“I’m done watching you bleed in silence,” I tell her, unyielding. “You’ve given him chance after chance to explain, to change the pattern.”
“And if confronting him drives him away for good?” Her greatest fear hangs naked between us.
“Then he was never ours to keep.” The truth comes out bitter, but necessary. “And better to know now than waste more months wondering if today will be the day he trusts us.”
Emily searches me for any hint of doubt and finds none. “Okay.”
I pull my phone out and dial his number, putting it on speaker. One ring. Two. Three. His voicemail picks up, and the mechanical sound of his recorded greeting only fuels the fire burning through me.
I hang up and dial again.
Again, his voicemail answers.
My nostrils flare, irritation sliding under my skin as I end the call without leaving a message and slide the phone back into my pocket.
“Well, he won’t be able to ignore me when I’m outside his door.” I rise from the floor, my jaw set in a hard line. “I’m going to his hotel. If we don’t confront him now, who knows how long it will be before he shows his face again.”
“You don’t need to convince him to care,” she says, steadier than I expected. “I don’t want him back out of obligation.”
“This isn’t about convincing.” I cross to the coat hooks by the door and yank my jacket from its peg hard enough to make the wood creak. “It’s about no more half-truths.”
The snow falls faster as I shove my arms into the sleeves.
Behind me, Emily rises from the sofa to join me at the door. “I should go with you.”
When she reaches for her jacket, I catch her hand and shake my head. “No. Stay here and rest. Keep the fire burning.”
She doesn’t need to hear what I plan to say to Leif.
I stamp on my boots and grab the truck keys. “I’ll call as soon as I know anything.”
With a quick kiss, I step outside into the cold and stride to the truck, snowflakes stinging my cheeks and clinging to my lashes.
The engine groans in protest before catching, dashboard lights illuminating my white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel.
I punch the heater to full blast, but only cold air rushes through the vents. As I pull away from the cottage, myheadlights catch Emily’s silhouette in the window, one hand pressed against the glass. The image burns into my mind as I navigate onto the street.
The road into town stretches before me, a ribbon of black, but turning white at the edges where the snow begins to stick.
By the time I pull into the parking lot for Leif’s hotel, the snow is coming down hard, and my wipers sweep at top speed to clear them from my view. The parking lot reveals only a handful of cars at this time of year, and I don’t spot Leif’s sedan among them, but he could have parked in the garage to protect his old vehicle. It’s where I’d park if I thought I’d be here long.
When I enter the hotel, the front desk attendant smiles in greeting. “May I help you?”
“No, thank you,” I reply, heading for the elevators as if I’m expected here. “Just heading up to my friend’s room.”
Disinterested, her attention returns to the computer on her desk.
The elevator carries me to the third floor, where the hallway carpet absorbs the sound of my footsteps. A vending machine hums at the end of the corridor, its light illuminating a mix of healthy snacks and candy.
When I reach Leif’s door, the Do Not Disturb sign isn’t on the handle where it hangs once Leif retires for the night, and worry takes hold. Is he really not here?
I pound on the door so hard that it rattles the frame.
Silence answers.
I knock again, harder this time. “Leif! Open up. We need to talk.”
Nothing.