Ace pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and tugged me into his lap as he replied to Mark. “The good ones are always worth the wait.”
Mark sighed and slumped in his seat. “I’m tired of waiting.” He waved away what he said, letting his hand drop in his lap. “So you’re driving up there alone, huh?”
“Yeah, there’s no reason to have my mom come with me, only to have her turn around and drive back. Besides, I’ll see her and Riley at graduation, and then I’ll be coming home for a few days of leave.” Ace’s fingers linked with mine, and he lightly squeezed them.
“I guess this is kinda it for all of us. Come tomorrow, we’re all headed out in opposite directions,” Aiden said. He chuckled, but it came out sounding uneasy and forced.
“How the hell are we supposed to keep in touch with you?” Josh kicked Eli’s chair.
Eli wiggled his eyebrows and pulled a phone from his pocket. “SAT phone, baby! Now there’s no excuse not to call me. And I better get some damn texts with pictures, too. And not no damn pictures of all the food you assholes are eating either.”
Aiden yanked the phone from him with a hoot of laughter. “Why? You’re the one who signed up to go to a third-world country that eats bugs and shit.”
“You’re an idiot,” Eli said, snatching the phone from Aiden.
“Kidding, man. Just kidding. It’s cool you’re doing this. Not many people wanna give up the time or their comfort to go where you’re headed. Props, man. Got nothin’ but love for ya, bro,” Aiden said as he fist-bumped Eli.
“Sorry to cut it short, but I still have to finish going through my room,” Josh said as he stood up to leave.
I moved from Ace’s lap and steeled myself for the round of good-byes happening. Eli swept me up in a hug and put me back down after he made me promise to call him. Josh swept in, gave me a loud, smacking kiss on the cheek, and darted out of Ace’s reach.
Aiden bumped his shoulder into mine. I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed. “Will you be coming back on leave after boot camp?”
He smiled down at me and tapped me on the end of the nose. “Nah, after boot camp, I’m off to see the world.”
“The world? As in another country?” I asked.
“Probably several other countries. Don’t worry; I’ll pick you up souvenirs.” He winked at me, turning around to shake Ace’s hand. “Good luck. I’ll be seeing you around.”
Ace kept a hold of his hand as he pulled him in for a one-armed hug. “Take care, Aiden. Keep in touch.”
Aiden’s arm tightened around Ace. “Let us know when the wedding is so we can all be here. Okay?”
Ace looked over at me with a wink. “Don’t worry; you guys will be the first to know.”
I could feel my eyes bulging, but I kept my mouth shut.
The guys shuffled out the door with Ace trailing along behind them. I stood firmly rooted to the kitchen floor until I heard the sound of truck doors closing. I darted out the door, slipped my arm around Ace, and held myself firmly against him, not wanting to miss the chance at waving to them as they left.
Eli was the last one to back out of the driveway. He honked his horn and waved out the window.
My hand dropped to my side, and my chest hitched. Ace put his arms around me and held me against him as he dropped his chin on top of my head. “My mom’s on her way to pick me up.”
That one small sentence crushed me from the inside out. It took everything in me not to cry. My body trembled against his as it sought out a way to release the overwhelming emotions that had taken over.
Ace’s mom pulled in the driveway, and I felt him stiffen beside me. He tipped my head back to look down at me. “This isn’t good-bye. It’s just a see ya soon.”
I forced my lips to give him a smile as I nodded.
“It’s only for a little while, and then we’ll have…” his words died off, and I watched his throat work up and down before he continued, “…and then we’ll have forever.” His words were strained, and I knew he fought for every one of them.
I lifted myself up on my tiptoes and kissed him. His breath hissed between us and he pulled me roughly against him, kissing me with a fierceness that stole my breath. When he broke the kiss, he pulled away from me, trailed his finger down my cheek, and closed his eyes. He kept his eyes closed as he stepped back and turned towards where his mom was parked.
I gave him the distance he needed, but couldn’t ask for. When he closed the door, I covered my mouth to keep the sound of my heart breaking from reaching his ears. His mom backed the truck out as his eyes met mine. His hand came up and he blew me a kiss, mouthing the words ‘I love you.’
I don’t know how I stood there and watched them leave, without running after them and begging him to stay. And I don’t know how long I stood there once they were gone. It could have been minutes. It could have been hours. Nothing really meant anything to me anymore. At some point, I made it back in the house and to my room. Fell onto my bed and cried into the pillow that smelled like Ace until I fell asleep.
I’D BE BY MYSELF UNTIL my dad came home. It was a bleak existence, bumbling around the house like a ghost. Always dreading the climb up the stairs at the end of the day that took me to my bedroom. The first place Ace and I made love.
It was torture. I’d start out trying to sleep, but I could smell Ace’s scent on my pillow. It made me miss him, so I’d leave my room and curl up on the couch. But on the couch, I didn’t feel as close to Ace, so I’d run back up the stairs and hug my pillow against me. I was the neediest person ever, and I didn’t like it. Not one bit.
Paige came by three days after Ace left, took one look at me, and cursed. “You have to pull it together, Riley. Jesus, it’s not like he’ll be gone forever. You’re stronger than this.”
Her verbal slap jarred me, making me realize how far I’d slunk into myself because Ace wasn’t there. And it wasn’t just Ace either. It was all of them. The Six were spread out over the globe, and all I could do was sit there, feeling sorry for myself.
Paige crossed her arms and scowled at me. “You need to get a shower and get a hold of Dr. Anderson. He’s been trying to get in touch with you since yesterday.”
I forced myself to shut it off, all the thoughts, the memories, and the loneliness. Grabbing whatever my hand came into contact with for clothes, I put one foot in front of the other and walked to the bathroom, closed the door, turned on the shower, stripped down, and stepped under the hot spray. All robotically. All one step after another.
Shampoo, conditioner, soap. Turn water off. Wring out hair. Step out and dry off. One leg, the other leg, shorts up. Piece by piece, I pulled myself together. When I opened the bathroom door, a cloud of steam escaped into the hallway. I watched it billow out past me and disappear, imagining it took with it all the things that had weighted me down since the Six were gone.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, Paige pushed off the wall and looked me up and down. “Well, at least you somewhat match.”
I looked down to see what she meant, realizing that I’d grabbed a pair of hot pink, jean shorts and a light purple shirt. I walked past Paige without replying. She followed me into my room and leaned against the doorframe. “Mark texted me this morning.”
She pushed on, not waiting for me to reply. “He said he’s settled in and starts his first class in a couple of days.”
I unplugged my cell phone and gripped it in my hand, not looking at the screen. I didn’t want to be disappointed if there wasn’t a text there from Ace. I hadn’t heard anything from him since he’d left. Not even an ‘I made it safe and sound.’
Paige heaved a sigh and grabbed my phone from me. I yanked it back and slapped her hand away.
“Riley… this, whatever it is you’re going through, needs to stop. You can’t do this to yourself. If the Six were here, they’d kick your ass and tell you to snap out of it.”
“Yeah, well, they’re not here, are they? They left, and I stayed. They’re moving on, and I’m s
tuck here. Without them. Alone and… and… just leave me the hell alone, Paige.”
“I’m just trying to help you, Riley. You’re my best friend, and I’m watching you suffer.”
“No one asked you to help me. I certainly didn’t. Thank you for stopping by to let me know Dr. Anderson wants me to call him. You can go now.” I turned my back on her and cursed myself for being such a bitch. I didn’t want to hurt Paige. I just didn’t know how to deal with all the emotions rolling through me.
“Screw you, Riley. Do you think you’re the only one who feels the loss of them leaving? Do you think you’re the only one whose heart was ripped out and left to shatter alone? Do you know how many hours… seconds… I have kicked myself over and over again for finding someone, only to lose them, because life chose a different path for me?”
Paige stormed up to me and shoved my shoulder. She wasn’t backing down, and neither was I.
“Paige, you can’t be serious. You wanted nothing to do with Mark, or so you made it seem.”
“I was protecting myself!”
“You were running away. Scared of whatever it is that made you feel something. Mark looked at you like you were everything and…” My words sputtered to a stop on my lips as the truth of my words hit me. Paige’s hand clamped over her mouth, as she doubled over with her fist to her stomach. The heartbreaking cry that ripped from her broke me. I grabbed her and we crumpled to the floor, holding on to each other as we poured out our pain the only way we knew how.
I pulled back, wiping the trail of tears away and leaning against the side of my bed. Paige’s sobs hitched as she pulled her knees up to her chest.
“I’m sorry, Paige. You didn’t deserve that. I had no idea… I’m… I’m sorry.”
She wiped her face with the bottom of her T-shirt and blew out a long, steady breath. “We’re both stronger than this, Riley. No person should let the love they feel for another tear them apart to the point of madness. Things happen for a reason. Whether we find out what that reason is or not, we can’t let it rip us apart. I refuse to let this break either of us. There’s a purpose to why we’re being tested. Besides, nothing worth having is easy.”
I bit my lip and nodded, agreeing with what she said. I took all my mixed emotions and visualized them being crumpled up and tossed out the window. “I’ll try if you try.”
She leaned in to me and put her head on my shoulder. “Deal. Now, call Dr. Anderson. It seemed pretty important.”
I looked around for my phone. It had been in my hand until the heated argument and then our mutual breakdown. I hadn’t even felt it slip from the death grip I’d had on it. I found it sticking out from the edge of the bed-skirt. No sooner did I pick it up, it rang, and I almost dropped it again. The screen lit up with Ace’s name. I answered with a breathless hello as I reached out, grabbed Paige’s hand, and squeezed.
“Hello, beautiful.” He chuckled.
“I was wondering when I’d hear from you.”
I heard him sigh softly. “Cell reception sucks here. I called my mom last night to let her know I’d made it here and then went to call you, but…”
“It’s okay. I understand. I miss you.”
“I miss you too. I have to make this quick, but I’ll call you again as soon as I can.”
“Okay,”
“I love you, Riley. Talk to you soon.”
“Love you too, Jake.”
The phone crackled and hissed in my ear before it went silent.
“Feel better?” Paige asked as she stood up and fixed her ponytail.
“Actually, I do.” And I did. Hearing his voice made me realize I needed to suck it up and stop acting like a baby.
“Good. Listen, I gotta go. My shift starts in…” she looked down at her watch and groaned, “ten minutes. I’ll call you later, okay?” She hugged me and made a beeline for the stairs.
“Okay!” I yelled just before the front door slammed closed.
I sat down on my bed, took a deep breath as I scrolled through my phone and pulled up Dr. Anderson, released the air in my lungs, and pushed send.
“Riley… thank God!” Dr. Anderson sounded frazzled.
“What’s up? Paige said you needed to talk to me.”
“I’ve had an emergency come up with my mom, and I have to leave town for a week or so. Do you think you can help me out? I know you can’t take on the big stuff, but you’re more than qualified to help if someone calls in and needs something. I’ve spoken with Dr. Jenkins, the vet over in Andalusia. He said he’d take on whatever you called him about.” His sentences rolled together, never once stopping for a breath.
“Sure, I can do that.”
“Thank you, you don’t even know what a relief that is. Can you come to the office now?”
“Yeah, give me just a few minutes and I’ll be there.”
“See ya when ya get here. And thanks again, Riley. I owe you.”
I set my phone down and changed into a pair of jeans and my beat-up boots.
My keys jingled in my hand, as I jogged to my truck. Having something to do would definitely help chase away the loneliness. Dr. Anderson needing me was just the thing to keep me busy.
DR. ANDERSON WAS READY FOR ME when I stepped inside the waiting room of his clinic.
“I’ve made a few phone calls and talked to the local ranchers. They understand that if it’s an emergency, they need to call Dr. Jenkins. His number’s on my desk, along with a list of numbers you might need while I’m gone. Most of the numbers are in here.” He handed me the cell phone he always carried on his hip.
I slid the phone clip on the waist of my jeans, as he pulled a set of keys off his desk and handed them to me. “The keys to the kingdom,” he said with a brief chuckle. “Okay, now as far as the animals in the back…”
I followed behind him as we went down the line of cages, and he rattled off what they were there for. I kept up with his speedy pace and all but stepped on him when he stopped quickly and turned around. His hand shot out and steadied me. “Sorry. Okay, now Becky will be in every Tuesday and Thursday to take care of the paperwork and stuff. Your main concern will be answering that,” he pointed at the cell, “and doing what you can here before Dr. Jenkins has to be referred.”
Becky had worked part time for Dr. Anderson for as long as I could remember. He’d joked that she came with the building when he’d started his practice.
“I got it, don’t worry about a thing,” I told him as I backed up a step and let him pass by.
“I have no idea what I’ll be dealing with when I get to my mom’s. She’s not good, Riley, and she needs me.” His face paled, and I noticed the deep lines bracketing the corners of his eyes. He was worried and trying really hard not to show it.
“You headed out now?” I asked.
“Yeah, I’ve got my bag in my truck, so I can leave straight from here.”
“Go, I’ve got it from here,” I said, waving him towards the front door.
He walked back to his office, grabbing a pen and paper off the desk. His hand flew along the page as he scribbled two phone numbers down. “This is my mom’s house number and my personal cell number. Call me if you need anything.”
I took the paper from him. “I’ll program them into my cell. Don’t worry about everything here, Dr. Anderson. Just go take care of your mom.”
He nodded his head. “Okay, I’ll call you in a week or so.”
He was out the door and in his truck before I knew it.
Seconds later, the phone at my hip rang.
Four phone calls later, I sat down at Dr. Anderson’s desk and rubbed my forehead. I never realized just how crazy people could be over their pets. It hadn’t even been an hour since he’d left, and I was ready to bang my head against the desk. If Mrs. Snyder called one more time about Muffin’s, her overweight tabby cat, bowel movements, I’d scream.
I busied myself by cleaning up the thick layer of dust that had accumulated over the years in Dr. Anderson’s office. It gave me
something to do as I waited for five o’clock to roll around. I’d just finished wiping down one of the three bookshelves in his office when I heard the bell over the waiting room door jingle.
“Hello?”
I wiped my grime-covered hands on my pants, and went out to meet whoever the worried male voice belonged to. When I stepped out into the waiting room, my eyes landed on a young boy who couldn’t have been more than eleven or twelve. In his arms, he clutched a box against him. His eyes were pooled with tears as he rushed forward, almost shoving the box into my arms.
“My cat… she’s been crying a lot and panting. Dad said to put her outside ’cause he don’t wanna hear her goddamn caterwaulin’ no more. I put her in there and had to close the flaps, so she wouldn’t get away from me.” A fat tear rolled down his cheek, and he brought his shirtsleeve up to dash it away.
I bit my tongue when he cursed. He was clearly upset. Giving him a hard time about cussing would only make him more upset. “Come on, let’s go take a look at her.”
He stayed in the middle of the room with his head bowed and his hands fisted at his sides. “I ain’t got no money to pay you.”
“What’s your name?” My question made him snap his head up to look at me.
“Seth, ma’am.”
“Okay, Seth, let’s get…” I paused so he could tell me the cat’s name.
“Sammy.”
“Let’s get Sammy to the back and take a look at her, okay? Then we can go from there.”
He met my gaze dead on and set his shoulders. His chin came up with a brief nod, and we walked to the back where I could set Sammy down and take a look at her.
I set the box on an examining table and could hear the soft mewling noises coming from inside. I had a feeling I knew what I’d find when I opened the box.
Seth skirted the room and went to stand on the other side of the table. He crossed his arms and chewed his thumbnail as his eyes darted from me to the box. I walked over to the sink, washed my hands, and then gestured for him to do the same.
The Summer I Fell (The Six Series) Page 15
