Chapter Ten
“ARE YOUgoing to tell me what’s going on? Or am I going to have to play twenty questions with you like I did when you were five?”
Zach looked at his mother, who was busy baking cakes for the neighbors. Christmas was Sunday, and she always tried to deliver them by Christmas Eve.
Today was Friday, the day of the Caldwell & Monroe Christmas party, and Zach was sitting at the island of his parents’ kitchen, after having arrived in the wee hours on Thursday morning before anyone was awake. He’d gone immediately to his room, and it wasn’t until a few hours later that someone noticed his car in the driveway and knocked on his door.
Zach had begged off answering any questions, claiming to have a headache, which was true. His heart hurt much worse, but he wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. He needed some time to process everything and figure out what he was going to do—other than lie in bed and moan in pain, which he’d already done.
He managed to get through Thursday, although he felt a fresh surge of pain when Asher texted him. He knew Asher had tried to call, but he shut his ringer off and ignored the voicemail, because hearing Asher’s voice would make him break down again. But he read the text, and resisted the urge to reply, afraid he’d say too much. He didn’t know what he was going to say, but it wasn’t going to be over the phone or via a text message. No, he’d speak to Asher face-to-face, once he had himself in hand and could do so without breaking down.
His family left him alone, although they watched him with concern in their eyes when he emerged to go to the bathroom. Even Mikey looked worried, and Zach knew he’d have to tell them something soon.
He woke up Friday morning and made his way to the kitchen to find only his mother. The rest of the family was driving down to Philadelphia to pick up Grandma Richardson. She always spent the holiday with them, but someone had to go and get her. Apparently this year, everyone had gone except his mother, and it wasn’t hard to guess why. She must have decided it was time to get to the bottom of his strange behavior.
“It’s Asher,” he admitted, lowering his gaze to the plate of bacon and toast she’d placed in front of him when he entered the kitchen. He’d nibbled a bit of the toast and sipped at the glass of orange juice she’d poured him, but he still didn’t have an appetite.
“I had guessed that much on my own,” she said, taking a seat on the stool next to him. She picked up his hand and squeezed it gently. “Did you two break up?”
Zach shook his head and clung to her hand the way he’d done as a child when he was scared or upset. “Not yet,” he admitted. “But I think it’s a formality at this point.”
“You don’t have to tell me what happened if you don’t want to,” she said, “but it might help you to figure it all out.”
He didn’t want to tell his motherexactlywhat happened, but he knew she was right, and she had always been able to help him to think about things in a different way. “Before we got together, Asher was different. Obsessed with work and totally averse to commitment. He doesn’t want to be like his father, who’s a womanizer. I thought things were going great between us and Asher was overcoming his issues. I haven’t pushed. But something happened to make me believe he’s more like his father than he thinks.”
“Are you saying you think Asher is cheating on you?” she asked, frowning with disapproval.
“I think he might be,” Zach replied slowly. “I’ve always wondered what he saw in me. I didn’t think I could be enough to hold his interest for long.”
His mother sat up straight, seeming indignant on his behalf. “You’re smart, handsome, and hardworking. If you aren’t enough to keep his interest, no one ever will be,” she said, giving his hand a tight squeeze. “If that’s the case, then it’s definitelyhisproblem, not any indication that something is wrong withyou.”
Zach summoned up a smile. “You’ve always been my biggest cheerleader,” he said softly, and the smile faded. “But it hurts so much, and I don’t have any idea what to say to him. What if heischeating on me? What if he isn’t and I have it all wrong?”
“Well, if heischeating on you, I think it’s obvious what you should do,” she said. “You’ve been dating a month? If he’s stepping out this early, then he’s not a good choice, so you need to break it off and move on. But if you have any doubts, you need to find out for sure so you don’t end up with what-ifs or regrets. Do you have proof that would hold up in court?”
Zach thought about it as objectively as he could. “Circumstantial evidence only,” he admitted. “I guess that’s one reason I’m afraid to confront him. I’m not sure I can talk to him about it without losing it.”
“I know it won’t be easy, sweetheart,” she said, giving him a sympathetic smile. “But if you leave it like this, you’re going to wonder whether you did the right thing. Who knows? There might be an innocent explanation for whatever happened, but you won’t know until you talk to him. That’s the only way to resolve this, one way or another.”
Zach drew in a shuddering breath. “Of course you’re right. I’ve been avoiding his calls and not replying to his texts. I figure if he’s guilty, he’ll give up, right? It would mean he doesn’t really want me in the first place.”
“Or it means he’s a smart man who figured out you’re avoiding him and stopped calling because you don’t want to talk to him,” she pointed out. “I wouldn’t assume it means he’s guilty. He might be respecting your silence and waiting for you to contact him when you’re ready.”
Zach considered her point, then nodded and gave her hand a squeeze. “This is why I came home,” he said softly. “I knew you’d help me be fair and not fly off the handle.”
“Well, it’s easier for me since my heart isn’t involved.” She patted his hand. “For what it’s worth, I hope it’s all a misunderstanding. I like Asher, and he seemed quite smitten with you. I even got his ornament ready for you.”
Zach bit his lip, wondering what he should do about the ornament. He’d picked it out after Asher’s visit and sent it to his mother to have her write Asher’s name on it, as she’d done for all the family ornaments. He knew he risked pushing Asher too fast, but as soon as he saw the ornament, he’d wanted to give it to Asher for Christmas. He had also hoped Asher would come home with him and hang it on the Richardson family tree. Now Zach didn’t know what was going to happen, but if his mother could hope it was all a misunderstanding, so could he.
“I’ll take it with me,” he said, rising to his feet. “I’d better hit the road while I still have the courage to do it.”
“Good idea. I’ll get it for you.” His mother slid off her seat and left the room. When she returned, she was carrying a small ornament box, which she held out to him. “I didn’t have time to wrap it,” she said, which wasn’t a surprise. Somehow, she always ended up in a last-minute wrapping frenzy on Christmas Eve despite her vows to start earlier every year.
“That’s all right. I’ve got a gift bag for it,” Zach replied. He bent down and kissed her on the cheek. “Thanks again, Mom. You’re the best.”
“Anytime, sweetheart.” She shooed him toward the door. “Now go find Asher and get this mess straightened out. If you need to come home early, let me know, and I’ll have the comfort cookies in the oven.”
“Thanks.” Zach smiled at her, then turned to leave. He didn’t feel better, but at least he didn’t feel as though he was floundering at sea without a life jacket any longer. Whatever happened with Asher, he still had his family, and that helped.
He just wished that comfort cookies really were a remedy for a broken heart.
