This morning, when she was out running some errands with her aunt, I’d come to the house to do some packing. She hadn’t been back here since.
“You mentioned that the idea of moving the Hummels was stressing you out. So I snuck in here earlier and wrapped them—each one has tons of bubble wrap. They’re safely in that box in the corner.”
She walked over and knelt down to inspect them. “That was incredibly thoughtful of you.”
“I figured it was one less thing you’d have to worry about.”
“It really is. That project was daunting.” Heather stood up and came over to me, her eyes filled with emotion. “I wouldn’t have gotten through any of this without you.”
I reached out to touch her cheek. “Happy to help.”
She briefly closed her eyes. “Will you stay and have dinner? Maybe we can watch a movie? I just want to unwind tonight, eat some bad food and have a drink.”
We both knew it was dangerous to be completely alone, so I’d been spending more time here; Alice’s presence ensured we wouldn’t slip.
“Yeah, that sounds good. I’m getting pretty hungry. You want to make something together or order out?”
“I bought stuff to make enchiladas the other day. I have a rotisserie chicken we can use for the meat.”
My stomach growled. I’d been ravenous lately, eating more to compensate for my other hunger, which wasn’t being satisfied.
“That sounds good,” I said. “Let’s do it.”
I placed my cellphone and keys on the kitchen counter. “Be right back. I need to take a leak.”
I returned from the bathroom to a noticeable change in energy.
When I looked over at Heather’s face, all the color had drained from it.
“Are you okay?”
She didn’t answer me. Instead, looking like she was about to hyperventilate, she leaned against the counter.
She handed me my phone. “You got a text.”
I looked down. It wasn’t just any text, but a photo of a woman’s bare breasts, along with a message.
It was from Lindsey, the woman I’d been with before leaving Pennsylvania. This was the first time she’d contacted me since.
Oh fuck.Lindsey: I miss you. Thought I’d send you this reminder. Wouldn’t want you to forget me. Hope you’re enjoying your vacation. I would love to see you when you get back.My heart sank and words vomited out of my mouth. “I’m sorry you had to see that. She’s not anyone important. This is—”
“She seems to think she’s important enough that you’d be interested in a photo of her tits.”
How could I explain this? It didn’t look good no matter how you cut it.
I took a breath in. “Okay, remember when I told you there was someone last May, who I thought I had an understanding with?”
She folded her arms. “Yeah.”
“This is her. I haven’t spoken to her since I left. I don’t know what possessed her to send this photo to me tonight, but I sure as hell have no interest in it.”
“I take it you didn’t exactly end things?”
“There was nothing to end.”
Heather’s face had gone from white to red. “That’s right. She’s just your fuck toy. She’s clearly expecting to take up where you guys left off when you get back.”
God, this sucked. The future of our relationship may not have been clear, but as long as I was here, I needed to respect Heather. This was nothing but disrespectful, and the worst possible timing. She was already under an enormous amount of stress. We were both exhausted. But there was no good time for her to see something like that.
Suddenly, she covered her face. At first I thought she was crying, but then she shook her head and did a total one-eighty. “God, what’s wrong with me? I’m sorry. I can’t blame you for this. Hell, I’m not even sure I have any right to be mad.”
I looked at her a moment, trying to keep up. “You have every right to be mad. I would’ve lost my shit if the roles were reversed.” I swiped my finger along the text and deleted it. “It’s gone—where it belongs.”
“I’m sorry for overreacting.”
I took a breath in. “The guy she thinks she sent this text to? He doesn’t exist anymore. That man was empty. I’ll never be the same after this summer. I’m grateful for that.”
Before she had a chance to respond, her phone rang.
I watched as she picked it up and spoke to someone I assumed was Debbie, the realtor.
“They did?” She looked at me and smiled.
She got the house. I gave her a thumbs up.
“That sounds great. Okay…thank you for letting me know.”
She hung up and beamed. “They took the offer.”
“Fuck, yeah!”
When she hugged me, I lifted her and spun her around.
“I heard the phone ring.”
Katy’s voice startled us, and I put Heather down.
“Was that the realtor?” she asked.
Heather ran to her aunt and embraced her. “Yes! We’ve got a house.”