapy. She had done everything humanly possible to move past the trauma. She had even proven that she could still love and let herself be loved by moving in with Wyatt. Now it was all crumpling around her. She had no idea her house of cards was so easy to shake.
She needed someone to talk her off the cliff before she leaped and ruined her only shot at a happy ending. Clay’s girlfriend was Tabitha’s last chance at saving what she had reclaimed with Wyatt. If that wasn’t shit luck, she didn’t know what was.
It took Melody less than twenty minutes to get there after Terry called her. She walked into Terry’s house still wearing her waitress uniform from Hal’s. Her long blonde hair was tied up in a bun, and her black-framed glasses reflected bright green eyes that were swimming with concern as she sat down next to Tabitha on Terry’s couch.
“Hal said you might need a woman to talk to,” Melody started, her voice soft in a way that made her name very apt.
Tabitha leaned back against the couch and looked up at the ceiling. She needed to give Rocky a girlfriend in this book. She blinked at the fan, deciding to name her Harmony, something soft and sweet that matched this woman’s gentle nature that was impossible to ignore.
“Can I use you in a book?” Tabitha finally asked rather than talk about anything more pressing.
“Clay told me you write those Heroes of Sapphire County books.” Melody reached over and squeezed her arm. “I think that’s exciting.”
“Do you?” Tabitha asked in a dull voice.
“Yeah, ain’t they been on the New York Times list forever?”
“I guess,” Tabitha said indifferently.
“That’s a big accomplishment. I can’t even imagine doing something like that. You touched the whole world with your stories.”
The admiration was so pure in Melody’s voice, Tabitha believed it in a way she rarely did. “I’m so happy Clay found someone like you. He deserves that.” She turned to Melody and gave her a smile despite the tears. “He was my friend for a long time. My first friend. Did he tell you that?”
“He said you grew up together.”
“He hates me.” Tabitha let out a sob, finally acknowledging for the first time how much Clay’s cold shoulder had hurt since she returned. “I’ve only seen him that one time we ran into y’all at Hal’s, and another time when I met Wyatt at the Cellar, but he ain’t said more than two words to me. I know he’s angry.”
“Clay’s complicated,” Melody said softly. “He’s very loyal, and you know Wyatt was heartbroken when you left, but I’m certain he doesn’t hate you.”
“I wish I could tell him I didn’t take those drugs on purpose,” Tabitha whispered miserably as she wiped at her cheeks. “I mean, I was the dumb fool who took the drink from my brother, but I would’ve never just given up like he thinks I did. I’m not his mother. I’m not my mother either. I’m stronger than them.”
“Of course you are.” Melody reached down and squeezed her hand. “Why did you leave, Tabitha?”
“Um.” She took a shuddering breath as she second-guessed telling her, but in the end she needed to talk to someone who could possibly help. “Something happened. Something terrible. I couldn’t tell Wyatt. I couldn’t tell Clay either. I told Terry and Hal ’cause I needed someone to pick me up from the hospital and help me gather my things from my house. There was no way I could go back there. I can barely walk into it now, and it happened thirteen years ago.”
“What happened in the house?”
Tabitha turned to Melody, looking at her with tears streaming down her face. She couldn’t answer her, she just hope she understood.
“Oh, honey.” Melody reached out and hugged her. When she spoke again, her voice was choked with emotion. “I’m so sorry.”
“Me too,” Tabitha whispered, still shaking with the strength it was taking to keep herself from completely falling apart. “I didn’t want to leave him. I loved him so much. I still do. I never wanted to hurt him. Never.”
“And Wyatt doesn’t know?”
“No.” Tabitha hugged Melody back, which was odd considering she barely knew this woman. “But I ran into the guy who did it at the hardware store, and it’s all just falling apart. I don’t know how to hide it from Wyatt anymore. Why can’t I fight this?”
“This is so normal,” Melody assured her as she pulled back and looked at Tabitha. Tears shone in her eyes, and she took off her glasses to brush them away. “When Clay and I had to go to the trial for my ex-husband a few months ago, I was a mess the entire time. Even though I had Clay with me, and Justin was sitting there in handcuffs, I was still a nervous wreck. I can’t even imagine dealing with that without Clay knowing what happened. You have to tell Wyatt. You have to give him a chance to help you. It’s not fair to him if he doesn’t know what he’s dealing with.”
“Did Clay ever tell you about some of the things that happened when we were younger?” Tabitha asked curiously. “Did he ever mention how he and Wyatt became friends?”
“He said they got into a fight.”
“Did he say why?”
Melody shrugged and gave her an embarrassed smiled. “He said Wyatt said something dumb.”
“He did.” Tabitha sighed. “He started that fight ’cause he saw me hugging Clay, and I swear to God, Melody, Clay and me weren’t ever anything more than friends.”
“You’re afraid he’ll do something dumb if he finds out?” Melody asked in concern.
Tabitha nodded and wiped at her cheeks. “Yes, I am.”
“He’s sheriff now. He would never break the law.”
“I wish we could tell Clay,” Tabitha whispered. “Because I think he would disagree with you. There’s a side of Wyatt that’s darker than people realize. He can cross the line with the right motivation. I’ve seen him do it.”
“Well, if you can’t talk to him, you can surely talk to me.” Melody was surprisingly understanding. “Hal called someone in to cover my shift. Clay ain’t expecting me home until nine. If Terry don’t mind, we can just sit here and talk until you’re feeling up to going back to Wyatt.”
“I can make dinner,” Terry offered from his spot leaning against the archway into the kitchen. “If y’all want?”