Chapter Thirty Three

“Leese, I needed that pork chop for table four like, twenty minutes ago,” Dan barked from the doorway of the kitchen, and Elise stuck her tongue out at him.

It had been nearly two weeks, and Elise and Dan’s relationship had already devolved into name-calling, tongue sticking out and the occasional middle finger – all in jest, of course.

Elise had taken a day to get acquainted with the kitchen at the Eagle River Inn, then another day to tweak her menu and get some food supplies in, and then the restaurant had opened back up for business to rave reviews. The locals were grateful to have a place to have a nice sit down dinner again, and Elise was grateful to have a job, a way to fill the hours of the day, and, perhaps most importantly, a place to live and work.

It wasn’t Timberline, but it would do.

At least until she figured out her next move.

Dan and Rachel were the nicest possible people – both of them had sort of adopted Elise, keeping an eye on her and making sure she didn’t fall too far into what Rachel had dubbed “one of her funks”. Sometimes they got her laughing so hard she cried, and sometimes, she just cried to them.

It had taken the better part of a week before Elise had come clean to the two of them about Timberline, about Tucker, about her decision to leave. The three of them were having a late night bonfire, and the beers they were drinking had loosened Elise’s lips, but after she unloaded her tale of woe, she had to admit she felt better.

It still hurt her heart to think of Betsy, of Tucker, of Timberline, but she was getting stronger, and having a job to go to every day made it easier – not to mention that the commute was a breeze.

And she really liked the job – the challenge of running a kitchen, getting plates served at the same time, and seeing the faces of happy eaters was awfully rewarding.

She missed teaching, yes, but this was at least something new that was still taking advantage of her wide range of skills.

“Yeah, yeah, you’ll get it when I’m good and ready to give it you,” Elise shot back, and Dan backed his way into the dining room again, his arms loaded with the salads she had just plated for one of his tables.

Three hours later, the dinner rush was over and Elise was tidying up her work area and stowing items for tomorrow in the fridge. Rachel and Dan both came in and hung up their waiter aprons with weary smiles, and the three of them agreed to clean up and then meet up on the beach for a beer and a bonfire. There was a group of college friends staying at the motel for the weekend, Dan explained, and he had promised them a bonfire as a bonus, so the three of them would be in charge of rustling up enough firewood to keep it going for a few hours.

Elise took a quick shower back in her room and threw on jeans and a light sweater before joining them outside, quickly hauling several armfuls of lumber to the accumulated pile Dan was about the set aflame right on the sand.

Rachel cracked open a bottle of beer and handed it to Elise with a grateful smile, and the two of them clinked bottlenecks without words, then took a deep drink. Dan joined them a few minutes later as the fire began to burn in earnest and a group of men stumbled down from the Inn, already in high (and alcoholic, Elise suspected) spirits.

Elise backed away slightly, fading into the shadows, still sipping her beer and watching the revelry of the accumulated group. She was sometimes envious of the relationships people formed in college – relationships that continued throughout their lives, through thick and thin.

But thinking of that made her think of Tucker and Sophia who met in college, so she shut off that line of thought within a few seconds, instead going back to focusing on the clear night sky, the crackle of the wood fire, and the shouts of joy from the men circling the fire gleefully.

She sank onto a nearby picnic table, happy to just sit and observe, but within about ten minutes, found herself growing more and more weary. She walked over to Rachel and Dan and explained that she was going to call it a night.

“Sure, we got this,” Dan said, gesturing to the fire. “Go to bed – we’ll see you in the morning.”

“I don’t think I’ll be far behind you,” Rachel said. “I’m wiped out myself. But yeah, take off. We’re good here. See you in the morning.”

“Absolutely,” Elise promised. “Good night, you two. Sleep well.”

She shuffled back up the sand towards her room and squawked in surprise when a male voice called her name in the darkness. She whirled around, trying to find the source, but saw no one. She took another step forward cautiously before being stopped in her track by the voice speaking again.

“Elise Blake, away from Timberline and the protection of your sugar daddy,” a nasty voice hissed in the darkness. “Looks like you’ve found another man to control and take advantage of.”

“Who?” She asked, scanning the darkness. “Dan? We’re just friends, and I’m not taking advantage. Who’s there? Show yourself, coward,” she said, her voice sounding braver than the quivering in her belly and her fight-or-flight instinct fully engaged.

She wished she could take back the words when a man appeared in front of her, pushing her roughly against the glass of her sliding door to her room.

She jolted from the pain radiating up her back where the handle had caught her, but before she could recover, a body pinned her, a wet, nasty mouth on hers, and two meaty hands grabbing her ass.

By god, it was déjà vu, she thought numbly.

Different wall, different night, but same man, same frisson of fear.

Billy.

The man Tucker had saved her from and banished from his life was right here in front of her, and this time, there was no Tucker to rush in and save her.

She had to save herself.

She pushed at him roughly, and Billy stumbled back, laughing, a maniacal, menacing laugh even as he kept his eyes locked on hers.

“Ain’t so tough without Tucker, are ya? Did you guys ever get around to fuckin’? ‘Cause you sure were makin’ goo goo eyes at him the entire time everyone was visiting over the Fourth. Fuckin’ pathetic,” he added, stumbling towards her again.

She darted out of his grasp, clutching her room key tightly in her hand, wishing it were a true key she could stab him with, instead of a plastic card with no protective properties at all.

“Billy, go back to the bonfire and leave me alone,” Elise said, her voice barely quavering despite her fear at seeing her would-be assailant again. “Let’s just pretend this didn’t happen, okay? Go back to the party.”

“No,” he said simply. “Not okay. I didn’t get a taste of that sweet ass on the Fourth, so I’m gettin’ it now with no one else to swoop in and save your pathetic ass.”

Elise felt her anger rise, her blood start to boil, and she realized something in a flash – she didn’t need anyone to save her.

She had only to save herself.

“Tough,” Elise said, sidestepping his groping fingers again. “I’m not your plaything, and if you don’t turn around and go back to your friends, I’m going to call the police and have you charged with assault, battery and attempted rape. Do you hear me?”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Billy slurred confidently. “You’re just a pathetic little mouse of a girl, clumsy and stupid and pitiful Probably a tight little virgin, untouched by a real man…”

“Oh, if you only knew,” Elise shot back hotly. “You only prey on the weak ones, don’t you? Well, guess what? I’m not weak, I’m not yours to toy with, and I’m calling the cops. Right now.”

“C’mon,” he wheedled, trying one more time to grab for her. Without conscious thought, Elise swung her left leg up and kicked him where she knew it would provide maximum pain.

“I’m no weakling, I’m not your prey, I’m not a victim, I can stand on my own without a rescuer, and I’m not stupid,” Elise said, her voice booming out in the darkness with confidence and pent up rage. “And I’m not the one about to be arrested.”

She flew into her room then and dialed 911 even as Billy remained doubled over on the porch, groaning in extreme pain and cursing her name over and over and over again.

Never had a kick been so immensely satisfying, Elise thought, as she went about requesting police assistance.

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