Bayside Destinies

by Stacy Claflin

He sat in the chair and picked up the phone. The officer stepped back a little, probably to give the illusion of privacy.

  Audrey took a deep breath to calm her nerves and shakiness, then she picked up the phone on her side. It smelled of smoke and heavy perfume. Not a pleasant combination.

  “You came to see me.” Bryson’s voice spoke into her ear, but across the glass he raised both his brows.

  She clenched her jaw and bore her gaze into his. “When are you going to get it through your thick skull that we’re over?”

  His eyes narrowed. “Don’t you dare talk to me like that—you know better.”

  “Actually, you need to stop talking to me like that. I won’t be disrespected, and I won’t put up with you attacking Logan.”

  He rolled his eyes. “You think it’ll last with him? He’s got money—lots of it. You’ve got nothing, and you are nothing. That’s why you need to pull your head out into the daylight and realize how much you need me.”

  Audrey counted to twenty silently. If she lost her temper, she’d be exactly where Bryson wanted her. “I’m not here to talk about Logan, other than to tell you to leave him alone. You—”

  “Then what are you here for?” His brows knit together and he glowered at her with a stare that in the past would have had her cowering.

  “Don’t interrupt me.” She leaned over the counter to be closer to the glass, closer to him. “I’m here to tell you to go back to Spokane. Just focus on your job before you lose it. I can’t imagine being gone for a month is doing you any favors.”

  “I’m on a leave of absence, and my job will be waiting when you finally agree to go back with me.”

  “Has none of this gotten through to you? Jail? Stitches? I’m done with you and your abusive ways. I’m worth way too much to be treated this way, and I’m not putting up with that kind of treatment from you or anyone else.”

  “How are you going to survive on your own?” Bryson sneered. “You don’t have anyone without me. You need me. Nobody else wants you.” He stared into her eyes. “You think Logan wants you anymore? After all the trouble you’re worth? I beat the crap out of him. I’d have kept going if the cops hadn’t shown up. Both of you will be a lot better off when you figure out that you need me.”

  Anger ripped through her worse than what she’d felt back at the apartment. Audrey wanted to break through the glass and beat him up herself, until he was nothing more than a bloody pulp.

  She hated that he could reduce her to such a rage. He was right about one thing—he did have power over her. But it wasn’t the kind he thought he had. It was only what she allowed him to have—to control the fury pulsating through her.

  Audrey took a deep breath and held it as long as she could. She shoved as much of her anger away as possible. Then she turned back to Bryson and clutched the phone with all her might.

  “Listen to me, and listen good, Bryson. You’re a controlling jerk. I’m a capable woman, and I don’t need you. I’ve started a life for myself here, and I’m doing well. I have a great job, and I’m starting to fit in.”

  He started to say something.

  “Don’t interrupt me! I’m not done.” She leaned even closer to him. “I can start over anywhere. I’ll thrive without you in my life. You only hold me back. I can’t stand you. You make me sick. I’ll never do anything you tell me to. Ever. Just go back home and forget you ever knew me. Do yourself a favor and start treating people in your life with respect.”

  His nostrils flared.

  “Goodbye, Bryson.” She slammed down the phone and turned her back to him, walking toward freedom. But first, to complete the second item on her list.

  Thirty-Two

  Logan stumbled into the waiting room. The room spun, but not as badly as it had over the weekend.

  Shale glanced up from his phone and hurried over. “What did the doctor say?”

  Logan rubbed his temple and tried to remember what he’d been told. “I’m having an allergic reaction to something—probably the pain medicine I’ve been taking. I’m supposed to stop taking it and just take over the counter stuff. They said it should be fine.”

  “Do you need anything from the store?”

  Logan shook his head no.

  “Okay, lean on me. Let’s get you home.”

  Logan leaned on Shale’s shoulder and tried to ignore the pounding headache. It didn’t work.

  Somehow, they ended up back in Logan’s living room. Shale helped him onto the couch and brought over some crackers and ginger ale.

  “Stay here until I get back, okay?”

  Logan rested his head on the arm of the couch. “Where are you going?”

  “I have a meeting at the fire station, remember?”

  He didn’t, but nodded yes.

  “Do you want me to see if anyone can stay with you? Dakota said she might. Mom probably would, but they get slammed around lunchtime.”

  Logan moaned. “I’m just going to sleep.”

  “What about Audrey?”

  Audrey.

  Weren’t they supposed to have a date over the weekend? He was at least going to call her, wasn’t he?

  Thinking hurt so bad.

  “Did you fall asleep?” Shale asked.

  Logan didn’t want to talk about Audrey, so he didn’t respond. Hopefully Shale would think he had fallen asleep.

  “I’ll be back.” Shale’s footsteps led to the front door, which opened and shut.

  Logan opened his eyes, but closed them again. The daylight was too bright. He wanted to think about Audrey, but he could barely string together two coherent thoughts.

  He woke to the aroma of vegetable soup. Mom appeared in front of him and helped him sit up and sip the broth.

  Logan fell back to sleep, and when he woke, Shale offered him pizza. Later, he woke and it was dark, except for the soft light coming from the TV. Soft, gentle music played from it.

  Logan got up. The room didn’t spin. Neither did his thoughts. The only thing that hurt was his arm.

  He walked over to the window without stumbling or tripping.

  It was a miracle. Or at least the culprit pain meds were out of his system.

  He ate some leftover pizza in the fridge, then took some ibuprofen and settled into bed. Unable to sleep from snoozing all day, his mind went straight to Audrey. He wanted to call her, but it was—he checked his clock—nearly three in the morning.

  Now that his mind was clear, he tried to piece together everything that had happened over the last… how many days? He’d run into Bryson and had been forced to fight him. That was how he’d ended up with the injured arm.

  But what about Audrey? Where was she? Was she okay?

  Logan vaguely recalled seeing her after the hospital. She’d shown up at the hospital and drove him back to his car.

  But that wasn’t all.

  He sat up, wide-eyed.

  That entire evening flooded his mind. Every horrible detail. He’d started to feel awful from the medicine—his allergic reaction had kicked in then, only he hadn’t realized it.

  And he’d been downright mean to her. He put his face in his palms.

  It was no wonder he hadn’t heard from her.

  She probably thought he was no better than Bryson after the way he’d spoken to her. And he had it coming, drug-induced insanity or not.

  What if he’d pushed her away for good?

  His stomach twisted in tight knots.

  What had he done?

  He felt around his nightstand, looking for his phone. It didn’t matter that it was so early—late?—he needed to fix everything right away.

  The phone wasn’t on the nightstand. Maybe it was downstairs. It wasn’t in the kitchen or on the coffee table.

  Eventually, he found it sticking out from underneath the couch. It was dead.

  How long ago had the battery drained?

  Logan found a charger and waited until the screen lit with life. His heart nearly jumped into his throat.

  There were a
bunch of missed calls from his family, but more importantly, from Audrey. She’d called multiple times on Saturday and a few on Sunday morning. Nothing Monday. He was pretty sure that was yesterday.

  Had she not called because she’d given up, or because his phone had died?

  Logan’s thumb hovered over her number, but despite his desperation, he couldn’t call this early. If she was upset with him like he deserved, he would only add fuel to the fire and push her away further.

  With nothing else he could do, he showered and got himself ready. He could try talking to her before she went to work.

  His mind raced as he tried to figure out what to do. Call her? She’d probably ignore his calls.

  He could wait for her at her apartment. Or was that too Bryson-like? It couldn’t be, since he wasn’t trying to hurt or control her. He wanted to apologize. Profusely. That was as far from being like Bryson as possible. He’d beg if he had to.

  That was what he would do, in fact.

  Logan scarfed down a quick breakfast and hurried to her apartment building. He waited by the parking garage and watched as the sunrise changed the colors of the sky. It reminded him of when he and Audrey ate dinner at the beach, and the sunset gave them a similar show.

  Before long, the sky was bright blue and a steady stream of cars were exiting the garage.

  None of them were Audrey’s.

  Time dragged on, moving slower with each passing second.

  Logan wasn’t sure what time she left for work, but it was already past eight. He tapped the steering wheel. He’d give it until half-past the hour, then he’d head over to her work and see if she was there already. Maybe there was another exit from the garage, and she’d taken that.

  Somehow, time managed to go even slower than before. As soon as it became eight-thirty-one, he turned the engine back on and headed to the doggie hotel.

  Her car wasn’t there, either. Logan drove around twice.

  The sides of the car seemed to press in, like they would crush him.

  Logan drew in a deep breath and prepared himself to go inside. Was she there, despite her car not being in the parking lot? Or had she decided to move away from Enchantment Bay as suddenly as she’d arrived?

  He needed to get out of the car.

  Logan stood tall and marched inside, ignoring his lurching stomach.

  Wendy smiled at him. “Hi, Logan. What brings you in so early?”

  He glanced around, not seeing Audrey anywhere. “I don’t suppose Audrey’s here?”

  Wendy’s grin faded. “She hasn’t been in since Friday.”

  “Friday?” The waiting room spun around him. This was worse than he thought. It was Tuesday. He rested his hand on the back of the nearest chair. “Do you know when she’s due back in?”

  She gave him a pitiful glance. “Cassidy was under the impression that Audrey isn’t returning.”

  Her words were like a punch in the gut.

  “Is that Logan?” Cassidy appeared behind Wendy. “I thought I heard your voice. Are you here to collect the things Audrey left here?”

  He shook his head. “Do you know what her plans are?”

  Cassidy stared at him. “You don’t know?”

  Logan frowned. “No, but if you see her, can you tell her I’m trying to find her?”

  “Yeah. I don’t expect we’ll hear from her, though.”

  Logan’s heart dropped. “You don’t know anything else?”

  “I’m sorry. Just that she isn’t coming back.”

  Without another word, he headed outside. He leaned against his car and called.

  Audrey’s number had been disconnected.

  Thirty-Three

  Audrey clung to Charlie’s leash and gave the nearly-empty apartment a last once-over. The only thing she hadn’t been able to fit into her car was the futon, so she was leaving it for the next tenant.

  “Well, it was fun. Huh, Charlie?”

  He looked up at her, but didn’t lick her.

  “I wish we could stay, too.” She patted his head. “We’ll find someone just as nice as Logan was before Bryson showed up. Or maybe we won’t. I don’t need some man to be happy. You and me, we’ll find a good life somewhere else. Where do you think we should head? South, toward California? Or maybe head East? There are a lot more choices that way.”

  Charlie whimpered.

  “Sure, there isn’t much in Idaho or Wyoming, but if we keep going, we’ll eventually hit Chicago. I’ve always thought that would be a fun place to explore. We could stop at Mt. Rushmore on the way. That would be fun, wouldn’t it?”

  He lay on the ground and rested his face on his paws.

  “You’ll change your mind once we get there. Come on.”

  Charlie didn’t budge.

  “Come.”

  He didn’t even look at her.

  “Charlie, come!” She tugged on the leash.

  Finally, he got up and followed her out into the hall, his tail drooping.

  Audrey locked the door. “It’s an adventure. We’ll have the time of our lives.”

  He walked behind her as she went to the office to return her keys in exchange for her deposit. It would be enough to keep them on the road until Cassidy deposited Audrey’s last paycheck into the bank account.

  Then she’d have a short time to find another job and settle somewhere. She wasn’t using any credit cards this time—new or old—and she had no phone at all. That was one expense she could live without. It was also one less way for anyone to track her.

  Once they reached the parking garage, Charlie whined and pulled toward the beach.

  “You have to go potty again? You just went.”

  He tugged harder, whining.

  She grumbled. “Okay, but this better be it. We’ll stop soon, anyway. I’m going to need something for lunch before long.”

  They headed for the nearest exit. Once outside, Charlie sniffed every plant he came across, but didn’t stop to relieve himself.

  “Would you hurry up?” Irritation ran through her. “I’d like to make some good time today, and it’s already getting late.”

  Charlie continued sniffing, leading them toward the beach.

  Audrey’s heart nearly shattered. Memories with Logan flooded her mind. Their dinner by the shore. Walking along the path after she’d told him about the marriage pact.

  The marriage pact. She glanced down at the gigantic rock on her finger. She’d forgotten all about the very real diamond engagement ring for the very fake fiancée.

  She couldn’t flee town with it. Well, technically she could, but she wouldn’t do that to Logan. That left her with two options—give it back to him or return it to the jeweler. Seeing Logan was just about the last thing she wanted. It was right above seeing Bryson again.

  To the jeweler, it was.

  “Come on, Charlie. We really have to go. Now I have to make one more stop before we can leave this town in the dust.”

  He pulled her toward the water.

  “Stop!” Audrey was about ready to march back to the car, whether Charlie wanted to or not. He clearly didn’t have to pee. The pup sensed something was up, and he was fighting it.

  Which one of them was the owner, anyway?

  “Come,” Audrey ordered. “Now.”

  Charlie barked and burst into a run, aiming for a group of geese.

  Audrey could barely hang on as she struggled to keep up with the muscular dog. She stumbled, struggling to keep from falling onto the hot sand.

  A fingernail tore, ripping against the leash. She let go before the entire nail came off. Charlie raced toward the birds at twice the speed. Audrey crashed onto the ground, sand spraying into her mouth and onto her face.

  “I’ll get him!” someone called.

  She turned toward the voice and brushed sand away from her eyes.

  Logan.

  How had he found her? Or had he already been at the beach, relaxing and glad to have her out of his life?

  Tears stung her eyes, but sh
e blinked them away. She wasn’t going to waste any more tears. She’d let enough fall, and she was done.

  It was a good thing he’d showed up—she could give him his ring back and get on the road closer to the time she’d originally planned.

  They could both have their lives back and carry on as if she’d never brought up their silly teenage pact.

  Audrey pushed herself up from the hot sand and dusted herself off.

  Logan returned, leash in hand. Charlie panted and his tail wagged back and forth, then licked Audrey.

  “Here you go.” Logan held the leash out for her.

  “Wait.” She pulled the ring off. “Here, this is yours. Thanks for your help with Bryson.”

  What was that expression? It looked like disappointment. How could that be? The fake fiancé should be happy about the end of the fake engagement.

  She pushed it closer to him. “Take it.”

  He did, but his face looked even more downcast than it had a moment before.

  She took the leash from him and started to walk away. “And thanks for getting Charlie. I don’t know what overcame him. We have to get going.”

  Charlie didn’t budge from Logan’s side.

  “Where?” Logan stared at her.

  Audrey stood taller. “East.” Why had she admitted that? “Or South. We haven’t decided yet. Charlie doesn’t seem too excited about going East.”

  He frowned. “We need to talk.”

  “I have to get on the road. Right now.”

  “Please. I need to explain what happened the other night.”

  “No, you don’t.” She swallowed a lump in her throat. “I get it. Really, I do. We had a fake relationship, and when you realized what it would cost you—getting into a fight with a deranged lunatic and cracking a bone—you realized it isn’t worth it. I totally get it. That’s why Charlie and I are going somewhere else. We need a new beginning, and you need your life back.”

  Logan took her hand. “I don’t want you to go anywhere. The other night, I was out of my mind—literally.”

  Audrey gave him a double-take. “What?”

  “I had an allergic reaction to the pain meds. They made me feel weird and act even worse. I didn’t know what was going on, and I kept taking them until the doctor explained what had happened. I didn’t even know what day it was until yesterday. Please forgive everything I said the other night. I don’t even remember most of it, but I do remember the hurt on your face.”