Page 40 of When You're Gone
She had fallen asleep quickly, only to be wide awake by three. She’d been up for a few hours, trying to savor the emptiness she had been so sure would be the balm she needed. But now that she was home, back in Hampton without Rhett, she felt lonelier than ever.
She shouldn’t have left Virginia.
If she was honest with herself, she’d known it before she even boarded the plane on Friday afternoon. But whether it was to protect her ego or shield her from embarrassment, she had charged ahead with her plans to return to Hampton. HamH
Now she was home. Or home-ish. Sitting in her in-laws’ living room. Alone.
She felt just as sad and despondent here as she did in Norfolk. At least there, she was with Rhett. At least there, one of them was happy.
She watched the clock on her phone flip to six am, then sighed as she pushed to her feet. It was finally time to get ready for work. She had convinced Lia to give up her afternoon shift, so she was working from open until four. The mindless and methodical work would be the perfect distraction. She was looking forward to a busy day at a familiar place she loved, surrounded by people who knew her. A double shift at Clinton’s was exactly what she needed to shake out of this funk.
The day passed quickly thanks to the non-stop rush at the restaurant. After her shift was over, she made her way next door to The Oak Barrel Tavern and hung out with Jake for a while. He had been shocked speechless when she walked through the front door, and she had struggled to articulate exactly why she was back in Hampton instead of in Virginia with Rhett.
She told him about her shifts at the restaurant and about the planning meetings for the gala. But no matter how she tried to explain it, there was still a discernable cast of judgment in his eyes.
She struggled to process his seeming disappointment in her actions. She never expected Jake, of all people, to make her feel guilty about something like this. He knew her heart. Supporting Rhett was important, but she couldn’t dedicate her whole life to sitting through press conferences and making him dinner. She just needed space—time—a chance to work through everything spiraling around her.
A hollowness still permeated every second she wasn’t busy. She had thought the confusion and frustration would dull once she was home. As much as she hated to admit it, it was worse to navigate all the unknowns without Rhett by her side.
She sent her husband a text to tell him she was thinking about him and that she loved him. But her message stayed on “delivered” as she heated up a freezer meal.
Her phone sat in mock silence beside her as she ate her sad excuse for a dinner at the kitchen counter. The food was tasteless as she stabbed at it and chewed. When she was finished, she cleaned up, then blew out a long breath. She reached for her phone out of habit, but no new texts had come through. She opened up her Messages app anyway.
Tori: Are you working tonight?
Fielding: Yep. I’m at Mama Maria’s right now. Pray tell: did the population of Hampton, Ohio increase by one in the last 24 hours?
She smirked.
Tori: I got back last night.
Fielding: And now all is right in the world. Are we still on for tomorrow? Waffles and gala planning at the Valet House?
Tori: Yes.
She sent the first message, then started to type out a follow-up before thinking better of it. She’d see him tomorrow anyway.
Fielding: But? I know what those little gray bubbles mean. I was top of my graduating class, remember? ;)
Busted. And now she had no choice but to throw the idea out there.
Tori: But… do you want to come over after you get off work tonight?
Fielding: Abso-fucking-lutely. It’s not that busy right now. I bet we’ll be done in the next two hours. Need me to bring anything?
Tori: Nope. Just yourself. I spied half a leftover bottle of cherry vodka in the freezer.
Fielding: That shit was potent.
She smirked again. He had been in rare form the night of her party. She wasn’t looking to getthatlevel of wasted tonight, but she also wouldn’t mind a distraction and an escape.
Tori: Almost as potent as whatever you were smoking that night
Fielding: Want me to bring some of that too?
She considered his offer for all of two seconds.
Tori: Sure
