The Bachelor's Sweetheart by Jean C. Gordon

Author:Jean C. Gordon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-07-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Josh couldn’t avoid Tessa forever. Nor did he really want to. But he was making a good show of it. Exhibiting far more cowardice than he’d felt during all his military service, he’d called Tessa at her grandmother’s house number last night, Friday night, when he knew she’d be at the theater. He’d left a message with Mrs. Hamilton to tell Tessa he wouldn’t be at the soccer game. Much to Hope’s disappointment, he’d let himself be talked into working today. His sister had been quick to text him that they’d won anyway without him.

He pulled his truck into the parsonage driveway to pick up Connor for another Al-Anon meeting tonight. This one was men only. He’d told Connor coming with him was payback for all the times he’d protected him from Dad when he was a kid, but knew his baby brother would have come just for the asking. Josh honked the horn when Connor didn’t come right out. He didn’t want to risk running into their father, who was staying there, and being reminded that Dad and Tessa had been together at the AA meeting. Over the past two days, somehow her being friendly with his father had started bothering him more than the fact she’d been an alcoholic. She didn’t fit the picture he had of a drunk, recovering or not. He’d never seen her take a drink, let alone drunk. More likely, she’d drunk too much in college like lots of people he knew and had blown that out of proportion.

“You in a hurry?” Connor asked as he climbed in the cab.

“Not so much as I didn’t want to see Dad.”

Josh could tell by his brother’s expression that he was biting his tongue. But they’d discussed Dad as much as he wanted to when he’d stopped in Connor’s office at the church after work yesterday.

“How are you doing?”

“Better since we talked yesterday. I read the Bible verses you suggested. But like I said, I thought Al-Anon would give me some control.”

“You didn’t cause it. You can’t cure it. You can’t control it.”

“Smart aleck. So why am I going back?”

“I wasn’t being flippant. You have feelings for Tessa and, no matter how much you deny it, for Dad, and they’ve both brought chaos into your life.”

“That’s the understatement of the year. I’m thinking more and more that it’s time for me to take my life out of the chaos.”

“Bingo. That’s what Al-Anon is for. Reclaiming your life.”

Josh slowed the truck for the turn into the mental health clinic in Ticonderoga. No chance of seeing Tessa or his father here. Tessa was working, and he’d checked to make sure there was no concurrent AA meeting. But that didn’t stop him from scanning the lot for his father’s truck. He should have done that Thursday.

“I was thinking more along the lines of taking my life elsewhere,” he said, ignoring the pang he felt. He was so messed up he didn’t know if it was about leaving the Paradox Lake area or about subjecting himself to another meeting.

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