Sorry for the delay. I had family visiting yesterday. Thanks for reading!
Chapter Twenty Eight
He had no idea how she did it. Carol seemed to be completely resigned to the fact that they had lost it all. He had told her over and over that Veronica wasn't going to get away with taking the house or the land. He hadn't just been saying it to make her feel better either. He had told her that all along because he had felt it in his bones that they would win.
"Stop brooding and hand me that bowl," she said, pointing to a mixing bowl next to his elbow.
He handed her the bowl. "I ain't broodin'."
Her lips came up in a smile. "What I told Veronica today, about us moving out of state, I've been thinking about that and..." She looked up, her blue eyes wide. "Do you think you would want to do that? Leave Georgia?"
He frowned and leaned against the counter. He hadn't ever really thought about leaving here before. He had never been one of those guys that daydreamed about going away and seeing foreign lands. He'd put a lot of thought into leaving his father's house, maybe getting a place with Merle or maybe even strike out on his own. But those small fantasies of freedom had always revolved around Georgia.
"Daryl?"
He looked over at her and finally shrugged. "Might be nice to get away. I never really thought about it before."
She continued working, not meeting his eyes anymore. "So, you would be okay with living that far away from your brother?"
He felt a stab of anger, quickly followed by the heavy sense of betrayal that the thought of Merle evoked in him. "The only person I need to worry about is you and the only person you need to worry about is me. Merle can go catch the clap for all I care."
Carol stalled in her mixing and started chewing her lip, her eyes on the window in front of her rather than meeting his. "He called while you were outside. He asked if it would be okay to come over and talk and I told him-"
"Damn it, Carol!" He snapped, running a hand through his hair.
She slammed the bowl down and turned to face him, hands on her hips. "He messed up, okay? I know that just as well as you do but he's your brother and you love him and I can't stand to think that the two of you are at odds because of me. I want you to talk to him. Please!"
He shook his head. "We're at odds because he's a selfish piece of shit! It ain't got nothin' to do with you. It's all him. He hates the fact that he ain't the only person in my life anymore. He wants you out of the picture because he wants a fuckin' sidekick. I ain't got a damn thing to say to him. Not right now, anyway," he added when he saw her ready to argue.
"Then I'll talk to him," she said briskly as she turned back to her cooking.
He sighed, watching her for a few long moments. Her back was ramrod straight, her shoulders tense and he knew that she was a lot more upset than she was letting on. Maybe she believed that they would be okay but that didn't mean that losing all of this was almost like losing the very last hold she had on a grandmother that she had loved. He moved behind her, his hand going to her waist and felt her stiffen even more.
Before he could say anything she shoved the bowl away and turned, her arms winding around his middle as she buried her face into the crook of his neck. There wasn't anything he could say to make her feel any better so he just stood there until she finally let the tears come. She had put up a good front but she hadn't fooled him. He had known this was coming all day so he had been able to prepare for it.
"I'm fine," she muttered a few minutes later.
"I know," he said, keeping his arms around her.
"Don't be upset that your brother is coming, okay? I just want to smooth things over. He'll have no choice but to come to terms with the fact that he's stuck with me for the rest of his life. There isn't a damn thing he can do to change it."
"I'll be good," he grumbled unhappily.
She finally leaned back and a small smile graced her face. "Thank you."
He shrugged. "You're right. He's my brother so I gotta make amends eventually anyway."
She shook her head. "I don't just mean about that. For everything you've put up with and for everything you've done for me and for us. No one has ever been as good to me as you have."
He felt that dreaded flush creeping up his neck and she laughed before her lips met his. When she pulled away she wiped her cheeks dry and turned back to her task.
~H~
Merle scratched his head idly and watched as Milton, red faced, finally finished up with the small task Merle had asked him to do. It was dumb luck that Merle had met the guy at all and even dumber luck that the guy had been willing, though reluctantly, to help Merle out.
"Is that it?" he asked, sure there was more to it than that.
Milton nodded, still blushing like a school girl. "That's it. I just need to know, this is strictly for personal use, right? You aren't doing anything illegal with it, are you?" Milton wouldn't look Merle in the eye and he wanted to laugh at the bashful little bastard but he didn't.
"Nah, this is just for me," he lied. "Unless you wanna borrow-"
"No, for Heaven's sake!" Milton shook his head, unwilling to let Merle finish the sentence.
"Well, thanks for your help, Milton. It's much appreciated," Merle said as he slapped the man on the back and then guided him towards the door. He watched as the man hurried down the steps that led to the exit door and the sidewalk beyond.
With a deep sigh he gathered up the few things he needed and left his apartment. He had a few more stops before his final destination and his great reveal.
~H~
Carol opened the door while Daryl carried the rest of the food to the back yard. Dowler smiled and handed over a bottle of wine that Carol took with an easy grin. Her and Daryl had spent the afternoon talking about their plans and even though she was still sad, Veronica hadn't been able to take everything from her. She still had Daryl and she had an incredible future in front of her and she wouldn't let her losses tear her down.
"I know it isn't a celebratory day but I wanted to bring the wine," Dowler said as he followed her through the house.
She led him out the back door and offered him a smile. "It's a beautiful day, we're alive and healthy, so it is a celebratory day," she said firmly.
He sighed. "So much like your grandmother." He glanced around as they walked down the brick lined path towards the patio where she had decided to have dinner. They were surrounded by small trees, a low stone wall and more flowers than she had ever seen in any one place. She had vowed to spend the next month enjoying this space in particular as much as she could.
Carol sat the wine down onto the glass table top. "That's one of the highest compliments anyone could give me," she said as she gestured towards a chair for him.
He sat down and once Daryl came back out the three of them fixed their plates and chatted like this was a regular old day and everything was right with the world. No one mentioned Veronica or where they were going to go in a month.
~H~
Veronica didn't bother putting her clothes back on. Her husband had left hours ago, catching a flight to Anaheim California where they were in the first week of the grand opening of another Hotel. The man loved to work, that was for sure, and Veronica loved him being away.
She strode across the room, smiling to herself because she could feel Trevor's eyes trailing her. She had met him here at his own room right after court today and the two of them had spent the last few hours celebrating.
"Are you sure you want me to come with you?" Trevor asked from the bed.
She glanced over her shoulder and frowned when she realized that he wasn't paying attention to her at all but was studying his phone. She didn't bother taking her time dressing after that. The kid wasn't a bad lay exactly but he wasn't like what she had gotten used too with Merle Dixon. The thought made her sick but at the same time she could almost feel his rough hands on her body. She remembered that Trevor had asked her a question.
"Of course I do. Not that you deserve it. You were suppose to sleep with Carol. You didn't only fail at that small task but then you get robbed. If it wasn't for the fact that I know how bad this will bother them, I'd force you to stay here."
"You can't force me to do anything," he grumbled, sounding as childish as he usually did.
She rolled her eyes. "I own you and you know it. I need to see the look on her and Daryl's face when I bring you along."
"How did that happen, anyway?" He asked.
She turned, hands on her hips. He was still focused on his phone, lying in the middle of the bed completely nude. Now that he was flaccid and she'd had her fill for the moment the sight of him was annoying. "How did what happen?"
He shrugged and finally glanced at her. "How could you and a girl like Carol have came from the same gene pool?"
Veronica smiled, thinking he was complimenting her but then she saw the barely concealed disgust on his face as he regarded her. It was the same look that Merle Dixon would give her after she would sleep with him and it made her blood boil. She didn't say anything but she walked back to the bed and smiled down at him. She snatched the phone from his hands and then sat it on the nightstand. Before he could make a grab for it she clutched the heavy bedside lamp and slammed it into the phones delicate screen, smashing it.
"What the hell!" Trevor cried.
She gripped his face, her nails nearly breaking the flesh of his jaw. "Don't you ever look down your nose at me you little shit," she spate. She liked talking down to him like this. She couldn't really get away with talking to some of her men like this but Trevor wasn't exactly a man.
He slapped her hand away and stood up, grabbing his underwear. He knew better than to say a word to her. He enjoyed what she had to offer him, in bed and out. The car he enjoyed driving belonged to her and she was currently financing a posh apartment for him in Atlanta. He would keep his mouth shut or he'd go back to being nothing but a trust fund brat. And she had enough dirt on him that she'd make sure his family disowned him by the time she was finished.
He knew this, of course.
She went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her and then couldn't help herself. She smiled and winked at her reflection. Even Trevor's tiny tantrum and the fact that she had spent the morning before heading off to court with that balding doughy middle aged husband writhing between her legs, she had gotten what she wanted.
She had taken away the only thing Carol had ever cherished and it only solidified the fact that Veronica was a step ahead of the rest. She was better, smarter, more beautiful, more cunning and she would always win.
Always.
