“She just said she quit and wouldn’t be seeing us every morning anymore.”
Scratching my chin, I stared into space trying to absorb that news.
Melanie interrupted my thought process. “Can I get you anything?”
Without even paying attention, I said, “Sure. A nonfat three-pump vanilla latte, low foam and extra hot.”
“You’re getting Aubrey’s drink?”
“Uh…yeah.” I hadn’t even realized that I’d ordered it. “Why not?” I shrugged. “For old time’s sake.”
As I sat at the corner table, swirling the foamy milk around in my cup, I tried to convince myself that her leaving the job and not telling me didn’t necessarily mean that she’d chosen to move to Boston with Dick. I could have texted her, but a part of me wasn’t ready for the answer. Maybe she only decided to quit, seeing as though the firm was shutting down anyway. Either way, this would likely be my last hurrah at the Starbucks that served as the backdrop for my time here with Aubrey. I wouldn’t be spending any more mornings stalking her on Jefferson if she didn’t work here anymore. I emptied my wallet of the cash inside and stuffed over a hundred dollars in the tip jar.
“Thank you, Mates. Appreciate your help all these weeks.”
Melanie’s eyes widened. “Wow, thank you. You won’t be back?”
“Afraid not.”
When I pulled up to Aubrey’s house, a white and blue sign on the front lawn was the first thing that caught my eye. My heart started to pound furiously.
What in the hell?
As I got out close enough to read it, I saw that it said, For Rent. My heart seemed to fall to my stomach. Taking my key out, I rushed to the front door and opened it. Mutton’s water bowl was still in the kitchen, but it was empty. No sign of the goat anywhere. All of the furniture was still in place, but it seemed all of Aubrey’s personal belongings were gone.
I was practically flying through the house. A sweep of her bedroom also confirmed the worst. Every last item of clothing in her closet was also gone. Sitting on her bed and looking around the room, reality was starting to sink in. Adrenaline pumped through me.
Calm down, Chance.
In a daze, I returned outside into the blinding sun. I opened the shed and started packing my lawn equipment into the back of the truck. That was when I heard a whistle.
Turning around, I realized it was Aubrey’s nutty neighbor, Philomena. She’d run outside to meet the UPS guy and was carrying a brown box.
She sauntered over to me, dragging her slippers on the pavement. She had rollers in her hair, and her lips were sloppily outlined with bright pink pencil but no lipstick. “Hey, hot stuff.”
Trying to act friendly despite my rotten mood, I said, “Nice to see you again, Philomena. What do you have there in the box?”
“Who knows? I order stuff in my sleep and don’t even remember.” She snorted.
“Ah, that’s right. The four Magic Bullets. You gave Aubrey one.”
“You want one? I’ll trade you for a ride on your mower.”
“That’s alright. I’m retired from the lawn care business as of today.”
“You mean now that she’s gone?”
My eyes darted toward hers. “You know where she went?”
“I didn’t have a chance to talk to her, saw her leaving with the boyfriend yesterday. She was inside packing. I asked him what was going on, and he said she was moving to Boston with him. Next thing I knew, there was a sign up out front this morning.”
My ears felt like they were burning. “Really…”
“Yeah.”
I couldn’t remember what I said to Philomena after that. I didn’t even have a recollection of the ride back to the motel. I would have expected to feel angry or confused, but everything was just numb.
Holding my phone in my hands as I sat on the bed, I wanted to text her, but the more I thought about it, the less it seemed like a good idea. If she really were moving to Boston, she didn’t even bother to tell me that she’d made her decision. Was she there already? Was she even going to call me this weekend like she’d promised? Suddenly, the numbness was wearing off, replaced by pure rage.
Grabbing my wallet, I walked across the way to the bar. I didn’t want to feel the emotions of losing her. I didn’t want to feel anything tonight.
The words rolled off my tongue bitterly. “Hit me up, Carla Babes.”
Carla looked absolutely shocked to see me sitting in my usual spot. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again, Aussie.”