We talked about my plan to leave and I agreed to take a few thousand dollars to keep myself afloat for a bit. I would return to Brown and continue going to school there. I would talk to the administration about the rowing scholarship I had and what it meant for me in the long run. I also promised Bridge I would return when the baby was born.
My mom was moving to Montana and planned on living with Bridget until she was done with her education, including college.
I had done everything I could for the family that did all they could for us, and I was more than satisfied.
Now, if I could only muster up the courage to leave Cricket behind.
Early in the morning, I discharged myself, much to Dr. Caldwell’s dismay, but I promised him I would see a nephrologist as soon as I got to Providence and would report back to him. I thanked him and grabbed the bag Bridge hesitantly packed for me.
I kissed my sister and mother goodbye and caught a taxi to the airport.
I was going to keep Cricket Hunt safe if it killed me...or tried to...again.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
It had been nine days, seven hours and three, no, four minutes since I’d left Montana and I was in torment. I was getting shit sleep, not just because I was recovering from surgery, but mostly because I kept dreaming of the night I kissed Cricket.
I laid in bed, in my new apartment with bars on the window, with my new furniture I got at the Goodwill. I didn’t buy anything upholstered there though. I drew the line there. Instead, I splurged and bought one sofa at Ikea as well as a mattress from one of those monster warehouse places that also sell gallons of nacho cheese.
But it wasn’t the apartment I had a problem with. It was the fact that my home was two thousand five hundred fifty-six miles away, because my home was Cricket.
My alarm clock started beeping, indicating it was five-thirty in the morning and I did, indeed, have to start my first day of work at the campus coffee shop.
My summer semester wouldn’t start for a few more weeks, but I had to do something to pay bills. I was basically miserable without Cricket, so why not tack on the added bonus of smelling like I’d been marinating in a coffee bean bag for twelve hours a day, right?
You can do it, I told myself. Just take it a day at a time. I sat up. Okay, maybe a minute at a time.
Since I’d gotten back, I’d seen a doctor several times and I was recovering well. He’d given me a clean bill of health to return to work. I called and talked to Bridge every day. She was getting bigger, staying healthy, things were going strong with Jonah, which I was glad to hear. When she tried to talk to me about Cricket, I would stop her before she could continue.
“No sense in torturing myself,” I’d tell her.
I’d also written a very detailed apologetic letter to Peter Knight and his wife for my part in my dad’s scandal. I explained everything to him and his wife but hadn’t gotten a response, not that I expected one. I was just glad I told him the truth. I wasn’t sure if it would help the man, but I hoped it gave him the evidence he needed to prove his innocence to his wife if my dad did the unthinkable.
I stood and took a shower in my three-by-three-foot bathroom, brushed my teeth before dressing in my uniform of jeans and a t-shirt. I grabbed my starched apron and keys and left, locking the door behind me.
I left my truck with my mom and Bridge, but got a place close enough to campus that I could walk without any issues. I passed a guy I remembered from my freshman year and waved. He looked surprised I’d done so but waved back. It made me think of the impression I gave off when I was here as the “other” Spencer.
The little coffee shop had an outside kiosk during the warmer months, so I was assigned to it since it didn’t get quite as busy as the shop inside the campus. I was greeted by a senior named Jason. He showed me the ropes, taught me how to make the more difficult drinks, where the supplies could be found and everything else. I could run the kiosk by myself just with an hour’s worth of training.
After he showed me the entire kiosk and their procedures, he leaned against the counter.
“Is there nothing else to do?” I asked him.
“Nothing, man, just chill and wait for people is all.”
Coming from the grueling day-to-day of the ranch made it feel like I was being lazy just setting back.
“Wait a minute,” he said, snapping his fingers. “I know you.”
“You do?”
“Hell yeah, you’re that rich bastard who takes all the girls.” He narrowed his gaze at me. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I’m, uh, I’m not rich,” I laughed.
“Bullshit. You’re filthy rich, dude. I saw the cars you drove around here.”
I held up my hands. “I need to clarify. I was just using my dad’s money and he cut me off.”