Total pages in book: 163
Estimated words: 164828 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 824(@200wpm)___ 659(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164828 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 824(@200wpm)___ 659(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
I smile into her shoulder. “You, too.” I look around the familiar home. “What’s new?”
“We have three new calves.” Neil smiles proudly.
“You do?” My eyes widen. “Oh, let’s go see them.”
“I’ve been saving their births for your visit.” He gives me a cheeky wink, and I laugh.
“So, you can actually save births now?” I tease as I link my arm through his and we make the way out the back door.
“For you, my darling,” he taps my hand on his arm, “I would do anything.”
It’s late afternoon and nearly time for me to drive my rental car back to New York. Nathan’s parents want me to stay the night but it feels off.
We are sitting around the kitchen island counter, having a last cup of coffee before I leave.
“Oh, you didn’t tell me about your vacation in Hawaii.” I gasp as I remember.
Nathan’s mother’s eyes nearly pop out of her head. “Oh my God, we had the best time, Eliza. Hawaii! You need to go.”
“Yes, I know, I’ve been. Nathan and I went years ago, remember? You went with the Hendersons, right?”
“Yes. Oh, boy, we’re not travelling with them again. All they did was fight and bicker the entire time.”
“Really?” I frown. What in the hell do sixty year olds fight about on vacation?
She rolls her eyes. “Every little thing was a drama.”
“That woman’s a bitch,” Neil admits. “Glad I’m not married to her, that’s for sure.”
“Moaning and whining all the time about every little thing.” Phyllis sighs.
I laugh. Who knew people were still bitching at that age? I learned something today.
“Go get the photos for me to show Eliza, Neil,” Phyllis says. “I just had some developed last week.”
“Where are they?” he asks.
“They’re in an envelope in the top drawer. I haven’t put them in the album yet.”
He toddles off, and I sip my coffee. “We went to this one restaurant one night and it was so good,” Phyllis continues.
Neil passes me the envelope of photos, and I begin to go through them as Phyllis tells me every little detail of their ten-day itinerary.
I look at each photo and turn over to read the back. Phyllis always writes the location and date that the photo was taken on the back of every photo. She’s done it for forever. I keep flicking through the images when I get to one of Nathan. He’s at the beach, wearing only board shorts, standing knee high in the ocean.
My chest tightens at the sight of him. It’s been so long.
Wait. Did he go with them? I turn the picture over and read the back.
Nathan, Ibiza, December 28th
What?
Nathan went to Ibiza for New Year. Are you kidding me?
Phyllis keeps rattling on, and I keep flicking through the images. Another image of Nathan comes up, and it’s obvious that Phyllis has forgotten these are mixed with hers. It’s a picture of Nathan on a deckchair, at the beach, shirtless. He’s laughing and reaching for the camera.
Nathan, Ibiza, December
Who took this photo?
I stare at it for a moment. He looks so relaxed. My heartbeat begins to thump hard in my chest and I flick through the images again. I get to the next image, and my heart drops. It’s a picture of Robert.
On the same beach as Nathan.
I turn the image over and read the back for confirmation.
Robert, Ibiza, December
Wow.
I sit back in my seat.
And there it is, in black and white. Well, not black and white. More like bright and beautiful colors.
I think back to December, and while I was lying on my couch in the fetal position, crying, he was in Ibiza with Robert.
They are together.
It wasn’t in my imagination at all. All this time, I was blaming myself, thinking that maybe I had overreacted.
I fake a smile as if unrattled, and I flick through the rest of the images on autopilot. I don’t want to know anymore.
I want to get the hell out of here because I’m pathetic, and he’s nothing but a fucking asshole.
I gave him time to sort himself out, and I thought that maybe his heart was broken, too—that maybe he was coming back for me.
What a joke.
I hand the photos back and stand. “I have to go.”
“Oh.” Phyllis’ face falls. “You sure you don’t want to stay the night, love?”
“I can’t.” I smile as I walk toward the door. “I’m sorry.” I hug Neil. “Thanks for today.” I close my eyes as I hug him really tightly. I know that this will be my last hug with Neil. I’m never coming back here.
I’m not giving Nathan Mercer one more fucking tear.
I give Phyllis a hug, and my eyes well with tears. It sucks that I have to lose these two people, too. “Okay.” I quickly brush past them to get outside. “Goodbye!” I call as I walk to the car.