Chapter 22
Preston
It didn’t take long for restlessness to kick in. Upon hearing Justin’s very brief account of her, I knew I wouldn’t last. He was tight-lipped but acted like he wanted to say more. She must’ve made him promise not to. Being the kind of guy he was, he wouldn’t break that promise. Being the kind of guy that I was, I wouldn’t press him, although that’s what I wanted to do.
My days in Seattle were numbered. I’d known that from the start. Ever since I’d discovered where she’d gone, I had counted the days until I could go to her. She needed time and that’s why I didn’t charge right after her. She would’ve pushed me away. In all likelihood she still would, but I was going to try anyway.
My last night there, about a week before Christmas Eve, I announced at dinner I was leaving in the morning and would be driving to Vail. Justin and Caroline both looked at me, grinned, and she said, “It’s about damn time.”
“I might be crawling back here with my tail between my legs before it’s all said and done.”
“I don’t even want to hear it. You’re more persistent than anyone I know. And persuasive. If anyone can sway Ava, you can,” Justin added.
“God, I hope so.” It was a desperate plea, and I knew it. “I never knew what living life was until I met her.”
Justin and Caroline looked at each other first and then and me. “We know,” Justin said.
When dawn broke, I was in my car, headed toward Denver. It was a twenty-hour drive, but I promised myself I would stop for one overnight somewhere in between. My first thoughts were to go back to Montana, but when I delved deeper into that, I knew my heart couldn’t bear it. My stop would be someplace else, a place that evoked no memories of Avery.I would call it when I started to feel tired.
The lights on the interstate began to have those starbursts around them, so I knew that was my signal. I saw an exit up ahead with some motels, so I pulled into the first one which happened to be a Comfort Lodge. Hoping it lived up to its name, I scored a room and took a hot shower. Not expecting to sleep, I flipped the TV on, but was surprised when I rolled over and looked at the clock to find it was four a.m. I’d fallen sound asleep, which lately, was not the norm. Maybe it was because I was on my way to being closer to her. Nothing else about it made sense. Insomnia had ruled my life ever since that dreadful day, so that must’ve been it. Crawling between the sheets, I rolled back over to see if I could sleep a little more. My mind spun with what I would do if I came face-to-face with her. Would I run or go and speak to her? Would I dare to even say a word? Would she answer me if I did?
Debilitating fear ran through my body. It was the kind that caused you to break out in a cold sweat and made your heart slam against your rib cage. That’s what I felt when I thought about Avery never speaking to me again. That was right before visceral anguish ripped into me, making me feel like I was being gutted alive.
How could something so beautiful as love hurt so deeply? I’d asked myself that so damn many times I don’t know why I kept repeating the question. I truly was the perfect example of insanity.
The chance of falling back to sleep had vanished. I scanned the room for one of those little coffeepots and didn’t see one. Maybe it was on the bathroom counter. I tossed back the covers, thankful for the few hours of sleep I’d gotten. When I made it to the bathroom, I discovered the coffee maker. Setting it up to brew, I got in the shower to wake myself up. By the time I finished, my coffee was done, and it was time to hit the road. It was too early for the hotel restaurant to be open. Hell, normal people were barely even moving yet. It wasn’t even five a.m. Too bad for me. I’d stop and grab some food later. Not eating didn’t bother me much, as long as I had caffeine in me.
The rest of the day was damn boring because I only had a couple of choices. Loud music or thoughts of Avery. I chose loud music from a sanity perspective.
I pulled into Vail at eight that night and drove directly to the Crystal Ski Lodge. After checking in, I walked around the Lionshead area of town, interested in seeing how much it had grown. I’d been here once, a long time ago, but this part of Vail had only a couple of restaurants and a scattering of hotels back then. Today, there were restaurants and bars everywhere. I hoped I wouldn’t run into her tonight. I needed to prepare myself and was not yet in my element.