Page 210 of Cheater

It’s snowing. The driveway and lawn are covered in fallen leaves. It’s like I’m not even here as he opens his car door.

“Derek,” I say, touching his arm.

He looks at me with a perplexed expression, eyes darting to my hand on his arm.

“Let me drive. Please?”

He holds out his fob, so I take it as he goes to the passenger side.

I toss the bag in the back seat and get in, put the seatbelt on and adjust the seat so that I can better reach the pedals.

When I pull out and the gate closes behind us, he says “Rickenbacker, not John Glenn.”

And he stares out the windshield at the falling snow saying nothing until we get to Rickenbacker airport, when he says, “Just drop me here.”

“Drop you?”

“Just here.” He presses his seatbelt button and pulls it off.

I had been about to park.

“You don’t want me to come?” I ask.

“You don’t have to,” he says, his voice coming out hoarse.

He gets out, closes the door and walks toward the terminal without looking back. He didn’t take the bag, he didn’t say goodbye. He didn’t even take his laptop bag, which he put on the floor on the passenger side when he got in.

I stay still, idling for a minute in case he turns back around, but he disappears into the building.

Shannon Steele shouldn’t have been in New York City. It was an impromptu trip. She should be in Columbus, at home and getting ready for the big party tonight. The big party for four hundred plus guests that now won’t happen.

If we’d gone on that honeymoon she wouldn’t have gone to New York.

I spot Jonah and Grace walking toward the building and am about to get out of the car and approach, but Grace looks devastated, red-eyed, crying. Jonah has his arm around his sister, leading her inside. They don’t see me, so I leave.

I’m back at the house and putting coffee on when I send a message to Carson, whose earlier message indicating which airport to go to and what time the flight would leave, I missed.

Can you please keep me posted on things? And please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help with canceling tonight’s event.

He responds promptly.

Thank you, Chloe. Elijah just arrived, so we’ve boarded and are about to taxi. Thank you for the offer. The company’s team is working on notifying all guests of the anniversary party’s cancellation, though there is media coverage now. I shall keep you updated.

I turn the local morning show on, and it doesn’t take long before something pops up on the ticker.

Local CEO Michael Steele in critical condition after car crash in NYC. Wife: (Continued…)

My sinuses burn at the sight of the next ticker line:

socialite, model, actress Shannon Steele, 59, pronounced dead on scene.

Derek’s family is dysfunctional. But most people only get one family. And now he’s lost his mother and is facing losing his dad.

I think about my own parents and realize I didn’t answer my mom’s text message yesterday.

I message her, knowing she’s probably getting ready for work.

Hi Mom. Sorry I didn’t reply yesterday. I’d love to visit but Derek’s parents were in a bad car accident and his mom didn’t survive. It’s on the news. His dad is in surgery. I’ll keep you updated.

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