Page 22 of Coming Unraveled
“No. My wife.”
The conference drones on for the afternoon and Brooks is far too excited as he hits the pillow that night, but his mind swirls with the proposal fresh in his mind and how this might affect his desire to fix his relationship with Everleigh. Just as he thinks that they’re moving forward, this bomb drops into his lap. He needs to talk through it with her, get her to confess her feelings before he can move forward, with or without her. And he truly hopes he can move forward with her by his side or all of it would mean nothing.
It seems like all of the disappointment in his life has led him to this place, this moment with her and he doesn’t want to risk the chance of her slipping through his fingers. Hopefully, she’ll come around and discover she wants him just as much as he wants her. Or else he is heading towards the biggest disappointment of them all - a lifetime alone.
The plane ride is long and arduous, but the passengers seated on both sides of him leave him in peace as he reads through a medical journal. Finally, the plane touches down and he quickly hurries out of his seat and through the terminal, anxiously waiting to see his wife.
His leg bounces to the beat of the song belting through the speakers of his car as he hurries home to Carson. His stomach churns like the pulsations of a washing machine as he nervously awaits seeing Everleigh. Brooks has only been gone a total of five days, but he misses her. He misses her anger and her pride. He misses the way she will secretly smile after every jab she gives or the way she will laugh loudly and openly at his attempts at humor. And most of all he misses the way she feels in his arms, the way she will let down her guard, if only for a moment, and let herself collapse into his secure hold. He misses the Everleigh that she doesn’t show to others, the secret side of her that only escapes when she allows it. That part of her that only he has bared witness to.
The car whizzes through one of two stoplights in town as he makes his way down Main Street, his destination sitting on the opposite end of the trek. It is around two in the afternoon on Monday, one of her busy days, so he hopes he can catch her at a good time. Though Brooks knows he’d be just as pleased to see her face on the other side of the counter for just a moment.
He parks his car along the street, finding a spot in front of the fabric store that also now houses part of Everleigh’s sister Cassidy’s retail outlet for her design brand. He heard a rumor that she secretly built a music studio on the upper floor for her fiancé and they had some major bands coming into town to create their albums and demos. It always makes him laugh when he describes Carson, North Carolina to people. A look of bewilderment seems to cross their face at the name of celebrities living in the town along with the string of suspicious activity that occurred in the past year that most of them could find on an internet search. He is happy in the town like everyone else and proud to call it home.
Brooks trails down the sidewalk, waving at the people he passes and those that honk as they drive past. He finally makes it to the pharmacy where he peers into the large pane window and watches as Tamara rings up a customer at the register while talking animatedly with her hands, excitement ringing through her motions.
A bell hums as he steps through the door and Tamara looks up at him, winking overzealously, causing the man at the register to turn around and stare in his direction before grabbing the white paper bag containing his medication and moving to the exit.
“Hello there, Dr. McCafferty,” she begins but Brooks’ attention is to the young man standing behind the pharmacy counter with a medicine vial in his grasp.
“Who are you?” he asks with no preamble, the threatening tone causing Tamara’s eyes to widen in surprise.
Brooks wonders if the man has a death wish or has balls of steel because he steps from around the corner and extends a hand in greeting.
“Hello, Dr. McCafferty. I’m Evan Nelson, a friend of Everleigh’s. We go way back,” he adds with a twist of his hand, tightening his grip.
Well, if this man wants a challenge I can give him one, Brooks says to himself, the chuckle vibrating internally through his bones.
“I’m Brooks McCafferty, and this is the first I’ve heard of you, Evan. My wife hasn’t mentioned you before,” Brooks spouts as he adjusts his arm and grips their joined hands tighter, the other man flinching in pain.
“Wife?” Evan and Tamara question simultaneously.
“This explains so much,” Tamara whispers as if she has just discovered the greatest secret to the human race.
“Look, man,” Evan begins as he pulls away from Brooks and steps back around the pharmacist counter. “I didn’t mean anything by it, I consider Everleigh a friend and my dad asked me to keep an eye out for her whenever I fill in. Didn’t mean any harm.”
“It’s fine,” Brooks adds as he turns his attention back to the open-mouthed woman beside him.
“Tamara, you can’t say anything. She doesn’t want anyone to know. And I’ll do as she wishes.”
“Of course, Dr. McCafferty. I would do anything for her. You all make a cute couple now that I think about it.”
Listening to her words he isn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth and decides to use whatever leverage he can with Everleigh.
“Actually, she seems to be hell-bent on having our marriage annulled. I could use whatever help you can to get her to rethink her decision. I really like her.”
“Do you love her, Dr. McCafferty?”
Does he love her?he ponders.
“I’m sorry you don’t need to answer that. It’s between the both of you. But I do love Ms. Everleigh. She took a chance on me and I owe her, and I think she deserves to be loved like the rest of us. So, I’ll do my best to help you, doc.”
“I’d appreciate that, Tamara. Do you know when she’ll be back? I didn’t realize that she was going to take today off from work.”
“Well, here is my first job in helping you. Ms. Connelly, or should I say, Mrs. McCafferty, is sick. She called Evan early this morning, like 2 a.m., and asked him to cover for her today and possibly tomorrow. She said it was some twenty-four-hour bug. If I didn’t know she had been on the rag last week I would have asked her if she was pregnant, but then I may also be without a job, and I like my job, doc.,” she drones.
“Tamara, so you’re saying Everleigh is home sick with a stomach bug?”
She nods her head and Brooks thanks her before heading out the door and towards the market in town. Today is the day he proves to her how much he cares.
