“I’m not hungry,” I tell the table. “Rain check.”
“Yeah, of course,” Beau says, and I get up. “I’ll call you later.”
“Yeah,” I say and walk out of the diner toward my truck. I sit in the driver’s seat and put the key inside. My head throbs as my chest feels crushed, so I go to the only place that calms me. I park the truck in my secret spot and make my way down to the creek. The place that calms me yet breaks me equally.
My mind feels like it’s going to explode with all the memories rushing back. All the memories—good, bad, sad, ugly—replay in my head like a movie.
The first time I kissed her. Her telling me that she loved me the first time. The first time I made love to her. The first time we got into a fight and she threw me out of her house. The first time I came crawling back. The first time she woke up in my arms. The last time I kissed her, right before our world got taken from us. The last time I saw her here was with tears streaming down her face.
I’m almost at the creek when I spot him. Someone who is definitely not from here. He stands with his jeans and leather jacket on as he takes pictures. I watch him for a bit, and then he takes out his phone and does something on it. I take out my own phone and snap a picture of him.
As I step out into the clearing, the branches snap under my feet, getting the guy’s attention. His black hair is pushed all the way back, his eyes in surprise that someone should be here. “Can I help you?” I ask, and he changes now.
He laughs nervously. “Not really. I think I’m lost. I was …” He turns around and pretends to be looking at something. “On a hike and I must have taken the wrong turn.”
“Yeah, those trails are tricky.” I play into his story even though there are no fucking trails anywhere in this town. “You should really have brought a guide with you.”
“Yeah, I should have,” he says, looking down at his feet, and I notice he’s wearing Chucks.
“Where you from?” I ask, trying to reel him in.
“Oh, I’m a West Coast boy,” he says. “Figured I’d get away to clear my head.”
“Well, you came to the right place,” I say, “but this is private property.”
“Really?” He acts shocked. “I didn’t know.”
I shrug. “Let me help you to your car,” I say, and he nods at me.
“Do you remember where you parked?”
“I think a little over that way.” He points to the path that leads to the road.
“Well, let me escort you there.” I hold out my hand and wait for him to walk in front of me.
“You really don’t have to do that,” he says, looking over his shoulder at me.
“It’s my pleasure.” I smile tight, and I take him to his car that is parked on the side of the road. I make a mental note of his license place, but I have no doubt it’s a rental.
“Well, thank you,” he says, unlocking his car door. “People in the South are so trusting.”
“That’s what we make you believe,” I say. “People in the South also shoot first and ask questions later.”
He laughs nervously, getting into his car. “I didn’t get your name.”
“You didn’t,” I say. “I didn’t get yours either.”
“Dwayne,” he says.
“Nice to meet you, Dwayne. You have a safe journey home.” I turn and walk back to the creek, stopping and turning to see which way he drives. When I see him pull off, I run to my truck, getting in and calling Monica.
“I need you to run this plate,” I say, shouting off the number.
“I’ll call you when I get the information,” she says. I hang up and call the one man I have spent the past eight years avoiding.
“What now?” he answers.
“Five minutes, your parents’ house.” I don’t even wait for him to respond before I toss my phone on the passenger seat. Pulling up to Kallie’s house, I stop the truck and grab my phone. I look around to see if I see anything when I walk to the door. I don’t have to knock when the door swings open and a pissed-off Casey is there. He walks out and closes the door behind him.
“She’s been home two days. Two and every single time she turns around she’s hit with the reality that you fucked another woman,” he says between clenched teeth. “I had to fucking carry her in today.” He looks around. “After having a panic attack where she almost fucking fainted.”
“You think I want to cause her pain?” I now stand up to him. “You think that in any of this, I want her to feel the pain that I feel every fucking day?” I shake my head. “This isn’t about me. I found someone creeping around the creek.”
He steps back at my words. “What did you just say?” His jaw clenches. “Let’s go inside.”
He walks back inside. “Mom, Dad!” he yells, then yells up the stairs, “Kallie, Darlin’!”
“What is all this screaming going on?” Charlotte comes out of the kitchen, and she’s wiping her hands on a towel, and you can see she was crying. “Jacob, honey, I don’t think …”
“Mom, not now.” Casey goes to the liquor cabinet. “Mom, please go get the girls,” he says, taking a swig. He goes to hand me the bottle, but he just shrugs when I shake my head. “Suit yourself.”
Charlotte comes down with Olivia right behind her who glares at me. “I don’t like you,” she says, and I almost roll my eyes.
“Um …” Charlotte says. “Kallie will be down in a minute.”
“What is all this about?” Billy says, coming into the house from the backyard.
“We are waiting for Kallie,” Casey says, taking another swig.
“What is up with you?” Olivia gets close to Casey, and he just shakes his head. I hear her coming down the stairs. Her hair is piled on top of her head. She wears pink shorts and a white shirt, and she avoids looking at me.
“Everyone’s here,” Casey says. “You can start anytime you want.”
“After I left the diner, I went to the creek,” I start, and my eyes are on Kallie. She looks down at the floor, and I see her wipe a tear away. “I just needed to clear my head.” She shakes her head. “I was walking there, and I saw a guy. Knew right away he was not where he was supposed to be. He was taking pictures,” I say, and now she looks up at me with her mouth open. “He claims he got lost on the trails.”
“There are no trails,” Billy says, looking at Casey who takes another swig.
“I got his picture,” I tell them and open my phone. “He said his name is Dwayne.” I hand the phone to Olivia, who shakes her head, then passes the phone to Kallie, who takes it in her hand and shakes her head also.
“I walked him to his car and got his plate number,” I say. “I’m running the plate, but I’m not expecting it to be that easy.”
“You are not allowed at that creek,” Casey says to Kallie.
“You don’t have to worry about that. After today, I think it’s safe to say I’m going into hibernation,” she says, getting up. “I’m not feeling well.”