Awoken

Chapter Six

      The unmistakable sound of a car door slamming shut alerted Zoe in the dining room. Lissa had gone upstairs to clean and, after politely refusing Zoe's help, the latter got to work on her laptop. There were plenty of documents to transcribe and submit to the doctor's office and several hospitals! None of them would care much if she was hiding away in the Catskills, thwarting the trail of a murderer or two, and falling in love at the same time. Hunter Lawson was a distraction and he was doing his absolute worst to keep her from her work. "He isn't here", Zoe reminded herself, "so you can't use him as an excuse." She knew it took little to make her procrastinate diving headlong into tedious data entry. "He doesn't need to be here to be on your mind", that quiet little voice said. That voice was fully correct. She might have tortured herself about this without once touching her laptop if that car door didn't shake her from it. Hunter and his uncle must have forgotten something and came back from Palenville. 

      She stood up to get the door and, remembering it wasn't her house, headed to the staircase to find Lissa. A loud knock on the door did the trick to startle everyone in the house. It wasn't a run-of-the-mill simple, friendly knock. This was a booming reminder that whoever was on the other side of that door didn't have the best intentions. Lissa was down the stairs quickly, smiling to Zoe as if trying to downplay the fear in her eyes. Zoe knew enough about dysfunctional relationships to know that look. Lissa was clearly afraid of who she saw in the upstairs window. With the way the wraparound porch was situated, the car must have been a distinct giveaway. Lissa looked quickly at Zoe and then opened the door halfway. She plastered on that welcoming smile that hid caution behind it.

    "Malcolm", she said softly, "we weren't expecting you. What brings you back home?"

    "I don't need a reason to visit", came a harsh, very male reply, "is our son home? I see his car out there."

    "I'm surprised you remember what it looks like", Lissa cleared her throat, "it's been ages since the two of you spent time together."

    "Well I should know what it looks like...I bought the thing", he responded gruffly.

    Lissa sighed, "If you come back later, Hunter should be home. They drove out to Palenville for a project."

    "He shouldn't be working with the wounds he has!", came the reply that even shook the screen door, "How stupid and careless are you? It figures that you only think of your family business and the trash life you support here. Meanwhile I am the one putting our son through college and YOU are the one hiding away. I will wait RIGHT here until he comes back! Is that clear?"

    Lissa backed up and stammered, "Y-yes....I mean you c-can..."

      It was there in Lissa's eyes that Zoe saw true fear. This man, her ex-husband and the father to Hunter, was clearly an asshole. More than that, he must have been very abusive too. Zoe didn't like seeing someone cringe over an abuser like that, relent in their own home when their wishes were being violated. A sudden anger bloomed inside of her as she moved towards Lissa. In one quick movement, she got between the two of them and faced Hunter's father. There he stood - the infamous Malcolm Lawson - with too much money and with the same eyes his son had. Everything else Hunter got from his mother's side, the looks and the charming personality, but with his father he got those piercing dark eyes that saw everything. Zoe had been the target of enough public scorn to remain unaffected by an icy glare. She straightened her shoulders and put on a bright smile, narrowing her eyes slightly.

    "I apologize, Mr. Lawson, but your son won't be home for a few hours. Lissa was kind enough to offer a brief tour of the town as I plan to make this my home", Zoe said without flinching, "Her car over there is small as Hunter took the truck with his uncle. I'm sure you wouldn't want to squeeze in that little backseat as we dish about salons and the best wineries?"