“I need you to come and pick me up from George’s.”
“Fuck. Why? You’ve only been in town a few weeks, and I already have to come and pick your sorry ass up?”
“Looks that way.”
“I’ll be right there. Hey. Glad to have you home,” Miles said, suddenly sounding more awake, before the receiver went dead.
Andrew’s thoughts were a little muddled, and he couldn’t tell if Miles was being serious or sarcastic.
“Glad to be home,” Andrew mumbled to himself as he went back to look at the flattened tires. The back half of his Jeep was sitting on its rims. He doubted the rusted-out metal could hold the weight of his vehicle for long, but it would have to do until the morning, when he could get new tires.
There was a hint of rain in the air. He had heard the low rumble of thunder overhead and knew it was only a matter of time before the parking lot became a muddy mess.
Minutes later, the area in front of him lit up from the lights on his brother’s truck. Through the glare, Andrew saw Miles laughing.
Go figure.
Andrew knew he was about to get an earful. A big, toothy grin covered Miles’s face as he jumped out of his truck and went over to inspect the damage.
“Well, brother. It looks like someone doesn’t like the fact that you’ve returned home.”
“I actually figured you had pissed someone off, and they were taking it out on me since you only just got back from your honeymoon.”
“Nah. People love me. Don’t forget, I’ve always been the more-liked twin.” Miles stared back at Andrew, still grinning. “Do you want to try and fix it tonight or just come back tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow. I only have one spare,” Andrew said as he walked around to the other side of Miles’s truck and opened the door. He hoped no one would mess too much with his Jeep. He actually needed the car for when he decided to leave this place. Sure, his plans may have changed recently, but he wasn’t going to stay permanently. Obviously, this was a sign he was better off somewhere else.
In the distance, a thin strip of lightning lit up the sky. More rumbles of thunder followed. It was going to be a stormy night.
Chapter Eighteen
He rolled onto his back and looked up at the dark ceiling. It was the same ceiling he’d stared at nightly when he was child, as well as the first night he had gotten home from the hospital following the accident.
Well-worn plaid curtains hung from the only window in his room. Rain drops angrily hit against the thin glass, making it sound as if someone was tap dancing outside. His bed was a little lumpy, but that didn’t matter. He hadn’t slept on a good mattress in years. Quite frankly, he didn’t know the difference between a good and bad mattress. At least it wasn’t a cot in the middle of a large tent, with a dozen or more other men snoring nearby.
There had been so many nights while he’d been deployed in which he’d gone to sleep, not knowing if he would wake up. He could hear gunfire close by. Other times, a convoy would return, and one of his friends would be carried into a medic tent. War had become such a big part of his life, but maybe it was time for a change. Things had been different for him since his last deployment. Gerald had changed things for him.
He also had this nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach about Isabelle. He had been rude to her this evening, but she had pushed him away first. Maybe it was time to talk with her brother. That was his last thought before he was finally able to shut his eyes.
***
The next morning, he found Pete sitting in the diner, eating eggs and three sausage patties.
“You really should try to eat something a little healthier,” Andrew said as he slid into the other side of the booth. “Sausage will definitely clog those arteries.”
Pete looked up, a small piece of egg dripping down his chin. “What do you want, Montgomery?” He took another large bite of his breakfast.
“Aww, not too much. Just curious if you went by George’s last night. Seems as if someone doesn’t like me and slashed my two back tires.”
“Montgomery, please don’t tell me you’ve decided to ruin my breakfast with some crazy story. There would be a report if someone had done something to your vehicle and I haven’t heard of anything.”
A young waitress walked up to the table. “What can I get you?”
“Bowl of oatmeal and coffee,” Andrew said as he looked at the menu. That was really the only healthy option available, and after Isabelle’s admonishment at dinner, he knew it was time to get serious about what he ate. His foot had pretty much killed all hopes of him getting in a good workout anytime soon.
Pete’s eyebrows rose. “Are you really planning on eating healthy shit across from me this morning?”
“Yep.”
“Montgomery, where is your Jeep right now?”
“Same place.”
“George’s Bar?”
“Yep.”
“Did you find any sort of weapon near it?” Pete wiped his mouth with the white napkin.
“Maybe.”
Andrew’s response got an eye roll from Pete. “Do you want my help or not?”
“Sure, I’d like your help. As a matter of fact, there was an army-style knife left in one of the back tires.” Andrew wasn’t entirely sure how Pete was involved in the damage to his vehicle, but he knew there had to be a connection.
“Guess someone really doesn’t like you.” Pete sighed, and continued eating.
“I’m used to it.”
The waitress returned with Andrew’s order. The bowl of oatmeal was almost twice the size of an average bowl. Somehow, he guessed he shouldn’t be too surprised. He was back home in Texas, where things were always bigger.
“I’m not sure that bowl is big enough for me.”
“Save it, cute stuff,” the waitress said as she set it down on the table. “You’re not the first one to use that line on me.” She winked at him before she turned and walked away.
“Guess I don’t need to worry too much about Isabelle. It looks like you flirt with all the women here in town.” Pete took another bite of eggs.
Andrew leaned back and stared at Pete. He was growing tired of the idle chit chat between them.
“Pete, how old were you when the accident happened?”
“Old enough.”
“And that age would be?” Andrew prodded as he rubbed his hands together.
“I was thirteen at the time. Jessica was four years older than me, but we were close. She was always taking care of me, making sure all my homework and chores were done. By that time, Isabelle was already off at college.”
“You know I cared about Jessica. Right?”
“I had heard that.”
“Pete, it was an accident.”
“That’s how you see it.”
“That’s how the authorities and everyone in the car also saw it.”
“Are you sure about that?” Pete challenged.
“Yes.” Andrew snapped his jaw tightly shut. He burned with anger as he glared over at Isabelle’s brother. Pete didn’t flinch. He just stared right back at Andrew before finally breaking eye contact and climbing out of the booth.
Andrew’s fist clenched tightly beneath the table. There had been so many nights he’d thought about that accident. He remembered getting into the car, and all of them talking about something. That was it. He had looked up just in time to see a set of headlights coming in his direction. The next thing he remembered was waking up in a hospital and his mom telling him the gut-wrenching news. The doctors had said that some of his memory might come back, but it never had. He still remembered the same thing. It played over and over in his thoughts on long, dark nights.
He was sure of one thing, though: his feelings for Jessica. They had grown over time, and he knew he’d been ready to confront Cassie. Maybe that’s who he should go and talk to about the accident. Maybe, just maybe, she might have some answers.
Andrew threw a ten-dollar bill on the table and walked out of the res
taurant.
***
Miles had one of the guys from the office deliver a company truck to their house that morning, with a note letting him know that another set of workers had towed his Jeep to the landfill. Andrew was hoping the last part of the note was just a joke. That car had too many memories for him to just abandon it. Although, he definitely did like the feel of the soft leather seats in this new vehicle.
He pulled out his cell phone and scrolled through the numbers until he found Warren’s. After several minutes spent chatting with his old best friend, he was finally able to convince Warren to let him visit Cassie. Warren advised him to give her at least thirty minutes before showing up, so she could make herself presentable. Whatever that meant.
“Trust me, dude. You don’t want to surprise her. She can be vicious,” Warren had said on the phone, prompting Andrew to let out a soft chuckle.
“All right. Let her know I’ll stop by in a little bit, and we can just stay out in the front yard. I don’t need to go into the house. I just want to talk with her about the night of the accident.”
“Good luck. That’s one topic she’s not too big a fan of, but you can always try.”
Andrew drove around town for several minutes, passing his old high school, and then elementary school. He then turned down the street, heading in the direction Warren had mentioned.
It wasn’t hard to find their house. It was the largest on the block. A new-looking Mercedes was parked in the driveway.
Cassie was already sitting out on the porch when Andrew arrived.
“Hey there.” She smiled.
“Hey, Cassie. How are you doing?” Andrew walked up the stairs.
“Well, I was planning on working out this morning, but Warren mentioned you wanted to talk. Gotta admit, I’m a little surprised you want to see me.”
“Why’s that?”
“Oh, I don’t know, because you gave me these looks of complete hatred after the accident. You just changed. Everything about you was different.”
“For good reason.”
“At some point, you’ve got to stop beating yourself up about it.”
“It’s hard.”
“Because you were in love with Jessica?”
Andrew stopped dead in his tracks. How could she possibly know anything about his feelings for Jessica? He’d never told anyone, especially not Cassie. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, please. Let’s stop pretending now. I knew back then that you both had feelings for one another. We all knew it. It was so obvious, the way you would look at each other. The last few months were almost comical, watching you try to hide your feelings. Trust me. I was definitely annoyed, but Warren and I were already sleeping together, so I didn’t care that much.”
Andrew took a deep breath. “Glad we got all that out of the way.”
“Duh.”
“Why didn’t you just break up with me?”
“I don’t know. Why didn’t you break up with me?”
“Jessica wouldn’t let me. She was afraid to lose you as a friend.”
“That sounds like her.” Cassie looked down at her fingernails and slowly started peeling off the remnants of some old pale-pink polish. A moment later, she abruptly stood. “Wait right here, Andrew. I have something for you.”
When she returned, she was carrying a large book.
“What is it?”
Cassie handed it to Andrew, and he suddenly knew exactly what it was: his sketchbook. “You kept this?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I had it when they took me to the hospital, and then I just decided to keep it. I really liked all of your portraits. Once I sobered up, I realized most of them were of Jessica.”
“I had always assumed this was destroyed in the accident.” Andrew flipped through the now-yellowed pages.
Cassie went quiet. When she looked back up at him, a lone tear slid down her cheek. “You don’t remember much about that night, do you?”
“No.”
“Andrew, I hit you in the head with that book. I’m the reason for the accident.”
Andrew tried to speak, but he couldn’t seem to get any words out of his mouth. Had he really heard her correctly? Cassie had hit him?
Cassie shook her head. “Don’t worry. Apparently, I told the cops everything. I was so drunk that night, I told the officers many things. What I’ve always wondered is how I was so drunk and you were completely sober?”
“That’s because I’m a responsible guy who knew someone had to drive us home.”
“Jessica’s lab results also came back showing no alcohol in her system.”
“She was also responsible.”
“Or the two of you were together,” Cassie responded, her lips turning upward into a smile.
Andrew and Cassie sat in silence, looking out at the other side of her street. Somewhere in the distance, the sound of a midday bell cut through the quiet. There was warm breeze that blew through the air as Andrew decided it was time to tell Cassie the truth.
“We may have been,” Andrew said, feeling a sense of relief to finally talk about what had happened.
Even though he wasn’t looking at her, he could sense Cassie’s body change, almost as if she was leaning forward, waiting for him to talk. “Andrew, I have three kids and a husband. I really don’t care what you were or were not doing back in high school, but at some point you’ve just got to come clean. It might actually make you feel better.”
“It’s driving you crazy not to know, isn’t it?” Andrew raised his eyebrows as he leaned back on the brown wicker couch. The other side was covered in a large number of brightly colored pillows. It all seemed a little excessive.
“Maybe.” Cassie crossed her arms and leaned back.
“Fine. I was with Jessica that night. I found her walking outside the house and we went down to the river.”
“I knew it. I tried to tell Warren that repeatedly, but he wouldn’t listen to me.” She picked at the rest of her nails, and Andrew wondered if she was nervous or just didn’t know what else to do while they talked. “I think it’s funny that your brother ended up marrying Anne Nichols.”
“Why’s that?”
“She’s the reason Jessica and I had to catch a ride with you that night. Don’t you remember?”
“What do you mean?”
“She was really drunk. Jessica and I ran into her when we first arrived at the party. Of course, Jessica decided to take her ass home. Apparently, little Miss Beth Anne Nichols, now Montgomery, threw up in Jess’s car, causing it to smell. It was awful. The thought still makes me want to gag.”
Andrew thought back. “That’s right. I remember her car smelling horrible, but I never really knew why. You guys had fought about something, but I wasn’t really paying attention.”
Cassie laughed. “Typical male response. Well, now you know, it was your new sister-in-law that puked in her car.”
“But I thought you just said the girl’s name was Beth.”
“It’s Beth Anne, but when she went off to college, she dropped her first name and just started going by Anne. I don’t really know why. Probably because we all made fun of her for having the name ‘Beth.’”
“We did?”
“Well, maybe not the boys, but I certainly did.”
“You made fun of everyone.”
“It was my job in high school to be tough on all of the lowly people so they would grow up to be successful, or at least marry into one of the wealthiest families in town.”
“That’s a little harsh, Cass.”
“Tell Beth Anne she can thank me later.”
“Hmm. It’s definitely a small world,” Andrew mumbled, tired of talking about Anne. He didn’t like Cassie’s “mean girl” tone right now.
“Yes, it is.”
Andrew looked down the street. It was a nice neighborhood. He hadn’t really thought about what Warren’s house would look like, but this place seemed to fit him
. All the homes on the street were in the same white stone, but Warren’s seemed to stand out. It was substantially bigger.
“I’m glad you and Warren ended up together.” Andrew looked over at Cassie.
“Yeah. It was an obvious decision, especially after you went crazy.” She sighed.
“I didn’t go crazy. I just needed to get away and figure some things out. The past few years have been good for me. I’ve grown up and I’m very happy.”
“What are you going to do now?”
“Not sure. I’ve been thinking about coming back home and helping with the family business.”
Cassie began to laugh. “Oh, please. You just want to stop being poor. I don’t think your family really needs your help. The way I see it, they’re making a ton of cash.”
“That’s what I keep hearing as well. I’m not surprised. My dad was always pretty good at business.”
“Andrew, your family pretty much owns this place. Every single little inch of Sable Falls—”
“I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration, Cassie.”
“Nope. Montgomery Industries is a big deal. That’s why I’m glad Warren has been so active with the company. I mean, just look at my house…it’s because of your family.”
“Okay. Well, we’ll see if I decide to be a part of that big deal.”
“Why wouldn’t you?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s not my thing.”
“What is your thing?”
“I guess my thing is to find justice and peace for the people who are being victimized every day. The other side of the world has some very dark places.”
“That’s highly dramatic, don’t you think?” Cassie scrunched her face in disgust. “Who talks like that?”
“Me, and it’s not dramatic,” Andrew said, grabbing a handful of the grapes that were out on the table before standing. “It was good to talk with you, Cass. Glad to see everything has worked out well. You look good.”
“Ditto. You know, Andrew. Just like you’ve changed, I’ve changed.”
“I know. I can tell. This conversation has been very eye-opening for me.”
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