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“Somethingwas wrong with him. He’s unraveling.”
“Great,” he said sarcastically. “Just what I want to hear after learning about a stash of women’s underwear hidden in a freaking wall.”
“Hopefully, Bastian will lay off the booze and get some sleep.”
He thought about telling her that Ashleigh had tried calling, but there was a notification that she’d left a message, and he decided to listen to that first. “I hope so,” he said. “I’d better get in the shower.”
As soon as she said goodbye, he navigated to his messages and braced for the sound of Ashleigh’s voice. Part of him didn’t want to hear from her ever again; he especially didn’t want to let anything set him back right now. But curiosity prevailed.
“Hi, Jack. I just... I haven’t heard from you in a while and wanted to see how you’re doing. I heard you’d left town, but no one will say where you are or how long you’ll be gone. About the car, my dad said he’d give me some money to help while Jess and I get on our feet, which is so nice of him. My mother and siblings won’t even talk to me. Neither will some of your family, by the way. I ran into a few of your brothers at the gas station. When I tapped on the window to say hi to William and Oliver while Hank was paying the cashier, they—” Her voice broke. “Never mind,” she said quickly and hung up.
Jack didn’t realize he had tears streaming down his cheeks until one dripped off his chin.I shouldn’t have listened to that, he thought.
He sat there, staring at the wall, his heart aching with the loss of someone who’d been everything to him. But a new emotion had stepped out of the shadows—pity for whatshewas feeling. She wouldn’t have left him if she were happy, he realized. She had the right to love and be loved as deeply as almost everyone craved.
He lifted his phone to type his father a text.
Please tell everyone that the best way to help me is to be kind to Ashleigh. I can’t add any other emotion to what I’m feeling right now, if that makes sense.
He wiped the tears from his cheeks as he waited for a response. It was still early in Utah, but Buzz got up early, and after checking his watch, Jack knew his father, who lived a life of routine, would be having his usual breakfast of hot oatmeal and raisins with toast, prepared and served by his mother. That meant he’d have his phone with him and would be reading the news.
It does make sense. Forgiving her is the best thing you could do—for both of you. And we need to forgive her, too.
Jack sent a thumbs-up emoji. His dad didn’t like a lot of emotion. Jack had often lamented that he was more like his mother and unable to control or mute what he felt.
Clementine snuck under his arm and batted a paw at his phone. She didn’t like the loss of his attention. He set it aside to lift her in his arms and rub his chin on her soft fur. But when she wiggled to get loose and jumped down again, he sent a text to Ashleigh.
Thanks for making the car payment. The transition is going to be rough on both of us, but I hope you’ll be happy. Honestly. I’m sorry about William and Oliver. My family won’t mistreat you again.
Somehow just writing that brought back the lump in his throat, but he managed a nostalgic smile as he set his phone aside so he could get ready to go out for breakfast. He would get through this, and no matter how hard it turned out to be, he’d do it without destroying the person he’d cared about so deeply since they were both in their teens.
After all, what was love if not that?
29
Bastian woke up hours later. He’d slept. Thank God! It had been in Bo’s recliner, which was ironic enough to make him chuckle, but he’d finally been able to give his mind and body a rest.
His stomach felt sour. He hadn’t been eating enough and the alcohol had left him dehydrated and shaky. But at least his thoughts were clear. He’d been afraid he was losing his mind, was terrified he’d wind up in an institution, where Remy had long said he belonged. The memories of Lyssa had triggered some sort of mental relapse...
Getting up, he stretched before checking the time. It was six thirty in the evening. Damn. He’d slept for nearly twelve hours. No wonder he was hungry...
Maybe he’d see what was in the cupboards. As far as he was concerned, Bo owed him a meal. The healthy food Ismay had left at the cottage didn’t tempt him. Surely, Bo had some good ol’ processed staples.
He sifted through the cupboards and refrigerator and ultimately took out some hamburger and buns from the freezer to have alongside a baked potato with sour cream.
He got it all started, then wandered around the house, trying to satisfy his curiosity about Bo. Who was he? What made him tick? Why was he content to live alone and stay year-round on the island when it could get so damn lonely?
The bathroom held the usual toiletries. Bastian shaved with Bo’s razor, used an extra toothbrush, and put on his cologne. Then he went through Bo’s drawers and medicine cabinet.
No condoms anywhere. That was interesting.
No drugs. Not even a little pot. No medicines, either. That was interesting, too.
The rest of what he found was pretty standard—and boring. Bo wore boxer briefs. He didn’t have a lot of clothes, but he’d taken some with him, and what was left was folded neatly in his drawers.
Had he been in the military?
Possibly. His Spartan existence kind of suggested it. Bastian was tempted to dump out his clothes and leave them in a mess on the floor, but that was a little too flagrant.
