Don't Turn Back (Coming Home Book 1) (37 page)

The next morning I grab a couple biscuits from the breakfast area before rushing home to see Brian before he leaves for work. My first class of the morning is cancelled, so I have a few minutes I can spare before I need to leave for my second one.

Brian is surprised to see me.

I give him a big squeeze before passing him the bag containing our breakfast. “I missed you last night.”

“I missed you too.”

Brian’s phone rings, and he stands to take the call in the bedroom. I’m bothered he doesn’t have the conversation in front of me, but I also don’t want to act like a controlling wife, either. He returns after a few minutes.

“Everything okay?” I ask.

“Yeah, just my boss.” He acts no different.

“Well…” I continue, curious about his phone call. I blame it on pregnancy hormones and not jealousy. I’m not fond of his boss being a young female who likes to frequently call and text him, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m just thankful for the job he has now.

“She just wanted to know if I wanted her to pick me up something for breakfast. I told her I was already enjoying breakfast with my beautiful wife.”

That is so not appropriate
. I’m concerned about how often this happens and whether or not he calls her to ask the same. I tell myself to calm down; I don’t need to get myself worked up for nothing.

“Care for another cup of coffee?” I ask, not sure if he wants one for the drive to work or not.

“I think I’ll pass this time.” He replies. “I wouldn’t want to accidentally spill anything in my new car.” I love the smile that forms across his face as he mentions his car. I’m glad we were able to secure a deal that works into our budget.

Brian takes the trash on his way out the door, and I change into something comfortable before leaving for class. I’ve been tossing around the idea of taking a few classes over the summer, since I’m going to miss fall term to have the baby. Part of me wants to enjoy the time off, while the other part says I need to stay focused. I know my parents aren’t going to be thrilled about me missing a term, and I don’t want to fall too far behind, either. I still have time to think about things before I commit to anything.

The remainder of the week passes quickly. Brian and I decide to plan a trip to see his family. I’m nervous, but I’m sure nothing compares to what he feels. He decides to take three days off so we can leave as soon as I get home Saturday morning. His boss says he can still work as many hours as he needs to on his other days to make up for taking off on Saturday. I like the fact she is willing to help him, I just have this weird feeling about her. Ever since that day I showed up to surprise him and they were laughing and carrying on in the stock room, I’ve had mixed emotions about her. I’ve only met her once, the day Brian and I got married, and Brian never mentions anything about her or her personal life. The less I hear about her, the better off I am.

I pack our bags on Friday evening so we won’t have to bother with last minute issues on Saturday morning. Brian hasn’t said much all week--I know this trip is weighing heavily on his mind. Rather than call his parents ahead of time, he feels better just showing up. I’m not big on the idea, should they already have plans and not be home, but that’s the way he wants it to be.

Saturday morning arrives and I change from my work clothes into something more comfortable. Brian says the trip should take about nine or ten hours, depending on traffic, and I can sleep the entire way if I need to. We put our little bit of luggage into the trunk, and Brian pulls out of the parking lot, driving his new car.

It’s a beautiful day, perfect for our long trip. We’ve had to stop twice for a bathroom break already, and it’s not even noon yet. I shift around in the front seat and find it’s actually pretty comfortable. I fluff the pillow I brought along and pull the blanket around my waist. Brian turns the radio down, and I drift off to sleep.

I feel a light tapping on my arm and realize Brian is attempting to wake me. I bring the seat up and try to focus on where we are. He is pulling off at an exit to get gas and hopefully something to eat. I packed a bag of snacks, but I’m ready for some real food.

He gets back in the car and pulls across the street to a fast food place. I really wanted something more than a burger, but I’m not going to complain. While waiting for our order in the drive-up, Brian tells me we are making good timing, and we are well over half way. The nerves return, and I’m sure it’s only going to be worse the closer we get. I can only imagine what Brian is feeling.

I offer to drive but he refuses, insisting I need to rest. He drives in silence for a while and we both jump when his phone beeps alerting him that there’s a new text. Neither of us were expecting to hear from anyone, so I’m a bit curious who could be texting him. I figure it’s probably that boss of his. How dare she interrupt our trip. He picks his phone up from the console and asks me to read the text since he’s driving.

I glance down at his phone expecting to see her name, but it’s actually from a name I don’t recognize.
Rodney
. “Who’s Rodney, babe?”

“Oh, he’s the last guy we hired to close at night. He’s also training to be a manager but will probably move to another location as soon as he’s ready. What’s the text say?”

Oh my goodness!
I can’t believe what I’m reading. I look over at Brian and he can tell the look on my face doesn’t reveal good news. “Your boss just got fired.”

“What?” His face instantly angers, but I’m more concerned about him concentrating on his driving.

“Yeah, it says, ‘Melissa got let go this morning. Got questioned about several deposits that are missing. You know anything?’“

“Damn.” The look on Brian’s face concerns me. “That can’t be true.”

I turn the phone in his direction for him to read the text for himself. While I’ve never been a fan of Melissa, I hate for anyone to lose a job. I hope this doesn’t affect Brian negatively, but maybe this could be an opportunity for him to advance.

I can’t deal with the text right now. I must focus on my driving. I knew I should not have taken the day off, but no, I had to take this darn trip home. If I had been there, surely we could have figured out what happened to the deposits. There’s no way Melissa did anything with them. She would always have them ready for me each morning, I would initial the deposit slip indicating I verified everything, then she would walk to the end of the mall and drop it in the bank deposit slot. This happened daily, we never missed one.
Shit!
Then it hits me.

I run my fingers through my hair. No, I can’t deal with this right now.

Jennifer looks over at me, noticing my sudden frustration. “Are you okay?”

“Fuck!” I say out loud, but then regret it once the word leaves my mouth.

“Brian, slow down.” She’s almost yelling at me now.

I look down at the speedometer and see I’ve increased my speed well over the limit. I lift my foot from the gas pedal and allow the car to return to the posted speed limit. I hadn’t realized the text had affected me so much.

“I can’t believe this is happening.” The last thing I need right now is to fall into this mess Melissa has caused.

“What are you talking about?”

“Melissa. I hope to God this is some damn joke.”

“Brian, I don’t understand you. What is going on?”

“A few weeks ago, I opened up the store and told Melissa some things about my past. I was having a rough day and she said she was a good listener. The store was slow, so I broke down and told her about my past jobs, how nothing ever worked out right, even bringing up the situation over at Jared’s.”  I can see by the look on her face she’s having trouble following me. I’ve screwed up. How is it I can’t open up and talk to my wife about everything, but I can feel comfortable discussing it with my boss?
Boy, I suck!

Jennifer turns her head to look out the window. I know this hurts her.

I continue the story, putting myself deeper into trouble. “Melissa told me she was proud of my job performance so far, and I was probably going to be a candidate for my own store manager position very soon. She was so sincere and kind to me. Other than you, she’s been the only person to really give me a chance.”

“Brian, she’s your fucking boss. Isn’t that what bosses are supposed to do?”

“Jenn, I know you’ve never been fond of her, but she’s really been a cool person to work with.”

“So, why are you getting so worked up over this? If she’s such a good person, I’m sure your company will figure out there’s been a mistake and everything will come clear in the end.” I know Jennifer is only saying this, but I hope what she’s saying is true.

“
Uhhh
, how could I be so stupid? I cannot believe this.” I grip the steering wheel tighter and feel my blood pressure rising.

“Brian, just stop the damn car. You are getting so worked up over this. Either you tell me what is going on or pull over. Your driving is out of control and it’s scaring me!” She’s screaming at me.

The car veers slightly to the right, running over the reflectors lining the highway.
Bump, bump, bump
. I pull the car back into the lane, probably harder than I should.

“Damn it Jennifer. Don’t fucking yell at me.” I turn to face her, and I’m sure mine is red.
I’m fuming now
. It’s bad enough the situation I’m dealing with, but now my wife wants to make it even worse by criticizing my driving. I realize I am driving way over the speed limit again, so I back off slightly.

I pull up too quickly on the car ahead of me and jerk the car to the left to avoid hitting the rear bumper.

“Brian, please stop. Slow down.” Even though she says this more calmly, I’m still beyond angry with myself. I’m angry with Jennifer. I’m angry with anyone right at this moment.

Without thinking, I bring my hand up, and I instantly regret what happens next. The back of my hand grazes her cheek and she immediately brings her hand up to cover the sting of the blow. I can’t believe I just slapped her! She wouldn’t shut up. She kept screaming at me about my driving, only making it worse.

What the hell have I done now?

Angry tears pool in her eyes. I can’t bring myself to look at her. I pull off the side of the road realizing it’s not safe to drive until I’ve calmed down and apologized for my outburst, but Jennifer grabs her purse and jacket and jumps from the front seat leaving the car door open before the car has barely come to a complete stop. She still has her hand on her cheek but she’s walking faster than I have ever seen her move before.

“Jennifer.” I call out to her. “Look, I’m sorry. Please, just let me explain. Please get back in the car.” I slowly ease the car forward, coming as close to her as possible.

It doesn’t take me long to realize she’s not going to stop, and I can’t keep driving like this down the side of the interstate in the emergency lane. The car could get hit, and I don’t want that to happen.

Still, she keeps trudging along, never looking back. I finally bring the car to a stop and get out on the passenger side to avoid the vehicles coming up behind me. “Jennifer, stop!” I yell to her.

She turns to face me with a look of disgust, and I can’t help but feel responsible for the tears streaming down her face. I also notice the red mark that’s still clearly visible across her cheek. I’m so sorry for this mess I’ve created.

As though it sickens her to look at me, she turns and keeps walking.

“Jennifer, you’ve got to stop. This is crazy. You know I didn’t mean to do it. Get back in the car.” I plead.

No matter how much I beg her, she has obviously made up her mind she’s not getting back in the car with me. I walk back to the car and sit there for a moment. “Damn it!” I yell, while beating my hands on the steering wheel.
How can I be so stupid?
I’ve gone and messed up the one thing I had going right for me. How could I have lost control and slapped Jennifer?
What the hell was I thinking?