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He looked inside the car and narrowed his eyes at me.
“Care to explain why you’re driving around in your robe?” His brow arched.
“It’s a long story.” I sighed. “This guy I was staying with started acting weird last night. It was like he was mad at me. Then, I woke up this morning, and he wasn’t there. He was surfing with his brothers. When I went downstairs, he set a to-go cup on the island with a note asking me to leave. I was so angry that I just grabbed my things and flew out the door, not realizing I was still in my robe.”
“A to-go cup?” he asked.
“Yeah, you know. Those Styrofoam coffee cups with plastic lids. That’s his way of saying, please have a cup of coffee on me while I kick your ass out of my house.”
“Wow. Guys, do that?” He cocked his head.
“Apparently. Listen, I’m sorry.”
“Officer, this poor woman has been through enough. Clearly, her heart has been broken, and so is her car because of me,” the old man said.
“Stay in your car, miss, and just give me your license and registration.”
I pulled my license from my wallet and the registration from the glove box.
The officer returned to his car, and I sat there staring at the old man.
“It’ll be okay, sweetheart. He sounds like a disrespectful man, and you didn’t deserve what he did to you.”
“I didn’t, did I?” I softly smiled.
“No. You deserve better than him.”
The officer handed me my license and registration and told me the police report would be ready in forty-eight hours. The old man gave me his insurance information, and the officer told me to be more mindful of my clothing choices before leaving the house in the future.
When I got home, I grabbed my bag from the front seat and looked to make sure nobody was around to see me. Opening the car door, I quickly ran up the stairs to my apartment, unlocked the door, and stepped inside. I changed into a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt and went back down to check out the damage to Katniss.
“Fuck. I’m sorry, Katniss.” I ran my hand over the hood.
When I returned to my apartment, I shut off my phone, grabbed a pint of Ben and Jerry’s and a spoon, and sat down on the couch.
CHAPTER 25
Carter
After saying goodbye to my brothers, I headed back home. Laying my surfboard against the house, I stepped through the sliding door, and my eyes went directly to the broken to-go cup and crumbled note I’d left her. Sighing, I went upstairs, and all of her things were gone.
Standing in the shower while the hot water beat down on me, I placed my hand against the marble tile and thought about how I couldn’t trust her. She told the girls about the boat after promising me she wouldn’t. But it just wasn’t about that. What Simon said got to me, and how much time we spent together, like boyfriend and girlfriend. He was right. Without thinking, I jumped right into things with her so quickly that it made my head spin.
I knew I hurt her by setting out the to-go cup and writing that note, but I wanted her gone before I got back because I was afraid that if she weren’t, I’d want her to stay. But the real issue was that she broke her promise to me and told the girls she barely knew.
I stayed in my office most of the day and worked. I tried to text her several times but decided not to. It was best that I didn’t. But I knew, at some point, we’d have to talk. I went into the living room and over to the bar, poured myself a double scotch, and took it out onto the patio. I saw the light in Riley’s pottery shed and walked there.
“Hey, Uncle Carter.” She smiled when I stepped inside.
“What are you making, kiddo?”
“A vase for my friend to give her mom for her birthday. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I saw the light on and thought I’d come by and say hi.”
“You have the same look my dad gets when something is bothering him.” She smiled. “Where’s Zoey?”
“She left earlier today. She has a lot of work to do,” I lied.
