week with no new footprints. Nothing. But Cash still refuses to leave me alone for long periods of time. I’ve been up on the mountain for almost a week now. Today we came into town for his meeting with the guys at the store and he’s meeting with his new finance guy.
‘So, he had admitted to everything that Cash said?’ Emelie asked.
I had just finished telling Emelie the story of what happened with Cash on game day and then how Jana broke up with Alex.
‘Yeah, he did and to be honest, I was so relieved when they broke up. I never thought he was a good person, and especially not good enough for her. But she really liked him, so I kept my mouth shut,’ I admit.
‘Oh, I hate those kinds of impossible situations.’ Emelie sighs as she finishes the last of her sandwich.
‘Me too, but we worked it out.’
‘So, things have been quiet since the last footprint sighting?’ she asks hesitantly.
‘Yeah, there’s been nothing. Every day, Cash goes out to check. To be honest, it’s kind of a relief to be down here in town because it’s actually more relaxing.’
Emelie just chuckles and shakes her head.
‘Well, we should go back to the store before the guys come chasing after us. Hopefully next time Jenna can join us. I guess she’s doing some big photography session down in Yellowstone this week,’ Emelie says.
Jenna, Phoenix’s wife, is a talented photographer, and she’s recently gotten a big photography gig in Yellowstone. It’s a great opportunity for her because they’ll be using her pictures in some of their promotional material for next season.
The moment we walked back into the store, Cash’s eyes are on me like Axel’s are on Emelie. Walking right to their sides, they pull us into their arms without missing a beat in the conversation.
As I bury my head in Cash’s chest, I’m smiling because it wasn’t that long ago, I was watching couples like this and hoping someday I could find it myself.
Finally, everyone begins preparation to go home, so Cash and I head to his truck.
‘Are you sure you won’t come to the meeting with me?’ he asks.
When he said he had a meeting with his finance guy, I asked him to take me to my house. Since he had a meeting, I could do some laundry, pack a new bag of stuff to take up to his place. Maybe even get a little work done. Also, I need to check in on Mrs. Tipton. It’s been a week since I’ve been back to my place.
‘I’m sure I’ve got plenty to do, and I will be fine where I’m at,’ I reassure him as we go to my place.
‘Well, I will have my phone on me the whole time if you need me. Go ahead and pack some extra stuff so you can leave it at my place.’
‘I don’t have a lot of extra things, but I’m sure I will find something.’
When I get to my place, he helps me carry my bag in before giving me a kiss and leaving for his meeting. I toss a load of laundry into the washer and then go right over to Mrs. Tipton’s house. Who, I’m pretty sure, was watching us out her window.
‘Girl, I was about to call the National Guard to go check on you.’ She sasses me as she opens the door and invites me inside.
‘I’ve been spending more and more time up on the mountain, and honestly, I love it.’ Deciding not to worry her, so I don’t tell her about the footprints and the mysterious guy in the woods.
We sit and chat and catch up for a while before I go back over and switch out my laundry. After checking my phone and I don’t have anything from Cash, I pack another bag and begin cleaning up a bit before he gets here.
Just as I finish putting the clean dishes away, there’s a knock on the door. Assuming it’s Cash, I rush to the door. Only when I open the door, it’s not Cash on the other side.
No, it’s my mom.
‘Look at you baby, you’re looking good. Montana is really agreeing with you.’
With the huge smile on her face, and after a quick glance, you would think she’s just a normal mother. But the red in her eyes, and with how skinny she is, it’s a big red flag that she’s still on the drugs.
‘Mom, what are you doing here? How the hell did you find me?’
It’s not like I kept in contact with her. Not only did I change my phone number, but I also changed all my passwords, and switched to a new bank.
‘Well now, I had to do a little digging, but when I searched your name, I found your editing website. My first thought was you finding a way to get paid to read is laziest way to earn money isn’t it?’
‘How did my editing website lead you here?’
‘Well, the website is linked to your company name, and after a quick search I saw a post office box here in Whiskey River. It wasn’t hard walking into the grocery store and asking about you. People here are really chatty.’
Something doesn’t sit right with me about her story. Yes, she could have found out I was in Whiskey River that way, but my mom is not computer savvy. She doesn’t even have an e-mail address because she has no idea how to check it, and she’s never kept the Internet on at the house long enough to care. Instead, she would rather use that money for drugs than to pay the internet bill.
Also, people of Whiskey River protect their own. I don’t think they would have given her my address or even confirmed that I was in town. Of course, if you don’t know my mother is a druggie, she can be super sweet and convincing. So who knows?
‘You still didn’t answer my question about what you’re doing here,’ I say, completely frustrated.
‘Well, I’m trying to turn over a new leaf. I’ve kicked my boyfriend to the curb and I’m trying to clean up. For several weeks, I’ve been sober. Now I want to rebuild our relationship.’
I have heard this spiel so many times that I have lost count. When her and whatever boyfriend she’s with splits up, she attempts to get sober. When she does really well, she tells me she wants to have a relationship with me. It’s all great and things go fine for a couple weeks, maybe a month or two, until the next guy shows up.
Then the next guy shows up, and it’s the same thing all over again. Forgetting all about me, she falls back down the path of drugs and not being able to pay rent.
‘You know what? I’m not interested. You’ll only care enough until the next guy comes along. Besides, you still look high as a kite.’
I go to close the door hoping she’ll take the hint, especially since Cash will be here soon and I don’t want him to run into her. The last thing I need is for her to know that I have a guy and to start asking all sorts of questions and try to worm her way into his life.
Once when I was living at home and in high school, I had a boyfriend. It was horrible because she would flirt with him, and I would not have been surprised if she ended up sleeping with him. Eventually, he was so uncomfortable around her that he broke up with me.
After that I didn’t date until after I was on the road and away from her. But even then, it never got very serious.
As I’m closing the door, she stops me.
‘Please help me. I used all my money to get here to see you. Can I at least have some money to get home?’
To an outsider, she probably sounds extremely convincing, but to me I’ve heard that tone of voice before. She’s a master at being able to act like she’s desperate.
‘No, because you’re just going to use any money I give you for drugs. I told you when I left, I was done. Now go away.’
This time, I close the door. Leaning against it, I wait for the telltale signs of her leaving. While I have no idea how she got here, I didn’t notice a car, so I’m guessing she walked.
I don’t know how long I stand there, but I don’t hear noise on the other side. But I just continue to stand there hoping she left.
Racing through my head is all the times she has told me that she dumped the guy and things were going to change. When I was little, I believed her. Then I would get so excited that my mom wanted to spend time with me.
During those few weeks in between guys, she would be almost the perfect mother. She would take me out, buy me new clothes and we would go out to eat. It was wonderful. She would pick me up and take me to school, she would clean the apartment, do laundry, and cook me dinner. All the things that I had learned to do for myself. She would even get a new or a better job.
I would get my hopes up that she was really going to change, and then I would come home from school one day and there would be a new guy sitting on the couch. Once again, she would be high as a kite and the cycle would start all over. Within a few weeks, she would lose that good job and would have to go back to working shifts at the diner or doing whatever else she might have been doing to make money. I never looked too hard into what she would do.
Throughout all my years in school, the cycle repeated itself over and over.
A knock on the door jolts me out of my thoughts.
‘I said go away. I’m not giving you any money.’ I yell through the door without even moving.
‘Baby, I don’t remember asking for money, but I promise you I don’t need it.’ Cash’s voice comes through the door.
Sagging with relief, I can barely get the door open.
