Page 116 of To Belong Together
Was there truth to that? Perhaps some.
But he’d learned from the situation with Dad that he lost people when he opened up.
He’d learned from Nicole and his sisters that people who wanted his money would manipulate him to get it.
Without those lessons, today would hurt a lot less. But only because he wouldn’t recognize the relationship for what it was: doomed to failure.
37
After his abrupt departure following the funeral on Saturday, Erin was surprised to get a text from John on Sunday, checking in.
She may have read too much into his quick exit. Of course she had. Her emotions were primed and ready to jump to conclusions.
On Monday, she received and accepted an offer on her house. A flurry of activity that hardly involved her—a home inspection, loan underwriting, title check, and so on—would take about a month and a half. Then the deal would close, and she would apply the money to Mom’s balances before the cut-off date in the letter.
In her excitement, she texted John news of the sale.
He congratulated her and asked how she was doing, but when she pushed her luck, inviting him to dinner, he declined, citing work.
Just like that, having a buyer for her house lost its sparkle.
It wasn’t as though she was gaining anything by selling her house. She was only preventing one more loss.
She’d part with the rest of her belongings too, if only she could keep John.
But he’d already grown distant. What had happened? Why had he changed at the funeral?
When she walked out of Mom’s house on Tuesday morning and caught sight of his car parked at the curb, her skin tingled with a flush of relief. He must’ve been watching for her, because the driver’s door opened, and he met her gaze over the roof before starting toward her. His somber expression quickly drained her hope and replaced it with dread.
He stopped his advance on the terrace. “We need to talk.”
“Something is wrong.” Tears washed into her eyes. “What is it?”
A slow-moving car drew his attention to the street. As he faced her again, regret etched his expression. “Is there a place we can go?”
She scanned the blank faces of her neighbors’ windows. He was right to be concerned about an audience. In a small town, neighbors were always watching, and that would go double if they recognized John. Even in the backyard, they might have an audience in Mrs. Weber, who seemed to spend most days on her deck. Mom was puttering around inside. Erin’s car, which she’d left in the driveway overnight, was an option, but the windows weren’t tinted, and sitting there wouldn’t feel very private.
She unlocked the garage’s side door. On a sensor, the overhead light spilled dim illumination to compliment the pale glow from the small, high windows on the west wall. She stood in the empty space next to the car someone from church had loaned Mom. Dad’s last drive had totaled their vehicle, and maybe that was better. Erin wasn’t sure she or her mom could’ve handled facing such a tangible reminder of how they’d lost him.
John scanned the area, brows drawn. Had he wanted a homier environment for this conversation?
To her, a garage seemed fitting. Whatever he had to say, she’d take it best with her feet on solid, familiar ground.
Only he didn’t look her way, much less say anything.
“I thought we were good,” she said.
His pained gaze locked on her face. “So did I.”
“But?”
“I heard about the foreclosure.”
“Oh.” She pulled her Hirsh Auto jacket tighter around herself. “Mom and Dad got behind on their mortgage.” Her lungs seemed to spasm, sucking in and pushing out a sudden breath. But why was she nervous? She’d never lied to him. “If Mom doesn’t get caught back up, the bank will foreclose. That’s why I’m selling and moving in with her. To help out.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” As though he’d wanted to say more, he hesitated after the last word before closing his mouth and clenching his jaw.
“You were so angry after your accident when you asked if I had my eye on your bank account. And you broke up with Nicole over money. I didn’t want you involved in our trouble. I was protecting our relationship.”
