As I stared at her car sitting in the driveway, my hands gripped the steering wheel just a little harder.

Great. Just what I needed. I already feel like I’m getting the flu. Now, I have to look at her f**king face.

One of the reasons I came over was because Josh’s birthday was coming up, and his mother wanted to plan a party for him. It was still awkward for both Josh and me. I was trying to give him the room and space he’d asked for, and he was trying his best to take things slow even though I could tell he wanted to be with me as much as I was dying to be with him.

I started walking up the steps when I heard the door open and close. I saw Elizabeth with a pissed-off look on her face. She came down the steps like she was mad as hell.

“Follow me, baby girl,” she said, storming past me.

I heard the door open again, and I looked back to see Josh standing there.

“Hey! I’m so glad you stopped by,” he said as he flashed that damn smile at me.

Ugh...that dimple. I just wanted to run into his arms. I smiled, but then it quickly faded when I saw Victoria walking up behind him.

“Hey, Smeather,” she said with a laugh.

She’d taken to the habit of calling me Smeather even though I’d asked her fifty times to please call me Heather. I had no idea why in the hell she called me that.

Just then, I felt Elizabeth grab my arm and pull me along with her.

“Mom, wait! Please, Mom, let’s talk about this,” Josh called out.

I looked behind me to see Victoria waving at me before she turned and went back into the house.

Yep, I hate her.

“Elizabeth, what the hell is going on? You seem so pissed?”

“Oh my god, I’m gonna punch that girl square in the face.” She came to a stop and spun around.

“What happened?”

“She just shows up when she pleases. Day or night, she just comes to the house whenever she feels like it,” Elizabeth said, her hands flying all over the place.

Oh god. I feel sick to my stomach. I had gone back to Fredericksburg since Christmas break was over, and school started back up again, so I wasn’t around as much as I wanted to be. During the break, I had stayed at the cottage on Ari’s parents’ property, so I could be at the hospital as much as possible.

“Oh,” was all I could get out.

“I’m ready to run over her with my car,” Elizabeth said with the most serious face I’d ever seen.

I couldn’t help it, but I let out a laugh. “Is that why you’re so mad?” I asked.

“No. I knew you were on your way over, and I told Josh. I said it would probably be best if the bitch, um…Victoria left before you got here.”

I waited for her to continue. “Okay,” I said, trying to prompt her into going on.

She took a deep breath. “Josh, stupid ass son of mine, doesn’t see what this girl is up to, but I do. She’s after my son, and she doesn’t seem to care who she pushes out of the way to get to him. I’ve never in my life met a girl like this. I’m ready to slap a restraining order on her ass.”

I took another deep breath as I started to feel sick again. I put my hand to my head. I wonder if I’m getting a fever ’cause I feel like shit!

“Are you not feeling well, baby girl?” Elizabeth pushed my hand out of the way and started feeling all over my face and forehead with the back of her hand.

“I think I’m getting the flu. I just feel so bad.” I leaned against the fence.

“Huh,” Elizabeth said, looking me up and down.

“So, what happened that made you storm out of the house like that?”

Elizabeth was staring at me, but then she shook her head as if she were clearing her thoughts. “Josh told me he wasn’t going to be rude because Victoria had taken such good care of him while he was in the hospital. He thinks she’s just being nice by coming over to check up on him. He said she was just a friend, and everything would be fine. Well, I told him he was a stupid ass. Then, she came walking into the kitchen, and I asked her to leave.”

“Wait. What? You just busted out and asked her to leave?”

I want to be like Elizabeth when I grow up!

“I did. I told her I had invited you over to talk about plans for Josh’s birthday party and that I thought her visit should be coming to an end. That little bitch got all excited and begged Josh to let her stay and help with the party plans. He said…he said…” Elizabeth turned and threw her hands in the air.

“He said what?” I practically shouted.

“He said she could stay and help…that you wouldn’t mind. I just stared and told my own son that he was an idiot, and then I stormed out. That was when I saw you.”

I rolled my eyes because I could so see Victoria doing just that. For some reason, she had gotten her hooks into Josh, and it scared the shit out of me, especially with me not being around as much as I wanted to.

I started pacing as my mind started spinning. I had to do something. With me being gone all the time, she was getting closer and closer to Josh. I’d brought it up the other night on the phone, and he’d sworn to me that he didn’t have feelings for her like he did for me. Even though I believed him, that whole conversation with Victoria in the restroom kept coming up in my mind. I could still hear her bragging about giving Josh bl*w j*bs and how much he liked it.

Oh god. I’m gonna be sick.

I snapped my head up at Elizabeth. She grabbed my arm and began leading me toward the back of the barn. I barely made it before I started throwing up.

Elizabeth pulled back my hair and held it up for me while I just threw up over and over again.

Damn it! The stomach flu again!

When she started rubbing my back, I almost cried because my mother would do the same thing when I got sick.

After my stomach finally settled down, I stood back up.

“Come on, baby girl. Let’s go in the house and get you some water. You need to sit down.” Elizabeth began heading back toward the house.

“I’m going to take a leave of absence,” I blurted out.

“What?”

“I’m going to take a leave of absence from my job,” I said, standing up taller.

What the f**k am I saying? I love my job…but I love Josh more.

“Heather, why? You love your job!”

“I love Josh more. I need to be here more since this bitch is moving in on my man. I won’t let her take him from me, Elizabeth. I will not let her take him from me. I’ll just tell the school I’m having personal issues that I need to take care of. With Amanda staying at my house for a while, I won’t have to worry about things in Fredericksburg. I can talk to Ari’s parents about staying at the cottage.” I started to walk toward the house.

“No,” Elizabeth said.

I stopped and turned to look at her. She had a smile as wide as the Grand Canyon on her face. “I think you should stay here…with us. We have three extra bedrooms and all.”

“Um…I guess I could stay here,” I said as she skipped up and hooked her arm in mine.

She threw her head back and laughed. “Oh my god! Please let me be the one to break the news to Victoria!”

I giggled at the thought of seeing Victoria’s face when she found out I would be moving into the same house as Josh. I peeked over at Elizabeth. She was now humming a song as we made our way back to the house.

She looked over at me as her smile grew. “Oh, this day has turned out to be one of the best days of my life!” she said with a wink.

I laughed, shaking my head. “Why?”

When she glanced back at the house, Josh was talking with Victoria at her car. It looked like she was leaving.

“Oh, you’ll find out soon enough, baby girl. Soon enough.”

As we got closer to the car, I heard Josh telling Victoria about us all going to Luckenbach dance hall next weekend.

No! Shit! No, no, no, don’t tell her!

“Oh, I love that dance hall! Who’s all going?” she asked as she glanced over at Elizabeth and me moving toward the stairs.

“Normal gang, I guess!” Josh said, laughing. “I’ve only met Ari and Ellie twice now, but they’ll be there with Jeff and Gunner. I think Brad’s wife will be there, too.” Josh turned and looked at me. “Right, Heather? The whole gang?” He smiled.

“Yep,” I said with a weak smile.

Please say no. Please say no.

“Oh, I’d love to see Jeff and Gunner again. Yeah, count me in. I’d love to meet their wives,” she said with a shit-eating grin on her face.

I changed my mind. Ari will kick your ass so fast you won’t know what the hell hit you.

Just then, Elizabeth leaned in closer. “You must be making evil plans ’cause that smile on your face is speaking volumes!”

I glanced at her and giggled. “This could actually be fun.”

“Josh, you might have to take a drive out to Fredericksburg with Heather to help her bring some stuff to the house.” Elizabeth dropped her arm from mine and started to head up the stairs to the house.

Josh looked at me and then glanced over at his mother. “Okay…for the party?” he asked, confused.

Elizabeth turned around and gave a smile like I’d never seen before. “Oh no…Heather is taking a leave of absence from work. She’ll be staying with us for a bit until you’re fully recovered. You know how I hate leaving you home alone while I’m at work,” she said with a wink. She turned and walked into the house.

I slowly peeked over toward Josh and Victoria. Victoria’s mouth was hanging open, and she was just staring at the door Elizabeth had just walked through. Then, she shot a look at me. I reached down inside and pulled out my inner Ari and Ellie. I gave her the biggest go-to-hell-bitch smile I could muster. Then, I glanced over at Josh. He was completely focused on me.

“Hell yeah!” Josh walked up to me and hugged me.

As he held me in his arms, I picked up my hand and gave Victoria a wave of my own.

“I need to leave, Josh.” She pulled open her car door and got in. She didn’t even give him time to turn and say good-bye before she was speeding off down the driveway.

“I think my mom pissed her off earlier when she asked her to leave,” Josh said with a shrug of his shoulder.

I just looked at him. Yep. Stupid ass, he was indeed.

Chapter Fourteen

I smiled as I pulled up to Ari’s parents’ house. The past week had been so f**king great. Heather had moved into the house the same day my mother announced it, and everything had been perfect. Since Victoria hadn’t called, texted, or stopped by the house, I could focus all my attention on Heather.

I parked my truck and thought about last night. Heather had packed up some sandwiches and fruit, and we had taken a walk down to the main pasture. God, it felt so good to be alone with her. We’d talked, we’d laughed, and we’d even played I Spy. I’d never felt so alive in my life.

When I asked her why in the world she would take a leave of absence from her job, she had pulled away from me and tried to change the subject. I knew she was trying so hard not to push her feelings on to me, but I’d kept asking her to tell me why. When she told me it was because she missed being near me and because she loved me, it had taken every ounce of energy I had to not pull her into my arms and make love to her.