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Chapter Twenty-Two
Sophie
Waiting to get out of the shower after sitting in there until the hot water turned cold, the guilt slipped in. Miles. That one word turned me into the woman I never wanted to be. My loyalty was now in question. What would ever convince me to become something I hated most, a cheater? Tears welled up in my eyes, and I felt the salt taste in my mouth. Not only did I cheat on Miles, but I had yet to meet Cole’s wife and child whose stuff I found. He was clearly in the picture at the cabin and wore a gold wedding band. Wiping away my tears, I stood up, no longer sad but angry. Why had he not introduced us? He said his family was amazing, yet they put us in the same room together. How could any brother or mother support a cheater? Was she back home in North Carolina while he brought me here? The questions kept running through my mind as I finally decided to find out the truth. Turning off the water, I took the towel and wrapped it around me, without drying my body.
Opening the door to the bathroom Cole turned to face me, already dressed, as I walked into the bedroom. My eyes ice and my face on fire. I grabbed the first thing I could find, a plant. It soared through the air, and I watched his smile disappear as it hit him in the chest.
“What the…” before he could finish the sentence, I picked up my suitcase and threw it at him as hard as I could. He bolted out the door, trying to avoid my rage. Following him I walked through the kitchen, I turned to see him fleeing from the front door.
“Hey, I bought...” His mother stopped when she noticed my face and naked body wrapped only in a towel. Her face was alarmed at once, “Everything alright?” I marched past her picking up the pace. Walking down the porch steps, I grabbed a basket from his mom’s car’s trunk filled with grocery bags and started throwing apples at him.
“Sophie, stop” he yelled as he ducked behind cars. I held my pitching pose, waiting for him to pop up again like that in a duck hunter game. Instead, his hands lifted above, and he popped up, “Why are you even mad? Ouch!” An apple hit him on the shoulder. Running towards him now, we made two laps around the car. Cole yelled, “Sophie, just talk to me. You’re being irrational and crazy.”
I snapped, “crazy?” My eyes flared with rage. “I’ll show you fucking crazy.”
The apples in the bag hit the ground, and I turned to pick them up but was met by his brother Brody who handed me a basket full. “Let me know when you need backup,” he smiled trying to be extra nice as Asa stood laughing on the porch enjoying every bit of the situation. Then, getting ready to launch another one in his direction, I realized how big of a fool I made of myself. Preventing myself from doing any more damage, I handed the basket back to Brody “will you give me a ride?”
His head nodded and he put the basket of apples he was feeding me to throw at his brother down, heading towards the jeep. I jumped in the passenger side, and he started driving down the street. Cole was now standing no longer looking for cover with a confused look on his face as the dust circled him.
Brody didn’t ask. He just drove, and about a mile away, he pulled up into a large modern home. “I’ll take you anywhere you want, but I don’t do well with naked girls I’m not dating.”
Totally forgetting my attire, I nodded with respect. Approaching the house, it was full of windows, over two stories with a large parking garage. Awestruck at the view, I blurted, “Is this your house?”
“A struggling pro surfer salary couldn’t afford this place even if I wanted to. It’s our guest home.”
Walking up the stairs and into the large foyer, Stephanie and her friend walked in from the living room. She gave me a wide-eyed look. “Sophie, everything okay?”
“Yeah, she just needs to borrow some clothes if that’s okay.” Brody interrupted, saving the lines of questions that I knew would follow.
“What happened to my favorite black dress I let her borrow?”
Brody shot her a look and she smiled in my direction. “Sure, upstairs to the right is the master. You’re welcome to anything that fits.”
Her voice was more condescending than anything, but I ignored it and walked up the wide staircase. It led to a balcony that overlooked the living room where Brody was walking into with Stephanie. “What the hell?” she barked as he grabbed her and kissed her before she could ask anything more. The large windows in the back went from the floor to the ceiling.
Outback was the beach with large waves. Standing on the balcony, taking in the view, I remembered what I needed to do. Walking to the left, I opened the first door, confused with the directions. The room was an office, and as I closed the door, I noticed a large painting of Cole and a beautiful blonde with hands over her pregnant stomach. Pausing, my heart dropped and I walked in and closed the door. Why would he leave his wife here, and where was she now? I walked around to the backside of the desk, where I noticed a magazine cover with Cole on the front. The title was Surfur Magazine. Cole was standing next to a large board with his wet suit folded around his hips showing his fit abs. What? He was a pro surfer?
The desk was full of dust, and a box sat on top of it. Looking inside what I found was an obituary. ‘In loving memory of Maria Ree Shaw’
The same picture hanging in the office was on the front. Sadness filled my soul. Opening the pamphlet, I found a description. ‘April 7th, 2013, loving daughter, sister, wife, and mother.’ Snapping it close, tears filled my eyes, and my heart hurt. I could feel the pain in that room, and I felt horrible. Memories filled me as I thought about the cabin and parking garage at the airport, where I blamed him for being a cheater.
“I’m guessing he didn’t tell you.” Brody’s voice was soft but startled me before I saw him standing in the doorway. Wiping away the tears from my vision, I looked at him as he stepped into the room.
Nodding in disbelief, I sat in the chair, which was covered with a sheet. I felt a knot form in my throat as I noticed another photo facing me on the desk. Grabbing for it in pure fear, it was of Cole kneeling between two headstones. One much larger with his wife’s name and a small one with the name ‘Ella Lynn Shaw’.
Clutching onto it, I felt like the worst person in the world. Brody came over to my chair and bent down to hug me. “It’s not my story to tell, but I think it’s the one you want to hear.”
I reached up to return the hug when the door flew open. “What is going on?” Stephanie snarled, her face red as she threw her hands up. Not catching on to the situation, Brody stayed hugging me. That’s when I realized I was hugging her man, crying, behind closed doors in only a towel. Backing away, she stormed out, and Brody looked in my direction. “You and I need a drink.”
Tears still streaming down my cheeks, I smiled and nodded, agreeing.
“I’ll be right back.” He left, and I opened the box even more. Inside was nothing but unopened envelopes. Turning them over, it was all condolence letters addressed to Cole. Putting the picture and box back into place, I met Brody just as he walked in with a purple sundress and flip-flops. “If this doesn’t fit, we will stop by a store.”
He walked out, giving me privacy to change, which I did quickly, hearing Stephanie scream at him outside of the door. “You’re nothing but a cheat.”
Wow! Stephanie and I had something in common. Massive trust issues. Leaving the towel behind, I opened the door and walked right down the stairs and out to the Jeep. Brody followed, and we took off heading down the road. He turned on the music, and we jammed out with the wind taking over. He stopped the vehicle in front of a beach bar, and we walked into the emptiness.
Looking around for the bartender we both sat in silence for a moment. He piqued up pulling out his cheerfulness, “So what does a millionaire drink?”
