Cold Feet novel Chapter 14

RICK

The drama has ended and the story has passed. Viola and the Wedding Whisperer are little but a memory and the odd social media meme that pops up here and there.

Trish’s divorce case has been settled. There really wasn’t much chance for Eric to fight given the evidence against him. It’s been one of my easiest cases ever and I’m glad it’s over.

I can’t stop thinking about Viola though. Not because I feel sorry for her but because I want to see her. I want to be with her. I’ve tried calling her and sent text messages but she doesn’t answer. I’ve driven by her house a few times.

I know it’s creepy but I don’t care.

A ‘For Sale’ sign has been hammered into the beautifully manicured front lawn. It tells me she wasn’t lying but then I never took her for a liar. All I saw in Viola was a woman who had nothing but the best of intentions in her heart. She believed in what she did. It was her passion and creating beautiful days and memories for couples made her happy.

I know she knows I’ve called and sent her messages. I stop calling and sending messages as much as I don’t want to. She made it clear she was upset with me and that we’d never be a couple. If she wanted to talk to me, she would have answered, would have returned my calls.

I don’t drive by her house again for a month. I decide to do it when I visit a client that lives near to her and decide to make the detour and just maybe stop in and see if she might warm to me a little.

As I drive by, I see something that makes me stop the car. I pull to the curb and look at the house as my heart sinks. The ‘For Sale’ sign has been replaced by a ‘Sold’ sign. I call the agent’s number on the sign and am soon connected to the agent who informs me that the house was sold a week ago. She tells me that the new owner is taking possession in two days and that Viola has already vacated the property. I could ask for a forwarding number or address but I know it’s useless. The agent won’t give me Viola’s details. I thank her and hang up. It’s over. I drive off feeling as if the world has lost its color.

I knew she didn’t want to be with me, she made that clear but I took some comfort in the thought that at least she was still here and I could drive by her house and maybe pluck up the courage to see her again at some point.

I always hoped that there might be a second chance despite her ignoring my calls and messages.

I’ve never been big on relationships for personal reasons. I grew up in a home where both my parents cheated on each other. I watched them rip each other and the family apart. Thank God I was an only child. It made it easier to run away when I did. I didn’t have to worry about leaving a sister or brother behind or taking them with me. I never saw my parents again but I looked them up when I became a lawyer. They eventually divorced and moved on. My mother married the man she cheated on my father with. My father never married again and passed away a few years later.

I’ve always shied away from marriage. I’ve had a few long-term relationships but they’ve always ended when my partner wanted to get engaged or married. I now prefer to stick to the short-term relationships. The shorter the better. It works for me and saves me having to go deep to an emotional level that risks either one getting hurt worse than necessary when it ends.

And feeling the way I do, I can’t help but wonder why I am attracted to Viola more than I have ever been attracted to any other woman. Surely, I would have hurt her with my inability to commit so maybe what happened was a blessing in disguise…