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“It didn’t cost me a dime,” I answered her. “I’ve got this nice new SUV with all the trimming, and a check for $10,000 made out to me. I’m happy with the deal.”
“You traded that nearly brand new car in for $19,000 less than its current book value. You do realize that, don’t you?”
“Gina, it wasn’t practical. I need a car suitable for the baby and me. I need something that I can cart my stuff back up to Radcliff in that won’t cost me a fortune to insure and maintain.”
“I just don’t know what the hurry is,” she replied. “You could have sold the car in a couple of days by asking maybe just $5,000 under book value and had another $14,000 to the good.”
“I can’t focus on that right now. We still have lots to do.”
“Like what?” she asked, eyeing me suspiciously.
I filled her in. By the end of the day, my change of address was put through, my bank accounts were emptied by means of a cashier’s check, I had my new car insured through a local agency in Louisville, and the utilities at the house in Radcliff were in my name. I contacted the Washington County prosecutor’s office to let them know I was leaving the area and provided my new address.
We vegged out the rest of the weekend, packing up things here and there. Gina did a great job of keeping visitors away. Mark had stopped by a couple of times and Gina had lied, telling him I was asleep. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I just wanted to leave and start my new life without reminders of my old one.
My pregnancy hormones must’ve kicked in heavy duty. Little things made me cry at the drop of a hat, yet other things, like trading in Trey’s gift for something practical hadn’t bothered me at all. Gina said it had something to do with the nesting instinct she'd read about with being pregnant.
By Monday morning, everything I owned was packed up and ready to go. I was leaving earlier than Gina, but I needed to be on my way. If I stayed much longer, I was afraid people would start connecting the dots.
We programmed my destination in to the GPS in my new car and set up my cell phone to Bluetooth. I planned to drop Gina at Becky’s house on my way out of town and she was going to give Becky the key to my cottage and my new address to mail my W-2s.
As we pulled out of the long, winding driveway and onto the two-lane highway, we'd only gone a few hundred feet when we passed Trey in his Lamborghini. He was alone. I was glad. He of course didn’t recognize me in this dark forest green SUV. When I saw his face for maybe the last time, my eyes filled with tears.
“Gina,” I sobbed, “Take the wheel for a minute.”
She undid her seat belt, leaning over and taking the steering wheel while I fought my emotions. She steered the vehicle safely in the drive at her aunt’s house. Once we stopped the car, Gina cut the engine.
“For the love of God, Tylar, are you sure you don’t want to tell Trey the truth about all of this?”
“Gina,” I sobbed, “I'd love nothing more than to tell Trey about this if I didn’t already know how he feels about ‘happily ever after’ and commitments, which he equated to a ‘hangman’s noose’! Trey believes that people are dynamic and the best that they can expect is what's in the present.”
“That’s rubbish and you know it. Spoken like a guy who’s had his heart broken. We’ve all been there, Tylar. How cynical do you plan on getting with your own heartbreak? I respect your decision to not tell Trey, but don’t sell him short. I still believe that in his own fucked-up way he loves you. Think about it, please?”
I nodded, reaching over and hugging her. A fresh batch of tears started rolling down my cheeks. It was now time to say goodbye to my very best friend.
“Stop it,” Gina ordered, “You and me, we’re fine girlfriend. You call me once you get to your motel tonight. And do not worry, I'll find a way to get up there to see you before too long. After all, I want the honor of decorating my godchild’s nursery.”
“That would be great.”
“So, you okay to drive now?” I nodded.
“Alright, I'll expect a call from you this evening.”
“Yep, I’ll be calling,” I promised.
She hugged me again, and got out of the car. “Drive safely,” she called as I backed out of her driveway. I was on my way.
CHAPTER 33
The next day I left the motel very early, eager to get to my home. I knew that I had a lot to do in just one day to get it to the point where I could sleep there. With my work cut out for me, I set to the task. It took me all day, but by 10 p.m. I had moved in gently used furniture from the second-hand store, made up a bed in my old room with sheets, and stocked food in the fridge. I'd cleaned the place top-to-bottom, even making an appointment with an OB for the following week.
I was exhausted but content. I nuked a Healthy Choice entrée, made a salad, and poured myself a tall glass of iced tea. I'd brought the mail in earlier and sat down on the couch to go through it while I ate my dinner. Most of the mail was for my mom who hadn’t bothered initiating a change of address.
I took a bite of my salad, sorting through the stack I'd brought in today. I tossed several envelopes for “Occupant” in the trash. Then I saw the envelope addressed to me from the law offices of Pierce, Harmon, Richardson & Sinclair. It was Trey’s perfect script once again. My heartbeat quickened. I dropped my fork and opened the envelope, pulling a single sheet of paper out. I unfolded it and saw that it was on Trey’s stationary:
Tylar,
You can imagine my surprise when Ray contacted me to let me know that you had left Bristol to return to your home in Radcliff. I was disappointed that you felt no need to let me know that you were leaving.
