Crescendo

Chapter 24

Soundtrack for this chapter:
I'm Comin' Over—Chris Young
Holy—Florida Georgia Line
Small Town Boy—Dustin Lynch
Walk on Water—Thirty Seconds to Mars

24

Theo

My flight out of Boston had been delayed nearly an hour due to the fucking weather. I didn't have any more time. I had no idea where Jules lived; the only place I knew I could find her was at her parents' party at the Manorhill Estate. I had to be there, to find her, to ask her why she lied to me, to apologize for the words I'd used against her. I had to know if she was going to come back to Boston.

Flying in a three piece suit was less than ideal, but I had the feeling that I may not have even been permitted on the grounds of the estate in anything less. It crossed my mind that they probably had a guest list where I'd need to give a name, but I figured I'd worry about that only if necessary. I had too many other things on my mind.

The moment the pilot told us we could use our phones again when we landed in Savannah, I turned mine on and checked to see if I had any messages from Jules. Still nothing. I'd had enough of our game of seeing who could hold out longer and texted her. When she didn't respond by the time I'd made it to the rental car desk, I called her. It rang until I hit her voicemail, and I started to question exactly what the fuck I was doing in Savannah.

The woman behind the desk snapped me back to reality.

"Sir?"

"Oh, right. Sorry. Swipe now?"

She nodded, and I swiped my credit card through the machine.

"You're all set! Your car is in spot 29. You have a lovely day now, okay?"

Service workers in the south were far more polite than anyone I'd ever come in contact with in Boston, but I figured hers would be the last friendly face I was going to meet. I smiled back at the beaming woman and took the keys from her.

Once crammed into the small two-door sports car (something I felt would be necessary for the kind of party I was about to crash) I punched in the address of the estate and started the hour long journey to my reunion with Jules.

I had to drive through the countryside to get to the place where Jules had wed her ex-husband, but I wasn't mad about it. The fields were still green, and the number of horses I passed were too many to count. It was a beautiful drive, which made me feel even more sad for Jules that she likely never had the chance to truly enjoy the beauty of her hometown.

As the gravel drive of the mansion crunched under my tires, I took in the massive structure; it was magnificent, almost beyond words. A crisp white exterior was offset by hunter green shutters, and a porch seemed to wrap around the entire building. The landscape surrounding it was meticulously groomed, and faint sounds of music could be heard coming from around the grounds.

There was a line of cars waiting for the valet, but I feared they'd ask for a name and pulled around to the lot myself. As I got out and put my jacket back on, I saw a teenage busboy struggling with a large box he was unloading from the back of a truck, so I seized the opportunity to make it in undetected.

I came up to the side of the truck and offered him a hand. "Need help with that?"

"Oh, no worries, sir. I can manage it."

"Really, I don't mind. Here." I couldn't take no for an answer.

The boy relented and offered me a side of the box to hold. Once we got it in, he jerked his head to a set of doors and said, "Party's just through those doors out into the garden. Thanks for the help."