Page 96 of Then Came You

Gillian appreciated Lauren’s attempt to soothe her, but she didn’t feel any better.

“Why don’t you come out with Savannah and me instead of staying home alone?” Lauren offered.

“We’re going to a bar in Clarkston to celebrate Octoberfest,” Savannah added.

“Great. So, now I have to worry about you two out on the roads too.”

“Come with us, and be our designated driver,” Savannah urged. “It’ll be fun, and it’ll keep your mind off Sam.”

“No thanks, but promise me you’ll call an Uber later if you need to.”

“Yes, Mom,” Savannah teased.

An hour later, Gillian pulled up to Sam’s house to pick up Rocky. Since Sam wasn’t home, she was able to pull right into the garage, which was good since the rain was coming down in torrents.

Using the spare key he’d given her, she let herself in and greeted Rocky, who’d been sitting just inside the door. As a kid, she’d been intimidated by German shepherds since there was one in the neighborhood who’d barked and growled at her whenever she’d gone near it. Rocky was a sweetheart, though, and she stooped down and hugged him around the neck.

“Do you want to come home with me?”

Rocky nodded, or so she wanted to believe.

“Let’s get your leash, and we’ll go.”

She went into the laundry room, retrieved his leash, and clipped it on his collar.

She turned to leave and then decided to grab a change of clothes for Sam. He might have packed a duffle bag, but since they hadn’t discussed it, she’d pack a few things just in case.

She knew right where everything was, and as she was gathering his clothes, it struck her. She felt so at home there now—in his house, with his dog, and with him. She enjoyed being there just as much as her house, maybe even more. She loved looking out the back windows at the lake, which was beautiful even on a night like tonight. She could easily imagine living there with him permanently.

The idea made her head spin, and she moved over to the bed and plunked down on it. After Owen had died, she’d assumed that she’d never leave his/their house. After all, it was a part of him, a part of them, and if she stayed there, she’d be able to keep his memory alive. Now, for the first time, she realized that might not be the best choice for her or Sam. Owen would live on in her heart and mind, but that didn’t mean she had to stay chained to the past. The present and her future were what mattered, and that included Sam. The realization was staggering.

How must Sam feel when he came over to the house she’d shared with Owen? She’d kept herself surrounded by his things as a means of providing comfort, but that had been when she’d been alone. She wasn’t alone anymore, and maybe it was time to make some changes.

Just then, a loud crack of thunder shook the house and shook her out of her reverie. Rocky was patiently waiting for her just outside the bedroom door, and she quickly hopped off the bed.

“Sorry, buddy. I got lost in thought. Let’s go see Cocoa.”

Rocky’s ears perked up upon hearing his friend’s name, and he happily trotted after her as they left the house.

Later that evening, Gillian was curled up on the couch with the dogs at her feet and the movie playing on TV. She’d thought the romantic comedy would provide the perfect distraction, but the wind was howling, and the rain came down so hard at times that it drowned out the sound of the movie.

Finally, she gave up and turned off the TV, deciding to try reading instead. She picked up her new book from the coffee table, but after reading a few pages, she set it back down. Lauren had talked her into reading a popular suspense novel, but given the rotten weather and her worries about Sam, the story gave her the creeps.

She picked up her phone from the couch cushion beside her and glanced at it like she’d been doing all evening. Occasionally Sam would call during his shift, but on a night like tonight, he was probably busy concentrating on the road, which was as it should be. There were still two hours left before he got off work, and there was no sign of the weather letting up. She wondered how Savannah and Lauren were faring at the bar, and she hoped they’d take her advice and take an Uber home.

After reading and responding to a few emails, checking her Facebook page (she rarely posted anything, but she liked to see what her friends were up to), and perusing the website of one of her favorite retail stores, she decided to check the local news. She didn’t read the news daily, finding it too depressing, yet something compelled her to check it that night.

The minute she opened the local news page, the words “Breaking News” caught her attention. She scanned the news brief and was overcome with dread. According to the article, there’d been a serious and “potentially fatal” car accident involving a motorist and a police vehicle near the entrance ramp from Holly Road to I-75.

Gillian read it twice, but the article had just been posted ten minutes ago, and there were no further details. She sat there for a minute, clutching her phone in disbelief.

“It can’t be him. Please, God. Don’t let it be him.”

She pushed herself off the couch and started pacing, trying to talk herself down in the process. “It could be anyone in that cop car. It might not even be an officer from Holly. The article didn’t state that, and it said potentially fatal, not fatal. The reporter might be wrong since the accident just happened.”

The dogs eyed her with concern as she paced across the small living room and tried to decide what to do. Her first instinct was to call Sam, but she remembered what Owen used to say: “A police officer’s first duty is to help others, not call home to report that they’re safe.” It was only after he’d responded to an emergency that he’d call her, and sometimes, it wouldn’t be for hours. It had been terrifying, and now she was facing it all over again.

“What should I do?”