The Apology - Chapter 6
This chapter isn’t really about Sydney. It’s about a phone call. More specifically, it’s about waiting for a phone call.
Alone in Sydney, Quinn finally hears from Robbie. The relief she feels arrives faster than the questions she isn’t ready to ask
Chapter 6 - Mirage of Trust
New to Echo Canyon? Start here: Chapter 1
Or go to the Table of Contents for the Chapter listing
Australia
Quinn was back in the cottage, unsure if she could stay there.
She turned on all of the lights, making the rooms feel less empty. A suitcase lay on the bed, half unpacked. She didn’t remember pulling it out. Had Robbie done that, thinking Quinn would go with her to Japan?
She hadn’t even asked.
In the kitchen, Quinn pulled an open bottle of wine from the refrigerator. White, not red, which she preferred. She set it in the sink, then changed her mind, uncorked it, and poured it down the drain.
Instead, she took out a tall glass and filled it with ice. A lime sat in the fruit bowl on the counter. She cut it into generous slices. The sharp fragrance hit her nose, waking her from the fog she’d been moving through. She reached up to the high shelf and pulled down a bottle of Hendrick’s gin. For a second she paused.
She realized she was tall enough to reach it. Robbie always had to ask her to get things down. Quinn filled the glass halfway, dropped in a slice of lime, and carried it out onto the lanai.
She stepped back inside long enough to switch off the light so she could see the harbor better. The city opened in front of her. Lights along the water. Boats moving slowly through the dark. The silence felt unfinished, as though the argument was still sitting somewhere in the cottage waiting for them to return.
Quinn had just settled into the chair when her comm chirped.
She glanced at her watch.
A message from Robbie.
The first she had heard from her.
I hate that we ended our vacation like that. I was overwhelmed. I’m sorry if you feel hurt. I think we both got carried away.
Quinn felt the first release of the tension she’d been holding since morning. She took a long swallow of gin and felt her shoulders drop.
Maybe she should reply.
She stood and went back inside to retrieve her comm from the bedroom, trying to decide what she would even say. Did she forgive her? Did she understand? Had Robbie even explained why she needed to leave so suddenly?
The comm rang in her hand. Robbie was on the VID.
Quinn finally hears from Robbie. What follows should reassure her. Instead, it leaves her holding on to something she cannot quite name.
Story Insiders continue with the full chapter below.