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Chapter 37
Cash
Thephoneneverrangand a text never appeared. It’s eleven p.m. on Friday, and I have to acknowledge that she isn’t going to call. Frank appeared two hours ago and tried to get me to go to the club or even out for a late dinner, but I refused all his offers. So now we both sit staring at the television, me still in my suit pants but my tie off and the top shirt button undone, and Frank watching me like a hawk.
“You can go home now,” I grumble. “I promise I won’t do anything stupid.”
“And what stupid thing would I be worried about you doing? I mean I was the one who tried to get you to go out.” He smirks at me as if he has any idea what I consider stupid. I want him to leave so I can finally text her. I need to know why the hell she hasn’t reached out. I need to know if she’s done.
Standing, I look toward the door. “Right. Well, I’m tired so I definitely don’t want to go out.”
Frank sees right through me. “Exactly. And you’re a fucking liar because what you want to do is go to Grace, and you can’t do that. She asked for time, Cash, and you have to give it to her.”
I don’t even bother fighting this point. I know it’s true and yet all I want to do is beg him to drive me over there. I want to camp outside her door until she lets me back into her life.
Frank’s phone dings and he pulls it out of his pocket. He hisses when he looks at whatever he’s been sent, and my hackles go up. “What is it? Is it Chase?”
Frank shakes his head. It’s quick and deliberate but he doesn’tsayanything.
“It’s Grace, isn’t it?” I know in my gut it’s about her. It’s about her moving on.
He just stares at me, grinding his teeth and seemingly trying to buy time.
I feel the control seeping from my body. “You have three seconds to tell me whatever the fuck you saw before I storm out of here and go straight to her apartment.”
Frank rolls his neck and hands me the phone. I stare down at it and close my eyes before I take in the image before me. Hayden on his knees in a restaurant in front of Grace. It isn’t an article.Yet.Just someone following Grace per Frank’s instruction I’m guessing. I certainly didn’t tell him to do it, although he did tell me not to take my eyes off her. I guess he fulfilled that promise.
“Fuck,” I whisper. “Fuck!” It comes out as a scream the second time, and before I throw the phone, Frank grabs it from my hand.
“He didn’t see a ring and there was no kiss, Cash. But I thought you should know. He’s definitelyinthe picture.”
“You think I don’t know that? She’s been dating him for months. Of course, he’s in the picture!” I snap, just the thought of Grace in bed with Hayden making my stomach roll.
Frank blows out a breath. “What are you going to do?”
My shoulders slump and I sink into the couch as my head falls into my hands which rest on my knees.
“What can I do?” I ask through my fingers, barely meeting his eyes. “She hasn’t called. She chose to spend tonight with him…I think I lost her, Frank. I think this is it.”
I fall back against the couch, finding it impossible to believe that this is real. We were so close to having it all. So close to happiness.
I let out a frustrated growl and rub my forehead. “You can go. I swear I’m not leaving this place. I just need to shower and go to bed. I…” At a complete loss, I stop and stare at my best friend. “God, Frank, I think it’s over.”
The worst part is how he doesn’t argue. “I’ll sleep in the guest room. Go take a shower.”
I make quick work of taking my clothes off and stepping into the steaming shower. The problem is everything in this room reminds me of Grace. The shower was our place. The bath was our place. God, this entire room was our place.
I belong to her, and she belongs to me. Why doesn’t she realize that? How could I have broken us beyond repair?
The steam billows around me, and I feel the sobs begin to wrack my body. I can’t tell you the last time I cried. It was probably when I was a child. But I feel myself breaking down. Sobbing over the loss of the woman that I love, a girl who my mother loved and who is now the mother of my child. She’s going to make all the dreams I wanted come true…with someone else.
Snow blankets the city. The sun didn’t come out this morning, the sky is completely grey, and the ground is completely white.
I stay in bed later than I ever do, avoiding Frank’s commentary or concerned looks. When I finally look at the clock and see it’s ten a.m., I know I can’t avoid it any longer. I have to get up.
I grab the phone and see I have multiple text messages. Two from Cat asking about brunch tomorrow, one from Frank saying he’s grabbing bagels, and one from Grace. My hand stills over her message, afraid to open it and also impatient not to.
Morning, do you still want to grab dinner? I’m free tonight.
