Chapter Eight
Little Grove might have changed in appearance since Isabella had left ten years ago, but it still felt as small town as it ever had. The homes looked a little less shabby, but the people living in it still thought and acted the same. As she sat down on the front porch steps next to her sister, she could see the occasional car drive by. Most people still pretended not to notice the two girls, but some dared an awkward wave or even a greeting as they passed. Aside from the cars, there wasn't much to see. The next house was behind a row of trees, so it almost felt like they had their own little world. If it weren't for the road, they could almost convince themselves they were alone on the planet.
"I can't believe it's already been a week," Isabella murmured, enjoying the last rays of sunshine of the day as it warmed up her face. The sky was slowly turning red and it left her feeling unexpectedly peaceful.
"Yeah, me neither," her sister nodded, taking a slow and steady breath as she leaned back. For some reason she couldn't comprehend, she'd been feeling nauseous all day. She hoped the fresh air would do her good, and it seemed to settle her stomach a little. She looked at her sister, who was leaning against a beam with her eyes closed. Underneath all the baggy clothes, it was still easy to recognise the confident girl she'd known all those years ago. Tatum had no idea why her sister dressed the way she did, she couldn't remember Isabella ever feeling anything but proud of the way she looked. It felt like she was hiding, but the redhead couldn't figure out from what. "Have you ever thought about puttin' some highlights in your hair?" she asked, tugging on a strand of Isabella's long hair.
The brunette slowly opened her eyes and looked at her hair. "No, not really," she mumbled, not adding that she didn't see the point. She didn't want to attract more attention to herself, not when most of the men who gave her attention turned out to be no good. Especially not now she had David, who could be quite jealous even when it was clear that she didn't want any of the attention men gave her. Somehow, he'd always find a way to blame her.
"I think it'd look good on you," Tatum told her. "You know, maybe even wear somethin' that didn't cover every inch of you?" she added, not believing her sister was sitting there comfortably in her long sleeves when it was still incredibly hot outside.
Isabella was about to react when a familiar rumble of an old Ford stopped her and made her jump up. She knew he was there before the car even appeared from behind the trees. She put her best smile on her face and watched David park the car on the driveway. She rushed to him and pulled him in a hug before he'd even properly gotten out of the vehicle.
"Whoa, hey, let me stand up first," he said with a chuckle, laughing when she quickly let go and backed up. He hadn't expected her to be this excited to see him, but when he looked over her shoulder and saw another woman sat on the front porch he understood. Whoever that was, Isabella hoped he wouldn't get mad at her with someone else around. Truth was, he'd been pretty pissed off when he came home and found out she'd left without him. A few days on his own had gotten him thinking though. Her letter had said she'd inherited a house and a bar, and he'd realised maybe she could get some good money for either one of those things. He could use some good money. So instead of showing her how angry he'd really been, he cupped her face and kissed her. He could feel her tremble in his arms and it made him smile, at least their time apart hadn't made her forget who was in charge.
Tatum looked at the PDA with a smile on her face. She couldn't understand why her sister hadn't told her about the handsome man that so clearly cared for her. It didn't look complicated to her at all. David had the looks of a Hollywood star, he was tall, a little skinny, with short brown hair and bright blue eyes with crinkles around them, and a smile that would have any woman swooning.
"Man, you weren't exaggerating when you said you grew up in a small town," he told the brown-eyed girl in his arms, giving her a smile to let her know they were okay. She smiled back and stood on her tiptoes to give him another peck on the lips. "Took me five wrong turns to get here, you do realise this place isn't even on the map," he added, chuckling when she merely nodded. David had grown up in the big city and lived in the same city his entire life. The only time he saw small towns like this was when he was on a road trip with his buddies and they passed through it to another big city. He couldn't imagine why anyone would want to live so secluded.
"The people of Little Grove like it that way," she told him eventually as she led him to the front door. "David, this is Tatum, my sister. Tatum, this is David, my boyfriend," she introduced them, praying to the stars the redhead wouldn't say something to infuriate him as she saw her getting up from her spot on the steps.
"It's nice to meet you," Tatum said, shaking his hand with a smile on her face.
"Nice to meet you, too. I bet this one's told you all about us, huh?" he asked, wrapping his arm around Isabella's shoulder with a little more force than was necessary without it looking so to the redhead. The brunette knew to keep a blank expression on her face as she hoped Tatum wouldn't repeat the words she'd said this afternoon.
"Only good things," the redhead grinned, and Isabella had to pretend she was yawning when she almost sighed from relief.