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“You gave us quite a scare, son.”
I bit my lower lip in frustration about what I’d done. “I can just imagine,” I admitted. “How bad was it?”
“Bad enough that you had to be dropped off here.”
“I lost it, Mom,” I confessed, my eyes welling quickly. She held my hand. “And I’m not sure why?”
“He’s here, son,” she whispered, looking toward the bedroom door.
“Who?” I asked, following her eyes to the same door. “Who’s here? Cole?”
“Clint,” she confirmed, looking back toward the door. I’m not sure if she thought I might revert to a crazed madman at her news, but she seemed surprised when I didn’t react negatively. “Clint’s here. In the guest house.”
“I heard you, Mom.”
It’s a strangely disconcerting feeling when you think you’ve destroyed people’s image of you as a loving and kind person after an event like I’d just participated in. Participated in? Try again, Chad. You were the headline performer.
“He hasn’t come out since yesterday afternoon,” she said. “I left a sandwich and pasta salad outside the door to the guest house,” she added. “He brought it inside, I noticed.”
“That’s nice.” I lifted my cell to check the screen. Nothing. “Have you heard from Cole?” I asked. She stood, avoiding eye contact, and made her way to the window where she lifted the blinds. She remained there, staring out the window. “Mom?”
“Cole brought you home, honey,” she said, not turning around. “Stayed for quite a while.”
I held my phone to her as she turned around, crossing her arms like she was protecting herself. “He hasn’t called or texted,” I said. “That’s not like Cole.”
Mom cleared her throat. “Well, honey,” she began. “Your father and I were… well… we were talking about what happened.” She stopped talking while I studied her face.
“And?” I asked? “What were you and Dad talking about exactly, Mom? Discussing what happened with my outburst, or what?”
“Not just that, honey,” she said, returning to the chair by the bed. She settled in before returning her gaze to me. “Why didn’t you tell Cole why you and Clint ended your relationship? Or at least how Clint ended it?”
“I said enough about it,” I defended.
“Did you?”
I diverted my eyes toward the window. “What would telling Cole every detail help with? I’d just look like another jilted person who says crappy stuff about their exes,” I explained. “That’s not me, Mom. You know that.”
“And I agree with your concerns, Chad, but then you go and let out such pain at the betrayal, and in such a public way as well. Even Dad and I are surprised, but I sense Cole may think you still carry some very strong feelings for Clint.”
“Well, he’d be accurate, because I do have some very strong feelings regarding Clint,” I admitted. “But I can explain to Cole why I reacted poorly. He’ll understand after he knows the real reason.”
“Do you know what the real reason is, son?” she asked. “Because, unfortunately, your father and I already told Cole what actually happened. But your reaction to seeing Clint should be a concern, even for Cole.”
I glared at her. “And why would you do that?”
“Because he asked. Because your father is angry at Clint and needed to dump his anger somewhere. None of that is an excuse, but Dad thought you’d finally come out of your funk this summer. I’m only going to guess that he wasn’t ready to see that you hadn’t.”
I didn’t want to know what happened after her and Dad revealed the truth, but I also didn’t like hiding from bad news either. “How did Cole seem? After?”
“Cole is a quiet man, Chad. I’m sure you know that,” she stated, fussing with her necklace. “Your father and I don’t know a lot about the man. We tend to go off our trust of you and your good judgment of folks, but I get the impression that he understands the pain of a breakup.”
“He does,” I agreed. “And he says he’s completely over his ex.”
“Does he think that you’re over yours?” she asked. “Over the same ex that showed up here after months of no contact, and currently sits a hundred feet away from where you and I are right now?”
“Of course I’m over Clint,” I defended. “He bailed on me, Mom. With a note, I might add.”
“Then explain to me what yesterday was about, son. Can you do that?”
