Because (Seven Year Itch #4)(35)
“I feel the same, but just so you know, I don’t plan on going anywhere. This is just a bump in the road.”
She stays for a few minutes before exiting with her rubber gloves. I feel like I need to hurry up in case she calls Brandon and tells him what I’m up to. He’s going to get angry, and possibly try to stop me from taking Aberdeen, even though he has no idea I plan on taking her somewhere he won’t be able to locate. I should feel like a jerk for scheming behind his back, but I don’t. He’s made seeing my daughter difficult, going as far as to prevent me from taking her to my parents after school. He thinks he’s helping, but he’s not. Aberdeen needs to know I’d never abandon her.
After making sure the house is picked up and presentable, I pack a bag for my child and load it into my car. Then I run back in the house and jot down a note for Brandon to find when he gets home from work.
Brandon:
I took Aberdeen on an adventure for the weekend. I’ll bring her home on Sunday.
Shay
My shift at Target can’t come soon enough. Two hours into it and I hear a familiar voice saying my name. “Shayla, I was wondering if I’d see you here.”
“Toby,” I try to seem glad to see him, but I know by now he’s aware of what’s going on between me and Brandon. “What a surprise.”
“I’m here for underwear. I’m thinking of changing brands. Do you prefer boxers or boxer briefs?”
I hardly think he’s being serious. “I like commando, but that’s just me. So I hear congratulations are in order. I bet Cara is elated.”
“She is. She’s already in full planning mode.”
“Brandon seems excited too. He thought she might be the one for you when you first brought her around.”
“Yeah, he was right. Speaking of him, I heard you’re spending time apart. He said it was your idea. Is he pulling my leg?”
I shake my head. “No. It’s gotten pretty bad. I think the space will help us figure out what we need to change.”
“Gotcha. How is it going?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. It could be better I suppose. He’s not very forthcoming regarding change. He claims there was nothing wrong in the first place. He’s your best friend, so I don’t expect you tell me anything, but I hope if he gets in any kind of trouble you’ll let me know.”
“Sure. I won’t let him go too crazy, but just so you know in advance, he told me something entirely different about the separation. I got the impression it was mutual. He went as far as to say he had a free pass for a while.”
I try my hardest to pretend this isn’t getting to me. Toby has been around me enough to know I’m falling apart in front of him. He reaches over and touches my shoulder. “Shay, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. You did say you wanted to know, and as much as I’d like to think we’re friends, I couldn’t walk away without telling you. Brandon doesn’t like change, but once he gets in his head that he’s failed at something, he’ll drop it like it’s out of style. I just want you to be aware of it so you can do whatever it takes to ensure you’ll be able to put the pieces together later on.”
I try to offer a smile, but there’s nothing that will make it seem like I appreciate his information. “It’s good to know. I guess he’s more pissed than I originally assumed. I thought he was just trying to scare me to come back home. Honestly, I knew he might like the freedom, but I didn’t know he was going around celebrating it.”
“I wouldn’t go that far. He’s making plans, but nothing is set in stone yet. My advice to you would be to talk to him face to face. What do I know anyway? I’m just the friend he comes to when he runs out of beer.”
I’m struggling to keep it together. My eyes fill with tears and I’m fighting the need to run in the back so he can’t see me lose control over my emotions. “Do you think I’m making a mistake?”
He pauses for a minute. Something is weird with the way he’s thinking about my question. “You need to do what’s best for you. I can’t judge you for it. I don’t know what goes on between the two of you behind closed doors. We’ve had our differences, you and I, but I’ve always considered you a friend, even when you were throwing me under a bus. I hope you can work it out with Brandon.” He checks his watch. “I better get going. I need to be in court by two. See you later, Shay.”
When he walks away I break down. Char comes up and hugs me. I’d called her the night before and she talked me off of the invisible ledge that already led me to drive home to be close to Brandon and Aberdeen. She told me the details of where her apartment was located and how to get there. I feel like I’m imposing by staying at her house, but since she won’t be around it’s the perfect getaway.
She’s hugging me until I manage to stop crying. “What happened?”
“Did you see that guy I was talking to? That was Brandon’s best friend Toby. He told me things I didn’t want to hear. I might be ruining by marriage by staying away. Brandon thinks he’s free to do whatever he wants. What if he hooks up with someone while we’re separated? I don’t know if I can handle that. He’ll blame this on me.”
“You have to do what you feel is right. If Brandon screws up this early on, you really need to question if he can be trusted at all. Men are unpredictable. As much as I know you don’t want to, you’re going to have to let him go in order to know for sure he can be the man you need.”