Page 20 of One Night to Fall
ADRIAN: Thank you
WREN: Take care of him
ADRIAN: I will
14
ADRIAN
The air feels cooler than when I got into the car, but maybe that’s because I cranked up the heat on the way over. Traffic was light and I’m thankful because I’m still trying to figure out what the hell I’m even doing right now.
But then I see Jesse’s truck parked in front of a small building and sigh.
Here we go.
Pulling into the dirt lot of the Wintervale Tree Farm, I drive up next to his truck and turn off the car. Taking a steadying breath, I climb out with keys and phone in hand, and I start my walk into the trees.
It’s peaceful here, and I can understand why Jesse decided to unwind here—or whatever he’s doing.
How the hell am I going to find him?
Wren said he’d be in the north corner but that could be acres, and the last thing I need is to get lost out here in shorts and a sweatshirt designed more for fashion than function.
Stopping, I pull my phone from my pocket and dial Jesse’s number, holding my breath as I listen. Sure enough, the faintestringing sounds somewhere ahead of me before Jesse sends me to voicemail.
Fine.
He wants to play games? We’ll play.
Walking faster, I hit redial, the ringing only lasting a few seconds before he ends the call.
ADRIAN: Stop sending me to voicemail
JESSE: No
Growling,I call him once more, this time taking off at a jog as I weave through the rows of pine trees.
“Mother— God damn tree. Dick keeps calling and?—”
Jesse’s words are slurred as he staggers to the left before righting himself, a bottle of what looks like whiskey dangling from his fingertips.
“Yeah, well, you made this dick run through a damn forest to find you.”
Startled, he falls back a step, his eyes squinting at me. “I didn’t ask you to come.”
“You didn’t. But I came anyway.”
“Why?”
“Because we’refriends,” I tell him, putting an extra emphasis onfriendseven though I’m sure he won’t remember. “And you’re apparently trashed. Seriously, how long have you been here?”
“Didn’t eat today.” He holds up the bottle with a halfhearted smile. “This is dinner.”
I want to tell him that getting drunk in a field by himself is probably not the best idea, but I stop, taking in the sadness in his eyes and the slump of his shoulders.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask instead, taking a step toward him and gently pulling the bottle from his grip.
“We had to put a horse down today. One of our rescues. There was nothing else we could do, and I’ve been around horses my whole life so I’ve seen this, you know? It just still hurts. I know that’s probably stupid.”
