13. Collie
Collie
I was pretty sure Miller had almost kissed me. We’d been standing face-to-face in the den the night before, and we’d had this… moment. He was looking at me, and I was looking at him, and then his gaze had shifted to my mouth.
That meant he’d been thinking about kissing me. Didn’t it? Or maybe that was wishful thinking on my part…
I’d never know what might have happened, because I’d started to feel a bit unsteady as I stood there waiting for him to do something already. I’d swayed, just barely, but that was it. The bubble popped, and he carried me to bed—not so we could bone, but so I could rest. Talk about frustrating.
Okay, yes, I could have gone ahead and kissed him instead of waiting and hoping, but the ball was in his court.
I’d had a crush on him since the day we met, so he had to know I’d be into it.
At the same time though, he was shellshocked by his last breakup, and he claimed he didn’t want to get involved with anyone, ever again.
If we were going to redefine our relationship, it had to come from him, on his terms, and at his pace. That was just the way it had to be.
And there was literally no way I could ask him about that moment in the den. What if I was wrong, and the thought of kissing me had never crossed his mind? I’d curl up and die of embarrassment.
I was contemplating all of this about an hour before Miller had to leave for his meeting. We were in the backyard, which had become our favorite hangout. He was answering emails on his laptop, and I was sneaking glances at him while pretending to read something on my phone.
When he looked up and caught me staring at him, I asked, “Are you nervous about your meeting?”
“A little, but I know I gave it my all, and I’m proud of what I produced. I’m going to try my best to sell them on it, but if it still misses the mark, then there’s not much I can do about that.”
“They’re going to love it. Your drawings are amazing, and you had so many great ideas. They’d have to be nuts not to see that.”
“But maybe they want apples, and I gave them oranges. Who knows?”
A few minutes later, my phone rang. Jeannie’s name was on the screen, so I answered with, “Hey chickie, what’s up?”
She yelled, “I’m in labor, and Brad’s out of town!”
That was so loud that Miller heard it, too. We both leapt to our feet, and I put the phone on speaker as I asked, “Where did he go?”
“To Seattle, for work. I called him and he’s on his way back, but it’s about a seven-hour drive.”
“That doesn’t make any sense! He’s an air conditioning repairman. Was there some kind of air conditioning crisis in Seattle, so it’s all hands on deck?”
“His boss sent him for training.”
“Now, when his wife is thirty-nine weeks pregnant?”
“My other babies were late, not early. I wasn’t due for another week.”
I asked, “Where are you right now?”
“On the way to the hospital.”
“Please tell me you’re not driving.”
“Hell no. I’m in a tow truck, and Dwight Carver is behind the wheel. Remember him from high school? He was a sophomore when we were seniors. I took my minivan in for an oil change and went into labor while I was at his garage.”
I definitely remembered Dwight. He was a sweet, quiet Black guy who’d chosen the marching band over the football team in high school. Since he was six-five and built like Thor, people in our football-obsessed town had been less than thrilled about this choice, but I totally respected it.
“Okay, good. Dwight’s a nice guy, and I’m glad he’s with you.”
“He’s awesome.”
“Let’s switch to a video call. I want to see you.”
Jeannie appeared on my screen a few moments later. Her short hair looked wild, and she was flushed and sweaty. She pointed the camera at Dwight, who nodded to me and said, “Hey, Collin. I heard you had surgery on your heart. You doing okay?”
“Hey, Dwight. I’m fine. Thanks for helping my bestie.”
A second later, Jeannie let loose with a high-pitched scream and clutched Dwight’s arm. The poor guy was going to end up with bruises. It was about a minute before she collapsed against the seat, panting and sweating. I asked, “How far apart are your contractions?”
“I don’t know, but they’re close.”
We didn’t have a hospital in our small town, so if you needed one it meant driving to the county seat, which was thirty miles away on a two-lane country road. I exclaimed, “Step on it, Dwight!”
“Oh believe me, I’m flooring it,” he muttered.
“Why are you in a tow truck?”
“It was this or my motorcycle,” he said. “Jeannie’s van was up on the rack with all the oil drained out of it.”
I asked Jeannie, “Where are your kids right now?”
“It’s a school day. My mother-in-law is going to pick up Scotty and Allie after school and take them back to her house.
She was already watching the baby, so I could run some errands.
” At that, she started crying and exclaimed, “After today, she won’t be the baby anymore!
My sweet little Maddy girl is growing up!
” Those pregnancy hormones were really putting her through it.
“Who’s meeting you at the hospital?”
“Nobody.”
“I’m so sorry, Jeannie. I should be there with you! Why did I leave while you were pregnant?”
“We talked about this,” she said. “You couldn’t keep putting your life on hold for other people. And this is my fourth pregnancy! It was all supposed to be perfectly routine. Brad was supposed to be here, and the baby wasn’t supposed to be early. Now stop feeling guilty, damn it!”
“Okay.” I still felt guilty as hell, though.
She took a few deep breaths, but then she started crying again and wailed, “I think Brad is having an affair!”
“Holy shit! Why did you wait until now to tell me?”
“I’d been trying to ignore the signs, because I didn’t want it to be true. But he’s been up to all sorts of questionable shit lately, like this supposed training class in Seattle. Plus, he’s been going out on these alleged late-night service calls. Can’t a busted A/C wait until morning?”
I growled, “I swear, if he’s cheating on you I’m going to drive back to Idaho and run him over with my van. Then I’m going to throw it in reverse and run him over again.”
Jeannie wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and muttered, “He’s not worth the jail time.”
“Honey, what are you going to do?”
She straightened her posture and raised her chin. “First, I’m going to have this baby. Then I’m going to make Brad tell me the truth about what the hell he’s been up to. If he’s been cheating, I’m kicking him out on his ass.”
“You’re the strongest person I know, Jean-Jeannie,” I told her. “Whatever happens, you’re going to be okay.”
“I know I am.”
A few moments later she screamed again, and the camera flailed wildly as she doubled over. I briefly caught a glimpse of Dwight, who looked more than a little concerned.
Miller held up his phone, showing me the timer on his screen as he said, “The contractions are three minutes apart.”
“I’m so mad at Brad right now,” I snapped. “He should be there! You shouldn’t have to go through this alone, Jeannie.”
“She’s not alone,” Dwight chimed in, before telling Jeannie, “I’ll go in with you and hold your hand if you want me to. I’ll sit up by your head, so I can’t see… well, you know. And I promise I’ll stay with you as long as you want me to.”
She asked, “Would you really do that?”
“Of course.”
They smiled at each other, and Miller said, “Dwight saves the day.”
“I’d better go,” Jeannie told me. “I can see the city limits up ahead, so we’ll be at the hospital in a couple of minutes. I’ll check in as soon as I can, Collie. I love you.”
“I love you too, Jeannie. You’ve got this!”
“Yeah, I do.”
I’d been pacing back and forth, and once the call ended, I took a seat and hugged a throw pillow to my chest. Miller sat down beside me and asked, “Does Jeannie have any relatives nearby?”
“Just her husband’s family. Her dad got transferred two years after we graduated from high school, so her parents and younger sister moved to New Mexico.”
After a pause, he asked, “Do you think Brad is really cheating on her?”
“I wouldn’t put it past him. I wish I knew for sure, though.” I remembered something just then and told him, “You should be getting ready for your meeting. You don’t want to be late.”
“Maybe I should postpone it, so I can stay with you while you wait to hear back from Jeannie.”
“That’s sweet, but you worked really hard on that presentation, and you and I are both dying to hear what your team thinks about the new concept. Besides, you’ll be back in a couple of hours. She’ll probably still be in labor.”
“Well, if you’re sure…”
“I am.”
He hesitated, but then he said, “Okay,” and went to get ready.
When Miller joined me in the kitchen, where I’d resumed my pacing, he’d changed into a nice pair of jeans and a dark blue button-down shirt. As he rolled back his sleeves, he asked me again, “Are you sure you’re going to be okay on your own?”
“I’ll be fine. Please don’t worry about me.”
“Alright. I’ll see you soon.”
I called, “Good luck,” as he headed down the stairs. Then I took a seat at the kitchen island and stared at my phone. I knew it was going to be a while before I heard from Jeannie. I just really wished I could do something for her in the meantime.
A few moments later, the cat jumped up onto the island and stared at me. I told her, “We need to know for sure if Brad’s having an affair. If he is, Jeannie’s never going to forgive him.”
Just then, I had an idea. I did a quick internet search and found the number for Brad’s employer. The company was owned by a man named Hank “The Tank” Turkowski. He and Brad were two of a kind—big, burly meatheads who were still clinging to their glory days as former high school football stars.
I dialed the number and pretended to be a customer, and Hank’s secretary put me through to him. He answered with, “Hank the Tank here. What can I do for you?”
I went with a total bluff. “How could you cover for Brad while he was cheating on his wife?”
“Who is this?”
“I’m a friend of Jeannie’s. She’s in labor right now, and she’s all alone, because he’s off on a romantic getaway with his girlfriend!
” Okay, so she wasn’t actually alone, but he didn’t need to know that.
And I was just guessing about the rest of it, but I said it with conviction.
For good measure, I added, “You should be ashamed of yourself for helping him deceive the sweet, innocent mother of his children!”
“Look, I can’t control what Brad does. He’s a grown man.”
“Come on. You’re a mentor and a father figure to Brad! You could have talked some sense into him, instead of aiding and abetting an adulterer.”
“I did no such thing!”
“Sure you did. The whole town, if not the whole county, is talking about it. You knew what was going on, and not only did you keep his secret, you covered for him while he lied to his wife.” I obviously had no idea if he’d done any of that, but it seemed pretty likely.
I added, “That makes you almost as guilty as he is, so don’t be surprised when we all start taking our business to your competitor, Jeff Greenspan over in Oakdale. ”
The easiest way to rile Hank up was to mention Jeff, who he’d hated with a passion since their football days. He exclaimed, “I told Brad it was a bad idea to take Vicki out of town this close to his wife’s due date, but he didn’t listen!”
“Holy shit, so he really is cheating on her!” The cat leapt to her feet and stared at me when I yelled that.
“What?” Hank sounded thoroughly confused.
“Which Vicki is it, Ritter or Mulvaney? I assume it’s Vicki Ritter. She was always jealous of Jeannie when we were in high school. And I don’t want to slut shame, but that girl was busier than the Chicken Bucket drive-through on two-for-one Tuesdays.”
He raised his voice and demanded, “Who is this?”
“I told you, I’m a friend of Jeannie’s. She suspected her husband was having an affair, and you just confirmed it.”
“I—”
“Thanks, Hank. Have a good day.”
I ended the call and told the cat, “I can’t believe that worked!” But then, I slumped in my seat and muttered, “Shit, he’s actually having an affair. Jeannie’s definitely going to dump his cheating ass, and then she’ll have to raise four kids as a single mom, including a newborn.”
She was going to need me. It was way too much to deal with on her own.
Tears stung my eyes as I whispered, “I have to move back to Idaho.”