Love Always (NG4)

42 - Why?

Cole jumped up off the sofa when Anna walked into their apartment sobbing. "Anna, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" She kept shaking her head no, while he thought of every scenario. "Is Andrew hurt? Michaela? Mike, did he get hurt on a call?" His worst fear came to him. "Did he find you?"

She gasped. "No, Sam broke up with Rory?"

"What? Why?" Cole held Anna but wanted to pace. "Calm down. We'll figure it out." Her sobbing slowed. "I should call him."

He hardly talked to his brother all summer. Sam sent texts occasionally, including a few pictures of him and Rory cozy in the hot tub. They seemed fine. Better than fine.

"Rory said he accused her of things that weren't true and wouldn't listen to her. Then he walked out. He flew to Virginia and left her." Anna sobbed as she wiped her eyes. "It's like last year in reverse."

Cole felt protective of his brother after all, Rory hurt him before. "What did Sam think she did?"

"She's been spending time with a kid whose mother died, and Sam got jealous of his Dad."

"A dad? Really?"

Anna nodded. "He's like thirty. Rory admitted he might like her, but she wasn't interested. Cole, Rory would never. She's not Cassie."

Cole thought of how Rory reacted to the whole Will thing. It was the same summer that Lana was seeing the guy who had a girlfriend. The rumor of the scene on Plover Way spread like wildfire. It didn't help that there were people sitting on the Probst's front porch. Keira told him, because they overheard the adults talking about it. Did The Point already know about Sam and Rory?

Sam. Even if he broke up with Rory, his brother must be hurting. "I need to call Sam."

Anna sighed. "Now I know how you felt about Rory."

"Ann, I get it, but Sam is family. You know that. You knew him before me."

Anna paced and her hand gestures could knock down a small child. "I know, but can I think he is stupid. He was stupid last year for not calling Rory, and he's acting stupid now."

Cole took out his phone and dialed his brother. It went straight to voicemail. He could be flying or filming. "He's not picking up. Jesus, Ann, don't let me ever mess us up."

She put her arms around him. "I would hunt you down."

He wanted to laugh as he visualized his little Anna with a spear, but none of it was a laughing matter.

"Cole, I can't eat. Do you want to drive over and walk on the beach?"

He nodded. "Okay. Maybe we'll feel like ice cream for dinner." That was the best thing about being adults; no one could tell them ice cream wasn't for dinner. Someday they would be the ones saying it.

After Anna changed her clothes, her eyes looked less red, so she probably used makeup too. Cole thought she looked beautiful without it. Ten minutes later as he drove across the causeway, he asked, "Where should we park?"

"Not your house. If Bryan and Alison don't know I don't want to tell them."

Cole nodded. "Do you think Maddie and Lana know?"

"Lana's leaving. School starts on Monday."

Cole frowned. "So early. Everything is changing." Sam and Rory were gone. "Will had training camp most of the summer."

Anna laughed which eased some tightness in his heart. "Like you missed Will."

"I only pretend not to like him. Honestly, he did me a favor."