Chapter Eleven
Somewhere after his seventh, maybe eighth beer, the room started to look fuzzy, and Andrew was finally able to relax. His body slumped down a little further in his chair as he watched people talk and laugh in front of him. Several women had asked him to dance, including the crazy bridesmaid, and he’d happily obliged. He wasn’t interested in her, but that didn’t matter right now, he just wanted to let loose. It was the first time in a long time that he had wanted to just let go and be free.
His body drunkenly swayed to the sounds of various 80s and 90s pop songs, as well as a strong mixture of country. At one point, he looked over and saw the weird girl, Lucy, dancing in a short, black dress. He’d smiled and waved at her. She’d slightly smiled back and seemed almost amused at his current state before twirling away. At several key points in the evening, Andrew had taken out his phone and snapped some pictures. He knew he probably wouldn’t remember most of the night and would need these in the morning.
Finally, around midnight, they all lined up to send off Miles and Anne. The wedding planner passed out bags of pink rose petals. Almost instantly, the outside of the reception hall looked like a huge sea of pink.
Miles beamed as he lifted Anne into the front passenger seat of a large truck covered in streamers and condoms. Andrew and the rest of the guys had done their groomsmen’s duty of decorating the truck only minutes ago, after the wedding planner had approached Andrew with a frantic reminder that he still had a responsibility as the best man.
Andrew was leaving the reception and walking toward his Jeep when he saw her: the maid of honor, Isabelle. She was sitting alone on a bench, resting her head on her hand, an open bottle of wine on the ground.
“Excuse me. Sorry. Are you okay?” Andrew asked, approaching. He hadn’t expected to see her out here.
“Yes. I’m fine. Just needed to be alone for a minute,” she said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she snapped back, as she looked up. Instantly, her face contorted as if it pained her to talk to him. “I’ve already called my brother for a ride. He’ll be here shortly.”
“I don’t believe you. Right now, you look like shit.” Andrew jammed both hands into his pockets. He wasn’t going to budge. She had been rude to him all night. At some point, this woman needed to give him an answer as to what he had done.
His comment caused her to look back up with a new fire in her eyes. “What? Why are you even talking to me? Go away.” She swiped at the air in front.
Andrew shrugged. His buzz had worn off a little bit ago. “You look like you could use a little help right now. It’s really not a big thing. I’m not an evil guy.”
“Seriously. I don’t want to be anywhere near you,” she moaned, scooting farther down the bench. “Go away. Far, far, far away, Andrew Montgomery.”
“Fine, but just remember I offered to help you out.”
“Don’t you get it? I don’t want your help,” she grumbled as she picked up the bottle and took another swig of the liquid inside before letting the bottle fall to the ground. The glass made a loud clink as it hit the cement. “Just leave me alone.”
“Trust me, you’ve made it very obvious that you don’t want my help.”
Tired of the conversation, he stormed off. If she wanted to sit by herself in the dark, then so be it. He definitely didn’t owe her anything, but something wouldn’t let him leave. There was so much he wanted to know about her. For starters, why she hated him so much.
Before he could stop himself, he turned around and strode back towards her. “What’s your deal? Did I do something to you when we were younger? If so, I’m sorry. I don’t really remember you.”
“I guess you could say that.”
“Like what?”
They glared at one another for what seemed like an eternity before she finally stood up.
“You killed my sister!” She stood, tears falling from her eyes as her body shook. “It’s so hard to see you back in town, Andrew. I really am sorry. I wanted to forgive you. I really did. I even told Anne that I would be fine, but seeing you earlier today changed everything.”
Andrew took a deep breath as he met her gaze. He hadn’t expected that response.
“What?” he asked, a little perplexed. Had he heard her right? She was Jessica’s sister?
“You’re one of the reasons Jessica’s dead,” she sobbed, swiping at a tear that had made its way down her cheek.
“Jessica’s sister,” he muttered, still in shock from the revelation. Isabelle was Jessica’s sister.
He looked at her, and for the first time, he noticed the resemblance. Isabelle had long dark hair, just like Jessica, but they had different eyes. Jessica’s eyes had always seemed to dance with excitement. Isabelle’s looked cold and hard.
“Yes. I knew you were going to be here. Anne told me last month that you’d agreed to be Miles’s best man. I thought it wouldn’t bother me, but it does. I hate you because of what you did to my family. She was so amazing, and I miss her every day, but because of you, she’s gone.”
Andrew’s heart ached from the pain of her words.
“Seriously, why do you have to stand there?” She turned her head in the opposite direction. “My brother will be here soon.”
Andrew put up his hands. “I’m sorry you have to be near such a horrible human being, but give me a break right now. You’ve unloaded a lot of information.”
“Just go away. Thankfully, I hear you’re leaving tomorrow. It was the only thing that got me through the night.” Her dark, sad eyes met his. “I don’t want you here. You need to leave Sable Falls.”
He cleared his throat and reached out to her, but she flinched away.
“I’m really sorry. If I’d known you were going to be in the wedding party, I would have stayed away. Please know I had no intention of hurting you or your family. I cared deeply for Jessica.” He hoped she knew just how much truth was in his words. He didn’t want to hurt any of Jessica’s family. She had been special to Andrew, and the thought that her family hated him caused his stomach to sink.
“Just leave me alone. Go away. I don’t want to talk about Jessica right now. I’ve had way too much to drink tonight, and I’m afraid I’ll say something I shouldn’t.” Isabelle’s head slowly fell forward into her hands.
Deep down, he wanted to stay and get Isabelle to understand how sorry he was about Jessica, but he finally decided to leave. She was right: it wasn’t the right time or place to have this conversation. Maybe they could talk at a later date.
Slowly, he walked away, feeling a mix of emotions. He should have known Jessica’s family was still in town. Now, he needed to decide if he was ready to face them. He climbed into his Jeep and watched her until he saw another set of headlights stop near her. Isabelle’s brother must have arrived. Andrew drove away.
Chapter Twelve
The sun peeked through the slivers in his blinds. Somewhere in the distance, birds chirped, welcoming the morning. Unfortunately, he didn’t agree with them.
Andrew rolled over in his bed. Sleep had eluded him for most of the night. That wasn’t anything new to him. Insomnia had been his friend for years.
Isabelle’s sad words echoed in his head. You’re the reason she’s dead.
It was true. He had killed Jessica. It was something he’d been trying to run from for a long time, but there were so many nights her smile filled his thoughts. He had almost become obsessed with her and had kept old pictures from yearbooks tucked in one of his front pockets while deployed.
One night, he had seen a female soldier with dark brown hair pulled back into a bun. For some reason, she had reminded him of Jessica. Andrew had accidentally followed her until she finally turned around and almost decked him. It had taken him a few months to live that down.
Andrew often wondered what Jessica would have been like if she’d still been alive today. Would they even still be friends? Probably not. They would have both gone off to college and forgotten a
bout this sleepy little town. He recalled she’d had aspirations of being a journalist. She’d talked about it constantly, and probably would have made a good reporter. He remembered reading some of her stuff in the school newspaper and literary magazine. It was one of the things that had drawn him to her. They were both smart, but also creative in their own ways.
After several more minutes lying on his back and staring at the ceiling, he decided to get up and go downstairs to get a cup of coffee.
His mom was sitting at the table when he walked into the kitchen.
“Hey.” He strode to the coffee pot and poured himself a tall cup of the dark liquid.
“Hi, honey. Did you have fun last night?”
Andrew smiled sheepishly. “I have to admit, it felt good getting to see so many people. Warren is still the same. So is Cassie. What about you?”
“I thought it was a great party, but I’m feeling it this morning. I’m not sure how many glasses of wine I had last night, but my head certainly is letting me know it’s not happy. But hey, it’s not like we get to have a wedding reception every day.”
Andrew cocked an eyebrow. “Mom, are you trying to say you got drunk last night?”
“It certainly feels that way.” His mom put a hand to her head. “I think I’m going to finish this cup of coffee and then take it easy the rest of the day.”
“Where’s Dad?”
“He’s at work.”
“On a Sunday?”
“You know your father. He doesn’t think anything will get done if he’s not at the office.” His mom sighed. “He’s always gone, Andrew. It’s something I’ve gotten used to over the past few years. All of you are gone.”
“Hmm.”
“Are you still planning on leaving today?”
“I don’t know,” he responded honestly, taking a sip of his coffee. The coffee felt good as it slid down his throat. “I might stick around for a few more days. Maybe I can help Dad while Miles is on his honeymoon.”
“Your father would like that.” A soft smile tugged at her lips. “I know he would really like that.”
Andrew decided to change the subject before he talked himself too much into a corner and had no choice but to stay in town longer. “How’s your shop doing?”
“It’s good. Thankfully, everyone needs flowers at some point.” His mother’s flower shop had always been popular with locals with cool pots of various colorful flowers. “What are you going to do today?”
“Not sure. I may go hiking over at the state park to clear my head and sweat out some of the alcohol from last night.” He needed something to get his mind off Jessica’s sister, Isabelle. Her words had cut him to the core.
“Okay.”
His mom rose, and took her plate to the sink. Andrew watched as she began to wash her plate along with several glasses and put them into the dishwasher. She still looked the same. There was maybe an extra strand of gray hair here and there, but for the most part, she was as beautiful as she’d been fifteen years ago when he’d driven out of town.
At the time, he hadn’t wanted to look back. He’d just wanted to drive as far as possible. When the Marines had said they would be sending him to Afghanistan, it had seemed the perfect answer to his problem.
***
The drive into town was short. He parked near the same bakery he’d visited yesterday morning, and went inside to grab something to eat before heading off. He also needed a few bottles of water.
There was a hum of activity inside of the bakery. He didn’t really want to sit in there when he could eat his breakfast out on the trail. A waitress with a name tag that read “Marcy” enthusiastically dropped off a white sack containing his order. “Here ya go. It’s good to see you back in town.”
“Thank you,” he responded, somewhat caught off guard that she knew his name, but really not surprised. He grabbed it and headed back out to his Jeep.
Driving to the state park took a little longer than he recalled. It was outside of town, but the road twisted and turned throughout the hill country.
He loved this part of the state, with its tall trees and rolling hills. It was a good area to hike. Usually, the only things you had to watch out for were snakes or wild hogs.
Andrew parked near the start of the trail. There were several tall bushes that lined the path’s entrance, and the trail itself seemed narrower than he remembered. Andrew had come here often when he was growing up. He and Miles had both loved to be outdoors. There was a hint of pine in the air as he began his hike. It felt good to sweat and use his muscles.
Rocks and tall grass lined the path. Even though it had been more than a decade, he swiftly navigated the trail, heading toward a large swimming area up ahead.
It was quiet today. He guessed most people were still at church. Later, it would get busier on this trail. It had always been a popular weekend spot.
He had just passed a large rock when he heard a noise that caused him to still and scan the grassy area off to the side. It had sounded as if a wild boar was close. Andrew slowly walked backward, away from the noise. His heart raced as the realization set in that he didn’t have any sort of weapon on him, except for a small knife, which would be pointless if it really was a wild animal.
He slid his hand into his pocket and retrieved the blade as he continued to step backward. Unfortunately, he’d forgotten about one of the larger rocks in the middle of the trail, and stumbled as he tripped over it. He flung his arms out, trying to brace for the fall, and crashed down on the hard surface. He was still breathing heavily when he looked over and saw a large armadillo cross the path.
Great. He’d let an armadillo spook him.
Andrew lay back and looked up at the sky. Several trees loomed over him. The sun’s rays danced through the branches. The warmth felt good against his face. He thought about her: Isabelle. He should have said more to her last night, but the sad look in her eyes had stopped him.
He sat up and pushed himself off the ground. He hadn’t noticed it a few seconds ago, but there was a twinge of pain in his foot. He tried to put weight on that leg, but it caused a sharp stinging sensation. Not only had he gotten spooked by that stupid little creature, he’d apparently done something to his foot. He was a soldier who’d encountered enemy insurgents on a number of occasions, but an armadillo was what had caused him to jack up his left foot.
Andrew hobbled down the path, trying to find some sort of stick to help him on his hike, but he had no luck. All he could see were shorter pieces of wood. He sat down and looked at his watch. He’d been hiking for twenty minutes, but that was with two good legs. The journey back would take longer. He pulled out his cell phone and called Miles. The call went to voicemail. Go figure. Miles was probably gone. He tried Warren. Again, it went straight to voicemail. Andrew had no choice but to try and make it back to his Jeep. Hopefully, he had just done something to a muscle and it would work itself out within the next few minutes.
He got into a groove of hopping and then stopping to catch his breath. With each step, his foot hurt even more. He assumed he’d stretched or strained something. It had been years since he’d sprained his ankle during a soccer game, but the pain he was feeling now left no doubt he’d done something unfortunate. His other leg was also beginning to burn from all the extra work it was having to do.
An hour after falling, Andrew finally made it to the parking lot. He hopped to his Jeep and jammed the keys into the lock. He gripped the handle and tried to open the old, heavy door while balancing on one foot. The door swung out, and Andrew pulled himself into the driver’s seat. He leaned his head against the headrest. He had left his boot on, to keep his ankle secure, but he could feel the swelling beneath the tough leather.
He had noticed a new little medical clinic on his drive into town the other day. It would take at least half an hour to get there, but after that hike, he didn’t feel too rushed. He just wanted to lie down somewhere and take something to get rid of the pain. Maybe a bag of ice and two aspirin to e
ase the swelling would help him feel better.
Thankfully, it was his left foot, so he was still able to drive. The drive was a little bumpy, but eventually he made it home and managed to make it into the house. He grabbed a plastic bag and filled it with ice and then reached for a beer before hobbling over to the couch. The coldness stung his skin as he leaned back and thought about the day. His entire leg continued to throb. Finally, after two hours he checked his foot. Despite the ice, the swelling had increased. Andrew didn't want to see a doctor, but he knew he had little choice.
He headed to the small clinic. A sign with the word EMERGENCY in all caps greeted him as he turned into the parking lot. He headed for the door.
The receptionist cocked her head as she watched him hobble inside.
“I’m assuming your foot took a beating today?” She motioned toward the ground.
“Uh, yes. I tripped while on a hike. I put some ice on it, but the swelling is increasing,” Andrew said between deep breaths. “Is there a doctor here?”
“Yes. The doctor is in, but she’s with a patient right now. Why don’t you hop over to one of those chairs and I’ll bring you some paperwork to fill out. You’re in luck. The wait isn’t too long today.”
“Thank you.” Andrew looked at the receptionist before glancing around at the empty waiting room. There were at least twenty chairs and all were empty. He doubted the wait was ever that long at this facility.
“Just put your bad foot up on one of those chairs while you get this filled out.”
“Thank you,” Andrew responded as he began to look through the paperwork attached to the clipboard.
Chapter Thirteen
After forty-five minutes in an empty waiting room, Andrew’s name was finally called. A nurse took him to get an x-ray, and then put him in one of the consulting rooms. He leaned back on the narrow bed covered in plastic. His eyes were just closing when the door opened and another woman in scrubs entered. The new person was looking down at his chart as she approached the bed.
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