Left Together (8 page)

“Like
hell it won’t!” she yells. Jake’s got a good grip on her, but she’s giving
everything she has to get away. Kyle is now running over to join the
festivities.

“Chill
out, Jade. We only came to talk to Kacie,” Meg says with more composure than I
would have.

“Talk
to her? He has no right to talk to her!” Jade is still carrying on. Her
behavior seems a little excessive for my overreaction to Kacie’s father.

“Come
on, babe. Let’s go back to your house and relax. This isn’t doing anyone any
good,” Kyle says.

“I
don’t want to relax,” she tells him. She’s lost most of the fight she had in
her, so Jake releases her into Kyle’s arms. He’s consoling her as she starts to
cry.

The
way Jade’s acting is really irritating. She’s calming down, but now I want to
rip her fucking head off. “This is ridiculous!” Meg tries to shut me up. “I get
that I screwed up. Trust me. No one knows that more than me. I was only trying
to protect her! If any of you would have returned my phone calls, you’d fucking
know that!” Kyle tries to direct Jade away from me. “I panicked, okay? Kacie’s
dad knew shit about me I’ve never told anyone. It freaked me out.”

Jade
stops walking and lifts her head off of Kyle’s chest to glare at me. “You
seriously think this is about Kacie’s dad?”

“JADE!”
Jake’s tone is something I’ve never heard from him before. He now looks at her
as if she’s the bad guy and she knows it. “Not another word is to come out of
your mouth. I’m not telling you again.”

“What
the fuck is that supposed to mean?” None of them respond. “I’ve had enough of
all this bullshit! Get her ass out here right now! Is she here or at your
house?”

“She’s
not here,” Jade says sadly in spite of her brother’s warning.

I start
to head to their house, but Jake stops me with a hand on my chest. “She’s not
there, either.” Something is really not right with him.

“So
where the hell is she?” I’m really sick of these fucking games.

Meg
puts herself in between Jake and myself. “At least let me talk to her, Jake.”
Her voice is so calm and quiet, Jake softens a bit. “Where is she?”

“We
don’t know,” he whispers.

“You
don’t know where Kacie is?” Meg asks, confused.

Jake
shakes his head. “No. She took off yesterday morning.”

I
think my heart was just ripped out of my chest. “She can’t be that far away,” I
blurt out. “Someone had to have seen her. Did you check to see if she’s with
Noah?”

He
ignores me and continues talking to Meg, “All we know is she’s not in Tampa. My
guess is she isn’t in Florida at all. She called late last night to say she’s
fine and she won’t be home for a while. She had the nerve to tell us not to
worry.” He locks his fingers behind his neck, trying not to get choked up. “She
said she’d call again in a few days. Her phone has been off since.”

I
start to pace. This can’t be happening. Couples argue all the time, but they
don’t run away. They talk it out and make up. Even
I
know this. “Where
could she be?” I get out, trying to catch my breath.

“She
has a valid passport and more money than any one person should,” Jade mumbles,
leaning against Kyle again. “She could be anywhere in the world by now.”

I was
wrong. My heart wasn’t ripped out of my chest. If that were the case, I wouldn’t
feel the pain currently crushing my soul.

Kacie

After
spending the night with Jake, leaving home was the only way I knew how to deal
with the pain. How did I not see how wrong climbing into bed with Jake was? I
suppose it could have been the half-bottle of Bourbon I drank. Why the hell did
I let myself get that drunk? It was more than wrong. It was insensitive,
selfish, and callous. I used my best friend as if he meant nothing more to me than
a one-night stand. The worst part of this whole mess is that no matter how badly
I want to, there’s no way I can take it back. The memory of what happened that
night will haunt me for the rest of my life.

After
I had left Jake’s house, I wasn’t exactly sure where to go. It had to be
somewhere no one would look for me. I needed time to clear my head of recent
events and find a way, if there was one, to move on from them. While taking a
shower, I remembered how one of Noah’s good friends from high school ran a
resort in Orlando. After quickly packing clothes, my laptop, and some school stuff
to work on, I loaded up my car and went to visit my big brother.

It has
been a long time since I’d last been to Noah’s house. My parents bought it for
him the day he started medical school. I remember my father telling my mother
it was one of the best days of his life. Just knowing they gave it to him had prevented
me from stepping foot on the property. That and being afraid of crossing paths
with my parents. They stopped there often, at least they used to. If they still
did, I wouldn’t know.

At
first, I thought I had the wrong house. I even took the time to double check
the address stored in my phone. Everything about the place was completely
different. There was no longer a small, rickety porch. It had been replaced
with fancy paver steps. The old, worn-out siding was gone and traded in for a
stone front. The windows were all new and the one in the living room was
probably triple the size of the original. The landscaping had been completely
redone, finishing off the modern look. It was absolutely beautiful.

I rang
the bell to my brother’s home and instantly regretted it. How rude was it that
I hadn’t even thought to call first? It was bad enough I never visited my own
flesh and blood, but showing up unannounced was just bad manners. Gram taught
me better than that. The brick red door swung open, exposing the fact that not
only was it insulting to my brother, it was a slap in the face to his
girlfriend. It didn’t occur to me he may not be alone.

“Hey,
Kacie,” she greeted me pleasantly. “Come on in.” Addison took a step back to
allow me room to enter.

“Hi,
Addie. I’m sorry for not calling before I stopped by,” I said, not moving from
the step. Something was different about her, but I couldn’t figure out what. “I
just have to ask Noah a quick question, then I’ll be on my way.”

She
smiled at me. “You can ask him as many questions as you like, but you aren’t
doing it from out there.” Addison reached for my hand and led me inside. Once
the door was closed behind us, she pulled me to the kitchen at the back of the
house. The whole inside had been renovated, as well.

“Wow.
The house looks amazing,” I said, looking around.

“It
does. Your brother had it done before he and I met, so I can’t take any credit
for it. I only moved in a few months ago.” How sad was it that they’re living
together and I didn’t even know? Why didn’t he tell me? “What can I get you to
drink?”

She
didn’t make it sound like I had an option. “Water, if you don’t mind,” I
replied, feeling like shit.

Addison
was handing me the water as Noah walked into the large, open room. He must have
just gotten out of the shower because his hair was still wet. “Babe, did I hear
someone at the door?” When he saw me standing in his kitchen, his face lit up.
“Hey, sis,” he said, coming over to hug me. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

Noah
appeared as though he was going to say something more, but Addie interrupted
him. “Kacie has a question for you.”

“What’s
up?” he asked me.

“I’m
sorry for barging in like this, but I need to get out of town. Are you still
friends with Dom, and does he still work at the resort in Orlando? It’s short
notice, so I’m afraid to just go somewhere and not be able to get a room for as
long as I’ll need.”

His
expression fell as he listened to me. “What did they do now?” He automatically
assumed it was my parents.

“Nothing,”
I clarified. “Well, nothing that I know of.”

“Then
what is it?”

It wasn’t
the time to go into detail. I needed to be well on my way before Jade came
looking for me. “I’m the one who screwed up this time, Noah. I just want to go
away by myself for a week or so to clear my head. Sometimes a girl needs a
vacation by herself.”

“You’re
running away,” he whispered sadly. “Please tell me how to fix whatever it is. I
like you in Tampa, Kacie. And I really like that I’ve been able to see you over
the last few weeks.”

I gave
my brother a sad smile, thinking how he came to my birthday party and for dinner
at my house a couple times. “Me, too. I’ll be back. I just need a break.”

“You’re
definitely coming back?” I nodded. “Something tells me I’m going to regret
this, but I’ll call Dom.”

“I
don’t mean to get involved, but how about you go stay at my family’s place in
Hilton Head?” Addison offered.

“She’s
not driving five-and-a-half hours to South Carolina by herself. No way,” my
brother stated.

“I
drove all the way home from school by myself. I could probably even get there
without having to stop and pee,” I said, considering it. Almost six hours between
me and the mess I created could work.

“Why
the hell did you drive all that way alone? Are you crazy?” Hearing my brother
worry about me was very comforting. It was nice to know he cared.

Addison
walked over to calm my brother down by wrapping her arms around his waist.
“She’s not a little kid anymore, Noah. If she goes to Hilton Head, at least
you’ll know she won’t be totally alone. We know all the people there. They’ll
keep an eye on her.”

“It’s
a really far drive.”

“I’ve
done it plenty of times.” Addison looked at me. “You
will
call as soon
as you get there, and will ask one of the neighbors if you need anything,
right?”

“Of
course, but are you sure? I don’t want to impose. Someone may want to use the
place.”

“I’ll
tell them it’s unavailable. Really, Kacie. I insist. It’s beautiful there.
Every bedroom has a view of the water, and you’ll be relaxed in no time. It’s
in a small community and everyone knows everyone. You’ll be perfectly safe.” I
couldn’t help but wonder if the last part of her spiel was for me or Noah.

“I
could drive you,” Noah suggested.

“Don’t
be ridiculous. I’m capable of driving. Besides, I’ll need a car in case I have
to go somewhere or want to come home.”

“Let
me get the keys and the address for you,” Addison told me, then kissed Noah’s
cheek prior to leaving the room. “Breathe,” she whispered to him.

I told
him about not wanting my friends to know where I was going. I left it up to him
on what to say if they came looking for me. Unfortunately, it only made him
more apprehensive about the whole thing. Noah assumed something happened with
Evan, but didn’t force me to talk about it. It was probably the tears building in
my eyes that deterred him. He never did handle me crying very well. After
another twenty-five minutes of him giving me a lecture on safe driving,
watching him check over my car to make sure it was running properly, and listening
to instructions on when to check in with him, I was on my way out of Florida.

A
little after dinner, I finally pulled up to the gate surrounding the private
community. The older gentleman who sat in the booth welcomed me. He had to be
in his late fifties, although I was never any good at guessing someone’s age.
His hair was gray, and his face showed signs of spending a lot of time
outdoors. He wore a baby blue, collared shirt with the community’s logo
embroidered onto it.

“Good
evening. Are you visiting someone?” he questioned.

“I’m
here to stay at the Morgan’s,” I told him.

He was
obviously expecting me. “Ah, Miss Foster. Nice to have you visit with us. You
made pretty decent time coming all the way from Tampa.”

“I was
in a hurry,” I said.

“I
would be, too,” he smiled and handed me a plastic card. “That will get you back
in if no one is stationed here to open the gate. All you have to do is flash it
at the reader right there.”

I
glanced where he pointed. “Thank you.” I took the card from him and placed it
in the cup holder so it didn’t get lost.

“My
pleasure. Do you know where the Morgan’s place is?”

“Not
exactly. I was hoping my GPS would guide me,” I admitted.

“Just
follow the main road in front of you. It winds around to the lagoon. Their place
is three seventeen. It’s the only white one in the last circle.”

“Thank
you, Mister…”

He
winked. “Just call me Henry. On your way, you’ll spot the small community
center and the pool. Just give a holler if you need anything.” He opened the
gate and I waved before rolling through.

The
main road through the neighborhood was very scenic. Every home was beautiful
and obviously well-maintained. The people out and about watched me driving by,
acknowledging me with a wave or a smile and a nod. The community center Henry
mentioned was easy to spot, but not at all small as he indicated. It was one-story
and, according to the sign outside, it held meeting rooms, a game room, and a
lounge. Attached to it was a convenience store. I made a mental note to stop in
there sometime to see what they had. A little farther down the road were tennis
courts, both occupied at the time. The pool was on the opposite side of the
street and set back inside a white vinyl fence. Despite the time, there were
still a few people swimming.

I
pulled my car into the last circle and immediately spotted the white house.
Like the other four homes back there, it was twice the size as the rest of the
ones I drove past. The driveway could easily hold four cars, plus two more would
fit in the garage on the lower level of the house. I backed my car in closest
to the walkway, which led to the front door. As I retrieved my bags from the
trunk, a woman came up the driveway.

“Hello.
You must be Kacie,” she said. “I’m Debbie. I live in the brown house two doors
down. Addison called and said you’d be visiting.”

“Hi.”
I tried to smile back, but between the hangover and exhaustion from the trip,
it was hard.

“My
husband and I were just getting ready to start dinner. You’re more than welcome
to join us. I’m sure you haven’t had time to get any groceries yet.”

“Thank
you for the generous offer, but I’m really tired. I’d like to get unpacked and
settled for the night.”

“I
understand, sweetheart.” Her use of the word reminded me of Evan, and it stung.
“If you need anything, please, just come on over.”

“I
will. Thank you.”

Walking
into the house, I called Noah to let him know I arrived safely and that Debbie
already came over to offer dinner. He informed me where to find the thermostat
to cool the place off, and said to help myself to anything in the kitchen. They
were there the weekend before my birthday and had left anything that wasn’t perishable.
After I hung up, I looked around. The living room was painted a light beige
with a large, white sectional sitting across from a fireplace, a television
mounted above it. There was a set of French doors at the end of the room, and a
doorway at the other end led into the kitchen with an attached dining room. It
was similar to my kitchen at home with white cabinets and stainless steel
appliances. The countertops were lighter than mine, though. The glass doors in
there opened up onto a deck overlooking the lagoon.

As I
stood there taking in my surrounding, the text messages and voicemails, which
had been sent while the phone was turned off, began appearing. The
notifications for the voicemails were easy to ignore, but that wasn’t the case
with the texts. I told myself not to read them, but I didn’t listen.

Evan-
I’m
sorry. PLS call me
.

Jade-
Where
r u?

Evan-
PLS
listen
.

Jade-
Seriously,
where r u?

Jake-
Jade
is freaking out. CALL HER!

Jade-
If
you don’t call me in 5, I’m calling the police
.

Jake-
We
need to talk about last night
.

There
were tons more, but the last one did me in.

Evan-
I
know I fucked up. You have no idea how sorry I am. Never again. Miss you
.

My
knees became weak, and I took two steps backward to lean on the wall. It wasn’t
enough support. I slid down until my ass was resting on the floor. Everything
hit me all at once. I was stupid enough to fall for the guy who never
committed. He made me believe we had something. That I meant more to him than
anyone else ever had. Then there was Jake. I ruined a friendship with someone
who had always been there for me when no one else was. I relied on Jake’s love
for me to avoid the pain caused by Evan. The tears that had been restrained by
booze and temporary shock exploded. I cried for hurting a friend. I cried for
my broken heart. I cried for the fact that despite what Evan did, I still loved
him and probably always would.