26. Fallon
Chapter twenty-six
Fallon
Where the hell are my hoop earrings? I think I had them on the day Jeb was here fishing. I remember taking them off. I think I was in the kitchen. Maybe in the family room?
The house is small, so they couldn’t have gone far, but I’ve checked all over the counter and in every drawer in the bathroom. I scoured the medicine cabinet, and the junk drawer in the kitchen. I don’t need them, per se. But they would go well with my outfit and I have a meeting tomorrow that I have to go into the office for.
I’m on my hands and knees using my cell phone’s flashlight to check under the couch when it starts vibrating with Shay’s picture on the screen.
“Hey,” I answer.
“Hey, what’s going on?” she asks.
“I’m trying to find this damn pair of earrings I lost. I don’t even want to wear them anymore, but it’s the principal now. I can’t even begin to think of where else they might be.” I stand and check behind the couch.
“When’s the last time you had them?”
“Last week when Jeb was here. I remember taking them off in the kitchen—they were hurting my ears. I think I took them off, like, midday?”
“Hm, so was that before or after he left?”
“He was here.”
“Oh, right. He was there for eight hours, so that doesn’t narrow anything down.”
“Exactly. But I was in the house by myself when it happened, so it must’ve been right after we ate or later when I came in to get a drink while he was napping.”
“That should narrow it down, then. Did you take any pictures that day? Maybe you’ll see them or see when you stopped wearing them. I always look back at pictures when I lose something.”
“Oh my gosh, Shay. I have a freaking security camera in my kitchen, pointing toward the door. It records for ten days. Let me check it, and I’ll call you back.”
I hang up and scroll through the footage until I get to Sunday. I slide the footage back to that morning. I’m wearing the earrings when I come in from eating lunch on the porch. I keep watching, waiting to see the next time I come inside. The next time someone walked inside, it’s only Jeb.
I watch as Jeb stops to look at the picture of Rhett hanging on the kitchen wall by the door. It feels like I’m intruding on something personal, but I do it anyway. I hit the button to go back thirty seconds, then a few more times. Then, I turn up the volume.
“I’m so sorry, man.”
I tap the volume button on the side of my phone a few times, holding my phone to my ear so I can hear him.
“I’m sorry for the accident. You know that already, I’m sure.”
My eyes start to tear.
“I told her she’s beautiful. I’m sorry for that, too. I can’t help it though. You know how beautiful she is, so you can’t hold it against me. I wish you were still here with her. I’m so glad I met her, but I’d do that day over again in a heartbeat, and you could have her ’til you were old and gray. Life doesn’t work that way though, so I can’t bring you back no matter how much I want to.”
I back it up and replay it, this time watching Jeb. He touches the edge of the frame while he talks to Rhett.
My floral-print makeup bag is sitting on the counter. I probably tossed the earrings in there, though I could care less about the earrings right now.
I told her she’s beautiful. I’m sorry for that, too. I can’t help it though. You know how beautiful she is, so you can’t hold it against me.
I save the clip to my phone and video-call Shay, tears pouring from my eyes.
“Babe. What's wrong? What happened to the earrings?”
“I don’t care about the earrings,” I say, streaks of black mascara trailing down my cheeks.
“What happened?”
“I was looking at the camera, and I saw Jeb. He was—”
“Did Jeb steal the earrings?” Shay cuts me off, her face contorted with rage.
“No, he touched the picture of Rhett.”
“Did he break it or something?” She cuts me off again. I wipe my eyes.
“Shay. Focus!”
Shay mimes zipping her mouth and throwing away the key.
“He apologized to the picture of Rhett, saying he wished he could take his place. Then he said he was also sorry that he called me beautiful, but he can’t help it and that Rhett can’t hold it against him because he knows how beautiful I am.” I grab a tissue and wipe my nose.
“Fallon. I wish I were there to give you a hug. Holy fuck, that was deep.”
“I know.”
“When did he call you beautiful? Did he say it to you?”
“He did. When we went to the fundraiser. But I was dressed nicely and did my hair and makeup, so it wasn’t totally out of character to say that. I said he looked nice, too.”
“I hate to say it, Fal, but I think this changes things. You guys aren’t just friends.”
“We are just friends. I just thought it was so sweet. You can be friends but think someone is attractive, anyway. It’s not unusual.”
“You can think your friend is attractive, but it could lead to other things. Why don’t you see where this might lead?”
“Shay. It’s weird. I think we’re both still finding our new normal. He finally rode an ambulance again, so that’s something.”
“You guys have been through a lot. There’s nothing normal about your situation, and there’s nothing you can change even though you wish you could—and apparently, so does he.”
I take a deep breath. “I know. Time will tell, I guess.”
“So the real reason why I called you before…” Shay pauses. “And hear me out before you make your decision. I won a trip through work. Ten days in Turks and Caicos. All expenses are paid for, for me and my guest. Will you be my date?”
“Wow, Shay! That’s so exciting. I’d love to, but—”
“Don’t say but. You can do your work from the hotel. At night and on the weekends we can relax by the pool. You need a trip, Fal. Your mom, dad, and Corbin all said they would watch the house and your cats. Corbin actually said he’d take the cats to his house, which seemed weird to me, but I said that might work.”
“When is the trip? I have a presentation at work in three weeks that I have to be here for.”
Honestly, it’s not going to take much to talk me into going on this vacation. An all-expenses-paid, ten-day trip with my best friend, on a tropical island? Shay’s a habitual jet-setter, and she’s asked me to go on a little getaway a few times since Rhett died, but the timing was never right.
I’m settled into the new house, and most of my work can be done virtually. I think I’m ready. Ten days might be a bit much, but I can handle it. Worse comes to worst, I get a flight and come back earlier.
“We leave Monday. You in?” Her face lights up.
Monday. That means we’d be away for June thirteenth, the day I was supposed to get married. Maybe trip would keep my mind off of it.
Shay must know I’m calculating the dates because she says, “You decide what we do on the thirteenth. We can go out or stay in. You can be by yourself, or we can eat ice cream and cry. Whatever you want. It will still be your day, and I’ll be here for you.”
“Yeah, I’m in,” I say hesitantly. “I just need to buy some bathing suits.”
“You have five days to prep. Go get to it, and I’ll send you the email from my boss with all the details on flights and resorts and all that jazz.”
“And if I try to get out of it—”
“You can’t. Because then I’d have to go by myself.”
“And the food?”
“All included.” She grins. “Now get off here and start your online shopping. Girls triiiiiip!”