Trapped Under Ice (29 page)

“To the airport,” he answered gruffly.

“But I didn’t even get to say goodbye to Chad.”

“Believe me, it’s for the best. You need to go home to Cassie. You don’t belong in this mess,” he observed, his voice soft.

Beth stewed in her seat, glancing at the clock again. She threw the numbers around in her head. There wasn’t time to go back. She sighed, looking out the window. Maybe it was best that they have some distance anyway. She needed to think things through.

***
              

Pete returned the Cadillac to its parking space at the stadium. As he got out, Chad, who had been watching out the window of the bus, came running toward him. He craned his head to scout behind the big man, but seeing no one else get out, he asked flatly, “Where is she?”

“She’s gone,” Pete replied, unable to keep the note of self-satisfaction out of his voice.

Chad turned around and marched toward the bus, saying over his shoulder, “I’m calling a cab.”

“It’s too late! She’s already gone!” Pete yelled after him. Chad entered the bus. “I made sure of that,” he added to himself.

***
              

Cali opened the door to find her best friend on her front stoop. Her shoulders were slumped and her face was cut and swollen. “Shit, girl! What happened to you?” Cali threw her arm around Beth and pulled her inside.

Hours later, after Beth had told her story and had taken a second shower, she lay sleeping on the couch. She told Cali what had happened, but Cali saw it as tinted by her own past experience with men. She sat in a chair with her feet up on the coffee table, sipping coffee and watching Beth sleep. She told her it was an accident, but didn’t they all say that?

She’s too damn naïve
.
She wants to think everyone is like Paul, but they’re not. Paul and Beth were the exception to the rule—two people who loved each other with all their hearts, unselfishly, unendingly. She simply has no idea how rare that is
.
This Chad was a jerk, like all the rest, and all that could mean was heartache for her best friend.

The sound of the doorbell interrupted Cali’s thoughts. She glanced over at Beth, but she hadn’t stirred. Cali wondered who it could be; she wasn’t expecting anyone. When she opened the door, Chad stood there in his signature black t-shirt and jeans, although there was a cold wind blowing his sleeves and it was easy to see the hair standing up on his arms. He had his hands jammed into his front pockets and stood there uncomfortably, shifting from foot to foot, a remorseful expression on his face.

“Hi, Cali,” Chad began.

She stepped onto the porch, closing the door behind her. “What the hell did you come here for? To finish destroying her? And for that matter, how the hell did you know where I live?”

He sighed, looking down and scratching at some invisible dirt with his foot. “I asked for your address at the school. Told them I’d lost it and I was supposed to send you some concert tickets.”

“You just lied to them, and they believed you, just like you’ve been lying to Beth.”

“I never lied to Beth.”

“No, you just conveniently forgot to tell her the truth about yourself. That you’re a drunk and a thug and you slept with her just to get laid.”

“That’s not true!” he responded heatedly, reflexively taking a step forward.

Cali stepped up on the doorstep, grabbing the doorknob. “So, what? Are you going to hit me now, too? You just stay the hell away from her! She’s a kind, sweet person and she deserves better than you.” She slipped inside the door and quickly slammed it in Chad’s face.

Beth was up and shuffling toward her. “Who was that?”

“Oh, just a neighbor wanting to borrow a cup of sugar.”

“From you? Don’t they know you can’t bake?”

“Apparently not,” Cali rejoined, glancing back over her shoulder as if expecting to find someone there. “How about a cup of hot chocolate? Come with me into the kitchen and talk to me while I make some.”

Cali waited uneasily, worried Chad would bang on the door or make his presence known in some other way. She had to keep him from Beth.

***              

Chad stood on the porch, trying to figure out what his next move was. When Beth wasn’t at home, he decided she must be at Cali’s. The way she chewed him out, Beth must have told her what happened between them, and the way she was blocking the door like a mother bear told him Beth was inside. If he could only talk to her, explain himself. But what was he to do? Wait around like some stalker for her to come out? Bang on the door and call her name? No, that was the kind of behavior that got him into this mess in the first place. Confused and upset, he turned around and climbed back into the cab he had hoped to send away.

On the plane back, Chad stared out the window, but it was nighttime and there was nothing to look at. Cali’s voice was still ringing in his head.
What the hell did you come here for? To finish destroying her? You’re a drunk and a thug and you slept with her just to get laid.
He had not slept with her to get laid; he knew that to be true. She captivated him from the start. She asked nothing of him, and somehow made the ache inside him go away. She had the power to pull him out of himself, out of the darkness, the misery, and the despair. He couldn’t let that go.

But what about the other accusations? It was true he had hurt her on more than one occasion, despite his best intentions. The image of her cut and swelling face as she lay on the floor of the tour bus haunted him. He knew he didn’t intend to hurt her, but like Pete said,
‘accidents’ seem to happen around him. And he heard his father’s voice, the voice she made silent, telling him he was no good, he was worthless. The farther he got away from her, the louder the voices grew, until he finally asked the stewardess for a drink in an effort to silence them.

***              

The next morning, Chad didn’t call, which was unusual. Beth expected him to phone because he always insisted that their calls be “on his dime.” She figured he was exhausted from all the turmoil of the last couple of days and must be sleeping in. She tried to reach him after work, but he never picked up. She left messages, but he never called back. By late that night, she had to believe that he was no longer interested in talking to her. She tried to wrap her mind around that, but something just didn’t seem right.

Beth got up early because she’d offered to drive Cali to work while her car was in the shop. She checked her phone. No messages. As she drove to her friend’s she wondered what she should do. She wanted to be a responsible parent, and bringing someone with a violent temperament into the home was not good for Cassie. But Cassie would be gone to college in just a few months. She knew that it was foolish to go into a relationship thinking that you could change someone, but Chad had never really had the opportunity to change, no one to care enough about him to help him through it. She was sure that with a good therapist he could gain control over his temper. At least she needed to give him a chance. She was subdued on the drive to school.

As Beth began her day’s work, the school secretary walked in. She and her friends greeted the older lady warmly. “Good morning, Barb.”

“Good morning, ladies. I’ve got your lunch count here.” She addressed Beth, “Oh, and I just have to tell you that your young man was so sweet when he stopped in the other day to get Cali’s address. Were you able to spend your day off with him?”

“Huh? No,” she said slowly. “No, he had to get back.”

“Oh, that’s a shame. Well, you all have a good day.”

“You, too, Barb,” the rest of the lunch ladies chorused.

Chad had been there…and he must have been at Cali’s, too. That was who was at the door. He must have caught the very next flight out of New Jersey to talk to her. Cali entered from the back room, tying her apron strings behind her.

“Why didn’t you tell me he was here?” Beth blurted out, her voice like the edge of a blade. The chitchat, which was the usual trademark of the kitchen, was noticeably lacking; all eyes were on Beth and Cali.

“Beth, he’s no good for you.”

“That is my decision to make!”

“You were in no shape—”

“Cali!” Just when it seemed like she was going to explode, Beth sighed. “I know you were doing what you thought was best for me”—the fire returned to her voice with her final words—“
but don’t ever lie to me again!
”

“I’m sorry, Beth,” she answered contritely. “I made a mistake.”

“All right, then,” Beth relented, but internally she worried about whether it was too late to fix the mistake.

***              

After work, Beth drove Cali home. She parked in the driveway, but left the engine running. “I need a favor.”

“Anything,” Cali offered, grateful for an opportunity to make up for lying to her. She took Beth’s hands. “You know your friendship means everything to me. No one has ever been there for me like you have.”

“I know, Cali.”

“What can I do?”

“Cassie gets home from her retreat tonight. Can you stay with her?”

“You’re going to see him.”

“We have to talk.”

Cali nodded. “I’ll stay with
Cas as long as you need me to.”

“Thanks,” Beth said, giving her a quick hug.

Cali watched her drive away with deep regret.
She’s just going to get her heart broken.
She shook her head and turned away from the window. She packed an overnight bag so she’d be ready when Cassie got off the bus.

***              

Beth had poor timing as Pete was just coming out for a smoke as her cab drove away.

“Beth, what are you doing here?” he stammered, clearly disappointed.

“I think you know.”

“Believe me, you don’t want to go in there. He’s in worse shape than I’ve ever seen him before.”

“Pete,” she began, contemplating her words as she spoke, “I am very grateful for all you’ve done for me, and for Chad. But if you don’t get out of my way, I’m gonna start calling out his name.”

Pete was surprised by the amount of determination he heard in her voice. Realizing he’d done all he could, he stepped aside. But as Beth started to walk through the door, he put a hand on her arm. “Good luck,” he murmured with sincerity. “If you need me, I’ll be right outside this door, you got it?”

She put her hand on top of his, and gave it a squeeze. “Thank you.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

It was immediately evident Chad had been on one hell of a drinking binge. Bottles lined the counters and tabletops, and spilled out onto the floor from overflowing trash cans.

Beth surveyed the damage. “Good Lord!”

Then, her eyes fell upon Chad. When she came in, he was sitting on one of the couches with his head leaning back against the top of the cushion.

But as soon as he heard her voice, Chad’s eyes flew open. A spark of hope flitted through them and his face lightened for a second. He almost stood, but seemed to change his mind halfway up and sat back again. He tore his eyes from her and stared at his hands as he folded them on top of the table. “What are you doing here?” he asked coldly.

Startled by his tone, Beth hesitated. The words she was about to speak flew out of her mind as if spirited away on a sudden gust of wind. “I-I came—”

“You came to make things up with me, huh?” Chad queried, his voice laced with sarcasm. “Well, it’s too damned late.” He knew he had to make the words hurt to drive her away for good.

She stumbled forward a step, fighting to remain calm. “You don’t mean that.”

Grabbing on to the words Cali gave him, Chad threw out the lie, trying to make it sound as real as possible. “The hell I don’t. Beth, don’t you understand? You were nothing but a good lay to me from the start.” He inwardly cringed at the sight of the pain he caused on her face, but he kept going, knowing it was the right thing to do, even if it was killing him. His mind spun, finding the words he needed. “But this whole relationship is just more trouble than it’s worth. I could have any girl out there.” He waved his hand at the window, but suddenly he remembered the conversation they had in his bedroom that night in Kansas City, and he faltered.

Beth also seemed to remember the conversation as she sprung on his line. “But you chose me.”

Chad strove to regain his footing. “That was a mistake.” He took another swig from his bottle to numb the darts of pain stabbing through him.

She sobbed, looking away from him, toward the ceiling, unable to continue staring into his emotionless eyes. “Why are you doing this? Why are you saying these things to me?”

Chad stared down at his hands again, trying to hide how difficult this was for him. Without warning, Beth sat down across from him and laid her hands on his. The sight of her little hands covering his massive ones, along with the warmth and familiarity of her touch, was almost too much for him. He jumped up and swept his arm across the table, clearing all of the bottles onto the floor with a crash. “GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!” he roared. “I’M FINISHED WITH YOU!” He turned around so she couldn’t see the tears in his eyes or the way her touch affected him.