AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Still, no answer.
“Of course. Perfect timing,” I sighed, running my hand across my forehead. “The one time she doesn’t pick up.”
I couldn’t hold the tears in any longer. Derek had situated everything back on the washstand just the same as it had been on the old table, including the framed photo of my mother. It was one I had found in her things. She was sitting on a swing under a big tree by a lake, and she looked to be about fifteen or sixteen. Her eyes squinted from the sun and the big smile on her face. I held the photo in my hands as I sobbed.
“I wish you were here to tell me what to do. Or maybe just to give me a hug. I thought I finally had everything all figured out. And then just as soon as I did, everything got messed up again.”
I don’t know how long I sat there and cried before the phone rang. Finally, Katie was calling me back. By that point, I was such a wreck that I was almost too embarrassed to answer. But I reminded myself Katie was probably the only person I had left on this earth who was there for me no matter what, even if I was a slobbering hot mess.
I told her everything through the strings of my sharp breaths and cries. It was a wonder she could understand any of it at all.
“I hate him. After everything, he just had to show up now and do this. And I hate myself. How could I have stood there for even a single second? Why didn’t I just slap him and shove him off the porch? If Derek would have walked up to see that instead, I wouldn’t be crying to you right now.”
“Hey, don’t do that,” she sang softly, her voice so full of comfort. “Don’t beat yourself up over this. I have no doubt that if Derek walked up just a few seconds later, that’s exactly what he would have seen you do. It sounds like you barely had any time to react, Mel. Give yourself a break. Long before you became the person you are now or started to see Evan for who he really is, you thought you loved him. There’s a history there. Of course, it was confusing for him to show up and kiss you like that.”
“That’s the thing,” I rasped. “I don’t feel confused at all. The moment his lips touched mine, I just knew more than ever that this is the life I want. Here in Silver Point, with Derek and Em.” I laughed and covered my mouth. “I haven’t said that out loud to anyone yet. I still can’t believe it.” A sick feeling sank into my stomach. “But now I guess it doesn’t matter. They’re part of the reason I wanted to stay, and I couldn’t bear to stick around this small town, seeing him all the time knowing I lost my chance.”
“It’s not over yet,” she insisted. “Derek will come around.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“He may be part of the reason you wanted to stay, but he’s not the only one. Trust me, no one wants you to come back to New York more than I do. If I could convince you to do just that in good conscience, I would. But I think you really found something for yourself there, Mel. And as your best friend, I’m kind of curious to see what else you find if you stay.”
As she said it, I knew I was curious to find that out too. If Derek wouldn’t hear me out at some point, it would crush me. But losing Evan and my mom all in one month destroyed me too. And you know what? I survived.
Silver Point had a sense of family and belonging. It felt like my mom was still there somehow, watching over me. I was starting to believe that I was brought there for a reason more than ever. Like she led me there to guide me away from making the same mistake over and over again, to stop thinking I had time to waste on a life I didn’t really want, that didn’t really make me happy.
When I thought of the lake house, I thought of coffee on the porch in the mornings, feeding the ducks, long bike rides into town. This feeling like everything would happen in its own time, and that anything was possible. Even falling in love with someone like Derek.
“You still there?” Katie asked.
“Yeah,” I answered, wiping my eyes. “Thanks, Katie. You’re right. I should get some sleep. I have a lot to deal with in the coming days.”
“Before you go, the real question is…Do I need to fly down there myself and beat up Evan, or can I meet him at JFK airport and beat him up then?”
I laughed and peeled myself up from the floor, walking over to peek out the window. “I think he’s gone.”
“The airport it is then. Goodnight, Mel. I love you.”
“Love you too,” I smiled.
After hanging up, I scrolled through my contacts to Evan’s name. I finally did what I should have done weeks ago and blocked his number. I had enough things that would make it hard to sleep that night. Worrying about his name ever flashing across my screen again was not going to be one of them.
29
DEREK
My eyes slowly opened at the sound of my alarm going off in the distance. It was further away than it should have been, and it took me a moment to remember it was in my bedroom, but I was sleeping on the floor next to Em’s bed.
I was exhausted, on maybe an hour or two of sleep. Even if Em hadn’t been up with night terrors all night, I probably wouldn’t have been in much better shape. It had been a whole week of sleepless nights for one reason or another. Sometimes I couldn’t stop thinking about Melody. Sometimes it was because memories of Rebecca were haunting me more than usual. Other nights I was just too angry to sleep.
Em shot straight up and looked over at me, lying there on the floor. Her face lit up with laughter. “What are you doing down there, silly?” she giggled.
I peeled my aching body up and rubbed my eyes. “Just thought I’d sleep here last night for fun, I guess,” I said sarcastically. She rarely remembered her night terrors the next morning. At least that was one good thing about them, even if they were impossible for anyone else who was awake through them to forget.
“Come on, little bit. Let’s get you some breakfast,” I told her, picking her up out of bed.
She laughed as I carried her into the kitchen with me. I handed her a juice of glass to drink, then she darted off to start getting ready for school while I fixed us some oatmeal and toast.
