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“Do you need to give Tate International notice?”
I laugh. “No. They’ll be fine without me. My position was a trial run anyway. It’s not necessary to wait until they find a replacement for me.” Even as I say it, I realize that’s probably not quite true. The old Oakley worked heart and soul to be taken seriously and to earn her keep. But not lately. Looks like there’s a pattern forming.
“You might want to give them some notice instead of just running away like last time.”
My inhale is sharp. “Momma. This is not at all like last time. Last time, I was taking a stand. Whistleblowing. Things had become impossible. I couldn’t stay on another second. With this situation, I’m just—I don’t know, this isn’t the right fit for me, that’s all. I’m not running. I’ve just overstayed my welcome. I told you there was a flood in Alec’s house.”
“Speaking of Alec, how does he feel about this new development?”
“He’ll be fine. He’ll probably like having his place back to himself.”
There’s a pause in the air. “So, he doesn’t know you’re leaving?”
“He will soon. Momma, it was bound to happen. I wasn’t going to be here long term. I just needed to breathe for a minute. Get my head on straight. And I have, so I’m coming home. Can I stay with you guys until I find a place?”
She hesitates. “I’ve been worried about you, Oakley.”
“I’m good now. You know how a lot of kids take a gap year? Well, when I graduated high school, I was more than ready to tackle college. Now? Consider these couple of months my gap year, of sorts.”
“Does this have to do with Brandt? You know, that whole situation was hard, no one would blame you for having a mini crisis.”
“I don’t have mini crises, Momma! I can’t. I’m going to have a new job and all my applications in to PT school by the end of the week. I’ll be out of your hair soon.”
ButwillI have a new job? If the Bordys have their way, I won’t. And at that point, my only hope will be PT school so I can work somewhere else besides the professional sports realm.
By the time I’m finished talking to my momma, I’m all packed. I snuggle with Jerry for exactly two minutes because I know the longer I wait here, there’s more of a chance I’ll run into Alec. I can’t see him. It will cloud my judgment and I can’t have that right now.
I scribble a note to him, leave it on the kitchen island, and load up my stuff, Jerry, and his stuff in the car.
I’m about to pull out of the drive, evergreens on either side, when I see Sebastian’s Range Rover coming near, slowing, its blinker on. I’m a coward because I don’t wait to see Alec’s face, though it’s clearly the shape of him, large, handsome in the passenger’s side. And somehow, I can tell he’s rigid and stressed. I turn my head to look the other direction, check for traffic, and pull out.
Driving away from Alec’s place, I feel hollow. Nothing. My earlier heart pounding has settled into a void. It’s scraped out and ready to go back home.
I can’t feel anything for Longdale. I won’t feel anything for Alec.
Chapter 32
Oakley
I pull up to Stella’s house, and if I’m not mistaken, she lives very near to where we just were: Sophie’s place.
It even feels like the same neighborhood, with the houses that look like they were built around the timeThe Brady Bunchwas made. Low pitched roofs, lava rock accents, paint in tones of ochre and olive.
Stella’s is midcentury modern at its finest: split-level, well-kept exterior, with plain double doors in navy blue. I ring the doorbell and hear the dogs begin to bark.
Jerry practically leaps into her arms right when she opens the door. “Whoa, big boy!” she croons, struggling to catch him as his back paws scramble up her middle. “He’s gotten so much bigger in the last couple of weeks.”
She invites me in, but I jab a thumb behind me. “I’ll go get his supplies first.”
When I return, a feeling of melancholy has threatened to spread. “Thanks for letting us take care of him. It was really fun." I set the crate and the canvas bag of food and supplies just inside the door. “I need to get to where I’m staying tonight, so I’d better get going.”
Am I really going to be able to part with Jerry? It might feel like I’m abandoning my own son.
There’s a pause in Stella’s countenance, like she’s taking me in and trying to sort through me to figure out what’s right and wrong. Right now, I feel all sorts of wrong.
She cocks her head to one side. “Where are you staying tonight?”
I lick my lips, bracing myself for opinions and thoughts I don’t want to have to address. “The Motel 6 in Tollark. I’ve got to get back to real life in San Antonio. First thing in the morning.”
