The Love Triangle(10)

I balled my fist. I didn’t know what she wanted. I’d won her just to lose her again.



I slammed my fist down on the table and the tumbler jumped. A dull ache throbbed into my hand where I’d hit it. This damn temper was going to get the better of me at some point. I took another sip of whiskey, chasing it with another one.



If I kept it up, I would spend the night at the Inn. Another night away from home. I left the empty tumbler on the table and got up from the private booth, walking to the bar. The barman was pouring a row of shots. He nodded at me. He would be over in a second. I’d ask him for the bottle. I glanced over my shoulder. It was finally dark outside. Perfect to match my mood.



My phone vibrated in my pocket and I took it out. It was Grace’s number.



“Are you okay, sweetheart?” I asked.



“No,” she said and she was crying. Fear gripped my heart. If something happened to her after I thought she was okay, she’d survived me… “I can’t do this. I wanted to be alone but you were right. I shouldn’t have come here.” She hiccupped between sobs like she’d been crying for a while. “Can you come get me? Us, Claudia as well?”



“I’ll be right there, sweetheart,” I said. The barman was waiting for me, both hands on the bar.



“Don’t worry about it,” I said and left the bar. I drove the short distance to the hotel. I shoved the manila envelope into the glove compartment before I got out of the car. When I got to the room, the door was open and Claudia had her suitcase packed and ready at the door. I walked into the room and Grace came to me. Her eyes were swollen like she’d rubbed them a lot, and her hands were shaking.



“What happened?” I asked.



“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said, and she came to stand right in front of me.



“Do you want me to take you back to the hospital?” I asked. I was worried about her injury. But she shook her head.



“Just take me to your place. I just want to get out of here.”



I nodded without saying another word. I picked up Grace’s suitcase. Claudia picked up her own. She made sure Grace was settled in the car while I checked them out. I left the hotel with a tip for the trouble.



When I got to the car, Grace was in the passenger seat with Claudia in the back. Grace stared out of the window at nothing. I popped a mint into my mouth to hide the alcohol smell, and got into the car.



“We’ll have you comfortable in no time,” I said. She nodded and I pulled into the street. I knew that it wasn’t really much of a victory. She was sick and she needed help. But I couldn’t help but feel that I’d won.





Chapter 8 - Justin





The drive to Dayton took almost two hours. I drove it twice a week, and whenever else I could get time off work and Evelyn didn’t need me. No one else knew what I did in Dayton. I hadn’t told anyone because they hadn’t asked.



I hadn’t told anyone except Evelyn because I wasn’t even sure what this was. And until I knew, I didn’t want to make it something it wasn’t.



Dayton was a lot bigger than Fort Atkinson. Being here made me feel like I could disappear. The people didn’t know everyone else on the street. There were no neighbors that could spread gossip. It was very impersonal, very anonymous. And perfect for someone who didn’t know what he was doing anymore.



I parked in front of the large stucco house with arched windows and balconies on the second floor. The house was painted a warm beige with a red tiled roof and plants climbing up against the walls.



Alice came out before I slammed the truck door. She’d been expecting me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. Her blonde hair tickled my nose and she smelled like apples and women’s perfume. I breathed in deeply and held onto her a second longer than I needed to before I let go.



“I’ve waited for you all week,” she said and smiled. Her eyes were a dazzling green and sometimes looking into them made me dizzy.



“I know, it’s been a bit rough,” I said. I hadn’t been to see her since I’d heard about Grace being in the hospital. I may have been dating Alice now, but the moment Grace’s name came up, everything else fell away. Was it wrong? Yes. Could I stop it? No. Was I going to try? Probably not



“Is it sorted out now?” Alice asked.



No. Not at all. She still doesn’t want me. But I didn’t say that. I was with Alice now. I was trying to move on. The fact that the opposite had happened for Grace couldn’t get to me as much as it was. Alice was the attempt to forget about the past, to move on, to let go of what I couldn’t change and to find happiness somewhere else.



The problem was that now suddenly it felt like it was something I might still be able to change. That was one of the things that were really getting to me. The fact that something that had been final suddenly wasn’t anymore, but it was a repetition, not something new.



“Perfectly fine,” I lied and smiled to back it up. She laced her fingers through mine and tugged at my arm, leading me into the house.



The house was very minimalistic. She had only the most necessary pieces of furniture scattered around the house in an artistic way. Everything she did was like that. Spontaneous and erratic. The opposite of what Grace was.



That was why I liked her. Because she didn’t remind me of Grace at all.



Alice was divorced. Her husband had left her with the house and half of the furniture. He’d gotten the condo in Miami, apparently. She was an artist, using all her time to paint paintings I didn’t understand. They weren’t pictures of anything, rather a lot of arbitrary shapes in colors that didn’t match.



It was abstract art, Alice had said. I hadn’t really listened to what that entailed.



“What have you been up to since we last saw each other?” she asked. “It feels like it’s been forever.”



“Oh, not too much. A lot of work, as usual, and I’ve been helping my sister out. The end of the month is always harder work for her.”



Alice nodded. I’d shared bits and pieces of my life with her. She offered me some tea and I accepted. I didn’t like tea but her scrutinizing attention on me made me nervous. If I said yes to her hospitality, it kept her busy.



“What’s bothering you?” she suddenly asked. She put tea leaves into a strainer and put it in the tea pot.



“Nothing’s bothering me,” I said, looking up at her.



She shook her head. “I haven’t known you for very long, but I know when something’s getting to you. You’re distant. It’s like you haven’t really arrived.”



I sighed. I’d hoped it wasn’t that obvious.



“A friend of mine ended up in the hospital a couple of days ago,” I said. Better tell some of the truth than lie completely.



“What happened?” Alice asked. She paused with two cups in her hand, looking at me.



“Car accident. She’s okay though. It was more of a scare than anything, really.”



Liar, I told myself. Not a friend. Not just a scare. So much more.



“I’m sorry to hear that,” Alice said. “You’ve never spoken of any of your friends.”



I nodded. I hadn’t mentioned much of my life to her. Outside the ranch and Grace I didn’t really have one.



Alice made to pick up the tray with the tea cups and the teapot, but I stepped closer. I knew she wanted me to offer. She was all about etiquette and manners and stepping up to the definition of a gentleman. I wasn’t sure why she was trying it on me. I was a cowboy. Being a gentleman wasn’t exactly in the job description. For us it was all about hard work. Honor, valor, all that.



At least, that was how it used to be back in the day. I liked to think that it was still like that somewhere. That’s why I loved being a cowboy so much.



“Let me,” I said and she smiled like she didn’t think I was going to ask. I picked up the tray and fought the urge to make a snide remark. I was in a bad mood and it wouldn’t be fair to take it out on Alice.



She hadn’t done anything wrong. It was just who she was.



I followed her to the formal sitting room and put the tray down on the coffee table. Alice kicked off her shoes and folded her feet underneath her on the armchair. She was like a porcelain doll, with perfect skin and bright eyes and a graceful manner that looked like it came straight from a movie.



Why, then, couldn’t I just forget about Grace and move on?





Chapter 9 - Grace





I knew what kind of house Elijah lived in. Mansion was more the word. It was huge, with rolling gardens, green velvety grass and a pool that was inviting all year round.



I’d been in the house a couple of times, but only as a guest. Never as someone who lived there. Not that I could remember, anyway. And that was what bothered me. Six months wasn’t a long time. Not compared to the rest of my life, everything that I’d learned and experienced. Six months was nothing compared to that.



And somehow by losing the last six months, it felt like I’d lost a lifetime. There was so much that felt different. So much that I just couldn’t remember, and every now and then there were lulls in the conversation where I knew that I should have been able to fill it up with information. With memories. With what the last six months had held.