I didn’t like that he had guessed it. “Yeah. I’m meeting lots of friends there.” I paused. “And my boyfriend.” I had to force the last word from my mouth. There were no friends on the other end of this trip and certainly no boyfriend, but he didn’t need to know I was suddenly single .
He reached for the in-flight magazine and flipped through the pages. “Well, have a good time. It’s a trip you’ll never forget.” He stopped on an article and his attention shifted away from me .
I didn’t know what I expected from this trip. I’d never taken a vacation by myself. I never wanted to. But I wasn’t going to let Branch and his wishy-washy, keep-his-options-open plan stop me from having this vacation. I deserved it. I had earned it. I had let Branch take the reins for way too long .
Two
Cole
S ometimes I wished I could burn this hellhole down. The whole thing. I pictured it going up in flames. There’d be nothing left but piles of smoldering ash. The frame and some charred pink tiles would be the only recognizable parts of this piece of shit. I could finally fucking walk. I could turn my back on it .
But that’s not the kind of man I was .
I grabbed a cold beer and twisted off the cap. I slammed the office door behind me, walking past the pool that was still battling a green tint .
I chugged the beer .
I walked up the steps to the boardwalk. There was enough wind to make me forget how hot I had been all day .
“Daddy!”
I turned just in time to see Grayson running toward me. His chubby hands outstretched .
“Hey.” I reached down, scooping him up in a hug. “What are you doing here, little man ?”
He pointed at a seagull overhead. “Bird .”
“Yeah. That’s a seagull.” I looked around. And then I saw her walking toward us. “Amber.” I tried to hide the bitterness in my voice in front of Grayson .
“Grayson wanted to say hi before we head out of town.” She smiled .
“Out of town?” I placed him on the ground so he could chase the birds on the beach .
“It’s my week with him,” she snapped .
“I know it’s your week, but where are you going ?”
I hated this shit. I hated how we argued. I hated that I shared custody of my two-year old son with my ex. I hated that she was unreliable and changed her mind every other damn second .
She shrugged. “It’s getting hot. I thought we might go somewhere we could avoid the sun .”
“This is Texas. That doesn’t exist .”
I watched Grayson face plant on the sand. He hopped up and kept going .
Amber rolled her eyes, brushing her auburn bangs to the side. “I’ll text you. Ok ?”
I shook my head. “I don’t like not knowing where you’re going to be .”
“I said I’ll let you know. I didn’t even have to bring Grayson by. You could try saying thank you .”
I gritted my teeth. I wasn’t taking her bait. I wasn’t going to get pulled in. She did this every time. She wanted me to fight and it wasn’t happening .
“Fine. I’m glad I could see him .”
She planted her hands on her hips. “I’ll drop him off next week, unless you’re too busy here.” She eyed the motel .
“No. I’m never too busy for him. Never.” I stared at her .