Love at The Bluebird

“Good luck!” she calls after me. I briskly make my way out of the apartment and run to the elevators. As soon as the doors close after me to take me downstairs to the garage, I call Shane.

“You have some nerve calling me, asshole,” he growls into the phone, answering my question if he’s heard from Aly or not.

“Shane, I didn’t sleep with that psychopath! She broke into my house while I was showering. Aly just happened to show up after she did and assumed the worst, which Tori led her to believe.” I go straight to the point, not wanting to waste any more time on the discussion of Tori. “I plan on filing a police report and getting a restraining order against her after I find Aly.”

“Are you kidding me with this? Actually, this does sound very much like something Tori would do. Ugh, why am I believing this nonsense?” Shane says with an exasperated sigh. “Seriously, this stuff is even too crazy for Jerry Springer!”

“Where’s Aly, Shane?” I try not to sound too demanding while I start my car and drive out of the garage, but I’d rather have a clear idea of where I’m going than drive around without a clue.

“I don’t know if I want to tell you. She told me the whole story, and yes, she should’ve told you and me about Kathleen’s proposition when it happened, but you should’ve never believed Aly would use you for her career.” I let him chastise me without interruption, because he’s right, and I need to hear it come from someone other than Sosie.

“You’re right, Shane, and I do believe she would never do that. I handled it poorly, and because I needed time to think, the situation has now gotten worse.”

“It sure has! Do you know she quit her job for you? Because I’m still having a hard time dealing with that.”

“What?” I practically run off the road from the shock of the news. I pull over into an office parking lot to try to calm my racing heart.

Aly quit BLM?

“That’s right, you big Texas jerk! She thought quitting her job would prove her loyalty to you. If you would’ve believed in her when she first told you, none of this shit would’ve happened!”

Even though he’s yelling at me, I’m not listening to a word he’s saying as my heart breaks at what I’ve caused her to do.

“Shane!” I yell back, interrupting his next tirade against me. “Tell me where she fucking is! I need to make this right.”

Silence is his response back to me as he contemplates whether to tell me or not.

“You better not make me regret this,” he warns before telling me. “She’s at Radnor Lake. It’s her favorite place to go to decompress from stress.”

I smile at how funny fate works, because Radnor Lake is one of my favorite places to go hiking in Nashville, and Aly doesn’t even know that about me yet.

“She always parks by the visitor center. Her favorite bench is off of Lake Trail.”

“Thanks for believing me, Shane. It means a lot to me,” I tell him sincerely. From what I know of Shane, he’s extremely loyal. I have no doubt it was hard for him to tell me where she is.

“Don’t make me track you down and kill you,” he warns, his tone making me chuckle.

“I promise you I won’t.” I tell him goodbye and drive straight to Radnor Lake, determined to win my baby back.

Chapter Eighteen

ALY

I SIT ON my favorite bench with my eyes closed, concentrating on my breathing while I listen to the sounds of the glorious nature around me. I count to six as I breathe deeply in and then slowly exhale out, letting my whole body flow with that breath for eight seconds. I open my eyes and take in the most breathtaking view of Radnor Lake.

Not many people know about my love for this park and how I have a special spot here. I’ve been coming here since I was sixteen, this being the only place I can find refuge in when life turns sad, stressful, or ugly. This bench has absorbed many of my tears, and I deem it my own little sanctuary. Time seems to stand still here, and although I know I haven’t been here long, it feels like hours. I shut off my phone after I told Shane what happened and knew I needed peace and quiet. Being here, breathing in the fresh air, and being surrounded by nature helps clear my mind so I can reflect rationally on what transpired today.

After the initial shock of it all wore off, I was able to replay the entire scene back in my head. I technically don’t know if Gavin really cheated on me with Tori, since I didn’t physically see him. Just because he was taking a shower doesn’t mean anything happened between them. Gavin doesn’t seem to be the kind of man who goes chasing skirts every time he and his significant other have a fight. Especially getting back together with the person he claims he despises.