Playing House

Chapter 6

An hour later, I'm ready to face what might be waiting for me at the apartment. As we walk out the door of the Tavern, Caleb places his hand on my lower back, guiding me to my car. "I'll drive."

"I can drive. Besides, you have no idea where we're going."

He stares at me and shakes his head. "You've been drinking a lot more than me."

Sighing, I hand him my keys. This man is too beautiful to be driving my car.

The farther we drive down Harris Boulevard, the clammier my hands become. I can't seem to shake the nerves that have suddenly come over me. As we pull into the apartment complex, my heartbeat picks up and I start to feel sick. Shouldn't have mixed beer and whisky. Caleb reaches over and takes my hand.

"This is my building," I whisper, pointing.

Caleb glances around as Lizzy and Mason park next to us. "Is he here?"

I shake my head. "I don't think so." I climb from the car, but my legs feel like wet noodles. I wonder how I will ever make it up the stairs.

Lizzy slides up to me and puts her arm through mine. "Let's make this quick."

Her reassuring smile gives me strength and I am able to make it up the stairs without crumpling. Mason and Caleb push ahead of us and check the door. It's unlocked. Caleb signals for us to wait as he steps into the apartment. Mason follows.

Lizzy and I giggle at their lack of stealth.

Mason steps back into the doorway and signals the all clear before shaking his head slowly at Lizzy. She steps in before me, but comes to abrupt stop and I run into her.

"That son of a bitch!"

I step around her to see why she is so outraged. Connor clearly took out his aggression for me on the apartment. My favorite pasta bowl is in pieces on the kitchen floor. Before anyone can stop me, I walk down the hall into the bedroom.

Everything appears normal as I walk in. Then I see the pile on the floor near my desk. I kneel down and recognize a few pieces torn from my Evan's uniform. I choke back a strangled, nervous laugh at the hatred Connor seemed to have for my work uniform.

An unfamiliar light blue envelope catches my eye. Pulling it from the mess, I recognize the insignia in the return address: The Charlotte Culinary Course. The envelope is empty. I swear under my breath as I dig through the mess, looking for the letter. Damn you, Connor, if you messed this up for me, I will hunt you down myself.

I find a piece of torn paper. It's part of the letter. Hallelujah! Several other pieces are nearby. But when I assemble them to read the response, my excitement dissipates. Dear Ms. Bishop, unfortunately... I shove the pieces back into the mess.

I hear footsteps shuffling behind me. Caleb kneels down beside me and lightly places his hand on my back. It is my undoing. The events of the evening suddenly catch up to me—discovering that Connor was cheating on my, confronting him, and the slap—and in my frustration and anger, I collapse into Caleb, sobbing. He wraps me into a hug.

"No one deserves this." he whispers, kissing my forehead. "Come on, let's leave." He picks me up off the floor and leads me into the living room.

Lizzy and I gather what we need for the next few days. I don't know what I'm going to do about my Evan's uniform.

As we walk outside, I start to shake again. Caleb's arm around me tightens. At the cars, Lizzy hugs me and whispers, "Call me if you need anything."