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“And Curtis?” I could barely say his name without bursting into tears.
“He’s…” Elena searched for the right word. “Hurting,” she finally said. “He doesn’t understand. But he will. In time.”
“And if he doesn’t?” I asked, swallowing the lump in my throat.
“Then, I think you have your answer,” she said, referring to the marriage proposal I had yet to even acknowledge.
The night of my infamous panic attack had been brutal. Not only for me, but also for my family, who ultimately felt betrayed to learn I’d been suffering in silence for years. To them, when I doubled over, unable to breathe, they thought the worst.
It was embarrassing for me, but for them, it was terrifying to witness.
Days later, when I’d finally told them what I’d decided to do about it, their response had been less than supportive.
“What do you mean you quit your job?” My dad’s eyes widened, his accent growing thicker by the second.
“I needed an extended period of time off, and … well, I didn’t have it, so I quit.”
“To do what?” my mom questioned.
“I’m going back to Ocracoke.”
They both just stared at me. I’d rendered them utterly speechless.
Never done that before.
“I need closure,” I explained. “I need to go back to that house and face my fears.” I took a long breath. “Figure out why I couldn’t say yes to Curtis.”
“Have you maybe considered that you just don’t like him very much?” my father asked.
My mother made a loud gasp, and gave him a stern glare.
“What?” he asked, looking up at her as she stood next to him. “It’s an honest question. I’ve never really understood the two of you anyway. I like Curtis, but he’s not?—”
“Don’t you dare say he’s not Daniel, Papa.”
“No,liebling,” he said softly. “I didn’t mean…” His voice drifted off before he changed the subject. “How long will you be gone?”
“I don’t know,” I answered. “I guess as long as it takes.”
That was a week ago. We hadn’t spoken much since.
I’d made arrangements to sublet my apartment and contacted the company that looked after our home down in Ocracoke. They assured me they could have the utilities turned back on and they’d even alert the old lady who lived next door of my arrival.
I didn’t want to give the poor woman a heart attack.
So, after that, there hadn’t been much else to do but pack.
I’d kind of hoped for more of a send-off than this, but I was just glad to not be alone.
“Okay, you’d better get going,” Elena said before handing me the extra suitcase. “Shove it under the dashboard. It will fit.”
Just as we were about to say our final good-bye, a car pulled up to the curb behind me. Elena looked over my shoulder, and her eyes widened slightly. I turned to see what she was looking at, and that was when I saw him.
He stepped out of his car, his dark blue eyes meeting mine. Elena stepped back, pretending to have a sudden interest in the landscaping around my apartment. I silently thanked her for the privacy.
“Curtis,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
“Seeing you off,” he answered. There was a touch of sadness in his voice. “And trying to give you a reason to come back.”
