The line went dead.
April shoved the phone back into her pocket and balled up her fists. She thumped her hand on the barn door as she trudged her way back through the snow to the lodge, now more annoyed by it than enthralled.
Chapter 9
After packing her suitcase, April rushed downstairs. Adam was then returning from a ride and she grabbed him before he could take his boots off.
“Adam!” she said. “Can you to drive me to the Greyhound station in 100 Mile?”
“You’re in luck. I’m just about to head to the store, but…” He frowned. “Why?”
“I have to get back to L.A.”
“Like, now?”
April nodded. “Now.” She searched for a pen and paper. Finding what she was looking for in the junk drawer in the kitchen, she scribbled a note to her parents, apologizing and promising she would call when she had a chance.
“Can’t you wait an hour? Your dad and Kip will be home soon.”
Trying to stop her eyes from filling with tears at the mention of his name, April shook her head. “I have to go now. There’s a bus leaving in one hour and I can’t miss it. I’ll barely make my flight as it is.”
She grabbed her cell phone off of the dining table and rushed past Adam, hurrying him along with a stern look. She jumped into the passenger seat of Adam’s truck after heaving her suitcase into the back and slammed the door.
As they pulled out of the driveway, the truck was silent. April’s mind was spinning, her cell phone clutched in her hand. She didn’t know what she could say to Kip to make it all okay. He would think she was leaving to be with Lex. He would feel betrayed.
She shoved the phone in her pocket and listened to the radio as they drove to town. Watching the trees rush past, she tried to memorize the sights of the fields and forests. She didn’t know when she would be back.
As they pulled into the Greyhound station in 100 Mile House, April thanked Adam.
He looked defeated.
“What?” April asked.
“What do I say to your mom and dad?”
“I left them a note. You don’t need to say anything.”
Adam raised his eyebrow.
“I’ll call them when I get there, okay?”
“What about…Kip?”
April’s stomach lurched. “I’ll call him…when I’m on the bus.”
“He’s gonna kick my ass for helping you leave…Bye, April.”
“He’ll be fine. Bye.” She slammed the truck door and hurried inside the bus station, settling into one of the plastic chairs for a short wait until the bus arrived. Her phone vibrated.
“Hello?” she answered after a moment.
“Hey, baby.”
“Kip…”
April’s heart broke in two at the sound of his voice. Tears welled in her eyes.
“I just wanted to let you know we’re running late. We’ll probably just grab something to eat here. I’ll see you when we get home tonight.” Kips voice was crackly; bad reception.
The tears in her eyes overflowed, and ran down her face, sliding over her lips and tainting them with salt.
“Kip, I…I won’t be there.” Her voice was shaky.
“Why not?”
April bit her lip.
“April?”
She inhaled, her breath shaking too. “I’m on my way to L.A.”
“You’re…what? Why?”
“I’m on my way to L.A,” she repeated.
“Why? What are you doing?”
“I have to. Campbell called. If I don’t go, he’s gonna get lawyers involved because I’ve breached the contract.” Her lower lip trembled so hard she had to bite into it to keep it still, feeling the blood hit her tongue as her teeth punctured the soft flesh. Her entire body felt cold.
“You’re leaving me?” His voice was quiet, distant. “Again?”
April began to cry.
“What’s the real reason, April? Why are you going?”
“I just told you. Campbell’s making me.”
“Bullshit. April, that’s bullshit! I know it’s for him! I know you love him; I’m not an idiot. But…I could have…changed your mind. You can’t leave like this! We need to talk! I need you…”
“I already at the Greyhound station, Kip. I’m not going back.” Her voice was thick with sudden exhaustion and pain.
“You ... you didn’t even give me the chance to say goodbye?” Kip’s voice was angry.
“Kip. I’m so sorry. Please, believe me; I’m not doing this because of Lex. But I have to go now. I wish I didn’t.”
“Don’t do this, April! Don’t do this to me…”
“…I’m so sorry…” April choked out, her throat closing around each word, struggling to force each syllable past the sobs.
“Well…When are you coming back?”
“I don’t know, Kip.”
“What does that mean, April? What does that mean for us? I…I thought…”
“I know…Kip, you’re…my best friend! I don’t know what I’m going to do without you.” Body ice cold, lips still trembling, she clenched her fists. She breathed in deeply. “But…” she said.
“But what, April?” Kip shouted down the phone.
“I have to go. Please understand. I’m not doing this to hurt you! I don’t want to leave.”
Kips voice was cracking, broken. “Then stay. We’ll figure it out. You love me…I know you do.”
April felt fresh tears run down her face. She closed her eyes, squeezing them shut, hoping to trap the tears inside.
“So you are leaving me again?” Kip asked.
The pain in his voice broke April’s heart again, the pieces feeling like they were being stepped on and crushed, over and over again.
“I don’t have a choice, Kip,” she whispered, her own voice holding all her agony. “I have to. I’m so sorry.”
The line went dead.
Another sob erupted from her throat and she covered her face with her hands, the weight of what she had just done crashing down on top of her.
LAX was just as April remembered it; too many people, all rushing because they were late. She felt a wave of unease wash over her as the car wove through the narrow, one-way lanes on the way out of the airport.
Her heart ached for Kip and the way she had left things, but she had acted on her gut feeling, which is all he ever told her to do anyway. In all honesty, she had only followed his advice. She would miss him and she was afraid he would never forgive her for leaving the way she had. But she had no choice.
April had no idea what her future would hold, especially if Kip never forgave her. Maybe she had made a mistake; maybe it would be harder this way, seeing Lex, loving him, but having to pretend their chemistry was non-existent. Her excuse to Kip hadn’t been untrue; she did love Lex, and there was a part of her that missed him more than she’d let herself admit. Even if it was going to be hard, she knew she couldn’t have lived, day after day, not knowing what her future in L.A. would have looked like.
She just hoped knowing she was doing the right thing would be enough to stop the aching in her heart.
The 4th Installment in the
Sunshine & Shadow Series
Love and Lies
Now available on Amazon
Ties that Bind (Sunshine & Shadow Book 3) Page 6
