“Blue, what’s the money really for?”
I have to remind myself just how smart she is. I take a deep breath and blow it out. Normally, I’d never reveal the truth, but somehow, I can’t lie to her. “I want my own chapter, and that’s gonna take money.”
“Your own chapter? What does that mean?”
“Rio runs the Las Cruces chapter. I want to run my own.”
“You mean somewhere else?” I feel her body tense.
“Yeah. Somewhere else.”
“Where? Are you leaving the state?”
I sense the panic in her voice. “I was thinking up north. Maybe Santa Fe or maybe Taos.”
“Taos? That’s six hours from here.”
“Yeah. I guess so.”
“So, you’d never be here anymore? I’d never see you again?”
Before I can respond, she throws the covers back and climbs out of the bed, then shimmies into her clothes.
I curl my abs, sitting up. “Babe, what are you doing?”
“I’m getting dressed.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m leaving.”
“What the fuck for?” I’ve never had a woman walk out on me. I’m always the one getting up after sex and hitting the road. “Luisa, what’s wrong?”
“You’re a smart man. You’ll figure it out.” She tosses the words over her shoulder and storms out of the bedroom.
I’m up and hopping on one leg, jamming the other into my jeans. “Luisa, wait.”
Yanking them up, I go after her, not even bothering to zip them.
Streaks of purple and blue light the horizon as dawn approaches. “Luisa, stop.”
She’s already climbing into her car and firing it up.
I yank on the handle, but she’s locked it. My palm hits the window. “Luisa. Come on. Talk to me.”
Her response is to throw her car in reverse and swerve around my bike parked along the wall. She backs onto the street and roars off.
“Goddamn it.” I watch her taillights fade into the distance and stand there, dumbfounded. Dragging my hands over my face, I think about calling her, but maybe I need to let her cool off.
Returning inside, I slam the door and rattle the windows. I’m three steps across the floor when I spot the painting on the table. She completed an entire painting in the hours I was gone. I move closer to study it. It’s a close-up of some wildflowers in a field that extends into the distance. Big, colorful poppies in the foreground.
It’s good. Really good. I had no idea just how talented she was.
I drop into the chair and stare at it, the loss of her hitting me in the gut. I hurt her tonight. All this time I’ve been stringing her along, telling her this isn’t serious, that what we’re doing is justhaving fun, but her reaction to the thought of me leaving town tells me she’s in way deeper than I thought.
I drag a hand down my face. I need to stop lying to myself. I’m in this just as deep, and there’s no use denying it or pretending things are different.
So, what the fuck am I going to do about it?
