Chapter 39
THE THINGS WE LEAVE BEHIND
I watched the bright lights and buildings of the city fade into small towns and then to dark fields of yellow cornstalks and dirt.
I texted Holly. She wasn’t happy but understood.
She’d reschedule my clients. I texted Carter to tell him I was sorry.
And I wished him good luck on his interview. He didn’t respond.
Craig made a couple calls to Callie, then to the restaurants, making sure they would be able to handle a couple days without him. He had told everyone he’d be back on Tuesday. That was in five days. I’d either have to come back with him or rent a car and drive home sooner. Or later.
“Thanks for coming with.” Craig smiled at me.
“Yeah. I was due to see my mom anyway.” I hadn’t told her yet that I was coming.
We’d get in late, so I’d worry about that tomorrow.
There was one hotel in Parkfield. The old Super 8 that had been transformed into the Parkfield Inn.
It wasn’t the busy season anymore, so there should be no issues with getting hotel rooms. “Have you talked to Noah?”
“Yeah. He’s glad you’re coming.”
“He can call me.” It was weird that Noah was afraid to call me. He was like a little brother to me. There were times he hung out at my house when Tristan was working and James was too drunk to give a shit about feeding Noah.
“He thinks you blame him for the breakup. The one a couple years ago.”
“Why would he think that?” I didn’t blame anyone but Tristan and me. I looked at Craig. The car was dark minus the glow from the dash. We had never spoken about Tristan and his engagement. Craig tried but I didn’t want to hear about it. About the girl Tristan had loved enough to stay for.
“If he hadn’t gotten in trouble, Tristan would have stayed. You wouldn’t have found out about Jennifer the way you did. Tristan and you would still be together, and Noah wouldn’t be worried about his brother being in jail.”
“So he was never going to tell me about the wedding?” I scoffed.
“Was he just going to wake up one Saturday and tell me he had a thing and then what? Never come back?” The fact he hadn’t told me hurt.
That was a lie. What hurt was the fact they had gotten engaged. That he loved someone enough to stay.
“The wedding was off.”
“Right. Before or after we slept together?”
“Before. Unless there is something I don’t know.
I was supposed to cater the wedding. He called it off in January or February, I think.
The deal was he’d eat the catering cost, the band, and the venue.
She’d take the hit on the dress, the cake, and anything else.
Tris was getting the shit end of it, but he just wanted to be done with her.
I was only out time, and Stacy’s family owned the venue.
They told Tris as long as they could rebook not to worry.
They did. The band was his roommate’s; they didn’t even remember.
Jennifer’s family heard about this and threatened to sue Tris for the thousands of dollars they claimed to be out.
That’s what he was taking care of after he bailed Noah out.
He should have told you sooner, but he wanted to make sure everything was done. That he was no longer tied to her.”
I watched the headlights of oncoming cars. “Still doesn’t explain why he got engaged.”
“Because he thought you had.”
“What?” Before the engagement with Ian, my last relationship was four months. And marriage was never mentioned.
“He was back visiting his mom, and he ran into some friend of yours who told him you were engaged. So Tris being Tris and not in a good place decided he would get engaged too. Jen worked for my cousin. They had dated off and on. She was in love with him. So when he asked, she said yes. She knew you existed. We all did. For the weeks prior to your wedding, he got so fucking drunk and high I was worried. My cousin couldn’t take it, so he googled you and found that there was no record of you ever getting engaged.
To make sure, Tris made me call your mom and pretend to be your caterer and that you didn’t pay. ”
I groaned, remembering that conversation. She had called saying she wasn’t going to pay the bill. I argued that A: I wasn’t getting married, and B: if I had, she would’ve been there. “Thanks for that, by the way.”
“Sorry. If it makes you feel any better, your mom was just as confused as I was. When he found out you weren’t married or even engaged, his relationship with Jen fell apart. He broke off the engagement and was in rehab for a bit. Then he came down here to find you.”
“It’s not Noah’s fault” was all I said.
“I told him that. But he feels guilty. About a lot of things. Tristan raised that kid. Got him into college. Helped support him. That’s why Tris got into tattooing. He could make a quick couple hundred. And he was good at it. Did he do a lot of drawing in school?”
“No.” I paged through our life, looking for a moment I may have missed. A note in the margins that would’ve hinted to the man Tristan would become. I found nothing but broken pieces.
“Really? Shit, he’d spend hours working a piece. We’d be at dinner, and he’d start sketching out an idea. My cousin was impressed with how quickly he picked it up.”
“Lucky you.” I rested my head against the cool window, listening to Craig talk about Tristan. It seemed everyone else got the good parts of Tristan and I just got pieces. Small shards of what he used to be. Now I worried what was waiting for me in Parkfield wasn’t enough.
Because I knew what I left in Minneapolis, could’ve been.