Page 45 of Keep My Heart (The Haydon Falls #1)

Lyndsay

‘Hey,’ I say, answering Diane’s call. ‘I’m at the airport. My mom just left.’ I laugh. ‘She was so nervous driving here and there wasn’t even any traffic.’

‘Did you see my texts?’ she asks in a urgent tone.

‘Yes, but not until this morning. I overslept and didn’t have a chance to call you. What’s going on? You sound worried.’

‘Did you spend the night with Nick?’

‘Yeah, at the hotel. Why?’

She sighs. ‘I heard something.’

‘About what?’

‘I’m not sure, but it didn’t sound good.’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Last night after we left the reunion I was outside waiting for Tom to get the car and I heard Nick talking on the phone. It was dark so I don’t think he saw me.’

‘Yeah? So?’

‘He was talking to some woman. ’

‘It was for work. He’d been getting calls all night from work and wanted to deal with it before he went up to the room.’

‘This didn’t sound like a work call.’

‘Why do you say that?’

‘The way he was talking to this woman, it kind of sounded like he might be dating her.’

‘Diane, you know Nick would never do that. He’s like the nicest guy ever. He’d never do that to me.’

‘He might if he’s not sure about you or not sure if you’re serious about moving there.’

‘What exactly did you hear him say?’

‘He was telling her that he wished he could be with her and that he cares about her, and then he told her he’d take her to dinner next week.’

That doesn’t sound like a work call, but who knows? Maybe it was. I can’t imagine Nick cheating. He’s not that type of guy.

‘He said he might have someone coming to town next week,’ Diane says, ‘and that he’d let her know if he could get away. I’m guessing that someone is you. Did you tell him you’d be there next week?’

‘No,’ I say, my stomach knotting. ‘What else did he say?’

‘That their relationship isn’t ending and that when he gets back, they’ll resume where they left off. And then she must’ve asked him where he was or who he was with because he lied and told her he’s at his parents’ house and that he wasn’t with a girl.’

Why would he say that? Why would he lie about me?

‘Maybe I’m reading something into it,’ Diane says, ‘but it sure didn’t sound good.’

‘No, it doesn’t,’ I say, that knot in my stomach growing.

‘What did he say last night when you were up in the room? Did he talk about you moving there?’

‘A little, but I felt like he was trying to talk me into not doing it. He kept saying I should wait, and that he doesn’t want me to have regrets.

What if he was saying that because he’s trying to decide who he wants to be with, me or that other woman?

Maybe he wants to date us both until he figures it out, which is why he wants me to stay here instead of moving there to be with him. ’

‘It’s possible. Lyndsay, I’m sorry I had to tell you this. I went back and forth all night trying to decide what to do. Tom said I should stay out of it, but if it were me I’d want to know. I’d want you to tell me.’

‘It’s not what I want to hear, but I’m glad you told me. I just can’t believe he’d do this. It’s so unlike him.’

‘Maybe it’s not true. Maybe it’s some kind of misunderstanding.’

‘It doesn’t sound like it is. What you described doesn’t sound like a conversation you’d have with a coworker or a client.’

‘That’s what I thought.’

An announcement comes over the speaker, saying my flight will be boarding soon.

‘Diane, I need to go. My flight’s about to board.’

‘Call me when you get home.’

‘I will. Bye.’

I’m feeling sick after hearing that stuff about Nick, but I’m still not sure I believe it. Diane only heard part of what he said, and maybe she thought she heard something she didn’t.

‘Are they boarding yet?’

I look over and see Chris taking the seat next to me. He’s on my flight? That’s just great. Just what I need when I’m already feeling sick.

‘They’re boarding in a few minutes,’ I tell him, getting up. I’m not waiting here with him. I was hoping I’d never see him again.

‘I’m surprised you’re leaving this early. I thought you’d want more time with Nick. ’

‘I need to get back to LA. Is your stuff out of the apartment?’

‘Not all of it. I have to get a truck for the big stuff.’

I sigh. ‘Chris, you promised me you’d be out by this weekend.’

‘That was before I decided to go to the reunion.’

He always does this. He says he’ll do something, then doesn’t, finding some excuse for why he couldn’t. I should just move out and give him the apartment. I could stay with a friend until I figure out what to do.

‘What about San Diego?’ I say. ‘You were supposed to meet that guy there this weekend.’

‘Yeah, that didn’t work out.’

Of course it didn’t. It never does. Our whole marriage Chris kept investing our money in businesses that turned out to be scams, each time saying he was going to make us rich but instead leaving us with barely enough money to pay rent.

‘I’m going to go wait in line,’ I say, pulling the handle up on my suitcase.

‘Hey, before you go, I have something to show you.’ He gets out his phone.

‘I don’t want to see it. I need to go.’

He glances behind him. ‘They’re not even boarding yet.’ He turns back to me. ‘I wasn’t going to record this, but I knew if I didn’t you wouldn’t believe me.’

‘Whatever it is, I don’t want to see it.’

‘You sure?’ He holds his phone out to me and I see Nick on the screen, standing in front of the hotel, talking on his phone.

‘You recorded Nick?’ I huff. ‘You’re spying on him now?’

‘I went outside to look for Ted. I didn’t even know Nick was out there. I heard him talking to some woman and, well .?.?.’ He offers me his phone. ‘You might want to hear this.’

I reluctantly take his phone and walk over to the window, watching the airport workers load the luggage on the plane. I start the recording and put the phone to my ear.

‘Of course I care about you,’ Nick says to whoever he’s talking to, ‘but I can’t be with you right now.

We’ll talk when I get back to New York.’ I look at the screen, making sure it’s really him.

I hear his voice again and put the phone to my ear.

‘I’ll see if we can meet for dinner next week, but I might have someone coming into town.

I’ll let you know if I can get away.’ He listens, then says, ‘Our relationship is not ending. I just had somewhere to be this weekend. But when I’m back, we’ll resume where we left off.

Iris, I know you think I’m not giving you all that you expect from me, but I’m doing my best. And I can’t be with you all the time. ’

It’s just like Diane said, almost word-for-word. I want to believe it doesn’t mean what I’m thinking, but it sure sounds like it.

‘I’m home, visiting my family,’ he says, then, ‘I’m not with a girl. I’m at my parents’ house. Iris, I really need to go. I promise we’ll talk when I get back.’

He lied to her. He didn’t want her knowing about me.

The video ends and I walk back to Chris and give him his phone. ‘I’m getting in line.’

‘What’d you think?’ he asks with a smug grin.

I shrug. ‘He was talking to a client. I don’t know why you recorded that.’

‘That was not a client,’ he says, following me to the boarding line. ‘Nick’s messing around on you.’

I ignore him and turn my back to him, praying he doesn’t have the seat next to me on the plane.

‘You know he wanted you in high school, right?’

I turn back to Chris. ‘Would you please just shut up? I don’t want to talk to you.’ I face forward again, noticing the line is finally moving.

‘He was using you,’ Chris says, ignoring my request for him to be quiet.

‘Living out his teenage fantasies. A nerd like him never had a chance with you in high school, but now he’s got some fancy job and money to take you out.

He was playing you, Lyndsay. Trying to get you to sleep with him.

Make his fantasy come true. That’s all it was.

You didn’t really think he was serious about you, did you? ’

I don’t answer him. Tears sting my eyes and I feel a lump in my throat.

I shouldn’t be listening to Chris, but what if he’s right?

What if Nick was using me to live out some teenage fantasy?

He kept telling me how much he liked me back then and how much he wanted to date me.

Now he has, so is he done with me? Was this all just a fling and he never had any intention of us having a relationship?

I can’t believe he’d do something like that. I don’t want to believe it.

‘Miss? Your ticket?’ the lady asks, waiting to check me in.

‘Oh. Sorry.’ I get out my phone and hurry to find my boarding pass. She scans it and I continue to the plane. I sigh in relief when I see two people already seated in my row. I take the aisle seat, then see Chris coming toward me. He smiles at me, then sits in the seat behind me.

‘I’m right here, babe,’ he says, leaning forward and rubbing my arm.

‘Would you and your husband like to sit together?’ the man next to me asks.

‘No.’ I grit my teeth. ‘And he’s not my husband.’

Chris laughs. I want to reach back and strangle him. But instead, I put my earbuds in and look through my phone. Nick hasn’t texted me. I thought he might send me one before I left, but if he’s done with me, it would make sense that he didn’t.

I still don’t think it’s true. Even after seeing that video, I don’t believe it, or maybe I just don’t want to.

Either way, I’m calling him when I get back to LA and I’m going to ask him if he has someone else.

Maybe he really was just living out his teenage fantasy.

Maybe I’ve been doing it too, living out my fantasy of dating my math tutor, a guy I thought was too smart to be interested in someone like me.

The entire flight I think about that, wondering if this whole time Nick and I have just been reliving the past, playing out scenes we wished would’ve happened back in high school.

But if that were true, I wouldn’t have all these feelings for him.

The feelings never felt fake, like they were just part of some role I was playing.

They felt real. I felt like I was falling in love with him.

When I get to LA, I go to my apartment and see Chris’ stuff is still there, not just the big stuff but all of it. He’s such an ass. He promised me it’d be gone. I should’ve known he was lying. His promises are worthless. At least he’s staying with a friend and not here.

Checking my phone, I still don’t see any texts from Nick. He should be in New York by now, but he just landed. He’s probably still on the plane.

I call his phone. It rings and rings, then goes to voicemail.

As I set my phone down, it rings. I grab it and answer it. ‘Nick?

‘It’s Diane.’

‘Oh. Hey.’

‘Did you talk to Nick?’

‘No, I just called him. I thought he was calling me back. His plane just landed. He might still be on it.’

‘Are you going to ask him about what I told you?’

‘Yes. I need to know the truth.’

‘Lyndsay, maybe I was wrong. I was talking to Tom some more and he thinks I might’ve misinterpreted the whole thing. Or maybe I heard him wrong. I was standing a few feet away and cars were going by. It’s possible what I heard isn’t what he really said. ’

‘It was. Chris showed me the video.’

‘Chris did what?’

I tell her about the video and what I heard Nick say on it.

‘It still doesn’t prove anything,’ Diane says, trying to make me feel better. ‘But it does make you wonder.’

‘Which is why I have to talk to him. I’m going to try him again. He should be off the plane by now.’

‘Okay, let me know what happens.’

I call Nick’s phone and get his voicemail again. I wait a few minutes and call back. It rings and rings, then goes to voicemail.

Why isn’t he picking up? Why hasn’t he texted me?

I don’t want to assume the worst, but my mind keeps going there. After being cheated on by Chris, there’s a part of me that worries it’ll happen again. The signs are there, but I don’t want to believe it.