“You always leave before dessert,” she said, whining.
Peter laughed. “The only dessert I want to eat is you.”
“I love chocolate.”
Leaning forward, Peter nibbled on her neck. “I’ve got chocolate fudge cake in the fridge with your name on it.”
“We’ll leave before dessert,” she said moaning.
Happy that he’d won their bargain, Peter grabbed her hand and headed out into the night. Cape Falls might be changing, but he had the love of Rose to keep him happy. For ten years he’d felt trapped and like he was drowning and stuck. Rose had picked him up out of his misery and shown him what true happiness and love were all about.
His trips to the cemetery had ceased. Seating Rose into the car, Peter glanced back at his house. He imagined it full with the sound of laughter.
All in good time.
Smiling, he climbed into the driver’s side and headed toward the dinner. He was so looking forward to the dessert.
Epilogue
Edward was so angry, and he didn’t have the first clue how to make the anger stop. Over the last few weeks he’d gotten to know the young waitress, Isabel Benson. Not once had he anticipated what he’d found out about her. Staring down at her, he felt ready to murder someone. She hadn’t locked the door properly to the staff changing rooms, and he’d barged in to see her skirt around her waist with a blunt knife in her hand. What the fuck was she doing? Well, he knew what she was doing, but why?
“Please, don’t tell anyone,” she said.
Isabel was working the late shift at the diner. Closing his eyes, Edward felt sick to his stomach. Never in all his life had seen something so desperate. He couldn’t believe he’d not noticed the signs blaring at him.
“Why?” he asked, hurting for the young girl.
Tears filled her eyes as she looked at him.
“It helps to numb everything else. I can’t handle it anymore. Sophie is finishing high school in a few months, and she’s going to be good enough to get into a good college. I can’t afford it, and I’ve got to be the one to tell her. No one should have seen this. How did you get in?”
“You didn’t lock the door properly. What would have happened if someone else found you?” he asked, getting angrier with every passing second.
“I usually lock the door. I can’t believe I was so stupid.”
She rubbed at the section of her thighs that weren’t cut. Tears dropped from her eyes, and he couldn’t hate her. He wanted to hate her, but he couldn’t. He stared down at her thigh. Making a quick decision, he locked the door to the staff changing quarters. Grabbing a fresh cloth from the pile near the sink, he dampened it with cold water and came toward her.
Edward knew he should walk away from her. Isabel was dangerous if not handled carefully, but he was addicted to her. He came to the diner for a glimpse of her sweet smile and lush curves. She had too many issues. Not tiny issues but big issues that forced her to cut herself.
The problem was, she had no one. Everyone who was supposed to love her had walked out leaving her alone. He couldn’t be like them. He wouldn’t be like them. The only person she had was Sophie, her younger sister. Sophie could not deal with this. Edward didn’t know if he could deal with the kind of care Isabel needed, but he knew he’d care for her. There was no way he could leave her alone.
Kneeling in front of her, he noticed the discoloured white panties. They’d clearly been washed one too many times.
Pressing the damp cloth to the cut at the top of her upper thigh, Edward glared at her.
“You’ve never had anyone take care of you, have you?” he asked.
“I don’t need taking care of.” Her lips wobbled.
He lifted up the blunt knife he’d taken from her grip seconds before. “Do you call this taking fucking care of yourself?”
Shaking his head, Edward stared down at the other scabbed over cuts. How long had she been harming herself?
Cut and run, she doesn’t need you.
If this wasn’t a cry for help, Edward didn’t know what was.
“Please, don’t tell anyone,” she said. Her lips wobbled, and tears spilled out of her eyes.