Ditched

by Hope, Amity

  I was almost giddy with excitement. Max insisted that the beach house wasn’t anything fancy. But it was a beach house! Right on the ocean, so fancy or not, I was anxious to get there.

  Apparently, so was Max. Instead of stopping for dinner, he asked if I’d mind driving straight through. It was late afternoon and we were close. So close that I was okay with just continuing on. We made one last pit stop for gas. I got out and stretched my legs before going inside to get a banana and a bottle of strawberry milk.

  When I came out, Max was leaning against his car, checking something on his phone. His brow was furrowed and he looked contemplative.

  “What are you looking at?” I asked.

  He gave me a mischievous smile and a noncommittal shrug. “Just checking to see how many hours of driving we have left.”

  “And?”

  “We made so many stops today we still have a little over two hours to go, so we really need to get moving,” he said as he opened up my door, hurrying me along.

  ***

  I gasped, pleasantly surprised as Max pulled up to the beach house. It was pale blue with white trim. The house itself was smallish and set against a hill. A white fence barricaded the view of the neighbors on the left but stopped a bit before the beach began. Max had parked on the backside and turned to me with a huge grin.

  “Come on!” he said.

  He leapt from the car and I followed. I was immediately wrapped in warm, salty, oceanic air. I could hear the waves dancing against the shore. Max was already at the front of the car holding his hand out to me.

  I was excited, too. But his enthusiasm amused me. He looked like he was almost bouncing in place with impatience.

  “I’m coming!” I said with a laugh. His hand swallowed mine up as he tugged me along. A well-worn path looped around the side of the house. We rounded the corner and the ocean came into view.

  “Oh, wow! It’s gorgeous! And look at the sun!” My hand flew to my mouth.

  The sight before me was easily one of the most beautiful I’d ever seen. The sky was a palette of pastels. Gauzy wisps of silvery clouds were stretched out across the horizon. The blazing tangerine ball looked as though it were falling off the edge of the earth. The sun’s beauty bled out into the endless, shimmering water, like paint spilling across a canvas of rolling blue.

  “It’s amazing, isn’t it?” he asked.

  He tossed an arm over my shoulders. I wrapped my arms around his waist as I leaned into him. I was speechless, unaware of how much time passed while we waited for the sun to fall. Once the rim of the sun hit the edge of the ocean, it seemed to drop quickly. It was amazing.

  After it had completed its descent, I turned to Max. “Is this why you broke the speed limit the last half hour?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. While I was waiting for you, I was checking the official time of the sunset. I knew we’d be cutting it close. While we were at the waterfall you told me you’d never seen a sunset on the ocean before. I wanted that to be your first memory of your time here.”

  “Awww,” I said as I pulled him into a hug. That’s why he’d been in such a sudden rush. “Thank you!”

  I was sure I would never forget it. I’d vacationed on the ocean before both at Daytona Beach and Cozumel. I’d been too lazy to get out of bed to see the sunrise. If it was comparable to watching it set, it would’ve been worth it.

  My arms fell away from Max and he started leading me back to the house. We walked up a short flight of stairs to a deck that overlooked the ocean. He picked through his keys, found the right one and opened one side of the double French doors.

  It was dimly lit and he quickly flipped the switch and lights blazed down.

  “It smells so clean,” I said with a laugh. The tangy scent of cleaner tingled my nose.

  “Yeah,” he agreed. “My grandma sends over her housekeeper when she knows someone is coming. They clean and do some shopping. The fridge and cupboards should be fully stocked. We’ll be set for a little while.”

  He led me through the house. It was cute but definitely dated. The walls were painted coral. There was cream tile throughout. The living room set was floral, incorporating the color scheme. It had a tropical feel even though we weren’t in the tropics.

  “There’s two bedrooms,” Max said as he led me down a short hallway. A door opened off to each side. “They’re pretty much the same.”

  I peeked around him. These walls were also coral. The rooms had matching comforters with zigzagging patterns in a multitude of tropical colors. Mostly coral, peach and varying shades of blue. The décor wasn’t exactly something I’d choose. It did give the place a vacation house feel—and I was essentially on vacation—so I liked it, regardless.

  “I usually take this room,” Max said as he pointed to the room on the left. “The bathroom is through that door. The other one is just a closet. Extra towels, cleaning supplies, that kind of thing are stored there.”

  I nodded as I looked around, taking it all in.

  “Would you maybe wanna check to see what there is to eat? I’d settle for a frozen pizza. Actually, whatever you find is fine. I’m starving and I’d eat just about anything right now. I’ll carry in the bags,” he suggested.

  I agreed because I was hungry, too.

  He headed outside and I went to the kitchen. I’d kicked my flip-flops off and my bare feet padded across the cool, tile floor. The color scheme was slightly different in the kitchen. The walls were bright yellow. The appliances were all a crisp, clean white. The countertop was turquoise. As Max thought, there was plenty of food.

  I quickly found a stack of frozen pizzas, buried under a plethora of other boxed items. Whoever had done the shopping had gone all out. Max was right. We were stocked with enough food to last a few weeks, if not longer. I turned on the oven and searched for a pan as it warmed. Once I popped it in, I looked around, getting a feel for the place. I pulled dinnerware out of the cupboards and set two places at the breakfast bar. I pulled a bottle of lemonade and a bowl of cut up melon out of the fridge and set them out as well.

  There was a small dining area right off the kitchen. That led to the French doors that led outside. A wicker patio set was nestled onto the deck along with a porch swing at the opposite end. I was already looking forward to crisp mornings with my cappuccino and an astounding view.

  Now that I had just a minute to myself for the first time in days, I leaned back against the counter and took a deep breath. So many emotions flooded over me. Heartbreak over Collin. Fear that I hadn’t done the right thing. Trepidation over what my future—which had been mapped out—held for me now.

  What was I going to do now?

  Just days ago, my future was laid out neatly before me. I was going to marry Collin and finish my degree in journalism. Collin was going to buy out my dad’s architectural firm. A year after that, we were going to build a house. We were going to have two kids. As far as my parents were concerned, they wanted grandbabies sooner rather than later. They were constantly reminding me that they weren’t getting any younger. We were probably going to get a dog. I had planned to work for the local paper. Collin was supposed to be my forever. I took a deep, shaky breath. I didn’t just walk away from Collin. I walked away from almost every important plan I’d ever made.

  That’s why it had been such a hard decision to make.

  I expected a tsunami of regret to slam into me. I stood there, waiting. It never came.

  Instead, I felt surprise that I had actually left. I felt so much gratitude to Max for letting me come with him. But more than anything, I just felt a sense of relief at having the chance to get away.

  On top of that, I was exhausted. I never would’ve guessed that sitting on your butt in a car for days on end would be so tiring. But it was. Even though it wasn’t all that late, I hadn’t adjusted to the time change yet.

  I was feeling wiped out. Relieved…but wiped out.

  I realized I also still had my degree to look forward to. So at least he hadn�
�t taken everything from me.

  “Are you okay?” Max asked as he appeared in the doorway.

  I nodded and he took a step closer.

  He gently grabbed my hand in his. “Are you sure? Because you usually only do this when you’re upset.” He carefully pulled my right hand free from my left, where I’d been rubbing my wrist.

  I shrugged, embarrassed that he’d noticed. “It’s just a habit. My wrist feels so bare without my bracelet.”

  His lips twitched, as if he was trying not to smile. “I saw you toss it back to him.”

  I didn’t know what to say to that. He dropped my hand and when he did, I think I surprised us both by tossing myself into his arms. I hugged him tightly and he hugged me back. I didn’t have the words I needed to tell him what I was feeling. I simply said, “Thank you.”

  He didn’t let go of me right away, probably realizing that I needed him to hold on for just a few seconds longer. He kissed the top of my head, something he’d never done before. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and sincere. “It’s okay Holly. I’d do anything for you.”

  His arms eventually slid away and he took a step toward the door again. “I set your bags in your room. But I’ve still got a few more loads.”

  I knew that was true. His car had been crammed. He wasn’t on vacation. He was moving in and he had the boxes to prove it. I was sure there were several more loads. Not only had the trunk been full but the backseat as well. I realized that I was lucky he’d had room for me.

  “The pizza won’t be done for a bit. I’ll help you carry things in,” I said. After so much time in the car, it felt unbelievably good to be moving around.

  “Alright,” he said agreeably.

  I scurried after him, back outside. The air had already cooled considerably and darkness was taking over. I stood for just a moment on the deck, looking across the beach out into the water. Everything about this place seemed so calm and relaxing. The scent in the air, the sound of the waves, the gentle breeze that fluttered my hair.

  Max stopped to look back at me. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I said as I took a deep breath. “I really am.”

  Chapter 8

  “Why should I have to come back and try to fix it? I’m not the one that set out to break it!”

  “Holly.” My mother’s voice was soft but her disappointment was loud. And crystal clear.

  “Mom.” I was disappointed in her, too.

  I hadn’t called once during our road trip. But now that we were settled, I knew I owed it to my parents to check in.

  “Why are you being so difficult?” she accused.

  “Maybe you’re being difficult. I’m being logical.”

  “No,” she said. “You’re not. You just left. You went halfway across the country with some boy! Do you know how scandalous this looks?”

  “It’s not just some boy, it’s Max. But that’s not really the point. How can you say that what I did is scandalous?”

  “It makes you look just as guilty as Collin,” she calmly told me.

  Her words cut.

  Deep.

  “How can you even say that?” I cried. “Max and I are friends. What Collin did…Do I need to put all the details out there for you? Because I can.” She started to protest but I cut her off. “Not to mention that I didn’t leave with Max until after the wedding was obviously not going to happen. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “I don’t think what you did was right, either,” she argued.

  “Look,” I said with a sigh. “We can argue all day. Or we can just agree to disagree. But one thing I can tell you right now is that I’m not coming home. Not right now, anyway.”

  “How long are you going to be gone?” she demanded.

  “I really don’t know.” My original, vague thought had been a week. But travel time had taken several days. Now, I was just getting settled and I was in no hurry to leave.

  “Just say the word and I’ll have your airline ticket waiting,” she said. “In fact, maybe I should get you one for this weekend?”

  “I don’t know if I’ll be ready to come home yet,” I admitted. That would only give me a few more days here.

  The sigh she emitted was heavy with displeasure. “What am I supposed to tell people? This situation is very delicate. The longer you are gone, the worse it is going to look.”

  “Is that really what you’re concerned about?” I couldn’t help it. Her words finally broke me. I let out a small sob and reached for a box of Kleenex. Cheating fiancé, cancelled wedding, upset parents or not…I was tired of crying.

  Her tone finally softened. “No, Holly of course not. I just think you should come home so we can discuss what happened. Collin’s family is extremely upset.”

  “Are they blaming me?” I asked.

  I was met with silence.

  Wow…just wow. Talk about unfair. Yes, the truth came out in the most unpleasant way possible. I could only imagine Gwen’s horror at having her son’s indiscretion announced in front of an entire church full of people. Friends, family and business acquaintances; all of them witness to the unfolding scandal. And I truly felt bad for Dexter. He shouldn’t have had to find out that way. But was that really my fault? It wasn’t. I wasn’t going to be bullied into believing it was.

  “Sweetheart, this really isn’t a conversation that should be had over the phone. Please just come home so we can work this out.” Her voice was soft and coaxing. Though I didn’t agree with a single word she said, I did believe in her own way, she truly only wanted what she thought was best for me.

  Only, in this case, she was wrong. I mean, was she delusional? What exactly was there to work out?

  Absolutely nothing.

  I shook my head even though she couldn’t see me. “There’s nothing to talk about. Not at this point.” I took a deep breath and saw with complete clarity what Lanna had been trying to tell me. If I’d stayed, I would’ve undoubtedly been worn down and tossed back into the mess. I was more grateful by the second that Max had allowed me to escape with him. “I’ve got to go but I’ll be in touch. I love you.”

  And that was the end of that conversation. I disconnected before she could argue. I turned the power off before she could call back. She could leave a message on my voicemail if she felt the need. I wasn’t going to wear myself out arguing over something that wasn’t going to change.

  I whipped my phone, hard. But at least I tossed it on the bed. It landed wedged between the pillows.

  “Didn’t go well?” Max asked from the doorway.

  I pinched the bridge of my nose and shook my head.

  “Do you know what you need?” he asked.

  “A better grip on my sanity?”

  He grinned at me. “I was thinking ice-cream. There’s this little place down the road. It has great burgers. But they also have a counter where you can build your own sundaes and stuff. Wanna go?”

  I was about to shake my head to tell him no.

  Then his stomach growled.

  “Because I’m starving,” he said.

  If Max was hungry and asking me to go to keep him company, that was the very least I could do after everything he’d done for me. I pushed a reluctant smile on my face. “Yeah, I’d love to go,” I lied.

  “No you wouldn’t,” he said as he swung his arm around me. “But the food is so good I promise that you won’t regret it.”

  ***

  “I thought you’d be gone a lot longer,” I told Max. We were settled into a booth at the Sapphire Bay Café. The place was so close we had walked. Max had left that morning to check in with his grandparents. I’d assumed he’d work the whole day. But it was barely after lunchtime and he’d come back already.

  He shrugged. “Well, Grandpa knew that I had company for the week. He told me not to worry about working too much. He said I could take some time to show you around.”

  “Are you sure they don’t mind that I’m staying at the beach house?”

  He
nodded. “Oh, yeah. They’re fine with you staying through the week.”

  “About that,” I said as I fidgeted with my straw.

  Max groaned and slumped in his seat. “What? Don’t tell me. Your mom talked you into coming right home.”

  I shook my head. “No, actually, just the opposite. I realized today that Lanna was right. If I went back now, they would just expect things to go back to normal. They would think that’s why I went home.”

  Max sat up a little straighter. “So what are you saying?”

  I hesitated because I already felt like I was taking advantage of the situation. Finally, I just put it out there. “Do you think maybe it would be okay if I stayed longer? I don’t know how long exactly. Just…longer? I completely understand if it’s not.”

  “Yes,” Max said immediately. “Hell, yes. You can stay as long as you want.”

  “I can pay rent or something.”

  He waved the suggestion away. “I don’t pay rent. I’m not even going to mention that to my grandma. She’d only be insulted. It really doesn’t matter since I’m there anyway. I’ll run it by them, just to be sure. But I know they won’t mind.”

  I let out a pent up breath. “Good. Thank you. So much. I mean it.”

  “Yeah,” he said with a nod. “No problem. Did you let your parents know?”

  “Not yet. I’ll let them get used to the idea for a few days. Then toward the end of the week I’ll give them a call to let them know I plan on staying a little longer. Maybe an extra week or something.”

  “Have you heard from Collin at all?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “I mentioned it to Mom. She said he was probably trying to give me space.”

  He bowed his head, blocking his face from my view.

  “You don’t think so.” I wasn’t asking. I was stating.

  His gaze flew back up to me and he gave me a smile. “What I think, is that we should probably change the subject.”

  I wasn’t ready for that. I wanted to know what he had to say. I could see there was something on his mind. He just didn’t seem to want to share it. I gave him an imploring look and he gave in.