I waved my hand. “Don’t even worry about that, Mrs. D. I‘ll ask Monica or maybe Mandy Pike to do it.”
“Oh no, don’t bug them. I’ll have Krystal do it. She won’t have to babysit me twenty-four hours a day. She’ll be bored to tears without something to keep her busy. She can organize it and keep me posted, okay?” Her eyes sparkled with laughter.
I smiled tightly. “Absolutely. It will be nice to have her help.”
I couldn’t believe it. Not only was Krystal going to be around Minden for the next two months, she was going to be in charge of the Spring Sparks Auction? Which, of course, Chief had kindly delegated to me with a growl.
The Spring Sparks Auction was the department’s biggest fundraiser. And we needed a new brush truck. #305 was on its last leg. Otherwise, I’d be tempted to cancel it—no matter what Chief might do to me.
I started to make my exit, and Mrs. Daughtry raised a hand. “Bryce?”
“Yes?”
Her eyes were kind with a hint of sadness. “I know my Krystal hurt you when she left.”
I started to shake my head, but Mrs. D wasn’t falling for my tough act.
“It’s okay. My daughter is headstrong and driven. But she did what she thought she needed to do.”
I’d had this exact conversation with myself. With Monica. Heck, I’d even had the conversation with Jake. I couldn’t blame Krystal for leaving.
She’d followed her dreams. And while she hadn’t become a huge name in Hollywood, she was earning a living doing what she loved, just like I was. It just so happened that the things we loved to do happened in two different places.
All of the reasons Krystal had left were things I’d admired about her back then and still did. She was passionate and fearless. How could I begrudge her the chance to follow her dreams?
I nodded to Mrs. D and stepped out into the hallway, taking a deep breath to ward off the heat of emotion that had come with Mrs. D’s words. Did everyone know how badly it had hurt when Krystal left?
I didn’t want anyone’s pity. Krystal left. I stayed. We hadn’t even really dated. It wasn’t like I had proposed. Not that I hadn’t planned to, but when you admit your feelings to your best friend and they respond by telling you they are moving fifteen hundred miles away? It kind of kills those ideas of the future.
If Krystal was coming back for two months, I knew her well enough to know that it meant two months and no more. I couldn’t even allow myself to imagine she’d move back for good. That was a pipe dream that had no good endings.