Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Riley
I woke up around eight this morning. Hunter isn’t home yet, so I decided to spend the day cleaning his apartment.
The first thing I’m going to do is wash his bedding.
After stripping everything off the bed, I head downstairs to do the laundry.
He has a stacked washer-dryer combo that’s too small for his comforter.
I’m throwing all the sheets into the washer just as my dad walks in. “You don’t need to do your laundry; Rosie can take care of it.” He takes a sip of coffee, and it smells amazing.
“This isn’t mine; I’m doing Hunter’s laundry for him.”
“Did he leave for work already?” he frowns. Busted.
I’m desperate to talk to someone about what happened. “He left, I don’t know if he’s coming back.” I whisper as my lip trembles.
The moment my dad reaches out to touch me, I lose it. He sets down his coffee cup and pulls me into his arms. Suddenly, I’m six years old again. Now I don’t know if I’m crying because of Hunter or because all the memories come rushing back.
“Let’s go sit down. I’ll get you a coffee so we can talk.” He read my mind.
After I added cream, I started from the beginning and told him everything—from when Hunter’s mom showed up on his doorstep to the night I found Emma in his apartment. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. It’s liberating.
“You should have come to me right away; you could have saved yourself a lot of heartache. I’m his lawyer, and I work for his company. There are many things I can’t discuss with you, but I could have reassured you.” He lays his hand on mine.
“So what you’re telling me is there’s no reason why we can’t be together?” I want to make sure I heard him right.
“None.” I can’t help but smile until I think of Emma.
“He hasn’t been home since Friday. I’m worried he’s staying with her.”
“That boy is too crazy about you to even look at another girl; I’m sure it was a misunderstanding.” He takes our cups to get us more coffee.
When he sits back down, he has a distant look in his eyes; he’s not paying attention to a word I say.
“Dad, is everything okay?” he suddenly falls silent, lost in thought.
“What’s today’s date?” He pulls out his phone.
“It’s the twenty-second. Why?” I wonder if he missed an important meeting.
“It will be three years tomorrow since Brady died; he usually goes off the grid for about five days. Hunter wants to be by himself. Everyone grieves in their own way.” He pats my hand, and that irritates me.
“No one should have to be alone, Dad. Maybe he’s been telling people that because he doesn’t want to ask for help.” I get up so quickly that the chair scrapes the floor.
When I walk into the laundry room, I see that all the bedding is already clean and folded on the table by the dryer. Rosie must have finished it for me while we were talking. I grab it and head back into the kitchen.
My dad’s standing there, waiting for me. “Riley, I didn’t want to upset you.” I cut him off.
“He won't be alone this year; I will find out where he is and be there for him. I want him to know he doesn’t have to be alone anymore. He has me.” I storm out the door.
* * *
Hunter
I feel like an ass; I’m not used to drinking this hard shit, and I think it’s killing me. I’ve heard of people dying from alcohol poisoning; maybe that’s what’s happening to me.
Good, I deserve this.
Still can’t find my phone; I’m pretty sure it’s dead. It hasn’t been charged in, how many days? Hell if I can remember.
What day is it? I have a calendar on my phone… where’s my phone?
I’m really hot; I should take a shower. Fuck that, I’m going for a swim.
Jack and I are going outside; we’ve been friends for a few days now. Jack Daniels, I can't stop laughing—he’s the only friend I need right now.
I stumble slightly as my feet hit the sand. I’m okay. I set Jack down; he’s not headed for a swim.
I take off all my clothes and stumble into the ocean, letting it swallow me whole.
* * *
Riley
I’ve scrubbed, cleaned, vacuumed, and polished his apartment until it shines. I did all his laundry and remade his bed, and now I’m flipping through a magazine. It’s after six, and he hasn’t come home yet. I’m so worried!
I’ve also sent messages, and they never get delivered.
I’m about to jump out of my skin when I hear a knock at the door. Suddenly, I get a feeling of déjà vu. It better not be that bitch.
When I fling the door open, I’m surprised to see Connor standing there; he looks nervous.
“Hey, I stopped downstairs first—your dad told me you were up here. Do you have any idea where Hunter is? He knows the rules. I let him get drunk for a few days, but he has to keep in touch. He hasn’t answered any of my calls.
It’s freaking me out.” He rakes his hands through his hair; does every guy do that when they’re upset?
“We didn’t part on good terms. He never told me he was leaving.” I feel helpless.
“It’s all good, Riley. You’ve never been around to see him like this, so you have no fucking clue what he puts himself through.” He storms out the door.
Whoa, then it hits me, and I yell out the door, “The cottage! He’s at the cottage.” I race down the stairs.
“What the hell are you talking about? What cottage?” He sounds angry.
“I’ll explain everything, just drive!” God, please help me remember how to get there. I should have known that’s where he’d be. “When his grandparents died, they left him their house; it’s a cottage on the beach about an hour down the coast.” My hands are trembling so badly.
“So that’s where he hides every year.” He pulls onto the highway.
I spend the next twenty minutes filling him in on the last few days and what my dad just told me this morning.
“Hunter told me you were so pissed that day you saw Emma at his apartment that you ended it. I don’t usually get involved in other people’s business, but he was devastated when he told me about it.
He’s crazy about you, Riley; I’ve never seen him like this with anyone before.
What you saw when you walked in was Hunter checking her face.
Drew hit her.” He looks upset as he glances over at me.
“I can’t tell you how bad I feel; I said some terrible things to Emma. I'll have to apologize the next time I see her.”
I gaze out my window before asking, “Why does he go into hiding? How did Brady die?” I look over at Connor, and it's obvious that question made him uncomfortable.
“It’s not easy for him to talk about… he blames himself. It only happened ten days after his grandparents died, so he lost everyone in such a short time. He just shuts down.” He doesn’t want to talk about it, so we spend the rest of the drive in silence.
I see the exit coming up. “Take that exit; it’s a mile down the road on the left.” I feel like I might be sick; I’m so scared of what we’ll find when we get there.
We see Hunter’s Jeep as we drive down the driveway; the gravel crunching under the tires is the only sound we hear as he parks. When I open the door, he reaches over and grabs my arm. “Let me go first so I can check things out; I’ll come get you when I know everything’s okay.”
I nod and take a deep breath as he goes to find Hunter.
* * *
Connor
I have no idea where I’m heading, but I didn’t want Riley to come with me. I’m worried about what I might find. When he left on Friday, he promised to stay in touch. He only called late that night, and that’s the last I heard from him.
Thanks to the full moon, I don’t trip over my own feet as I head to the deck.
Something on the beach catches my eye—clothes, shoes, and no Hunter.
I start running so fast I nearly face plant in the sand.
I scan the water, but it’s pitch black. Where is he?
If he went swimming drunk, he could have lost consciousness and drowned. I’m about to scream his name when…
“What are you doing here, fucktard?” When I hear his voice, I can’t decide whether I want to punch him in the face or kiss him.
Turning around, I see him leaning over the deck, breathing a sigh of relief for a split second before I becoming furious. “Why the fuck didn’t you call me, asshole?”
I’m on the deck before he has a chance for a quick comeback. Lunging at him, I grab his shirt. When he looks at me, all my anger disappears. His eyes are empty. I give him more than a one-arm bro hug; I pull him in for a bear hug.
“I lost my phone,” he whispers, patting my back.
“Well, that would explain why you haven’t called.” I pull back and look at him again; death warmed over is the only thought that comes to mind.
“How the hell did you find me here?” He can’t be that drunk if he remembers I’m not supposed to know about this place.
“Yeah, good question. Someone is waiting in the car who’s really worried about you. Well, actually, we all are.” I step back a bit in case he decides to throw a punch at me.
“I don’t want to see anyone right now; in fact, you’re not supposed to be here either.” He opens the screen door and staggers into what I assume is the kitchen.
“How long has it been since you’ve eaten something?” might sound crazy, but it seems like he’s lost weight.
“Every time I eat, I puke.” He sits at the kitchen table, grabbing his bottle of Jack.
Snatching the bottle from him, I quickly pour it down the sink. He’s by my side in an instant.
“What the fuck, that’s all I have left!” He pushes me, and I stumble back.
“I’m going to give you a little hair of the dog.
If you drink that, you won’t have any more hangover and you can make nice with whoever is sitting in my car.
” He frowns at me as if he doesn’t know who I’m talking about.
I grab the tomato juice from the fridge and a bottle of vodka I had hidden in my shirt pocket. Luckily, it’s not broken.
“Who’s in your car, Connor?” Well, it’s good to see he’s sobering up quickly.
“Riley was the one who told me about this place; she’s the one waiting in my car.” I wink at him. Yeah, he’s not happy right now.