Take Me Home for Christmas (Whiskey Creek #5)(23)
Author: Brenda Novak

“Mrs. DeBussi, thank you for joining us,” Reverend Flores said, not bothering to address Eve. Ted wanted to believe it was because Eve was agnostic and didn’t worship here on Sundays, so Flores wasn’t familiar with her. But he guessed it had more to do with the fact that Flores wasn’t interested in anyone other than Sophia. “I’m Mrs. DeBussi to you now, Reverend?” Sophia smiled coldly. “Does that give you the distance you need in order to feel better about what you’re here to do?”

“I’m not doing anything wrong. I’m trying to right a wrong.”

“I wish you could right it for me, too,” she murmured.

When Eve recognized Ted, her eyes widened, but she was so distracted by the men who were streaming down the aisle toward them that she didn’t say anything. Sophia didn’t even glance at him. She stiffened as if she wanted to run but wouldn’t let herself. Instead, she moved purposefully toward them.

“I’ve left my daughter at a friend’s, doing her homework. I’d like to get through this as soon as possible so she doesn’t get to bed too late.”

“It won’t take long,” Mr. Groscost assured her. He was far more solicitous now that he was confronting the beautiful Sophia face to face, but Ted knew nothing would deter him from his purpose. “Have a seat.”

“I prefer to stand if you don’t mind.” No one else seemed interested in sitting, either. They were too keyed up.

“Fine.” Groscost cleared his throat. “We wanted to meet with you to see what you plan to do to make things right for the people you and your husband cheated.”

She didn’t claim that she hadn’t been involved, didn’t try to defend herself. She merely lifted her keys and, when he held out his hand, dropped them into his open palm. “These are for the house. The furnishings, my clothes—that’s all I have left. Take what you want. I ask only that you stay out of my daughter’s room.”

She’d given in so quickly that Groscost didn’t seem to know how to react. His eyebrows shot up as he turned to Flores, who blinked and stammered, “Why—why, thank you for making this easy, Mrs. DeBussi. But I think I speak for everyone when I say we’re most interested in your wedding ring.”

“If you can find it, you can have it,” she said. “Skip took it several weeks ago. He told me he was having it appraised for insurance purposes. He didn’t give it back, and it isn’t in the house.”

God, he took her wedding ring, too….

“I see.” Obviously deflated, Reverend Flores exchanged another look with Eric Groscost. He obviously didn’t know whether or not to proceed, but Groscost shored him up.

“You have many other lovely things that must be worth quite a bit.”

“As I said, Mr. Groscost, I have household furnishings and clothes.”

“That’s a start. I’m sure it’ll go a long way toward mollifying your friends here in Whiskey Creek.”

She gazed around at them. “I don’t have any friends in Whiskey Creek.”

“Maybe it’s because you don’t deserve them,” someone else snapped.

“Maybe I don’t,” she agreed. At least, that was what Ted thought she said. She’d spoken in such a low voice he could barely hear her.

Eve squeezed her arm as if to say that wasn’t true. Then the place erupted in chaos. Chief Stacy, the enforcer, hadn’t even arrived yet and already Sophia was opening her gorgeous home and allowing them to take whatever they wanted.

Excitement replaced anger. She wasn’t asking for proof that they’d ever been Skip’s investors. Neither was she requiring proof of the amount owed. She was simply opening her doors and letting them take their revenge.

This was crazy. Ted almost stood up and told everyone to go home and leave her be. She’d lost her husband. Worse, he’d died in the process of abandoning her. He couldn’t think of two more hurtful blows. To top it all off, Skip had left her broke when she’d had money her whole life and wasn’t exactly primed to make a living.

But just as he was about to speak up, she turned and saw him. She flinched when she realized who he was, as if his presence was like another stripe across her back. Then she nodded politely, resolutely, and walked past him.

Eve hesitated as though tempted to stop and say a few words to him, but he could tell she didn’t dare leave Sophia’s side. Although she tossed him a smile, he could see the tears in her eyes. She felt the same way he did about this, found it a cruelty she could hardly stand to witness. While she reacted with tears, he got angry.

That anger motivated him to drive over to Sophia’s house, where he was again tempted to intervene. But what was happening was none of his business. He had no responsibility for Sophia. He hadn’t even invested with Skip—so how could he tell these people how they should react? They felt hurt, betrayed, and maybe the loss had damaged some more than others.

Forcing himself to remain in his car, he watched his fellow townspeople carry away her belongings. Several left and returned with trucks so they could take the furniture. From what he could see, they were stripping the place, and she was doing nothing to stop them. She probably couldn’t stop them at this point; it had turned into a frenzy.

Where was she? Was she standing in her living room as all the people who’d admired her for so long grabbed as much as they could carry? He’d seen her go in with Eve, but neither of them had come back out.

Chief Stacy showed up after an hour. Ted saw him walk by and rolled down his window. “Hey, Chief,” he called. “You’re a little late to the party.”

Stacy frowned as though he regretted that and shook his head. “Got held up at a traffic stop. The driver had a bag of pot on him. You wouldn’t believe what some tourists bring through here.”

“Good thing you’re around to keep our streets safe.”

This was exactly what he wanted to hear. His chest swelled out and he clicked his tongue. “That’s my job.”

Ted wasn’t buying the false humility. He’d never particularly liked Stacy. He liked him even less after hearing about some of the things he’d done over the past few years—to Cheyenne’s husband, Dylan, Dylan’s brother, Aaron, and Callie’s husband, Levi.

But surely he wouldn’t want everyone ganging up on a woman, especially one who was already going through hell.

“So now that you’re here, you’ll put an end to this circus, right?”