Page 33 of Love At Peace

“You want company looking at some of those houses tomorrow?” he asked, almost eager to change the subject.

I rubbed my face then shrugged. “If you’re not busy.”

“I’ll be there.”

“Thanks, man. For everything.”

He left, but the next morning, he was back, just like he said he would be. I didn’t need him to come with me as I looked at some houses in Burton and just outside of it. House hunting didn’t have to be a group effort, but I mentioned it to him earlier in the week, thinking that if he came with me, it would preoccupy me and distract me from thinking about how I planned to have Heather with me for this.

That night that she’d let me stay in her cabin, after mine flooded, we’d joked about what we would want to look at in the houses I’d picked out to consider. It felt so natural, so right to discuss me taking the next big step of staying in Burton forever. She was the listening ear and sounding board I wanted when I previewed pictures of the places.

But as she proved last night, she wanted nothing to do with me.

The first three houses were dumps, so that dragged my mood down. Then talking with Gavin about Nevaeh, David, and Eric worsened it ever more.

Marty, as far as we could tell, was on the case. He was busy and following whatever leads he could. I bet he’d talked to Nevaeh again. And Jerry. David, too, if he knew where he was.

“I wonder if he’s going to talk to Heather,” I said at the next house that wasn’t as rundown and needy of a total flip as the previous ones.

“I’m sure he will,” Gavin said. “I hope it’s not too hard on her to talk about her past with David.”

It will be. I knew that without a doubt. Heather wasn’t dramatic or acting defensive for the hell of it. Something had to have traumatized her to the point she stayed this quiet.

“She’s never told you anything?” he asked carefully.

“No. And not for the lack of my trying. I’ve asked her. I was patient. I planned to wait and wait to get her trust where she’d open up to me, and she never did. Never will.”

“Eh, come on. Never say never.”

I shot him a wry look. “She called it. Not me. We are done. We never even started, but we’re done regardless.”

“How?” He ran his hand through his hair. “I saw how you looked at her. How she tried not to smile at you. I mean... I just don’t get it.”

I shrugged. I made her cry.

“Tell me. I’ve got experience with this, man. I’m married. Every couple fights but it’s not always the end of the world.”

“What are you doing? Trying to get a head start on being a relationship therapist because all your daughters are gonna need it.”

He chuckled.

But I bit. I sighed and knew I’d feel better to talk to him. After I told him about the big fight with Heather, filling in more details that I hadn’t told him before, I waited for his verdict.

“Well, it’s simple.”

I grunted a laugh as we got into his truck to go to another house. Heather had seemed really critical of this one, and again, I wished she was doing this with me.

“You need to apologize, for one thing. For what you said.”

I looked out the window.

“You don’t call a woman naïve or weak. Especially not a woman who’s probably escaped a domestic violence situation. That takes guts. She was brave to leave David, and she’s probably right to be reacting to his presence in Burton like this.”

Nodding, I lowered my head. “I...I know.”

“So that’s the first step. You tell her that you’re sorry.”

“If she’d even hear me out.”