Page 62 of When You're Gone
Fielding: Tori. Please. We need to talk. If you’re ignoring me, tell me, and I’ll leave you alone for now. I just want to make sure you’re okay… that we’re okay.
She glared at the messages, livid from his implication that what happened Saturday night was something she just needed a little time to cool off from. She had almost led them down a path they could never recover from, and he had eagerly followed. She had made a huge mistake, and as a result, Fielding Haas had shown his cards.
She didn’t know how, exactly, his confessions changed things between them, but there was no question in her mind that they did. They had both been drinking, but that was no excuse. He confessed that he wanted her, and that if she gave him the green light, he was going to shoot his shot.
Platonic friendship wasn’t an option after what almost happened. Not anytime soon, at least. Not with her marriage on such shaky ground. Not with Rhett’s parting words still so fresh in her mind:
“Do you still need to get him out of your system?”
She did, but not in the way her husband had implied. She wasn’t willing to completely write off his friendship in the future, but for now, she needed space.
Tori: Hey. I don’t feel comfortable hanging out right now. Saturday was too much… I need time to figure things out. Please don’t call me or text me. I’ll reach out when I’m ready.
She read the text three times before hitting send. Her words weren’t just an excuse: she really did need time to come to terms with what had happened and what came next. Her project in the attic was done, and she had the next few days off work. It aggravated her to realize this would have been a perfect weekend to visit Rhett in Virginia. She couldn’t be with him now, but she could do as he’d asked: she could work on figuring things out, and make the most of a quiet weekend without distractions.
She knew what she wanted to do. She just needed to let her dad and Rhett know her plans. She sent a message to her dad first, informing him that her phone would be off, but that he could call the Wheelers’ landline if he needed to reach her this weekend.
Then she sent a text to Rhett. She’d struggled to filter her words and not come on too strong every time she messaged him lately. But after reading that letter from her mom, she was too raw to hold back now.
V: I just finished cleaning out the attic. I found a letter from my mom that I’d never seen before. I can’t wait to show it to you. I know I haven’t been myself lately. I’m working on it, though… I’m working my way back to you. I’m going to shut my phone off for a few days, but I’ll be at your parents’ house if you need me. Just call the landline. Have a good weekend. I miss you.
She sent her message to Rhett, then she checked the read receipt on her text to Fielding. He had received her message alright—he was already replying, the little gray bubble starting and stopping a dozen times as he typed out a response. She sat transfixed, curious to see what he could possibly have to say after she told him plainly to leave her alone. She should have known he wouldn’t go down without a fight. That just wasn’t his style.
Before she could let her mind wander too far into the realm of possibility, her phone vibrated with a notification.
Ev: Thanks for letting me know. I miss you, too.
That was it. She read those nine simple words over and over again, searching for some sort of hidden meaning, desperate for any kind of clue as to what he was thinking. She still didn’t know how the hell she was supposed to proceed. But at least he had responded. At least she knew he hadn’t given up.
She powered off her phone before any other texts could come through. Rhett believed in them: he had told her just last weekend. Now she had to figure out how to prove to him that she believed in them, too.
Chapter twenty-three
Rhett
Hehadn’tsetoutto come here, as proven by the fact that Charlie had gotten turned around twice trying to find the exact location of the facility. It wasn’t his fault Rhett had requested an unplanned stop on the way home.
He turned his phone over in his hands a few times, trying to make sense of Tori’s earlier message. The ember of hope that he always kept stoked for her burned a little brighter after reading the update. The only puzzling bit was the part about wanting to let him know her phone would be off. He appreciated the heads-up. He would have worried unnecessarily if he had tried to call or text and couldn’t get a hold of her. His interest was piqued, but he resisted texting her all the things he wanted to say.
“Ah, we’re finally here,” Charlie announced as he pulled up to the guest entrance. The facility looked more like a mansion than a medical center. “Would you like me to wait out here, Mr. Wheeler?”
Rhett glanced at the time. It was already after seven. “No need. I’ll get a ride home with my mom or call an Uber if she’s staying the night. See you in the morning, Charlie.”
He walked slowly into the facility and checked in with the front desk to confirm the room location. Three doors down, on the left. When he reached Jonathan Ashton’s door, he hesitated. A wave of shame rolled through him—this was the first time he’d been to this facility to visit his granddad. He checked in daily with his mom, and he looked at the updates online from the care team each morning, but he couldn’t help but feel like a horrible grandson.
He had thought about stopping by every day for the last two weeks. But he’d been working late, trying to stick to an evening routine, and doing anything and everything to keep his head on straight. Between the increased responsibility and the strain on his marriage, he always felt just one gasp of air or gulp of water away from slipping under.
The door swung open before he could turn the handle, leaving him face to face with his mother. She gave him a wry smile before pulling him into a hug.
“I thought I heard someone overthinking out here,” she teased as she rose up to kiss him on the cheek.
Rhett chuckled and loosened his tie as he followed her into the room. “How did you know I was out there?”
“Mother’s intuition,” she quipped over her shoulder as she led him to the seating area on the far side of the private room. “That, or the nurse’s station called down to ask if the door was locked, because there was a man just standing in the hall, staring at the handle.”
Anne Wheeler sat down on the vinyl couch and patted the spot beside her. Rhett joined her and instantly reached for her hand.
“How are you?” he asked sincerely. He could tell she was exhausted—she was freshly showered, and her hair was styled, but beyond that, she looked like she had aged ten years since he had seen her last week.
