Page 63 of An Ex Affair

I flopped back, brain spinning in overdrive. So many thoughts were swirling, overlapping and competing with each other. I jumped to my feet, unable to sit still. I had to go talk to him.

“Where did he go?”

Mama lifted her sewing with a sniff. “He didn’t say.”

I shook my head, waiting for more. When more didn’t come, I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and hit his contact. It rang and rang. Then went to voicemail. I hung up without leaving a message. Sadly, we hadn’t reached that point in our relationship where we shared our locations on our devices with the other person or I could have tracked him. I shot off a quick text, hoping something would reach him.

Me: Hey. Where are you? What’s going on? Talk to me, Colson.

No bubble popped up to show me that he was texting back or that he’d even seen my text. Mama just kept right on sewing, ignoring me. She’d be no help. Once she got good and comfortable in a stubborn streak, she wouldn’t budge for anyone. And she always sided with Colson.

I dialed Em instead and left the house. She answered before I got to the carriage house. “Hey, do you know where Colson went?”

“Umm, no? What’s going on?” I could hear Georgia singing in the background.

“I’m sorry. I’m interrupting. I just…” I began pacing back and forth outside the little house, panic setting in. “I think I fucked up.”

I heard a door close. “Hey, Warrick? Can you make sure Georgia doesn’t track water all over the house?” Then she was back to talking into the phone. “Sorry, bathtime is always an adventure. How about we meet down at Gin/Tan/Laundry? You can tell me all about it over a beer?”

“Make it a gin and tonic and you’re on.”

“See you in ten.”

We hung up and I switched out my slippers for a pair of sandals. No one would have blinked an eye if I showed up in town in slippers, but a girl had to have some standards. Even if she was on the verge of hyperventilating. When I pulled up to the bar-slash-laundromat-slash-tanning salon, Em was there waiting for me, along with Pip and Savannah.

“Group hug!” Savannah crowed, pulling me into the middle of them for a sloppy girl hug that was supposed to be funny yet made my eyes brim with tears.

“Oh girl,” Em said quietly when they pulled back and she could see me teetering on the emotional edge. “It can’t be that bad. That man adores you.”

“He left,” I manage to say through a throat closing with tears.

“Alcohol first,” Pip said in a tone that brooked no argument.

“Wait for me!” Gabi called from her car. She climbed out and joined the group.

I looked at Em and she shrugged. “This is what friends do. Get over it.”

Later, when I wasn’t freaking out over what Colson leaving town meant for us, I’d tear up over the girls all coming together to support me. For now, we went inside and the young guybehind the bar got our drinks in front of us in record time. After a couple sips of my drink, I told the whole story about Joselyn trying to get ahold of me, then showing up in town, and ending with finding out Colson was gone.

Em leaned back in her chair, beer in hand, and hissed. “That’s messy.”

Gabi shoved her drink aside and leaned in close. “I grilled Joey before I came down here. That’s why I was late. He said Colson showed up at work on Monday going on and on about you two dating again and even asked the group for the name and number of a therapist. The guys gave him shit, but he defended you two, saying you’re more mature now and just want to be happy together. Joey was so proud of Colson for declaring the two of you dating publicly.”

I screwed up my face. Everyone in town knew we’d dated, got married, and then divorced. Ever since I’d been back in town we’d been out and about together. It’s not like it was that hard to figure out we were together again. “Why?”

Pip smacked her fist on the bartop and every head in the place turned in her direction. “This is male pride, little Tully. He claimed you in front of his peers.”

“Basically, his biggest fear coming to life again,” Em added. When I still hadn’t put the pieces together, Em went on. “When you divorced and left town, he was humiliated. Think of it from his perspective. You ditched him and then your star shined so bright he couldn’t even argue that you were better off being with him. He licked his wounds and limped off to another town to live his life. Now you’re both back and in a good place, he tells his peers about the two of you, and now he thinks you’re leaving him again!”

“I’m not leaving him!” My voice carried and those heads were swiveling again. I lowered my voice and explained with no less urgency. “I told Joselyn no, just like we talked about yesterday!”

“Oh!” Gabi caught our attention. She had her nose buried in her phone. “Joey is so getting lucky tonight.”

“What?” I asked, hoping it was word about Colson. I didn’t need to know about my best friend’s sexual favors.

“Joey’s been texting him and finally got a text back just now. Colson is on his way to Texas with Boon.” Gabi lifted her head and put her phone back in her pocket.

I nodded, feeling only slightly better that I knew where he was. The little brother I’d known way back when was a troublemaker, so I wasn’t sure I liked this news. “Why would he just up and leave without talking to me though? We literally just said we have to be better about talking things through when issues come up!”

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