Lovely

by Jez Strider

  “You know my number if you need me and you’re always welcome to come back and stay here.” She walked with me to the front porch. My pink suitcase was sitting in the gravel at the base of the steps. I’d already been given my phone back.

  “Gonna miss ya.” Dana punched me in the shoulder in a friendly way.

  Laurie hugged me and the others all gave me well wishes except for the older lady, Jillian, who rocked in her usual chair on the porch.

  “I am going to visit when I can. I’ll show you the paintings I create from the sketches you all signed, too!” I’d drawn everyone at Pleasant House, including Ms. B and the security.

  “Go get laid.” Dana smiled and walked off. She was too tough to stick around and shed tears in front of me.

  “You’re all awesome.” I grinned broadly when I heard a car approaching. The happiness faded instantly when I saw the black Mercedes heading toward the house.

  Brody was not supposed to be picking me up.

  Chapter 49

  Everyone was ushered into the house. In a sort of daze, I walked down the steps, taking each one slowly. When the car stopped, my tall, blonde, hunk of an ex stepped out. He smiled uneasily. I backed up as he came toward me.

  “Where’s Gavyn?”

  “He… um…” Brody peered over my shoulder and I knew everyone was watching me from the windows. “Let’s talk about it in the car.”

  “I’m calling him right now.” I’d had my phone back less than an hour and the only reason I hadn’t called yet was because I thought he’d be there to pick me up. My eyes stayed locked on Brody as the phone continued to ring and ring. Then it went to a voice message.

  The automated system greeted me. “This line has been disconnected, please check the number and try again.”

  My hand shook so badly that I nearly dropped my phone. Brody loaded my luggage into the back of his car as I stayed right where I was, not moving or speaking. He returned to me and slid his arm around my shoulders. My legs moved, but I wasn’t sure how. I sat down in the car when he opened the door. This had to be a bad dream.

  He started the car and drove down the back road until we were out of viewing distance of the house. He shifted into park and shut off the engine. We sat there without speaking.

  “Gavyn left me,” I stated. There was no question in my mind. What other explanation could there be?

  “I’m sorry.”

  I closed my eyes and the tears streamed down my cheeks. “Why?”

  Brody handed me a large yellow envelope. I bent the small pieces of metal holding it shut and flipped open the top. There were several papers inside. The first one I pulled out had Gavyn’s signature at the bottom. There was a spot for mine. He’d filed for an annulment.

  “Oh god,” I gasped. It was true. I knew his handwriting.

  “His lawyer said there was a letter inside.”

  I read over the letter written on college rule notebook paper. It sent me back to the day he’d passed me the note asking to go steady. I read it twice before I crumpled it, held it to my chest, and then lost control.

  Farrah,

  Forgive me for this. After much thought, I realize it’s not fair to put my son through this and I don’t think I can handle the pain if I lose another woman to psychological illness. I’m still young and this was a mistake. If I had known, I would have never asked you to marry me. Do not try to contact me in any way. I want a clean break from this. It’s best for all of us.

  Farewell,

  Gavyn Valmore

  Brody didn’t ask me any questions or speak. He let me curse the heavens and the cruel threads of fate. When I had no tears left after miles and miles of blubbering, I turned to him.

  “Where are you taking me?” My voice was harsh and weak.

  He handed me a bottle of water. “Home.”

  “I don’t want to go back to Miami. I didn’t pay my rent.”

  “Not there. My home. I live in the lake house now. Until you figure out what you want to do, you can stay there.”

  “Why do you live in the lake house?”

  “I didn’t want to live in my parents’ main house. I’ve just been trying to figure my shit out, too.”

  I chewed on my thumb nail as I stared out the window again. “The last time we spoke, he was so happy and still in love with me. I don’t get it. Nothing makes sense.”

  “Anyone that would leave you is an idiot. One problem and he flees like a little girl.” He glanced at me and frowned. “No offense. You had a good reason when you ran away.”

  “You’re not helping, Brody.”

  “I know. I suck at this.” He reached over, patted my hand, and then left his on top of mine. “I can take you back to the Pleasant House. I’ll pay for it. You might be safer there.”

  “I’m not going to do anything stupid.”

  “Promise?”

  I nodded. “I’ll get through this.” My voice cracked and the tears were falling again before I could even look away.

  Chapter 50

  As Brody drove down the road to the lake house, my chest tightened and I could barely breathe. I had told him I could get through the pain of losing my new husband, but I wasn’t sure. The fact that I was going to be living by the lake where the accident with my brother had happened made me doubt my words. I definitely didn’t plan on staying more than a couple of days.

  “If you’d be more comfortable staying with your parents….” He began, but I interrupted.

  “Are you crazy?”

  “You’re the one that was in the home for the mentally ill.” He nudged me with his shoulder after he shifted into park.

  “How did I ever find you amusing?” I did smile, but it faded fast. My eyes were locked on the lake. I pulled on the door handle and stepped out of the car. Immediately, I walked toward the dock.

  Brody hurried out of the car to follow me. I could hear the constant beeping noise. I glanced over my shoulder to see that he’d left the car door open and, in his rush, must have left the keys in the ignition.

  “Maybe… you should go inside. I’ll bring your things. The key is on the ledge above the door like always,” Brody said.

  “I see him.” The breeze nearly carried my whisper away. I took the first step onto the wooden dock. I stopped when both feet were on it.

  He scratched his head. I could hear him even though I was facing in the other direction. It was one of his habits when he was anxious. “You’re hallucinating?”

  “No. Just a memory.”

  His arms slid around my waist from behind. I fit against him as I had so many times before. He placed his chin on top of my head since he was so much taller. “Tell me about it. I don’t have anyone to talk to about Franklin.”

  I should have moved away from his embrace, but I didn’t get the sense that he was making a move. As broken as I felt once again, Brody was keeping me from falling to pieces on that dock.

  “I guess I was six or seven so he was about ten. He’d been determined for a while to teach me to fish.”

  “You have to put the worm on the hook, sis.”

  I stuck out my tongue and shook my head. “Nuh uh. It’ll die.”

  “The fish have to eat.”

  “Can’t we use plastic ones?”

  He stomped his foot. “No! I caught all these worms for us and you’re going to use it.”

  “Will you do it for me?” I held the fishing pole, which was actually a stick with a string attached, out to him. “Why do you have the pole like the grown-ups use?”

  “Why do you ask so many questions?” He pushed a slimy worm onto the hook at the end of the string. “I’m older and know what I’m doing. This is your practice fishing pole.”

  “It smells like dirt.”

  “Do you want me to take you home? I will.”

  I snorted and sighed with annoyance. “No. I want to learn.”

  “I knew you had it in you. You are my sister after all.” He pointed at himself with his thumb and his chest swelled
up with pride.

  Brody’s concerned voice brought me back to the present. “Farrah? Are you okay?”

  My shoulders slumped and I turned around to hug him tightly. “No. Nothing will ever be right again. My life is disaster after disaster.”

  “I’m sorry.” He stroked my hair and held me silently. I could sense from the tension in his body that standing there with me at the lake was difficult. “Go inside. I’ll bring your things and make you something to eat.”

  I stepped backward and wiped my hands over the front of his wet shirt to remove some of the moisture. “I’m not hungry, but thank you.” As he suggested, I headed toward the house.

  More memories assaulted me as I opened the front door and walked inside. The lake house had been the place that Brody and I would sneak off to late at night as teenagers. I couldn’t count the times we’d laid in bed together after making love.

  “We can watch a movie or something to take your mind off things.” He’d caught up to me with my luggage in tow. I wasn’t sure how long I’d stood there blocking the doorway.

  “I wish I could turn my mind off.” I headed into the living room like a zombie and slumped heavily onto the sofa. I reached into my pocket to try one more time to call Gavyn, but my phone was gone. “Did you get my cell?”

  He set my bag down and poked his head into the living room. “Did you leave it in the car?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I’ll go look. Be right back.”

  A few minutes later he returned and I heard him messing around in the kitchen. He came into the living room and handed me a smoothie. “Banana.” He remembered my favorite. Of course he did. I’d only known him for a lifetime.

  “Thank you. Did you find the phone?”

  “I checked under the seats and along the docks, but nothing. I’m sure it’ll turn up.”

  “Weird.” I mumbled, forcing down a sip of the smoothie even though I didn’t want it.

  “What do you want to watch?”

  My eyes were locked on the rings on my finger that Gavyn had given me with so much love in his heart. It had all been false for him. Infatuation.

  “I don’t care.”

  He brought up his streaming service and played the first new release that popped up. After that, he continued down the list, starting another movie when the previous one ended. I stared at the screen, numb and unseeing of anything in front of me. Hours later that night I drifted off to sleep on the familiar, comfortable couch.

  Chapter 51

  My eyes strained against the morning sunlight trying to rouse me from slumber. I cuddled against the warm body next to me. My head rested on his chest. He smelled like my youth. Although I wasn’t exactly over the hill yet, the past year had left me feeling old. I kissed his chest without thinking, still not fully awake.

  “Good morning, Fairy.”

  Suddenly, the sleepiness disappeared and my eyes flew open. What had I done? I lifted the blanket to see if Brody was naked. I could see his morning wood, but it was covered by a pair of navy blue boxer briefs. I scrambled away from him, taking the sheet with me to cover up my nudity. Only… I had clothing on. The same t-shirt and pants I’d worn yesterday.

  “Did we have sex?” Saying the words left a bad taste in my mouth. Not that sleeping with Brody wasn’t amazing, but I hadn’t even signed the annulment papers.

  “You would remember if we had sex.” He smirked. “And you wouldn’t have clothes on. I carried you up here after you fell asleep last night so you’d be more comfortable.”

  “You shouldn’t have slept in the bed, too.” Even though nothing had happened, I still felt guilty.

  “It’s my bed. Besides, you were clinging to me and whimpering like a lost puppy.”

  I covered my face with both hands. “This is embarrassing. I should have stayed at a motel in town.”

  “Relax.” His tone held a hint of irritation as he left the bed and stalked toward the bathroom. “Not like I haven’t seen, touched, and licked every inch of your body.” He slammed the door behind him.

  Staying with Brody is a stupid idea.

  I hopped out of bed and found the shoes I’d been wearing. I tugged them on without untying them and ran downstairs. My phone still hadn’t turned up. I dumped the contents of my purse out on the kitchen table as I searched for it. Nothing. Next, I retraced my steps outside.

  Brody leaned on the doorframe of the lake house, wearing pants, but no shirt. “What are you doing?”

  “Looking for my phone. I’m going to call a cab and go somewhere. Anywhere, but here.”

  “You’re running again.”

  I spun around and glared at him. “What the fuck else am I supposed to do? My head is a mess!”

  “Fairy, chill out.”

  “Stop calling me that. I’m not your girlfriend anymore!”

  He flinched then waited a few seconds before responding. “I’ll let you use my phone. You can try Gavyn again or call a taxi. I’ll pay for it.”

  I was pissed beyond comprehension. Not so much at Brody, but at the world. “I know this isn’t your fault. I’m sorry for yelling. Just give me a few minutes to calm down.” I walked up to the house and he stepped aside to let me back inside.

  He handed me his phone before walking over to the table. My stuff was everywhere. He began putting everything back in my purse. “I wish you would stay.”

  The phone rang and rang after I dialed Gavyn’s number before going to the disconnection message again. “I don’t know what to do.” I turned toward the window and stared outside.

  “No answer?”

  I couldn’t believe who I saw exiting his car parked beside the Mercedes.

  “Fairy?” Brody glanced over his shoulder at me when I didn’t answer.

  “He’s here.”

  This put Brody in motion. He moved up behind me and looked out the window. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  I dared not hope that he was there for me. One more heartbreak would be one too many. My heart thundered in my chest so hard it hurt. I stood frozen as Brody walked to the door and jerked it open before Gavyn had the chance to knock.

  “You’re not welcome here,” he growled.

  Gavyn shoved Brody, who was larger and bulkier, but not as toned. “Let me see my wife.”

  My husband’s eyes met mine and I had to hold onto the countertop to keep from running into his arms. He didn’t want that. He wanted the marriage dissolved.

  “What do you want? I haven’t signed the papers yet, but if you’re this insistent on it being done, I can do it right now.” I grabbed the envelope off the table where I’d left it yesterday.

  He crossed the kitchen and grabbed my arm to stop me. “What do you mean you haven’t signed it?”

  “I’m sorry. It isn’t as easy for me to throw away what we have.” I corrected myself. “What we had.”

  “You sent me the dissolution agreement and the letter saying you didn’t want to be around anyone since you had a mental illness,” he said.

  I finally looked up from where I was fumbling to open the yellow envelope that held the documents. His confusion mirrored mine. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You didn’t pick me up from Pleasant House. Your phone number was changed. The letter you sent me is in your handwriting!”

  Brody cleared his throat. “Maybe you two should take some time to cool off. This isn’t healthy for Farrah.” He lifted his head and gestured toward the stairs. “Go upstairs to where we slept last night.”

  Gavyn’s teeth were clenched as Brody spoke, but when his eyes turned back to me the hot anger burned my soul. “You slept with him?”

  I’d only seen Gavyn angry a couple of times and it never lasted very long. This rage was completely different. Men that mad committed crimes of passion. “No! Well, yes. We didn’t have sex. I fell asleep on the sofa and he put me in his bed, I swear.”

  I looked over to see Brody had a strange smirk on his face. My eyes returned to Gavyn. “How can y
ou be mad at me when you want the separation?”

  “I don’t want it. You do sound crazy. Let me see the papers.”

  Brody stepped toward me to grab the envelope. “You shouldn’t do that without both lawyers present.”

  Gavyn jerked the envelope out of my hand before Brody could. “Man, you better back off.” He pulled the papers out, read over them silently, and then read the letter. “I didn’t write this, but it sure as bloody hell looks like I did.”

  My ex was backing up, putting the table between him and Gavyn. His smirk had left and I could see tears welling up in his eyes. “She’s supposed to be mine, you foreign fuck,” Brody said unsteadily.

  “I’m not a foreigner. I have dual citizenship, you piece of shit.”

  Understanding dawned on Gavyn and me at the same time. “You did this,” I said to Brody. “Tell me the truth.”

  “Forging the documents was the easy part. You know I’ve said it before… money buys almost anything. I hired a guy. I had plenty of letters from you to show the forger, Fairy. We had to dig a little deeper to forge Gavyn’s, but I had time while you were at Pleasant House.”

  Gavyn took a step forward and I rested my hand on his arm to stop him. “Let him finish. Keep talking, Brody.”

  Brody slid along the back wall until he was sitting in the floor with his arms on his knees. “I made sure Gavyn’s phone number was changed and I tossed Farrah’s phone in the high grass when she hugged me on the docks.”

  Hearing that I’d hugged Brody made Gavyn shoot me a frown.

  “It would have worked if you hadn’t shown up, Gavyn. I had a plan if you did, but I couldn’t go through with it.”

  Brody began to sob and I realized just how broken of a man he was now.

  “What were you going to do?” I asked.

  “I made you that smoothie last night. I was going to use a date rape drug and have sex with you so Gavyn wouldn’t take you back.”

  “You were going to slip me a roofie?! I can’t believe this. What is wrong with you?”

  Gavyn started toward Brody again, intent on probably killing him. I grabbed him by the wrist with both hands. “Think of Mac. You’ll go to jail and you won’t win at trial. Stop.”