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“You’re welcome.” I choose not to give her too much shit. It’s been a hard morning; she’s had enough for one day. When he wouldn’t leave her house and threatened her, she called me, and I had to come put the fear of God in him with my pistol, taking the butt of it and rearranging his nose. That seemed to do the trick. I think being back here, hating the idea of it, and combining it with my pent-up sexual frustration made me snap in a way. I fight daily to contain it. Poor schmuck—not really—was at the receiving end. Should have learned how to listen better.
“Anyway, how long are you here for?”
“Until the job is done.”
“Hmm.”
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing, just seems random that you are here for a job. What kind of tech job would bring you to Cherry Hill?”
I take a second to respond. “Sis, what’s really going on? Since when do you care about my job?”
She lets out an exasperated sigh. “Fine. Listen, Mom and Dad have been fighting a lot. Mom is constantly calling me to cry, and I’ve just felt… lonely since you left.”
Straight punch to the chest. “Why didn’t you call and tell me this, B?”
“I don’t know. It’s like you left to get away from all of us. I didn’t want to bother you.”
Damn it. Did my leaving really create such a gap, an absence in her life? I didn’t leave because of her. I left, because I outgrew Cherry Hill. This small town is just that—small—filled with rumor mills, lack of opportunities, and a dating pool of barely any fish. I wanted to get out, see the world, chase my dream job, and I couldn’t do that here.
“I didn’t leave because I wanted away from you. That was never the reason. Okay?” I soften my approach, pulling onto the dirt drive of my small two-bedroom vacation home I bought last year. I had intended on coming around more, so buying a place for me to stay when I visited seem logical. Shutting down my truck, I wait on her response.
“I’m sorry. Today has just been shit. I really liked him, and he turned out to be another douche like all the men I’ve dated before him. There aren’t that many fish in this little sea anymore. I’m probably going to die alone, with cats. Cats that will feed on me, because I’ll have no one to come check in on me.” I laugh.
“Whoa, cut the dramatics. You are not going to die alone and be feasted on by cats.” I open the door and step out of my truck. “You could come to New York. You would love it there.”
“No. No way. I don’t fit in, in a big city.”
That has me nearly stopping in my tracks. “Brenda. Come on. Your personality is too big for this Podunk town. The city is just the right place for you to be yourself.”
“You’re just saying that because I put the disturbing image of me being eaten by cats in your head. I don’t need the pity.”
“I’m serious.” Opening my front door and dropping my keys onto the table in the entryway, I make my way toward my home office.
“Yeah, okay. Anyway, don’t tell Mom I told you about their fighting.”
“I won’t,” I lie. I don’t know why she hasn’t called me to tell me they’re having problems.
That’s not like them. My parents have always been the town’s star couple. High school sweethearts and all that shit.
“I will see you at family dinner on Sunday. Love you,” she says.
“Love you too. See ya then.” Ending the call, I finally get my ass in gear and work.
Opening my email, I click on the assignment information. It’s easy, just like I told my client back in New York. I will be done in no time, back up north within a month.
While I work out my plans to complete the job so I can ensure I’m not here too long, I can’t help but think about my parents and what I plan to do about them. I can’t just ignore what Brenda told me. Something tells me she knows that, and though she asked me not to say anything, a part of her wants me to.
Maybe after dinner, I’ll take each of my parents aside and find out just what in the hell is happening between the two of them. How much did I miss while I’ve been away, and what the hell else is this month going to bring?
CHAPTER FOUR
THEO
Standing in front of my bathroom vanity a few days later, I peer up at my reflection under hooded lids, my brown eyes darkening. Today was a shit day, so bad it consumed me, and I felt like every little damn thing could set me off. I felt rage boiling over into each activity, work email, job task, and more. I know why it’s this way; there’s no reason a normal person would feel this way, but I’m not normal.
