Thirty-Five
A fter spending the day doing some work that included renting a safe deposit box to store the documents from his father’s house, Scott surveyed the new near-empty room.
Scott had enough of trying to keep his dad’s skeletons locked in the closet. He needed to confess everything to Lauren. He’d make her go to dinner with him and they’d talk about it. If she wasn’t at the hospital with her dad, she was at the bakery. It was time to pick up the task Olivia and Melody had given him the day before and bring her back to the woman they missed. It would have to wait until he got back from his trip to see Jarold, but the few days break would be a good thing. For both of them.
He practiced his speech as he drove to the hospital, but by the time he pulled into the parking lot, he still didn’t have anything better than, ‘My dad’s the reason for all the shit happening to this town. Please don’t hate me. Oh, and I need to leave town for a few days, but that will give you time to think about things and maybe not hate me as much so we can talk about everything when I get back.’ It wouldn’t go down as his best speech, but it was better than saying nothing.
With a deep breath, Scott left the safety of his car and charged into the hospital.
The volunteer at the small desk smiled at him as he asked her for Jim’s room number. He didn’t need it. He already knew where Jim was. But asking gave him a few more precious minutes of Lauren not hating him.
“Room 316. Take the elevator to the third floor and turn left. It should be halfway down the hall on the right. Just past the nurse’s station.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Herdis.”
“Anytime, Scott. It’s so nice to see you back in Iron Creek.”
Scott smiled and nodded as he backed away then turned to the elevators before Mrs. Herdis asked him questions he didn’t have the answers to. Like how long he was staying or when he’d be back.
He found Lauren in her father’s room. Exactly where he expected to find her.
“You don’t need to stay, Lauren. Go home, go out, go anywhere, but here.” Jim looked over at the door and smiled. “Thank God. Scott, will you get Lauren out of here.”
“That’s my plan.”
Lauren sighed and stood from the chair next to the hospital bed then crossed the floor to the doorway. “I’ll be right back.”
“Hopefully not.” Jim called to her as they walked down the hallway to the elevator.
“Can we talk?” Scott asked.
“Sure.” Lauren looked around the hallway until her gaze landed on the bench near the elevator.
“Not here.”
“Scott…” She looked back down the hall toward her dad’s room. “Can we do this tomorrow or later next week?”
“I have to fly out and meet with a client.”
“Then maybe this is for the best. With my dad sick and the Main Street project, I don’t know if I have time for us.”
Scott’s jaw almost dropped at her words. He expected something like that after he confessed his father’s sins. Not before.
“Lauren…”
“Scott, this was never going to work. We were kidding ourselves that we could figure it out. I can’t give you the time you want and deserve when you need it. And your job means you’ll spend more time away than here. So, let’s just walk away now without hard feelings and bitter words.” She pressed up on her toes and kissed his cheek then walked away before he could get out a single word of protest.
Her words knocked him back on his heels.
If she wasn’t willing to fight for them, then neither was he.
He stepped into the elevator.
With no hard feelings.
Or at least that’s what he told himself.
He left the hospital in a daze, but still managed to find his car. Except once behind the wheel, he didn’t know what to do next. He sat in his car, staring at his phone long enough for Mrs. Herdis to finish her shift. She rapped on the driver’s side window with her bony knuckles, breaking him from his daze.
He pressed the button that rolled the window down.
“Everything OK?”
Scott waved his phone at her, thankful for the excuse in his hand. “Just wrapping up some business before I drive off. You know what they say about driving and cell phones.”
“Your dad was so proud of you. He was always telling us about your accomplishments.”
“Thanks Mrs. Herdis. Well, I better be on my way.” He had no clue how to respond to her. Part of him wanted to confess everything. At least then he could say he’d completed part of what he set out to do when he showed up at the hospital.
“See you around, Scott.” She stepped away from the car door.
“See you.” Scott lied as he backed out and drove away.
On his way through town back to the hotel, he repeated Lauren’s words.
It was better this way.
By the time he turned into the hotel’s parking lot, he realized the hotel was the last place he wanted to be. Love and work might not mix, but then neither did walking away from love and being alone. He circled the parking lot and pulled onto the road that would lead him back to town.
His first stop was the bakery, but the lights were all off. His next stop was the bar across the street. Jake and Trent were sitting at a table in a corner and Scott joined them.
“What’s up?”
Scott waved to the woman delivering drinks and pointed to the bottle in front of Jake. She nodded and a few moments later brought a round of beers for the table. He waited until she was well clear of the table before answering Jake’s question. “I’m leaving.”
“Yeah, Olivia mentioned it.”
How did Olivia know? never mind. It wasn’t important. Olivia always knew everything and usually told anyone who would listen, and even those who wouldn’t, what she knew.
“She said you had a problem client or a problem with a client. I wasn’t paying close attention.”
“No. I’m leaving leaving. Going back to the city.”
“What about Lauren?”
“It was her idea.”
“What did you do to her?” Trent stopped looking around the bar and focused his attention on Scott.
“Nothing. I didn’t do anything.” Scott took a long drink of beer then set the bottle down and leaned forward. What followed was a full confession of everything his father had done that he knew about. By the time he finished, his friends were staring at him like he’d grown a second and third head.
“Does she know?” Trent broke the silence.
“She ended things before I could tell her.”
“Well, if you didn’t do anything why’d she end it? It’s always been you for her.”
“She just said it was better. She didn’t have time.”
“We’re going to circle back to your dad being a Disney villain, but let’s focus on you and Lauren right now. What exactly did she say?” Jake asked.
“That it would never work, and it was better to walk away now without any hard feelings.” Scott finished his beer. “I just stopped by to say goodbye.”
Saying those words aloud made everything real. He stood up, threw a fifty on the table for the round of beers and left, ignoring the calls of his friends to wait. Once outside and back in the car, he connected his phone and called Georgia.
“I’m still working on a flight for you. Getting you out isn’t a problem It’s finding a connecting flight that doesn’t send you half way around the world.”
“Don’t bother. Get me back to the city. I’m leaving Iron Creek.”
“Sco-”
He hung up and drove back to the hotel.
It was time to go back to Chicago.