Page 4 of Keep My Heart
‘I wish you’d stay longer.’
‘I can’t. Ten days with my mom is long enough.’
She laughs as she goes to get in the van. Diane and I have been friends since ninth grade. She knows my mom and knows her constant advice-giving and questioning of my decisions drives me crazy. I almost didn’t come here, knowing my mom would offer up her comments about the divorce, but I really needed to get away and I didn’t know where else to go.
‘Thanks for picking me up,’ I say as Diane pulls away from the curb.
‘I was happy to! It’s a pretty drive.’
The scenery is one of the things I missed most when I moved away. Haydon Falls is a small town in a part of Wisconsin that’s lined with rolling hills, dense forests, and winding roads. Along the river are the falls. You have to hike on a trail to get there, but it’s worth the walk. The falls are beautiful, especially in autumn when they’re surrounded by pops of orange, yellow, and red from the turning leaves.
‘Sorry I was late,’ Diane says. ‘Hopefully you weren’t waiting too long.’
‘No, not at all. And while I was waiting, I ran into Matt.’
She glances at me. ‘Matt Jennings?’
‘Yeah. Isn’t that weird? I haven’t seen Matt since high school.’
‘I see him around town. I used to take a yoga class with his wife but she got busy with the kids and stopped going.’
‘Who’s his wife? Anyone I know?’
‘No. Tessa’s not from around here. She’s from Indiana. Matt met her in college. She’s adorable. Tiny little blonde with big blue eyes. Her daughters look just like her.’ She turns onto the highway. ‘So what’d he say? He must’ve been shocked to see you.’
‘We didn’t talk long.’ I pause. ‘He asked about Chris.’
‘Oh, Lyndsay, I’m sorry,’ she says, reaching over to put her hand on my arm.
‘It’s fine. Being back here, I knew people would ask.’
‘Did you tell him about the divorce?’
‘Yeah. He didn’t seem surprised, or maybe I just interpreted it that way.’
She sighs and puts her hand back on the steering wheel. ‘Maybe this wasn’t the best idea.’
‘What?’
‘You coming back here the week of your divorce. I thought it would help to have friends and family around, but it might just make things harder, with all the memories.’
‘It’s still better than being back in LA, living in that apartment and seeing all of Chris’ stuff.’
‘He still hasn’t cleaned out his stuff?’
‘Not yet. He promised me he’d get everything out next week, before I got back.’
‘What’s taking so long? He’s had months to move out.’
‘I don’t know. I didn’t ask. I’m trying not to talk to Chris.’
‘Did Matt say anything else? Besides asking about Chris?’
‘Not really.’
‘Why was he there? Was he picking someone up?’
‘Yeah.’ I pause. ‘Nick.’
