Chapter 21 #2
‘Hey, Gina,’ I answer, panicking because I think something might’ve happened to Brody. Why else would she call me?
‘Hey, I was calling because I heard back from my friend. The guy who works at the hotel?’
‘Yeah, what’d he say?’
‘I showed him that picture you sent me and he said your ex was definitely staying there the week before the wedding.’
‘Is he sure?’
‘He’s positive. He even looked at the old security camera footage from that week. He said it’s the same guy from the picture.’
‘That doesn’t make sense. Why would Cam stay there but tell me he was staying with Dane?’
‘That’s the part you probably don’t want to hear.’
I sigh. ‘He was with a girl.’
‘Her name is Aris. She works for some politician in DC, or that’s what she told the guy at the front desk.’
‘And your friend is sure this girl was with Cam?’
‘He saw them going in and out of the same room so they were definitely staying there together.’
‘So Cam was spending the week before our wedding with another woman,’ I say, disgusted with him. Now I know why he refused to spend time with me that week.
‘Who are you talking to?’ Jill asks .
‘I’m really sorry, Kate,’ Gina says. ‘But maybe this will help you fight the lawsuit.’
‘It will. This might be what we need to get them to drop it. Thanks for your help.’
‘Sure. And hey, give me a call when you’re back in Haydon Falls. We’ll have lunch.’
‘Yeah, okay.’ I decide not to tell her I won’t be back. She’ll find out, eventually. ‘Bye, Gina.’ I end the call and look at Jill. ‘Cam was cheating.’
‘With who?’
‘A girl from DC. I’m guessing they work together.’ I wait for Jill to say something, but she doesn’t. ‘Why are you so quiet? Did you already know this?’
‘No, of course not. I was just thinking that it makes sense now why he went a whole year without having sex with you.’
‘Yeah, because he was getting it somewhere else. I can’t believe he spent the week before our wedding with another woman! And then he yells at me for not marrying him? And sues us?’ I huff. ‘The lawsuit is over. There’s no way Cam’s parents are getting money from us when their son was cheating.’
When we get to my parents’ place, I tell them about Cam and they immediately call his parents and demand the lawsuit be dropped. They stretch the truth by saying they have video of Cam with the girl at the hotel, but Cam’s parents don’t challenge them, which makes me think they knew about the girl.
They agree to drop the lawsuit and I almost call Brody to tell him the news, but then don’t, telling myself I have to let him go. Calling or texting him will just make this harder .
Later that night, I’m in my room, missing Brody and wishing I could call him. Would it really be that bad if I did?
My phone rings and my heart takes off, thinking it’s him. I almost drop the phone as I answer. ‘Hello?’
‘Hey, how’s it going with the parents?’
It’s Jill.
‘Fine. They had some event to go to tonight so they’re not here.’
‘With the lawsuit dropped, maybe you guys will get along better.’
‘I doubt it. Since I’ve been back, Mom told me I need to get my hair cut, get a manicure, stop slouching, and smile more. And that was all within an hour.’
Jill laughs. ‘She’s always been like that. You’re just noticing it more now because you’re living there. You’ll get used to it after a few weeks.’
‘I don’t think I’ll survive a few weeks. Why are you calling? I thought you were going out with Henry tonight.‘
‘He decided to go out with Theo and Ross instead. They invited him to a bourbon tasting downtown at some men’s only club.’
‘But didn’t you have reservations at that new restaurant you’ve been dying to go to?’
‘We’ll go some other time.’ She’s trying to sound okay with it, but I can tell she’s disappointed, and she should be. Her husband ditched her on a Saturday night to go out with his friends.
‘So what are you doing tonight?’
‘Online shopping and drinking wine. Henry said he’d buy me a necklace to make up for us not going out tonight. I think I found the one I want, but I’m still looking since I have nothing else to do.’
Once again, Henry’s buying her stuff instead of spending time with her.
‘You know I was thinking,’ she says, ‘and this could be the wine talking, but that stuff I said about love?’
‘Yeah, what about it?’
‘Maybe I was wrong. Maybe trying to find love isn’t such a bad thing. I mean, if that’s what you want.’
‘What changed your mind?’
‘Sitting at home alone on a Saturday night while my husband’s out with his friends?’ She laughs, but it’s a sad laugh, one that tells me she might be regretting marrying Henry. ‘Did you ever love Cam?’
‘No. I thought I did, but now I know I didn’t.’
‘How do you know?’
‘Because now I know what real love is and what it feels like.’
‘How would you know that if you haven’t been with anyone since—wait, are you talking about that guy? The one you were living with?’
‘I don’t want to talk about it. You’ll tell me I’m wrong and that it’s too soon and .?.?. let’s just talk about something else. What’s the necklace you’re getting look like?’
‘Kate, if you really love this guy, what are you doing?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Okay, again, this is probably the wine talking. I’m on my second bottle. But if you really think you love this guy, why aren’t you with him? ’
‘Because we have different lives. We live in different states.’
‘He’s two hours away. That’s nothing. And he works for himself. It’s not like he has to ask his boss for time off. He could come here and see you whenever he wants.’
‘It would never work. We’re total opposites. I’m surprised we got along as well as we did.’
‘Being the same doesn’t always work either.
Look at Henry and me. We have similar backgrounds, similar interests, similar goals, and here we are, married, but living like roommates.
That’s the life I chose and it’s too late to change that, but it’s not too late for you.
’ She laughs. ‘I kind of hate you for that, which is probably why I wanted you to be with Cam. If I couldn’t be happy, I didn’t want you being happy either.
Don’t remind me I said this tomorrow when I’m sober. I’ll totally deny it.’
‘Are you telling me to be with Brody?’
‘I’m telling you to find a guy you love. Don’t settle for anything less. You might get your heart broken, but it’s better than having a husband who’d rather be out with his college frat brothers than his wife.’
‘I’m sorry, Jill. I wish he hadn’t done that.’
‘I’m used to it. And hey, at least I’ll get a necklace out of it. I just don’t want you ending up the same way, unless that’s what you want.’ She pauses. ‘Okay, well, I have half a bottle left and more shopping to do. I just wanted to call and tell you that. Bye!’
I check my phone and see she hung up. That was weird. She’s never been that honest with me, or that supportive. She must really be drunk. I bet if I asked her tomorrow if I should be with Brody, she’d tell me no and that I’m crazy for even considering it.
I’d love to be with Brody, but it’s not going to happen. My life is here, not Haydon Falls. I need to find a way to forget about Brody. It’s the only way I’ll move on with my life. Those weeks we spent together were a fantasy, a break from reality. Now it’s time to get back to real life.