by T. E. Price
* * *
The minute hand on the big, round clock finally hits 9:00 p.m., and I drag myself to the locker room. I survived another twelve-hour workday. A few of the other trainers are still wiping down the equipment now that all the gym members have departed, but they urged me to call it a day after witnessing my many yawns. My heart lifts, thankful I canceled my visit with my parents as I revel in the thought of collapsing in my bed the moment I get back to the lake house. Slinging my gym bag over my shoulder, I amble out of the locker room door and make for the exit. Thank God I grabbed my jacket on the way out this morning. I huddle against the building for a second, momentarily protected from the wind as I zip it up. Red lights to my left distract me as I feel for my keys. I lift my gaze, squinting at the taillights of the sleek, black car that has caught my attention. I stumble back, my tired body igniting as I refuse to believe what I’m seeing. The all-too familiar Audi melts into the shadows beside Java. He’s here. Without another thought, I race back inside the gym, my body trembling from a sight I was too exhausted to expect.
CHAPTER 5
I fumble for my phone and call Ainsley. I can’t go back to the lake house— he will follow me. I need to be somewhere safe. The moment our lines connect, I whisper in panic that Jonathan is waiting outside for me—that he can’t follow me home. No hesitation—I’m ordered to her house. And Will is going to wait in the driveway for me.
My hands tremble as I end the call. How should I leave the building? Do I let him know I’m on to him, or do I play it stupid?
“What are you doing?” A deep voice coming from the area of the men’s locker room startles me so severely that I yelp. Danny eyes me suspiciously as I locate him standing in the scarcely lit hall. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I uh—” with a redirected gaze, I fumble around the desk, looking for an excuse as to why I’m huddled behind the counter. It’s not time, yet, for others to know about my situation. “I forgot to clock out—just looking for a pen to initial the mistake.” I grab for a pen, but try as I may to steady my hand, the pen shakes in my grip. Danny shrugs and pushes open the men’s locker room door. “Wait, Danny,” he glances back at me over his shoulder, “are you, um … leaving soon?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll just walk out with you, then,” I say, trying to manage my cracking voice as if this is routine. Danny cocks his head, narrowing his eyes that are now shining with eager lust.
“Sure, let me just grab my bag,” and he disappears behind the door, focusing on his confident strut rather than my visible trepidation.
The moment he’s out of sight, my hands drop to my quivering knees. I need to play it cool, but every muscle of my body threatens to send me collapsing in a heap on the floor. I hear the locker room door swing open, and I straighten in a flash. Slapping a plastic smile on my face, I realize it’s too forced. You can do better than this! I need to hide my fear, but at what cost? I don’t want Danny to think I’m interested in him. Apparently oblivious to my state, Danny begins bragging about his day as we exit the building, but my ears don’t take in a word he’s saying.
My head fixes forward, but my eyes dart in all directions in desperate search for Jonathan’s car. Is he near? Is he watching? I force my pace to slow down and match Danny’s lethargic saunter, my quaking stride leaving me wobbly, like I’m walking a tightrope. At my car, Danny offers a suggestive good-bye, but I respond with a distracted wave as my eyes try to slice through the shadows. In a flurried instant, I shove my keys into the lock, open the door, and dive in. Jamming the key into the ignition, I forget about my seatbelt as the car groans for a second. Rmm-rmm. Come on! START!
The engine catches to life, and I shift into drive, hitting the gas pedal hard. I shoot out of the parking lot, cutting Danny off, but I don’t care. The underbelly of my car clangs over the pot holes that I’m not bothering to swerve. My eyes stay glued on the rearview mirror once I turn onto the street. Nothing. I drive around the bend of the street, preparing to navigate down a one-way. But there’s still no Audi. It doesn’t matter, my rapid heart rate urges me to race on. One turn, then another. Still nothing. I think I’ve lost him! The light I’m approaching turns red, and I slam on my brakes, my eyes are so fixed on the rearview mirror that I missed the light turning yellow. Inhaling slowly, I drop my face into my clammy hands and rub my temples. I guess he didn’t see me leave the parking lot. I guess I dodged him.
The green hue of the light on this empty street lifts my gaze, but just as I’m about to accelerate, I see the Audi idling silently behind me. My heart lurches into my throat like a bullet leaving a gun. I squeal my tires as my foot slams on the gas. I don’t care what the speed limit is, I have to get away. The Audi follows, keeping speed. There’s no way I’m going to outrun him in this crappy car, but I have to try. I gain speed as I approach another stoplight ahead. It turns yellow. I can make it. I speed through just in time to see it turn red, but Jonathan doesn’t stop for the red light. And now I know. He won’t stop for anything.
How will I lose him? My mind spins with the options that lay ahead. Maybe I can lose him on the highway—he doesn’t know where I’m going. My heart slams against my ribs. Is there any chance I can outrace him on the highway? The merge to get on the highway approaches. Phlunk-phlunk. My car can barely handle this speed. I can’t do it! I speed past the on-route. What now? A familiar one-way street speeds into view. Is this the one with the laundry mat, or the one with the Chinese restaurant that circles back around to this road? Too late. I yank the steering wheel, and for a moment, it feels like my car tilts on two tires. As I race down the winding one-way, Jonathan flies by the turn. I see his brake lights in my rearview mirror; he’s turning around in the adjacent parking lot. It won’t be long until he’s on the same street. A stop sign approaches, I turn right without touching my brakes. The speed of my turn shoots me dangerously close to the graveled edge of the road. Swerving the car back into my lane, I take the next left. If I can make enough turns, maybe I’ll lose him. Grumph! My car groans with the acceleration. Don’t die on me now! I turn right, then another right. The road that will take me to the highway is just up ahead, and I don’t see the Audi behind me. The last stop sign in my way to freedom zooms into view, and I fly right through it.
Headlights only feet away flash in the driver’s side window as I hurl across the two perpendicular lanes. The driver swerves, barely missing the back end of my car. He lays on the horn, calling attention to my dangerous driving… alerting Jonathan. Adrenaline blinds me for a moment as I straighten out my swerving car and race to the highway. My eyes dash between the empty rearview mirror and the left turn that will catapult me into the safety of highway traffic. In a flash, I speed into the turn. The Audi is nowhere in sight.
* * *
Trying to ignore the sunlight drifting through the blinds of the windows that line Ainsley’s large guest room, I fight back tears, roll out of the king-size bed, and trudge to the huge guest bathroom, exhausted from the sleepless night I just spent at my best friend’s house. I turn on the faucet in one of the double sinks, rinse my hands in the cool water, then splash my face in hopes of bringing some life to my weary body. I don’t need Ainsley, I can do life on my own. Heck, I got out, didn’t I? I’m strong enough to make it alone. But my stomach eases ever so slightly while thinking back to how Will stood in the driveway for me last night … to how Ainsley handed me a change of clothes and hugged me goodnight.
I fumble for a towel as a high-pitched bark distracts me from the thoughts swirling in my mind. “Sasha,” I greet as I turn off the water. The black, teacup poodle wags her tail as she prances in the door frame, happy to welcome a guest into her domain. “What are you doing in here?” I dry my face, place the towel back on the gray, granite countertop that matches the neutral colors of the guest room perfectly, then peer around the corner to find the pajama-clad culprit standing innocently in the open guest room door. “Well hello, Miles,” I greet while walking toward him. A grin
spreads across the toddler’s round cheeks, and his dimples immediately remind me of his dad.
“Hi, Hallie,” he mumbles, half covering his face as he side-shuffles in my direction. Sasha runs ahead of me to meet Miles. She jumps all over his tiny body, sending him, in a fit of giggles, to the lush, gray carpet, his pacifier dropping from his tiny grip with the fall. Instantly feeling weightless, I run over to join the fun, rolling on the carpet and tickling Miles as Sasha dodges back and forth between the two of us, licking our faces and nuzzling us with her wet nose.
“Oh, no,” Ainsley groans as she rubs at her eyes while entering the room. “Miles, how did you get in here?” She plants a mothering fist on her hip. Her sweet boy shrugs his shoulders as he gets up, grabs his pacifier, and chases after Sasha, who is now licking Ainsley’s feet. “Oh, Hallie—I hope they didn’t wake you. They were playing in the living room when I left to make a pot of coffee.”
“No, no,” I say as I lift myself off the carpet. “I was already up when they came in. Honestly, they were the perfect wake-up call. Couldn’t think of a better scene to lift my spirits.” I miss my dogs…well, his dogs. If only they were allowed inside. Maybe I could have had some happier mornings like this if Jonathan had a heart. I force a smile to my sagging cheeks as I watch Miles follow Sasha to the living room where the sunlight is streaming through the skylight window in the cathedral ceiling, kissing the cushions of the large, L-shaped couch that stands in the middle of the enormous space. I shuffle across the bedroom and flop down on the bed as Ainsley settles into the Victorian chair situated in the corner. She crosses her tanned legs and shifts her weight. “Thanks for letting me stay here last night,” I say, hugging my knees close to my chest as my head leans back against the antique, wooden headboard.
“No problem, I have about a zillion pairs of yoga pants and t-shirts for any night of the week. So, whenever you need a safe place to stay, you know you can come here.”
“Thanks,” I mumble, my gaze dropping. “I can’t believe he was waiting for me after work. I mean, I should have expected it. Apparently, he did loops around my parents’ house after I left him, so why wouldn’t he try to follow me home from work?”
“Yeah, I bet he’s angry you left. I just hope he doesn’t want revenge.”
My insides tighten as I skirt over the many possibilities of what his version of revenge might look like. “I was so distracted and exhausted last night, I just wasn’t prepared to see his car. I dunno if he’s told anyone about me leaving, and I can’t control what he says, but I’m still keeping it quiet at the gym.” I squeeze my eyes shut, “Ugh! What if I had led him back to the lake house last night?” Jonathan can’t know where I live. My eyes fly open and I rock slightly, grabbing for the gray and white floral duvet, desperate for its warmth and protection. “Will was great to wait for me in the driveway just in case Jonathan figured out where I was heading and somehow got past the coded gate. It was nice to have a male presence.”
Ainsley shrinks into her chair as her knee begins to bounce at the mention of her husband, “I’m just glad he was here and awake.” She opens her mouth and closes it again, then says, “You know, it might not be a bad thing if you let another man know about your situation, like maybe someone from church.” She hesitates, “It’s just that Will is hardly around anymore.” After a moment’s pause, she continues, “I just don’t get it. When Will is home, he’s constantly on his laptop or his phone. I basically have to force him to spend time with his son, who absolutely adores him. It won’t be long before Miles is old enough to remember all this crap. And as for me,” she shakes her head, “I’m just that pretty girl he married. He doesn’t have time for me. Sometimes when we lay in bed at night, I feel like I’m lying next to a stranger. I don’t even know who he is anymore … maybe I never did.” She sighs, throwing both hands up as if to say, why me? “I’m sorry—I don’t mean to be over here griping about all my problems.” Ainsley sits forward in her chair in order to lay eyes briefly on Miles. Content with his nearby presence, she settles back in the chair.
“It’s fine,” I reply. It’s like Ainsley to direct the conversation onto herself, even after hearing about the chase from last night. This might bother others, but I don’t mind. “I know other people don’t have perfect lives and marriages, but I don’t want them to end like mine will … in divorce.” I sense the conversation has taken an uncomfortable turn, so I purse my lips, then add with a smirk, “Remember that couple from Cancun at the all-inclusive where we stayed?”
“The ones who spent the whole afternoon kissing and doting on each other?” Ainsley tilts her head and grins, embracing the change of subject. “They were all about their marriage, trying to shame us for leaving our husbands behind and taking a week’s vacation, just the two of us.”
“Yeah, but when we saw them at night, after a couple of drinks, they certainly seemed more interested in the single people around them than in each other. I think I caught her flirting with the hotel workers like two dozen times, and the husband was always at that one bar with the chesty bartender.”
Ainsley laughs, but only for a moment before adding, “Yeah, now that’s the life. We should take a trip like that again.” She raises an eyebrow, “Will can’t go with me.” Her shoulders lift with a heavy sigh, “But you know my parents don’t mind taking care of Miles and Sasha while I’m gone. I swear, every time we take a trip, they pack bags as if I live a state away rather than ten minutes down the road, then they settle into this room like they own the place.”
I snicker as I fluff the pillow behind my back. “Didn’t they stay here the whole time we were in Chicago?”
“Yeah—while we were weathering the rain, they were staying here like they were on vacation. I don’t think our pool has ever gotten that much use. I wouldn’t be surprised if my parents actually slept in the chaise lounge chairs of our cabana that whole week,” Ainsley adds with a cackle. “I got a ton of texts and videos of Dad floating in the pool while Mom played with Miles in the shallow end. Meanwhile, we were hopping from one place to the next trying to get out of the cold.”
Nodding, I add, “I got a text or two myself that week, remember?” I flinch. Jonathan hated it when I traveled, and yet he never took me anywhere. Not that I would have wanted to go with him anyway. Ainsley was the only chance I had to momentarily escape, and it was better for me if I gave him little-to-no warning of my departure. It didn’t matter that I saved up my own money or that Ainsley helped pay for the costs, he would simmer in his anger for the entire duration I was gone, and I paid for it when I finally returned.
Ainsley presses a finger to her lips, then says, “Maybe you shouldn’t have gone on all those trips with me.”
“No, I wanted to go,” I say, my voice rising. Our trips were my only reprieve. “It was like my heart started to lift the closer we got to the airport. And when the plane took off, I felt weightless, soaring high above all my troubles thousands of feet below.”
“Yeah, Lord knows I needed to escape, too.” She peeks again at her son playing quietly in the living room. “Miles is such a great kid—well-behaved, quiet, polite …” she sighs. “I just didn’t expect to get pregnant so soon after the wedding. My parents help so much, but I still feel like a single parent most of the time. I guess I just get overwhelmed with my life and how things turned out—I never would have predicted that I would be a parent at this age.” With a shrug she adds, “Life didn’t pan out the way I expected it would.”
I wrinkle my forehead. “Me either. I mean, at least your family’s still intact. I’m getting a divorce, and I’m twenty-five years old.” We both remain quite for a moment, contemplating the changes that have taken place in the few years since we graduated from college. “Sometimes life isn’t fair,” I conclude.
Miles teeters into the room and crawls onto his mom’s lap. “You ready for some breakfast, little man?” she asks as she squeezes him tight.
“Yeaahhhh,” he squeals, the prospect of food creating
a simple joy.
I slide out of the guest bed as Ainsley stands with Miles wiggling in her arms. “What should I do with the sheets?” I ask, “I can strip the bed and—”
“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Ainsley interrupts, “the cleaning lady will be here in two days and she can do it then.” She waves her hand nonchalantly, as if to establish the normalcy of hiring a cleaner. But Ainsley didn’t come into money until she married Will, and the humble home she grew up in is nothing compared to this sprawling mansion where she now resides. I quickly arrange the duvet and pillows, reassembling the room into the magazine-cover suite it resembled before I spent a sleepless night in it. Grabbing my gym bag by the door, I follow Ainsley into the living room, past the front door, down the hall, and into her large kitchen. Ainsley places Miles in his deluxe high chair.
“So, what are you doing today?” I ask as Ainsley secures Miles in the high chair and moves around the island to her fridge.
“Not much,” she shrugs in response as she pulls out a container of applesauce, closes the fridge, and opens the white cabinet door to grab the baby cereal. The cleanliness of this professionally designed and decorated kitchen makes a high chair seem out of place. The white marble countertops, white appliances, and tan colored accent of this space look like a vision out of a home renovation TV show, not a breakfast nook for a toddler. “I was thinking about going to the mall this afternoon, wanna come?” Ainsley asks while Sasha paws at the sliding glass door that leads to the strip of grass beside their heated pool.