Page 68 of Until Forever

“I would love to,” she chuckled.

I didn’t tell Claire anything about Keith. She was already disabled and was about to tell her cheating husband she wanted a divorce. I couldn’t stand the thought of her feeling guilty or thinking anything that happened between me and Keith was her fault. It was all his fault for not telling me sooner…and for being the kind of jerk who hangs around in bars just waiting for a vulnerable married woman to wander onto the bar stool next to his.

She rehearsed what she was going to say to Chris, and we talked until he messaged to say he was on his way home. I gathered up my bag again with no clue of where I would go.

“You call me if he tries anything funny or starts to lose his temper. Or if you need anything at all,” I told her on my way out the door.

“You got it. I’ll tell you as soon as it’s over and he’s gone.”

“Take your time,” I offered, leaning down to hug her.

“When you come home, can you bring a bottle of vodka and buckets of ice cream?”

“I was already planning on it. Even before you asked.”

I hugged her one more time, wished her good luck, and turned to leave. The moment I got into my car, I was hit with the reality of something I had been afraid of ever since I looked into Keith’s eyes and knew my feelings for him were just as strong as they were a decade ago. Silver Point felt like it was too small for the both of us, and I had nowhere to go that didn’t come with the risk of running into him.

Not knowing what else to do, I drove out into the countryside in search of a random field that was close enough to still have cell service but far enough away so I’d know there was no chance of seeing him. I ended up turning down Old Jackson Ridge and had to drive past Mr. Hawkins’s property. The water tower in the distance made me cringe. Once I saw it, it was too late. The memories started dancing through my brain, beyond my control. They were so vivid, I swore I could feel the tingle of Keith’s kiss on my lips.

“The first person he ever climbed up there with. Psh,” I grumbled to myself. “The lie detector determined…that was most likely a lie. Like everything else out of his mouth.”

I did my best to shake it off and turned the radio up full blast. My old van still had a CD player installed, so I reached for the CD case under the seat and slipped to all of my old favorites from high school—specifically the angry girl rock I took to listening to right after the homecoming dance fiasco.

I scream-sang along with the songs and sped down the old country roads, thinking to myself—I got over Keith once before. I could do it again.

But it was different this time around. Before I knew I only had to tolerate him and Silver Point temporarily, just long enough until I could make my big escape to LA. But now that Claire was officially kicking Chris to the curb, I couldn’t leave her. I would have to stick around for a while, maybe forever. We used to joke about growing old together and being two spinsters who lived together with a bunch of cats. That scenario was getting closer to becoming a reality every day.

I could find a way to make my peace with staying in the town for Claire, but there was no way I could work alongside Keith at the marina every day. Contractually, the only thing I was obligated to was my investment and receiving my share of the profits. Derek had a good head on his shoulders and could keep an eye on the place for me to make sure his idiot brother didn’t run the place into the ground.

As I made up my mind to take a step back from the renovations and daily operations, my phone lit up with a message from Claire. She said the deed was done and told me I could come home whenever I was ready. I made a U-turn in the middle of the quiet road and headed back, stopping by the store for booze and junk food on the way.

I expected Claire to be crying when I came in, but I was surprised to find her sitting by the window—looking stoic, which was not a common expression for her bright and bubbly personality. Even when she first woke up in the hospital and saw me after the accident, she lit up with a smile, despite being in pain.

Her quiet, calmness kind of scared me.

“What first? Ice cream with chocolate syrup, loaded nachos, or a shot of vodka?”

“Vodka. Please,” she quipped.

I plopped the bags down on the floor, fished the bottle out of the bag, twisted off the cap, and handed it to her. She took a big swig and wiped her hand across her mouth.

“You okay?” As soon as I said it, I knew it was a stupid question. She just kicked her husband out of the house. Of course, she wasn’t okay.

“Actually, yes,” she sighed. Her familiar smile returned.

“Oh!” I chirped in confusion.

“It’s over,” she said. “It’s been a long time coming, and it’s finally over.”

I kneeled down beside her wheelchair and rested my chin on the arm of it. “Just because you knew it was coming doesn’t mean it was any easier. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks. We’ll get this right one day.”

“Get what right?”

“This whole love thing,” she replied.

“Oh, no. Don’t say that. I was already getting excited about this growing old together with a ton of cats like we always talked about.”

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