I turned back and looked at her. My heart was hurting so bad that I couldn’t even talk to her. I just stood there with my phone up to my ear. I knew the moment Lynda answered, I was about to break Heather’s heart, but maybe this was what I needed to do. She wanted us both to move on.
“Hello, handsome!” Lynda anwered in a chipper voice.
“Hey, Lynda, how about dinner tonight with me? Are you in the mood?” I said. Then I turned and walked away from the only woman I would ever truly love.
***
I hardly heard a word Lynda was saying. We were sitting in a small restaurant in Fredericksburg that she had wanted to try. I’d told her earlier that I was heading to the restroom, but what I really did was call Jeff to ask if Heather had left yet. She’d left almost as soon as I’d left. Now, all I could think about was what had gotten her so upset and why she’d told me she loved me only to leave.
“Josh? Are you even listening to me?”
“Um, yeah. I’m sorry, Lynda. I guess I’m just thinking about Jeff and Ari. ”
“Well, it was nice of you to let them have the house to themselves this evening. I can’t even imagine how they both feel. I have to say that I’m relieved that Jeff is not the father of Rebecca’s baby. I’m sure he and Ari feel the same way. ”
I couldn’t even think straight. I just stared at Lynda until she finally smiled at me.
“Are
you okay?” she asked.
I laughed. “I’m fine. ”
“The last two days have just been emotionally draining. That’s all, Lynda. I’m actually thinking about heading back to Austin tonight. I think Jeff and Ari need to be alone with each other. ”
Sitting up straighter, Lynda raised her eyebrow at me. I knew what she was thinking. Do I want to go there? It had been months since I’d been with a girl. I only wanted Heather, but that wasn’t gonna happen.
I reached up my hand and called our waitress over. She had been flirting with me all night, but Lynda didn’t seem to care one ounce. As long as I was walking out the door with her, I don’t think she would care who flirted with me.
***
As we walked back to my truck, I pulled my phone out to see if maybe Heather had called. Nothing. I sent her a quick text message to see if she’d made it to Austin yet.
I wasn’t even in my seat when I got a reply back from her.
Heather: In Austin…out with a friend.
What the fuck does that mean? I knew her friend wasn’t Ellie or Ari. So who the fuck is she with? I looked over at Lynda. She was staring at me…again.
“I um…I need to step outside and make a phone call that’s kind of personal. Do you mind?”
“No, Josh, not at all. Take your time. ”
I walked a few feet away from the truck and dialed Heather’s number. I didn’t think she would answer, but she did.
“Is everything okay with Ari?” Heather asked in a panicked voice.
“What? Oh yeah…ah, she’s fine. ”
“Okay. Well then, what did you need?”
“I just wanted to make sure you were okay, Heather. You were so upset when you left, and you never did tell me why you were crying. I, um…I just wanted to make sure you were okay. That’s all. ”
“Thank you, I appreciate that. I’m fine. ”
“Who are you with?”
“I don’t think it’s any of your business, do you?”