Page 5 of Heartbeat Harmony (Hearts in Hawthorne #2)

Chapter

Two

“ I can’t thank you enough for letting me store my things in your garage, Jeannie,” Autumn said.

Her friend laughed. “It’s not as if you have a ton of stuff.”

She glanced at the small stack in the corner which held all her worldly possessions.

Two of the boxes contained clothes. She didn’t have many because she worked in scrubs and even wore them when she was home or out running errands.

One box contained a few books and framed pictures. The other was a hodgepodge.

“Ready to go?” Jeannie asked.

Autumn nodded. She rolled her suitcase to Jeannie’s car and placed it in the trunk before getting into the passenger’s seat.

“I appreciate you taking me to the airport. I could’ve called a rideshare.”

“No reason to. Besides, this will give us a little time to talk.” Jeannie glanced over. “How are you doing? You’ve certainly kept things quiet at work.”

“In another life, I would probably make for a good serial killer. I’m organized and don’t leave a trace of myself behind.”

The day she had caught Flint cheating, Autumn had gone to the bank, where she had removed half of what was in their savings account and half of the amount in their checking account.

The savings account was substantial since she had finished paying off Flint’s medical school bills several years ago.

She opened a new savings and checking account in her name only and asked the bank clerk to remove her from the other joint accounts she had shared with her husband.

She had also gone to HR the next day, filling out paperwork to send her direct deposit check to the new account.

Autumn didn’t tell HR about her separation from her husband, nor did she mention it to anyone at work other than Jeannie.

Since she never wore her wedding band at work, no one realized that she had stopped wearing it altogether.

She did tell the head of HR that she was interested in interviewing for the charge nurse opening with Gloria leaving.

Since she had served in that capacity previously, no interview was necessary.

She had simply taken on Gloria’s schedule the following week.

Gloria, who hadn’t been a friend but was more than an acquaintance, wrote Autumn an apology. She started reading it and couldn’t stomach the whiny tone. Tearing it into tiny pieces and tossing them in the trash made her feel slightly better.

Knowing it would be impossible to avoid running into Flint, she had prepared herself.

Autumn had seen him three times at work in the past two months.

Once, she was getting off the elevator and he was getting on.

She gave him a cool “Hi.” The second time had been in the hospital cafeteria.

He was with another doctor, their discussion looking serious.

Flint hadn’t even seen her. The final time had been at a staff meeting.

They had sat on opposite sides of the room, which no one would find unusual since nurses usually sat with other nurses and doctors with doctors in these types of meetings.

Outside of work, they had met twice. The first time was the day she had caught him cheating. He came home after his shift. Flint looked around, as if he had expected her to pack for him.

She hadn’t.

He took his precious coffeemaker, the TV, and the cable box.

She didn’t care. He was welcome to them.

Last night, he had stopped by again, when she told him that she was leaving what little furniture was there since their lease ended this coming Saturday.

Autumn had already told the apartment’s leasing agent that she was leaving and if her soon-to-be ex-husband wanted to renew this lease, only his name was going to go on it.

With the apartment so close to the hospital, she thought Flint might keep it as a little love nest for all the stupid women who fell for his lines, the same as she had.

Well, she wasn’t that na?ve, starry-eyed young woman anymore. She was an adult who didn’t plan on entering a relationship for a long, long time. If ever.

“I did turn in my resignation letter two weeks ago and asked them to keep that quiet until I left,” she now shared with Jeannie. “Today was my last day.”

“Oh, we would’ve given you a party,” Jeannie protested.

“That’s exactly why I didn’t want word leaking out.

Once I’m gone, gossip will spread quickly about Flint and me.

I didn’t want to be around to suffer the sympathetic glances or hear the vicious rumors being spread.

As it is, he admitted Gloria wasn’t the first. Who knows who else at work he’s slept with?

Other nurses or doctors. Administrative staff.

The cafeteria manager. I couldn’t stay. I need a fresh start. ”

Jeannie had been the only person Autumn shared anything with, other than Summer. Her twin knew everything and had promised to keep quiet, especially with West’s wedding this weekend.

“Have you at least told your family?” her friend asked, as if she read Autumn’s mind.

“My sister knows. That’s it.”

“Will it hurt going to West’s wedding and seeing all that happiness when you’re feeling miserable?”

“I don’t think it will at all. First, I’m happy for West and Kelby. They dated briefly in high school years ago. I think the idea of a second chance romance is pretty cool. Summer does, too. She’s threatening to write about their whirlwind romance, just changing the names and some of the details.”

“Does she even know any details? You’ve always said West is so private.”

“She’ll make it all up. And yes, as an NFL player, West has been in the spotlight a good decade now. He’s dated casually for years, but those were barely romances. This is the real deal with Kelby. I’m happy for them.”

“I knew you would be resigning, but you haven’t mentioned where you’ve applied. With your sterling reputation and skills, you can go pretty much anywhere you choose. Let’s face it. Houston has more than its fair share of hospitals.”

“I have something else in mind.”

Briefly, she told Jeannie about the new hospital opening in her hometown.

“It’s part of the Hogan Health network of hospitals. I’ve got an interview tomorrow morning with its medical director. If I don’t get the job, then I may look for a position in Ft. Worth or Dallas.”

“You won’t need to look for other opportunities. You’ll ace this interview.” Jeannie paused. “Will it be weird being back where you grew up?”

“I don’t think so. I’ve always loved Hawthorne.

I’ve actually missed small-town life. I rarely went home because I was working so much, and Flint didn’t like Hawthorne.

He said there was nothing to do there.” She paused.

“I haven’t told my family I’m coming in early.

I’m going to stay at a motel in Decatur and then drive in for the interview tomorrow.

After it, I’ll change clothes and head back to DFW to pick up Summer.

Her flight is coming in late tomorrow afternoon.

Then we’ll ride up together to Hawthorne. ”

“Staying at your folks’ house?”

She nodded. “The drive will give Summer and me time to talk. She’s always been great about helping me process things.”

They turned into the airport, and Jeannie asked what terminal Autumn was flying out of. She told her, and minutes later, they pulled up to the curb.

Her friend popped the trunk and got out with Autumn.

“I guess this is goodbye?” Jeannie asked, her eyes misting with tears.

“Hey, we’ll always be friends,” Autumn said, hugging her. “In fact, I have to fly back early next week for my court date for the divorce. We can get together then. You can even help me find a car, and I’ll take my boxes off your hands.”

Flint had taken their ancient vehicle. It was fine with her. It wouldn’t have made the trip from one end of Texas to the other for this weekend’s wedding.

“New or used?”

“Slightly used, if I can find that. Three, four years old. In good condition.”

“Let me talk with my cousin. She mentioned that her husband was wanting a new car. He likes to trade his in every few years for something newer and shinier.”

“Thanks, I really appreciate that.”

They hugged, with Autumn retrieving her suitcase and rolling it into the terminal.

She checked her bag, having brought enough clothes for the interview, the wedding activities, and the next couple of days she would be in Hawthorne before returning to Houston.

She hated having to come back, but she needed to appear in court in order for the divorce to be finalized.

The actual flight was only about forty-five minutes, but the wheels up, wheels down, and taxiing to the gate took an extra fifteen minutes.

She went to the car rental counter and found only two other customers ahead of her in line.

Within thirty minutes, she had the key fob in hand and was on the road to Decatur, where she’d be staying overnight at a chain motel.

As Autumn drove on the highway, she felt herself loosening up. For the first time in her adult life, she was free. No job. Nowhere to live. No husband. No responsibility.

It was liberating.

She had always been the quiet, studious girl, never causing trouble in her classes.

Grades were important to her, and she was diligent in her studies.

She had spent two years in Waco at Baylor University and then transferred to their nursing program, finishing her last two years at the Baylor campus in Dallas.

At work, she was known for keeping impeccable charts and for knowing every patient’s name and their current status.

While she could never think of herself as a wild thing, she wanted to live a little.

Learn more about herself and become who she was truly meant to be, not an extension of Flint.

For too long, Autumn had kept all her thoughts and opinions to herself when around her husband, wanting to please him and not rock the boat.