“Nan,” I said in greeting.
“Are you going to call Mother or not? She has called me twice now asking me if I talked to you and if you remembered it was her birthday. She does care about you. Stop letting that girl ruin everything, Rush. She pulled a gun on me for God’s sake. A gun, Rush. She is
crazy
. She—“
“Stop. Don’t say anything else. You don’t know her. You don’t want to know her. So just stop. I’m not calling Mom. The next time she calls tell her that. I don’t want to hear her voice. I don’t
give a shit
about her trip or what she got for her birthday.”
“Ouch,” Grant muttered as he sank down on the couch across from me and propped his legs up on the ottoman in front of him.
“I can’t believe you’d say that. I don’t understand you. She can’t be that good in—”
“Don’t Nannette. This conversation is over. Call me if
you
need me.”
I pressed end then slung my phone on the seat beside me and laid my head back on the
cushion.
“Let’s go out. Drink a little. Dance with some girls. Forget this shit. All of it,” Grant said.
He’d suggested this several times over the past three weeks. Or at least since I’d stopped breaking things and he felt it was safe enough to speak.
“No,” I replied without looking at him. There was no reason to act like I was okay. Until I knew Blaire was okay, I was never going to be okay. She may not forgive me. Hell she may never look at me again but I needed to know she was healing. I needed to know something.
Anything.
“I’ve been real good about not prying. I’ve let you go crazy, roar at everything that moved and sulk. I think it’s time you told me something. What happened when you went to Alabama?
Something had to have happened. You didn’t come back the same.”
I loved Grant like a brother but there was no way I was telling him about the night in the hotel room with Blaire. She’d been hurting and I’d been desperate. “I don’t want to talk about that. But I do need to get out. Stop staring at these walls and remembering her… yeah I need to get out.” I stood up and Grant jumped up from his spot on the couch. The relief in his eyes was obvious.
“What are you up for? Beer or girls or both?”
“Loud music,” I replied. I really didn’t need any beer and the girls… I just wasn’t ready for that.
“We’ll have to leave town. Maybe head to Destin?”
I threw my car keys at him. “Sure, lead the way.”
The doorbell rang stopping both of us. The last time I’d had an unexpected guest it hadn’t ended well. It very likely could be the cops coming to arrest me for bashing Cain’s face in.
Oddly enough, I didn’t care. I was numb.
“I’ll get it,” Grant said, glancing at me with a concerned frown. He was thinking the same thing.
I sat back down on the sofa and propped my feet up on the coffee table in front of me. My
mom hated it when I put my feet on this table. She’d bought it during one of her international shopping trips and had it shipped back here. I felt a sudden pang of guilt for not calling her but I pushed it away. My entire life I’d made that woman happy and taken care of Nan. I wasn’t doing that anymore. I was done. With all her shit.
“Jace, what’s up? We were just headed out. You want to come with?” Grant said stepping
back and letting Jace walk into the house. I didn’t get up. I wanted him to leave. Seeing Jace reminded me of Bethy who then reminded me of Blaire. Jace needed to leave.
“Uh, no, I uh… I needed to talk to you about something,” Jace said, shuf ling his feet and stuffing his hands in his pockets. He looked ready to bolt out the door.
“Okay,” I replied.
“Today might not be the best time to talk to him, man,” Grant said, stepping in front of Jace and focusing on me. “We were gonna head out. Let’s go. Jace can bare his soul later.”
Now I was curious. “I’m not a loose cannon, Grant. Sit down. Let him talk.”
Grant let out a sigh and shook his head. “Fine. You wanna tell him this shit now, then tell him.”
Jaceglanced over at Grant nervously then he looked back at me. He walked over and sat down on the chair furthest from me. I watched as he tucked his hair behind his ear and wondered what he had to say that was such a big deal.
“Bethy and I are getting kinda serious,” he started. I already knew this. I didn’t care. I felt the pain crack open my chest and I clenched my ists.I had to concentrate on forcing air into my lungs. Bethy had been Blaire’s friend. She’d know how Blaire was. “And uh… well Bethy’s rent went up and that place was shitty anyway. I didn’t feel safe with her staying there. So, I talked to Woods and he said that his dad had a two bedroom condo available if I wanted to
rent that. I uh, got it for her and paid the deposit and everything. But when I took her to see it she got pissed. Big time pissed. She didn’t want me to pay her rent. She said it made her feel cheap.” He sighed and the apologetic look in his eyes still made no sense. I didn’t care about his fight with Bethy.
“It’s twice as much… or, at least, Bethy thinks it is twice as much as her last place. It is actually four times as much as her last place. I swore Woods to secrecy. I’m paying the other portion without her knowing. Anyway. She, uh… she… took off to Alabama today. She loves the condo. She wants to live on the club property and on the beach. But the only person she would even consider having as a roommate is… Blaire.”
I stood up. I couldn’t sit.
“Whoa man… sit down.” Grant jumped up and I waved him off.
“I’m not mad. I just need to breathe,” I said, staring out the glass doors at the waves crashing against the shore. Bethy had gone to get Blaire. My heart was racing. Would she come?
“I know the two of you had a bad end. I asked her not to but she got real mad and I don’t
like to upset her. She said she missed Blaire and that Blaire needed someone. She, uh, also talked to Woods about giving Blaire back her job if she can get Blaire to come back.”
Blaire.Coming back…
She wouldn’t come back. She hated me. She hated Nan. She hated my mom. She hated her
father. She wouldn’t come back here… but God, I wanted her to. I turned my head and looked at Jace.
“She won’t come back,” I said. The pain in my voice was undeniable. I didn’t care about hiding it. Not anymore.
Jace shrugged.
“She may have had enough time to deal with things. What if she does come back? What will
you do?” Grant asked me.
What would I do?
I’d beg.
Blaire
Bethy pulled Jace’s car into the parking lot of the Dairy K. I noticed Callie’s little blue Volkswagen and decided against getting out of the car. I’d only seen Callie twice since I returned and she’d been ready to claw my eyes out. She’d had her sights on Cain since high school. I’d come home and messed up whatever kind of relationship they’d finally managed to have. I hadn’t meant to. She could have Cain.
Bethy started to get out of the car and I grabbed her arm. “Let’s just talk in the car,” I said, stopping her.
“But I want some ice cream mixed with Oreos,” she complained.
“I can’t talk in there. I know too many people,” I explained.
Bethy sighed and leaned back in her seat. “Okay ine. My ass doesn’t need any ice cream
and cookies anyway.”
I smiled and relaxed, thankful for the dark tinted windows. Knowing I wasn’t on display as people stopped and stared at Jace’s car. No one around here drove cars even close to this one’s league.
“I’m not gonna beat around the bush with this, Blaire. I miss you. I’ve never had a close girlfriend before. Ever. Then you came along and then you left. I hate you being gone. Work sucks without you there. I have no one to tell about my sex life with Jace and how sweet he’s being which is something I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t listened to you. I just miss you.”
I felt tears sting my eyes. Just being missed felt good. I missed her too. I missed a lot of things. “I miss you too,” I replied, hoping I didn’t get all weepy.
Bethy nodded and a smile tugged on her lips. “Okay good. Because I need you to come back
and live with me.Jace got me a waterfront condo on the club’s property. I, however, refuse to let him pay for it. So I need a roommate. Please come back. I need you. And Woods said you’d have your job back immediately.”
Go back to Rosemary? Where Rush was… and Nan… and my dad. I couldn’t go back. I couldn’t see them. They’d be at the club. Would my dad take Nan to play golf? Could I see that?
No. I couldn’t. It would be too much.
“I can’t,” I choked out. I wished I could. I didn’t know where I was going to go now that I knew I was pregnant but I couldn’t go to Rosemary and I couldn’t stay here.
“Please, Blaire. He misses you too. He never leaves his house. Jace said he’s pitiful.”
The angry wound in my chest lared to life. Knowing Rush was hurting too was hard. I’d
imagined him having his house parties and moving on. I didn’t want him to still be sad. I just needed for us to move on. But maybe I never would. I’d always have a reminder of Rush.
“I can’t see them. Any of them. It would be too hard,” I stopped. I couldn’t tell Bethy about my pregnancy. I had hardly had time to comprehend it. I wasn’t ready to tell anyone. I might never tell anyone other than Cain. I would be leaving here soon enough. Where I went I wouldn’t know anyone. I’d be starting over.
“Your… uh Dad and Georgianna aren’t there. They left. Nan is but she is quieter now. I think she’s worried about Rush. It would be hard at irst but after you ripped the bandage off you’d get over them. Over everything. Besides, the way Woods’ eyes lit up when I mentioned you
coming back you could distract yourself with him. He is more than interested.”
I didn’t want Woods. And nothing would distract me. Bethy didn’t know everything. I couldn’t tell her that either. Not today.
“As much as I want to… I just can’t. I’m sorry.”
I was sorry. Moving in with Bethy and getting my job back at the club would be the answer
to my problems, almost.
Bethy let out a frustrated sigh and laid her head back on the seat and closed her eyes.
“Okay. I get it. I don’t like it but I get it.”
I reached over and squeezed her hand tightly. I wished things were different. If Rush were just some guy I had broken up with it would be. But he wasn’t. He never would be. He was more. Much more than she could understand.
Bethy squeezed my hand back. “I’m going to let this go for today. But I’m not looking for
another roommate right away. I’m giving you a week to think about this. Then I have to ind someone to help me pay the bills. So will you? Think about it?”
I nodded because I knew that was what she needed even if I knew her waiting was pointless.
“Good. I’ll just go home and pray if God even remembers who the hell I am.” She winked at
me and then reached across the seat to hug me.
“Eat some food for me, okay? You’re getting too skinny,” she said.
“Okay,” I replied, wondering if that were going to be possible.
Bethy sat back. “Well, if you aren’t gonna pack up and head back to Rosemary with me then
at least let’s go out. I need to stay the night before I do that drive again. We can go ind some fun somewhere and then crash at a hotel.”
I nodded. “Yes. That sounds good. Just no honky-tonks.” I couldn’t walk into another one of those. At least not this soon.
Bethy frowned. “Okay… but is there anything else in this state?”
She had a point. “Yeah… we can drive into Birmingham. It’s the closest big city.”
“Perfect. Let’s go have some fun.”
When we pulled into the driveway at Granny Q’s she was sitting outside on the porch shelling peas. I didn’t want to face her but she had given me a roof over my head for three weeks with no strings attached. She deserved an explanation if she wanted one. I wasn’t sure Cain had told her anything. His truck wasn’t here and I was immensely grateful.
“Want me to stay in the car?” Bethy asked. It would be easier if she did but Granny Q would see her and call me out for being rude if I didn’t let my friend come inside.
“You can come with me,” I told her and opened the car door.
Bethy walked around the front of the car and fell into step beside me. Granny Q hadn’t looked up from her peas yet but I knew she’d heard us. She was thinking about what she was going to say. Cain must have told her. Dang it.
I looked over at her as she continued to shell those peas in silence. Her short white bobbed hair was all I could see of her. No eye contact. It would be so much easier to just go inside and take advantage of her not speaking to me. But this was her home. If she didn’t want me here I needed to pack up and leave.
“Hey, Granny Q,” I said and stopped, waiting for her to lift her head to look at me.
Silence. She was upset with me. Disappointed or mad; I wasn’t sure which. I hated Cain right now for telling her. Couldn’t he keep his mouth shut?
“This is my friend Bethy. She came to visit me today,” I continued.
Granny Q inally raised her head and gave Bethy a smile then turned her eyes on me. “You
take her on in and ix her a nice big glass of iced tea and give her one of them fried pies I got cooling on the table. Then you come on back out here and talk to me a minute, hmmm.” This
wasn’t a request; it was a subtle demand. I nodded and led Bethy inside.
“Did you piss off the old lady?” Bethy whispered when we were safely inside.
I shrugged. I wasn’t sure. “Don’t know just yet,” I replied.
I went to the cabinet and got a tall glass down and went to ixing Bethy a glass of iced tea. I didn’t even ask her if she wanted it. I was just trying to do what Granny Q had said.