Cody’s heart went out to the governor and his family. It hadn’t been that long since the governor, his wife, and Adam were all here celebrating Christmas with them.
The governor stepped back from the reporters, who shouted out questions. The governor held up his hands.“Please, I ask that you give me, my wife, and Adam our privacy at this time so that we can focus on Adam’s needs and helping him heal.”
Cody hoped the governor made mental health a priority and he wasn’t just paying lip service to something that was desperately needed for underserved communities, where folks couldn’t afford therapy that was often not covered by insurance.
Kristi glanced over at him. “I still can’t believe the governor’s son attempted suicide. It’s so sad. It’s all anyone is talking about.On one show yesterday, they had people from his classes talking about him. Everyone said he was quiet and had few friends.”
Cody wondered if that was true. “I think Brooke was friends with him. I saw them talking at the Fourth of July picnic and at Christmas when he was here.”
Susanne came up behind them. “Dinner is served.”
Cody turned off the TV, stood, and held his hand out to Kristi to help her up. The last few days had proven to be a reversal of their schedules, where Kristi had been working nonstop and helping her mother on some charitable project. They’d barely spoken on the phone, let alone texted. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think she was purposely avoiding him.
The thought that maybe she knew he wanted to end things and was stalling crossed his mind more than once. Not that he’d given her any indication of that since he’d made up his mind just days ago. Still, it seemed odd. And the longer she made him wait to see her, the closer they got to the wedding date.
But tonight was the night. He’d invited her over, hoping to talk and end things amicably. But Susanne opened the door to Kristi when she arrived and invited her to stay for dinner before Cody could say anything. So he was stuck waiting until after their meal to have the private talk. It needed to be done today. He didn’t want to wait any longer. Kristi deserved to know he’d changed his mind, so she could break it to her family and they could cancel all the wedding plans. And he desperately wanted to see Brooke and tell her he loved her and wanted to be with her.
Kristi took her seat and looked across at Susanne. “You heard about the governor’s son, right?”
Susanne never said anything to him about how she felt about Kristi being at the table when Brooke hadn’t been home in months. It had to wear on her. She had to be upset with him for the way things had changed.
He sensed she didn’t say anything because she knew he didn’t like Brooke’s absence any more than she did. But he hoped to change that very soon.
Tonight would be the first step in getting Brooke back.
Susanne nodded. “That poor boy. I thought about calling his mother, but decided to give them some time before I reached out.”
Kristi loaded a slab of lasagna onto her plate. “They’ve got their hands full right now, that’s for sure.”
Cody handed the salad bowl to Susanne. “Everything seemed fine at the Christmas party. But I guess you never really know what someone is going through on the inside when everything on the outside seems fine.”
Thinking about the Christmas party made him think of Brooke. Memories of her lingered in his mind and popped up all the time.
Was she upset about what happened to Adam?
Were they close enough that she’d know if something was wrong?
Was she sad for her friend right now?
He didn’t want to think about her being upset. He wanted her to be happy. Always.
She hadn’t come home for her twenty-first birthday. He’d always thought they’d share that special day together. He’d get her drunk. Keep her safe. Show her a good time.
Right. The last time he shared a drink with her, they’d had a good time that ended in disaster.
The last time he spoke to her was on her birthday. He’d wanted to reach out so many times, to let her know he’d changed his mind about marrying Kristi. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her. But he needed to end things with Kristi first.
It felt deceitful to sit next to Kristi now, when she was oblivious to what was going to happen after dinner. His appetiteshriveled up. He didn’t want to hurt her. He was doing this so he didn’t hurt her more in the long run by lying about his feelings.
Kristi added lasagna to his plate, but spoke to Susanne. “How was your day?”
“I went by Brooke’s building to check on the progress of the renovation. She’s going to love all the changes. I sent her some pictures of the café space. Then I did some shopping. I thought I’d send Brooke a little something to cheer her up.”
What? Why?“Is something wrong with Brooke?” Cody tried to sound casual and not as desperate as he was for any information about her.
“I’ve gotten the feeling she’s not been herself lately. I think she might be homesick and stressed about finals over the next few days.”
The upcoming wedding probably weighed heavily on her. Cody wished he wasn’t the cause of her upset. He’d make it up to her. Soon. He couldn’t wait to see her. He couldn’t wait until she was home. With him. Finally.
