Chapter 21
After a long nap, I wake up to the sound of Fernandez screaming outside my window once again. Immediately, I ran to the window but find that Andrew is still not home. Disappointed, I grab some bread from the kitchen and walk out to the porch to try to make friends with the neighborhood rooster.
I lean over the porch railing and find the Fernandez waiting for me. “Hi, Fernandez. You hungry?” I ask, before I throw crumbled pieces of bread towards him. When the first piece of bread lands on the ground, he jumps, but after cautiously approaching the food, he devours it. He slowly makes his way towards me and I throw another piece of bread down at his feet.
“You know what, Fernandez? You have quite the life.” I say with a shrug. “What I wouldn’t give to just be able to scream at the top of my lungs whenever I feel like it.” I confess.
Fernandez cocks his head sideways and stares at me. He’s obviously not amused by me.
“Who do you belong to?” I ask him with a frown. My eyes scan the street, reminding myself to ask my neighbors about him. If he’s someone’s pet, I shouldn’t just ship him off to a farm. Someone might miss him. The last thing I need is to be labeled as a rooster thief.
With sad eyes, I look towards Andrew’s house again. Something isn’t right, and I wish I knew what was going on. I’m trying to remain hopeful that he will be back later tonight, but the longer he’s gone, the more I worry he won’t return. It’s not like him to just disappear.
In an effort to distract myself, I decide to make some comfort food for dinner. Making lasagna from scratch, paired with garlic bread and salad, is just enough to keep my mind and hands busy. But, unfortunately, when I get done building the pan full of food, Andrew still isn’t home. Still nothing by the time I pull the lasagna from the oven either. I place the food on the stove to cool, and decide to call mom to check in on dad, another distraction tactic.
“Hello?” Mom answers on the first ring. I can hear the beeping of hospital equipment in the background, telling me that dad is still hooked up and being monitored. She sounds exhausted.
“Hey. Just checking in.” I say, “How’s it going there?”
“He’s doing good. I think we are going home tomorrow morning.” She says, groggily.
“Good. I’ll be glad to have you guys at home. You sound exhausted. Anything I can do to make your transition back home easier?”
“Oh, no. The ladies from the church have already organized a meal train, not that we need anymore food after Hazel’s funeral.” She adds with a bit of a groan. “We will be just fine. Dad’s just getting restless and ready to get out of that bed.”
“I bet he is.” I say, thoughtfully. Dad has never been good at sitting still for long periods of time and being fussed over is his least favorite thing. “I’ll be ready to see you both get back to normal.”
“Us too.” She pauses for a beat. “Tyler, thank you so much for being there for your dad. I hate to think of what would have happened had you not been around.”
“Me too, mom.” I agree with a nod, as if she can see me. “I’m so glad I could be there.”
“It’s been so good having you home. We’re going to miss you when you leave again…” she trails off, letting the sentence hang in the air.
“Well, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that.” I pause. “Mom, I think I’m going to stick around here for a while. Maybe plant some roots.” I let out a deep breath as soon as the words leave my body. This is the first time I’ve admitted it to anyone, and I’m still having a hard time believing it myself.
My mom’s voice immediately perks up. “Really?”
“Yes. I just hate the idea of being anywhere else in case you guys need me. Besides, I’ll admit, this town has grown on me over the last couple of weeks.”
“That makes me so happy.” She says, with obvious joy in her voice.
“Me too.” I say as I glance towards the window and notice movement in Andrew’s driveway. My heart picks up speed. “I’m going to let you go. Let me know when you guys are home, okay? Love you.”
“Love you, too.” She answers with a pep in her voice that she did not have when I called a few minutes ago.
Having that conversation takes a load off my shoulders, but now I need to focus on what’s happening next door.
I move to the window to peek out the curtain, expecting to see Andrew’s truck. Instead, I see a royal blue SUV parked in his place. I watch as a woman steps out of the car. Instantly, I feel a small wave of jealousy come over me. I’m sure no one could blame me. The woman’s a knockout and can’t be much older than twenty-one. She’s dressed in business casual, wearing jeans, a white top, and a blue blazer that matches her car perfectly. Her long dark hair is in soft curls and falls to the center of her back. Quickly, she climbs the steps, unlocks the door and disappears inside.
The rational part of my brain kicks in just in time, and I realize there has to be some sort of reasonable explanation. But who is she? Maybe his soon to be sister-in-law? I can’t think of anyone else that might be there, especially when he’s not. I don’t know if he really has any friends here other than me and his brother. But then, how much do I really know about him? In silence, I continue to stand behind the curtain, watching for movement. It doesn’t take long before she is outside again. She immediately moves to her car and pulls a For Sale sign from the back.
Before I can stop myself, I open the door and walk outside, waving to her. “Hey! Hi. I’m Tyler.” I say, making my way towards her.
“Hi, I’m Ava Montgomery. Nice to meet you.” She sticks out her hand to shake mine, while leaning the sign against her torso.
“You too!” I pause, rocking back on my heels, trying to think of the least invasive way to ask for information. “I didn’t think he was going to list the house until later this week. You caught me by surprise.”
She stands on the bar at the bottom of the sign, causing it to slowly work itself into the ground. “Yeah, same.” She says, stepping backwards to survey her handiwork. “He stopped by the office and said that he had an emergency and had to get back to Texas immediately. We did all the listing paperwork virtually and now here we are.” She dusts off her hands onto her jeans. “Hopefully, selling it will be just as quick and painless as the listing.”
I hold up my hand to make the universal sign and say, “Fingers crossed.”
“Speaking of, I heard you’re planning to sell soon, too.” Ava says with a smile. Quickly, she hands me a business card she pulls from her back pocket. “Call me when you’re ready. I’d love to help you.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that.” I take the card and hold it carefully, not seeing any reason to tell her that I’m planning to stick around. “Have a good night.” I say with a wave as I make my way back to my house.
What kind of emergency could have come up? Why didn’t he leave me a note at the least? When will I hear from him again? I feel like an idiot. I slept with him last night and then he just up and left with no warning. Maybe he’s not that great of a guy after all.
I walk to the mailbox to check the mail, hoping to find a note from Andrew inside. But there’s nothing other than a wedding invitation from Sierra. I toss it on the entryway table when I walk back into the house and shuffle to the kitchen to quiet the beeping oven timer.
No matter how good it smells or how hard I worked on it, I’ve officially lost my appetite. Who knew you could have your heart broken twice in one day?
“Enjoy.” I say, as I hand a plastic bag full of Hazel’s old clothes across the table to one of my neighbors.
“Oh, I will.” The grey-haired woman says with a smile. “Hazel always had the best sense of style. They will have a good home.”
“I’m so glad.” I tell her and watch as she makes her way back to her house. As soon as she’s gone, I pick up my phone and find that I still have no notifications.
“Still nothing?” Avery asks with a frown as she refolds some clothes on the table.
I shake my head. “Nope. Maybe he really is just an asshole, after all.” I say. It’s been three days since Andrew disappeared with no warning. Thanks to Avery, she was able to get his number from her brother, Bryan. I sent Andrew a text asking if he was okay, and it’s been sitting on read ever since. He hasn’t even bothered to answer me. “I mean, he slept with me and then disappeared the next day with no warning. Typical guy.” I tell Avery.
“I don’t get it.” She says. “That is so not like him.”
I sigh. “That’s what you keep telling me. Maybe you don’t know him all that well after all.” I say.
“I’m sorry, friend. I really thought you guys had something.”
I give Avery a tight-lipped smile. “Me too.”