Now Raina felt her heart skip with happiness as she made pancakes and bacon for breakfast. They needed to get some groceries this morning, her one day off, and she didn’t want to waste any more time on the humdrum chore than was absolutely necessary. Today was a precious day with her boy and she wanted to make the most of it. Coaxing JJ out of his Spider-Man pajamas and into clothing suitable for the outdoors took a bit of doing but a promise to buy a new movie to add to his growing collection seemed to give him the impetus he needed.
She was in the process of buckling him into his car seat when she caught a dark movement from the corner of her eye. Raina quickly straightened up from what she was doing to see who it was who’d come up beside her. The second she did, her happy bubble burst.
Jeb.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded. “You promised you’d stay away.”
“Where’s my money, Raina?”
Raina quickly shoved the car door closed in an attempt to prevent JJ from hearing anything more from the man who’d done no more for him than provide a few strands of DNA.
“I don’t owe you anything, Jeb Pickering. Now, please, get off my property and leave me alone.”
“The boy’s looking good. Growing fast. Does he ever ask about his daddy?”
“No, he doesn’t,” she responded flatly. God help her when JJ started asking those kinds of questions. How did you explain to your child that his father was no more than a lying no-good drifter plagued by gambling debts?
“I think it’s time we met then.”
“Are you threatening me?” Raina asked, her hands now clenched in tight fists of impotent rage.
Jeb had signed all the papers relinquishing his rights to any form of visitation with JJ two years ago but she should have known he’d renege on their agreement. His eyes narrowed speculatively as he looked at her car and then toward the house.
“You’re doing pretty well these days, girl. I’ve been out to that store of yours, too. Seems to me you could afford to help out the father of your only child, don’t it?”
“You helped yourself plenty in the past. I’m done giving you money, Jeb.”
Jeb’s arm snaked out and his hand closed tight around Raina’s wrist. She tugged against his grip, trying to free herself, but his fingers closed in a painful vice.
“Stop it. Let me go. You’re hurting me,” she said, pitching her voice low so there was no chance JJ could hear her. She didn’t want to alarm him and from over Jeb’s shoulder she could see his eyes were fixed on his mommy and the strange man talking to her.
“I need that money, honey.” He gave her a crooked grin. “I’m in a bit of trouble. I need to get away. Maybe for good.”
Did he mean it? She didn’t dare believe him. If she showed one sign of weakness, just one, he’d exploit it. He turned back to the car and waved with his free hand toward JJ, who weakly waved back. Through the car window she could see JJ was getting upset and his muffled “Mommy?” tore at her heart.
“For good?” she pressed.
“Maybe.”
“Maybe’s not good enough for me, Jeb,” Raina insisted, yanking her arm free. Her wrist throbbed with pain but she wouldn’t look to see what damage he’d wrought. He’d done enough to her already without adding a few bruises to the list. “I don’t want to ever see you again.”
“Then give me my money.”
His money? She stifled the urge to shove her hands hard at his chest and push him away. Give him a taste of his own medicine for a change. When had he ever had any money by honest means? She certainly couldn’t remember.
“I’m mortgaged to my eyeballs with the house and I have rent to meet on my business. Pretty much everything else I have is tied up in inventory now. I don’t have a lot to spare, Jeb.”
“Whatever you can give me, then. And it had better be soon.”
There was an urgency to his voice. An underlying thread of something he wasn’t telling her, not to mention a significant threat in his tone.
“Jeb, what have you gotten yourself into now?” she sighed.
“Look, I owe a guy some cash is all. I want to clear my debts and make a fresh start.”
How many times had she heard him say that? So many that she’d stopped believing him a long time ago. And look at him now. He was jittery and unkempt. Even at his worst he’d never looked this bad before. Was it really just owing money or had he gotten involved in something worse? Whatever it was, she needed to get him away from JJ as quickly as she could.