Page 67 of Love Unavoidable
MOM: How did you do it before?
ME: I ran troubleshooting through the cable company website and rebooted your box.
MOM: I don’t know what that means.
ME: Did you call the cable company?
MOM: Obviously you don’t have time for me either. I’ll just tell your father he can’t watch the game.
Oh, for Pete’s sake.
ME: I’ll help, give me a second to get my laptop.
I head into the house to get my laptop and hear a knock at the door. Peeking through the peephole, I see a woman standing there, so I open the door.
“Can I help you?”
“Oh.” She looks affronted. “Where’s Ethan? Who are you?”
“Who are you?” I ask back.
“Melissa.” She says it as though it should mean something to me, but it doesn’t.
“Sadie,” I say holding my hand out to shake hers. She ignores my hand and moves to push her way in the house, I block her. “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you in, Ethan isn’t home right now.”
“Then why are you here?”
“I live here.”
“You live here?” she shrieks. “What the fuck?”
“Did you want to leave a message?”
“Did I . . . ha . . . no, I do not want to leave a message. Where is he?”
“I don’t know.”
“When will he be back?” Melissa asks.
“I don’t know that either, now if you’ll excuse me.” As I say that, headlights pull into the drive. I breathe a sigh of relief, Ethan is here, and he can take care of this woman. Except then I remember that Ethan’s truck is already in the drive. And the person getting out of the car is definitely not him.
As he gets closer to the door, I recognize him.
“Sadie, is that you?”
“Aaron? What are you doing here?” I ask.
“I came to see you.”
“At eight o’clock at night?”
“My flight was delayed,” he explains, but not answering my question.
“Excuse me,” Melissa interrupts. “I really need to see Ethan.”
“Is he here?” Aaron asks.
“Who, Ethan?” I ask. Aaron nods. “No.”
