Page 97 of Where You're Planted

“Fine,” Charlie said. “Let’s go.”

“Wait here,” she said to Charlie.

Jack followed her as she went to get Briar from the near garden. “I’m coming with you.”

“Jack,” she said on a frustrated sigh.

“If you think I’m leaving you and Briar alone with that guy—”

“ ‘That guy’ is a lot of things, but a threat to me or Briar isn’t one of them. And he’s right about the house. I should have told him. If our roles were reversed, and he—”

“I don’t give a damnwhathe thinks you owe him. I don’t like the way he was talking to you.”

She whirled on him, her eyes flaring angrily. “Too bad! You don’t get an opinion on this. Now, please. I told you I needed space. That hasn’t changed.”

Tansy turned and marched into the garden, pausing to soften her posture and her face, and said with remarkably believable cheer to Briar, “Show me these caterpillars, and then I have a surprise for you at home.”

29

Tansy

Charlie was standing in her house, and although it looked better than it had in months, nearly back to something resembling a real home, Tansy couldn’t calm the fluttery fear in her chest.I’m not threatening you, he’d said. But he’d implied that if her house wasn’t up to his standard, he wouldn’t allow them—allowBriar—to stay here.

It rattled her. Not only because itwasa threat, even if he wasn’t going to suddenly whisk Briar back to Dallas and fight Tansy for custody, but because she couldn’t hide from her choices. Looking back, no matter how fun an adventure she’d tried to make it seem when they’d moved back in, the househadn’tbeen good enough. She’d just been too proud and scared to admit it.

God, she’d allowed her daughter to live here for months without basic essentials. She’d justified it to herself at the time,but now, Tansy couldn’t imagine what had been more compelling than keeping Briar as safe and comfortable as possible.

And then there was Jack. She hated the way they’d left things in the greenhouse. She knew it killed him to not resolve things. It killed her, too. As complicated as everything had gotten, she’d come to appreciate his steady presence these last weeks, his care and comfort. She hadn’t realized what was happening—she hadn’t just grown towanthim but toneedhim. And yet, he was part of the problem.

And then when he stepped in with Charlie, it was like he’d heard absolutelynothingshe’d said about not wanting him to rescue her. There he’d gone, in his typical bullish way, barging in to take control.

“You did the walls yourself?” Charlie asked, turning in a slow circle in the living room.

“Some friends helped. And Briar.”

“And the kitchen?”

Tansy wasn’t sure if he was noticing the new cabinets or the glaring lack of appliances. She hugged herself. “I’m still working on it.”

“You really had to replace everything, huh?” Charlie asked, and there was something heavy in his tone, like he was just now understanding that a hurricane had come through her house. “You should have—”

“Where’s my surprise?” Briar interrupted. “What is it?”

“It’s your room. We don’t have to share anymore,” Tansy said, glancing up at Charlie. He gestured for her to lead the way, forcing a smile, his eyes a little shell-shocked.

Briar’s bedroom looked too modest to Tansy, now that she’d built it up as a surprise, but Briar ran in and threw herself on the bedding set Tansy had found, naming all thedragons from her favorite book series on it with escalating excitement.

“I’ll get a real dresser soon. And a ceiling light.”

Charlie hovered in the doorway, watching their daughter. He spoke quietly, just for Tansy, without shifting his gaze to her. “I’m sorry if I came in too hot earlier. I was picturing…I don’t know, exposed electrical or something.”

“I hired professionals for the major stuff. Before money got tight.”

“I asked if you needed money.” He finally looked at her. His expression was more pained than accusing.

“I know.”

“I could have paid for whatever you needed. Months ago. It wasn’t an empty offer.”