“You take care. And I’ll see you over the holidays.”
“I wouldn’t miss it.” I can hear the smile on her face, and a sense of relief washes over me.
This is going to be fine.
I stare at my phone long after we hang up. I’m even more anxious to get home now than I was before Lizzy called.
Camille wasn’t crying because she didn’t love me. It’s all one huge misunderstanding. One I have every intention of resolving the second I make it back to Watercress Falls.
I don’t bother going homefirst. I head straight to Camille’s house instead. If there’s a chance I can fix this tonight, I will.
My heart drops when I pull up outside her house and it's dark. I don’t see a single light on. I hop out and knock anyway, and there’s no answer. It’s not even eight o’clock. Maybe she went out with Rachel. They’ve become close friends these past few months.
I pull my phone out to shoot Rachel a quick text when I remember Camille was planning a trip out of town. “Fuck.”
If I recall correctly, she’ll be gone until next Tuesday.
Instead, I text Matt.
Me:You home? Can I come over?
Matt: Yep. My door is always open.
Me: Be there in ten.
If anyone can helpme understand what’s going on in Camille’s head, it's Matt. He’s the only person I know who’s experienced a similar loss as her.
Matt’s sitting on the front porch when I pull up to his house. I still can’t believe he’s buying the Evans’s home. Growing up next to the Evans made this feel like a second home. There were times I spent just as much time with Mr. Evans and his horses as I did with my own dad. We’re a close-knit community, everyone always looking out for our neighbors.
It hasn’t been the same since the Evans died in that car crash a few years ago. Matt’s in their house, running a business out of their barn, and in negotiations to buy the house and surrounding land. No one has seen either one of the Evans’s kids since the funeral. From the way it sounds, neither of them have plans to ever come back.
I step up on the porch and Matt hands me a cold beer. “I’m guessing you need this?”
I take a swig before sitting down in the vacant chair next to him. “Might need more than one with the week I’ve had.”
“That good, huh?” Matt rolls his head in my direction and stares. “Chicago go bad?”
“No. Chicago actually went really well. The job is mine.”
Matt sits up straighter, his eyes wide. “Then why the frown? Isn’t that what you wanted? This is a big deal, Adam.”
“It's going to set my career on the path I’ve been working so hard for all these years. That’s not what’s got me all worked up.”
“Camille?” I give him a single nod. “Yeah, I heard you two had a tiff.”
“It wasn’t really a tiff.” I hate that everyone thinks we had a fight. “More like a misunderstanding that we haven’t had a chance to address. I need your advice.”
“Mine?” He raises his brows. “In case you hadn’t noticed bro, I haven’t exactly had the best luck with women.”
I chuckle. He’s right about that. I’ve always assumed he’s the reason the Evans’s daughter has never returned to Watercress Falls. “Maybe not. But you’ve experienced a similar loss to Cami, and I’m hoping you can give me some insight into what she’s thinking.”
“I see. You mean me losing Emily?”
“Yeah. It’s been what, four years? You’ve not dated since then. I’m curious as to why?”
Matt rubs the back of his neck before taking a long pull on his beer. “That’s a loaded question. And not one I have an easy answer for.”
I eye my brother carefully. We’ve never talked about his loss. Not really. At least not in the sense of how he emotionally coped with losing his wife in childbirth. We’ve been here to support him and help out with Emmie, but we’ve never talked about how the loss impacted him. He picked himself up after her funeral and did what he had to do for his little girl. He never once gave any indication he was in pain.
