“Kit, I don’t know what you think, but you offered to sell the land on your own. I didn’t pressure you,” I said hoping that I could make a case, hoping that she could see it from my perspective.
“Don’t do that,” Kit cried. “I should have known someone like you wouldn’t be interested in someone like me. You made me think all of this was real, but you just wanted to buy the land.”
“Kit, how could you say that?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The accusation hurt, and I could feel myself getting angry, defensive. “I love you. You know that. If you hadn’t sold us the land, I would have been fine with that. If I hadn’t gotten this promotion, I would have been fine as long as we were together. You’re all I care about.” I let out an exasperated sigh. “Kit, I asked you to move to Atlanta with me. I wouldn’t have done that if I didn’t love you.”
“Correction. You asked me to be in a long-distance relationship. I’m the one who suggested moving.” Kit shook her head, then said bitterly, “You used me to get what you needed. How long were you going to string me along?”
I took a deep breath. I needed to de-escalate the situation. “Kit, I want you to stay so we can talk this out.”
“There isn’t anything to talk about. We could have talked about this months ago, but you weren’t honest with me about what was at stake for you. Any reasonable person has to wonder why you’d hide that sort of thing from me.”
I shook my head. “No. Kit, I didn’t hide it from you,” I stuttered. “I just. I just…” I felt like the room was closing in on me. I could feel her pulling away.
“You just. You just…hid it from me.” Kit mocked me. “Hiding something from me. Not telling me the whole truth. That is lying.”
She sounded certain of herself, and she looked scornfully at me. “I already feel stupid, but now I am worried I made a huge mistake—and everything’s going to get fucked up in Creekstone because I listened to your bullshit.”
“Just stop.” Something in me snapped. I felt anger rising inside of me. “Just stop. Okay. I didn’t lie to you. I didn’t pressure you. Kit, you knew I was working toward a promotion. If you didn’t put two and two together, that my job performance would be tied to my promotion, then I don’t know what to say.”
“Oh, so this is my fault.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “I just hope you and your company don’t screw up Creekstone. I won’t be able to forgive myself.”
“Oh, come on,” I snapped back. “Stop hiding behind Creekstone.”
“Excuse me?” Kit said, her eyes going wide.
“You know what? Maybe I was the stupid one to believe you,” I grumbled.
“What are you fucking talking about?” Kit scowled.
“All this talk about ‘doing what’s best for Creekstone’ is just your defense mechanism so you don’t have to take real risks,” I said. I knew I was getting upset, and I should have just walked away, but Kit’s scornful laugh stoked my anger.
“Please.” Kit rolled her eyes, still laughing. “Spare me the regurgitated therapy words? I can’t take someone seriously who isn’t honest. Everything you said to me has been to a self-serving end. Do you expect me to believe anything you say? Who knows what else you’re hiding from me, Mr. Most Eligible Bachelor.”
I let air blow through my lips. “You’re so full of it, Kit. Do you expect me to believe that you care more about what’s best for Creekstone than you do your own family? That you love that town more than you want love for yourself? Well, I don’t buy it.”
I could feel my chest heaving. My face was hot. My fists were balled at my side. “You have everyone thinking you're some giving, kind person. But you’re just afraid to put your real self out there. That’s why you adopt these noble causes and make them your whole personality, so when things get hard and you get scared and walk away from something, you have someone else to blame. But it’s you. You’re the one who puts yourself into situations you don’t really want to be in, and that’s why it’s so easy for you to walk away. From Matt. From your fellowship in D.C. From Creekstone. From me.”
Kit’s face fell. “You’re a fucking asshole. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m sorry I said that.” The moment I saw the hurt on Kit’s face, I stepped toward her. “I’m sorry you felt deceived, and I’m sorry that I wasn’t more transparent, but can we please talk about this?”
Kit shook her head. “I...I... can’t. I need to go.”
“Maybe we could talk tomorrow,” I said, looking down and pinching the bridge of my nose.
“No,” Kit said softly as she walked toward the door. “No, I need space.”
“Kit, this isn’t fair,” I said. I felt a lump rising in my throat. “Please. Tomorrow after we’ve had a chance to cool down. Can we meet somewhere and talk?”
Kit stood at the door looking at the floor like she was thinking it through, and she finally looked up at me and said, “I can’t.” Tears streamed down her perfect cheeks. “When I broke up with Matt, we stayed friends. He called and talked to me, and everyone tried to help us get back together. It was easy for me to ignore it all because I didn’t want it. But I know…” Her voice broke. She took a deep breath. “I know I won’t be able to. I want space. So please…”
“Kit. Please. I love you,” I said.
She turned to look at me one last time, then she was gone.
Over the next few weeks, I tried everything. I called, texted, and emailed. I went to Creekstone. But when I got there, Aunt Rita looked worried and sad as she told me Kit had left Creekstone, and she’d left explicit instructions not to tell anyone where she was. I found Veronica and begged her to help me talk to Kit, but she regretfully told me that she couldn’t.
“I’m so sorry, William,” Veronica said. Her lips pushed into a frown. She stood on the front stoop of her Grant Park house.“She’s not here, and she made me swear that I wouldn’t tell anyone—especially you—where she was.”
