Page 91 of Any Second Now
“No.” My voice cracks. Because the thing is—he’s kind of right. I’m trying to be someone different. I don’t want to be the same person I was when I married him. I want to evolve. But what if that’s just not possible? What if we are who we are and there is no changing a person at their core?
“Okay, I understand.” Jacob makes a squeaking sound. “Ral, I’m sorry if I upset you, now or with the flowers.”
I don’t want his apologies, and I don’t want to be having this conversation anymore, because it’s making me feel unmoored instead of adventurous.
“Where’d you get my address?”
“I met your mother for coffee and she gave it to me,” Jacob said simply, as if he’d been waiting for me to ask.
“Shegaveit to you?” My head jerks up.
There’s no way.Mom.
“Well,” he draws out the word. “She might have accidentally told me.”
I stand, snatch my phone from the couch, and step outside to do laps around the RV. Megghenboc boc bocsas I walk by each time.
“Please stop calling me. And don’t send me anything else.”
Jacob ignores my protests and launches into another long apology and recap of his latest therapy appointment.
I’ve got so much unresolved shit. With myself and with my ex.
I’m not sure why I thought buying an RV and driving cross country would make me a different person. He’s right. I’m the same Raleigh that got here four weeks ago.
Just because Atticus Knox is paying attention to me, doesn’t make me different.
I end the call with Jacob and immediately call my mother.
“Mom.”
“Hi sweetheart!”
“Tell me you didn’t tell Jacob where I am.”
“No, of course not! I mean, crap, I kind of did.” She gasps. “Is he there?”
“Mom!”
“He showed up outside my office—I guess he missed stalking you so decided to start stalking me—and I took him for coffee. He was freaking out about you not being in town.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
“That boy is not stable.”
“Yeah? Well he seems to think he’s the most stable he’s ever been.”
“Dammit.” Mom sighs. “He wanted to know where you were. He asked if you’d seen Lucy yet. I said no, she was traveling for the summer… and then he got this look on his face.”
“So you gave him my exact address??”
“No! But he threatened to go to Fort Collins and go to all the RV campsites until he found you. He said he just wanted to send you something.”
“Well, he did.He sent flowers.”
“Sorry I didn’t warn you. I meant to, then forgot.” Mom huffs. “You dodged a bullet by divorcing him.”
I snort, then sink into a captain’s chair and let my eyes settle on the peaceful lake. Maybe I’ll live here at the campsite forever.
