Peccant

CHAPTER 4

         Jon never claimed to be in love with Bridget. He was just a great friend who cared very much for her. He would do what any friend would do for her. He hated seeing her in pain when she talked about James. He wasn’t aware of Billy since she never spoke much about him. He knew she had children with Billy, but Jon never seen him as a threat to her as he did James. He would eventually find out Billy can be just as destructive. Jon and Bridget went back to her house in Kentucky. She needed to do her research and plan on buying a house in Pleasantville that would be a comfortable place for her kids. She saved money throughout the ten years in order to buy a modest home. Pulling out her laptop, she scrolled through the array of homes scattered throughout Pleasantville. Finally, she found the one that was perfect. It looked similar to her house she had shared with James. The house itself sat about 200 feet from the road, but the surrounding property was mostly beautiful green scenery with no neighbors. There was a woods that sat off to the left behind the house spanning 15 acres. There was a nice large pond that was 20 yards from the back door of the house. The house totaled 40 acres of meadow and woods.  The photos were gorgeous. She hadn’t seen the home in person yet, but she knew this was it. It was in her price range and it was in between James’ house and Billy’s cabin. Bridget called the realtor to make her appointment to see the house. It was close to the end of February when she made it down to Pleasantville to see her soon to be new house. When she seen it from the road pulling into the driveway she was excited. She stared at the house from the outside, she noticed it had steps that led up to a covered porch. She walked slowly into the house to see there was a large living room off to the right with a fireplace that sat in a little nook in the back by a wall that separated the living room from the kitchen. She turned left after walking in the front door to see there were stairs that led up to a second floor and a dining room off to the left of the bottom of the stairs. She ran up the stairs to look at the beautiful bedrooms laid out. It was a 3 bedroom home. Unlike James’ house, there was only one set of stairs. She came back down from the second floor walking around then living room and then she walked into the kitchen. She looked out the back door and smiled. Looking at the pond in the distance was one of the most beautiful sights she had seen in a long time. She turned to the realtor and said, “I will take it.” This was going to be a new beginning for her. She knew she couldn’t hide anymore from James. She headed to James’ house to catch him before he went to the office for the day. She had to warn him about her returning to town. All four of the kids were at school that day. But, when Bridget pulled into the driveway she seen James wasn’t alone. Taking a deep breath she jumped out of her car and rang the doorbell. When the door opened she seen Samantha clad in a silk bathrobe opened in the front to reveal silky shorts and a silk tank top. “Yes, what do you want?” Samantha asked looking Bridget up and down. “Hi, is James here and can I speak to him?” Bridget asked kindly. Sam continued to stare at her before stepping back and opening the screen door to let Bridget walk in. “He’s taking a shower. I will let him know you are here,” Sam said walking up the stairs. Bridget stood in the doorway looking down at her own body. Beginning to feel insecure compared to Sam, she slowly closed her jacket. Just then James came walking down the stairs staring intently at her. “I didn’t think I would be seeing you again,” He said with a surprised expression. “Yeah, I know. I first wanted to say sorry about the Valentine’s Day dance. I shouldn’t have went to it in the first place. You know me I do silly things without thinking,” Bridget said with a small smile. James just looked at her seriously and barely nodded his head. “This is a little awkward,” Bridget said as she walked off into the living room looking around. She hadn’t been in this house for ten years and she looked around at the walls. Seeing photos of the kids everywhere, she also noticed the photos of their wedding were missing.