I couldn’t face going home. Looking into Lee’s trusting eyes would break me. I needed a plan. I paced the floor of my office.
Rachel would be back tomorrow. I had no doubt about it. It would be two years tomorrow and that bitch never missed a chance to remind me. I had called her from Louisiana and packed her and her friends off on an all-expense paid trip to Paris. I’d needed her out of my hair and she’d been badgering me with months about going. It seemed to be the perfect plan.
Except now she was coming back, my perfect plan didn’t seem so fucking perfect anymore.
I had two choices; tell Lee everything and risk her hating me forever, or make another deal with the devil herself. The risk of losing Lee was too fucking painful to even contemplate; bargaining with Rachel was my only option. I needed out, because I sure as hell couldn’t live my life like this anymore.
There was a brief knock on my door, before it opened. “What troubling you Kyle? I can hear you banging around from the lobby.” I closed my eyes, as Linda approached me. “Go sit down and tell me what’s going on,” she urged, patting my shoulder, “Whatever it is, I’ll fix it.”
I smiled sadly at her kind face. That was Linda all over, jumping in to fight my battles. I went and sat in my chair. She leaned against the desk and waited.
Where did I start?
“The night grandpa died, I killed someone.”
I expected Linda to scream. Hit me; Shout at me, hell even flinch.
I was not expecting her to laugh.
“I’m serious Linda. I killed someone. It was an accident, but it doesn’t change the fact that it happened. The blood is on my hands.”
Linda sobered. “Okay, why don’t you start at the beginning and we’ll take it from there.” I took a deep breath and told Linda everything. I bared my fucking soul to the woman, warts and all.
“So this is the reason you tolerate her?” Linda asked when I finished.
I nodded. “What else can I do? I was the one driving the car that night. I caused her injuries. It’s my fault and I’ve got a responsibility to the girl.”
Linda walked over to the mini bar and poured two glasses of whiskey. “I don’t know kiddo,” she said, handing me a glass. “Something doesn’t add up.”
I groaned, dragging my hand through my hair. I’d been through it constantly for the past two years. “If I had a way out, I would have found it by now.” I tossed my drink back, went to the mini bar and poured another.
“Bring that bottle over her kiddo, I’m gonna need it.” I passed Linda the bottle and sat back down. I could see the wheels turning in her head, as she silently assessed the situation. “Go through it once more,” she said and I groaned. “Just humor me Kyle.”
I’d come back from my grandfather’s will reading, I’d just found out he’d left me everything. I hadn’t fucking wanted a dime. My father had gone berserk, threatening me with lawsuits and what not, but I hadn’t given two shits about how he felt. I’d been the one holding my grandfather’s hand as the life seeped out of him. I’d been there alone. My father hadn’t shown up, nor had my brother. He’d been too fucking busy.
“I came back from will reading; she was with him.”
It still fucking hurt to think about it. Not the fact that Rachel cheated on me, but that Mike had fucked me over. I had actually gotten along with him up until then.
“We had a fight.”
I had found my brother and my girlfriend in my grandfather’s house, fucking like rabbits in the kitchen. He’d sprouted a bunch of bullshit about him about how I’d screwed him over with Rachel, and stolen his inheritance. I’d had to leave that night, or I would have killed him.
“I got in the car.”
Rachel had chased after me; she’d jumped into the passenger side. I’d told her to get out, but she wouldn’t.
“She didn’t have her seatbelt on.”
I’d been so fucking angry; I hadn’t been concentrating on the road, going too fast.
“I didn’t see the red light. I crashed and she lost the baby.”
Lee
“So, I was thinking we could throw a party tomorrow night? What do you guys think?” Cam asked as we all sat at the table having dinner, minus Kyle. He had to work late for the third night in a row.
“Cool babe whatever, Think you can swing it before tomorrow night?” Derek asked between mouthfuls of lasagna.
Cam smiled sweetly at him and patted his head. “Derek please, I am the queen of party planning.” She then turned to me. “What do you think Lee?” she asked before taking a swig of beer from her bottle.