Chapter Twenty Two
Ugh, the one bad thing about living near the ocean was the bright sunlight so early in the morning. Suzy pulled the sheet over her head trying to hide her eyes from the glaring light pouring in the windows. Finally she gave up the battle to return to sleep and slid her legs to the edge of the bed. Her mind fuzzy with sleep, she was surprised to see that she was still wearing her dress. What the hell? Then the night before came flooding back and Suzy dearly wished that she’d been able to block out the morning for just a bit longer. Where was Gray? Had he called? She reached for her cell phone on the nightstand. There were no missed calls or messages. Don’t jump to conclusions, there is a perfectly good reason and it has nothing to do with Reva. Suck it up and find out what’s going on. You can fall apart later.
Suzy grabbed her crutches from where she had left them the previous night and hobbled towards the door. She could only imagine how bad she must look after sleeping in her clothes and makeup.
She found Nick asleep on the couch in his clothes, as well. Apparently neither of them had had enough ambition to change last night. She leaned down to tug on his foot, shaking him gently awake.
Nick suddenly jerked awake looking around in confusion. “Wha…What the….Oh Suzy, you scared the heck out of me.” He slid his legs off the couch making room for her to sit.
Even though she wasn’t sure she wanted to know, Suzy decided to confront the elephant in the room. “Did you talk to Gray?”
“Um, no I didn’t, but he’s ok.”
“Come on Nick, it’s obvious you know something so just spill it. I’m not going to lose it on you.”
Nick shifted around uncomfortably on the couch, seeming to choose his words with care. “Suzy, he’s at the hospital in Charleston with Reva. She had a car accident last night and I guess Gray found out about it. My dad said she was ok, but they were keeping her for observation. I..I’m sure there is a good reason why he didn’t call to let you know,” Nick finished quietly.
Well there it was. The details might be different but the underlying cause was the same. It was Reva again that had kept her up long into the night wondering where Gray was. Suzy literally felt the life drain from her body as she sat there next to Nick. She could feel his concerned gaze on her bent head, but he wisely kept quiet.
When Suzy finally raised her head and looked at him, her expression was blank. Her eyes looked eerily vacant and her face was completely devoid of color. “Suzy….”
Shaking her head, she said, “Don’t Nick, leave it be. Weren’t you supposed to fly out this morning?”
“Yeah, but Declan is going instead. I didn’t want to leave you here alone.”
“I don’t need a babysitter Nick, but since you’re here, I could use some help this morning.”
“You got it. Let me fix us some coffee. I think Beth is on her way over.”
Suzy no longer questioned why Nick always seemed to know Beth’s whereabouts. She was just glad that they had finally called a truce and appeared to be friends now. Even though she planned to see his brother as little as possible, she did still want to see Nick. He at least had never let her down when she needed him.
Without telling Nick what she needed him for, Suzy turned and went back in the bedroom. After a quick shower she changed into a comfortable jean skirt and top and started the task of packing. She was leaving the house that had been home for the last month. There was no reason to keep fooling herself; this would never be her home. It was time to accept that Reva was a game changer in her relationship with Gray and there was nothing she could do about it. The only way she could stop herself from completely collapsing under the weight of the sorrow that threatened to drown her was to keep moving forward. If she stopped now, she’d fall apart and she wanted to be alone when that happened.
Just as she finished packing her suitcase, Beth walked in. One look at her sister’s face had her wanting to curl up in a ball and sob her heart out. She sternly said, “Beth, stop please. I’m going home this morning so please help me get packed and out of here. I don’t want to talk about this now or probably ever, ok?”
Beth quietly accepted her wishes, reaching for the handle of her suitcase and lugging it to the living room. Nick was standing there wearing his heart on his sleeve. How had she ever thought there was no depth there? He looked almost as crushed as she felt. Without a word he took the suitcase from Beth and asked, “Is this everything?”