Chapter 33 - Andie #2
“Okay, okay, it’s getting crowded in here, let’s take this party to the living room where it’s more comfortable,” Maddie suggests.
We all start to migrate over with our coffee and remaining food.
The leftover breakfast spread now covers the coffee table—fruits, muffins, and pastries—as Maddie makes her way over with the last piece of bacon dangling from her mouth.
Dylan and Maddie cuddle up on the couch with Matt on the other end.
Anna sits across from me on the floor while I sit between Spencer’s legs, his arms protectively wrapped around my shoulders.
As we converse about plans for the day, I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket.
The name flashes across the screen and my stomach plummets.
“Who is calling?” Maddie asks, a concerned gaze flits across her face when she notices my hesitation.
“It’s Charlie.”
Pushing up from the floor, I excuse myself to go to the other room. The conversation behind me stops dead. “Who’s Charlie?” Matt asks.
Everyone is curious since they haven’t heard the name before. In fact, I haven’t really talked to him much since I left Kansas. Not that I don’t care about Charlie, but every time we talk he can’t help but bring up Cody, asking how I’m doing. Or if I’m eating enough, and when I’m coming home.
I know he means well, but his concern feels suffocating when I’m trying so hard to heal. Plus, I’m not ready to explain Spencer to him yet. How do I tell Cody’s best friend that I’m falling for someone new?
“Charlie was Cody’s best friend,” Maddie explains. Her comment does little to fill in our friends, and I can see the curiosity etched in Spencer’s face when I glance back before closing the door to the bedroom.
My hand shakes as I answer the call, a haunting feeling skating over me. “Charlie? What’s going on?”
“Andie, why the hell haven’t you been answering anyone’s calls?” His voice is sharp, angrier than I’ve ever heard him. “The lawyer has been trying to reach you, and now their blowing up my phone because they can’t get through to you.”
“Charlie, you know I don’t answer unknown numbers.” His frustrated sigh fills my ear.
“Well start . . . They reached out to your family, and they gave him my information and now, this whole thing is a mess.” I pull the phone away from my ear as he raises his voice. My volume only goes so low and he’s practically screaming his irritations at me.
“Okay, shit sorry, but we already handled everything.”
“No, you didn’t. I don’t have all the details. They said something about needing you for another policy they found and a few other things.” His words cut through me like ice, sending shivers down my spine and not the enjoyable type.
I stand there trying to absorb everything as my stomach sinks to my feet, my eyes dart around the room like something will help me process his words.
I take a step to the door, cracking it open to make sure my conversation remains private.
It’s so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Their faces stare at me, waiting with bated breath to hear what’s happening.
I leave them clueless as I close the door again, leaning against it as I let the weight of Charlie’s words crash over me.
“Come home Andie. You need to deal with this. And . . .” His hesitation causes my heart to become erratic as I try to anticipate his next words. “There’s some stuff about Cody I need to tell you, but not over the phone.”
What stuff? The question burns in my throat, but something in Charlie’s tone tells me I don’t want to know.
Not yet. Maybe this will finally explain why Cody was more distant than usual the last few months, why we had such a disconnect, making me feel like I lost my husband long before the fire claimed his physical life.
“Thanks, Charlie. We’ll talk soon.” The words come out robotically. I have a million questions, but I can’t muster the strength to put them into words. I hang up the phone with my shaky hand before he can say anything else.
I open the door to find everyone staring at me with concerned expressions.
I walk back to Spencer on autopilot, settling between his legs without a word as he puts his arms around me again.
The comfort I yearn for is missing in this moment, instead it’s replaced with the feeling like I’ve just been hit by a truck.
The weight of the past I’ve been trying to outrun has just caught up with me in one phone call.
“Everything okay?” Spencer asks, his arm tightening protectively around me.
“No.” My voice comes out smaller than I intended. “But it will be, I hope. I think . . . I have to go back to Kansas.”
“But you still have a few weeks left here.” His voice cracks with concern and sadness at the idea of me leaving.
“I was actually working on renewing my contract, but . . . I guess plans change.”
The silence that follows is deafening. I sink further into Spencer’s body, and a tremor runs through me. Just when I thought I was moving forward, just when things were starting to feel right again . . . this happens.
Please don’t let this be the thing that brings me back to destruction. Please don’t let this be the thing that takes me away from Spencer just when I’ve found him.