Chapter 34 No Answer
thirty-four
no answer
Liam
After weeks of searching, I finally had a lead on a job. But I had to hurry if I wanted to make it back to the city in time.
Back in Westborough, I’d grab some stuff from storage.
Swap out some clothes and pick up a few essentials to make the transition to small-town life smoother.
Because that’s what was happening. I was moving to Carlisle Creek.
For good. It was happening sooner than I had expected, but why the hell not?
I still couldn’t believe it. If everything worked out the way I hoped, most of my job would be remote. There was no reason I couldn’t live here and travel for important meetings. People took business trips all the time.
I’d need to find my own place, though. As much as I liked the B&B, terrible coffee aside, the notes Mrs. Patterson kept slipping under my door about Hot Dudes, Hotter Planet were getting to be a bit much.
Honestly, I couldn’t take any more spoilers.
I preferred to read about Lax’llar and Ariana’s love affair at my own pace, thank you very much.
And yes, it shocked me more than anyone to be so invested in their story, but I couldn’t help it.
From the moment Ariana walked in on her boyfriend and her best friend going at it against her mom’s casket, I was hooked.
How could anyone not want to know how that shook out?
The only downside to this whirlwind of good news was that I didn’t have time to tell Maya in person before I left. I’d settled for sending a quick text as I made my way out the door.
Liam:
Hey, I have to go back to Westborough. Talk soon.
I grimaced as soon as I hit send. Not the best, but it would have to do. I’d fill her in after the meeting. I couldn’t wait to see the look on her face when she found out I was moving to Carlisle Creek for good.
I checked out of the B&B and tossed my suitcase into the back seat. The drive flew by, my mind filled with dreams of a new life. A new job. A new home.
A real chance with Maya.
I walked out of Daily Media later that afternoon with a remote position, double my old salary, and, possibly the best thing of all, the knowledge that Chad was drowning in my old job.
The one thing that could have made the day better was telling Maya about my permanent move to Carlisle Creek. I rushed to my car, pulled out my phone, and saw nothing but a black screen.
Shit. Dead battery.
My charger wasn’t in my console where it was supposed to be. After several minutes spent tearing the car apart, it hit me. I'd left it on the dresser in my room at the B&B. Damn it.
I groaned, scrubbing a hand down my face. Why hadn’t I memorized Maya’s number when I had the chance? I’d have to call Greg when I got to the hotel and have him get it for me.
After a quick trip to my storage unit to swap out clothes, I used their phone to rent a unit closer to Carlisle Creek, and booked a moving company to take all my stuff there. Everything was going smoothly.
Or so I’d thought.
As soon as I checked into my hotel room, I called Greg to get Maya’s phone number.
I’d been patient all day, first while I negotiated with the owner of Daily Media, and then while I took care of the details for my impending move, but I was running out of patience.
I needed to talk to her. She would flip out when she heard my good news.
If she got to hear it. My call to Greg went to voicemail.
I tried Nana. Voicemail.
I called the store line at Bishop’s. Prerecorded message about the store’s hours.
Pacing the room, I clenched and unclenched my suddenly clammy hands. What the hell was going on over there? Why wasn’t anyone answering the phone? Anxiety gnawed at me as I wore a hole in the floor. There had to be a reasonable explanation.
Maybe they were working. Despite it being too late for anything in town to be open.
Maybe Nana had gone to play poker at a friend’s place. I would buy her a cell phone after this. I didn’t care if she didn’t want one.
Maybe Greg was out with Andie. He could have his phone turned off for privacy.
Maybe the store had been insanely busy all day, so Maya was still cleaning up and couldn’t get to the phone. Or maybe she couldn’t hear the store phone from her apartment.
Despite all those perfectly reasonable potential explanations, I still couldn’t shake the overwhelming sense of dread that was plaguing me. I paced and paced and paced, my patience growing progressively thinner until finally … I broke.
Screw it. Sleep is overrated anyway.
I threw my stuff back into my suitcase, raced to the front desk, and paid for a room I wouldn’t be sleeping in after all.
When I stopped to fuel up for the drive, I grabbed a new phone charger and the largest coffee the gas station had.
Somehow, it looked worse than the coffee at the B&B, but if it kept me alert for the six-hour drive, I’d drink every drop.
After letting my phone charge for a few anxiety-riddled minutes, I turned it on. Instantly, the screen lit up with multiple texts and missed calls. My stomach plummeted as I read Maya’s messages.
Shit. Shit, shit, shit. That wasn’t good.
I called her cellphone, but it went straight to voicemail.
I called the store again, but there was still no answer.
I called Greg. God damn it! Voicemail again.
Dropping my phone into the cupholder, I gripped the wheel and floored it. At every stoplight on my way out of the city, I sneaked a peek at my phone, willing it to ring or buzz with a notification, but it remained infuriatingly silent.
“They’re fine.” I repeated the word like a mantra. “Fine. Fine. Fine. They have to be fine.”
I’d stop somewhere down the road to try calling them again. Once someone answered their damn phone and confirmed that everything was okay, I would be able to relax.