Chapter 7
After Garrett left, I called Becca in tears, not sure I could even explain why. I ended up at her house last night and on her couch just a mess. Sitting there with me, she didn't ask questions, but put on a sappy movie and handed me some ice cream.
I think that’s why Becca and I are friends. When I don't want to talk about something, she doesn't push me. Yet, she knows when I need to be pushed, like going on that date with Jason.
This morning she made me breakfast, shoved me into the shower, and let me be, until now. I figured at some point today she would force me to talk, so I've been thinking of what I’m going to say to her.
"Okay, girl. It's after three p. m., and I'm pouring some wine, and then you are going to tell me what happened right now," she says.
Though I think I can talk, there’s going to be some tears, I'm sure.
We head out to her back porch and sit on her porch swing. It's my favorite place in her house. The back porch is screened in, and she has a bunch of pillows on the swing, so it's really comfortable.
Many times, when we hang out, we end up here, drinking wine, talking, or just sitting and reading books. Like last month, when we both were reading this book, the girls at work were raving about it. We were determined to read it over the weekend, so we could join the conversation. So worth it.
When you sit out here, the view is so peaceful. The empty lot behind her is all overgrown trees, as well as the lot beside her, making it feel like you’re all alone back here amidst the forest. It's the perfect little escape without really leaving the city.
She joins me on the swing, hands me a glass of wine, and looks me over. It's the look that says she isn't going to push, but it's time to talk. So, I spill everything from the last few weeks.
How he crashed my date with Jason to me confronting him at the ranch and our talk. How he showed up and made me cancel the second date with Jason, us dating, the weekend at his place, and dinner with my dad.
I tell her how we talked all week, and he showed up to surprise me, and how he waited for me, while I was at work yesterday. Then, I tell her about what happened, when Jason showed up, and how Garrett left. Then, how I ended up here.
She knew some of the details, but I filled in everything else. As I tell her everything, she listens and keeps both our wine glasses full. When I'm done, before she can even speak, I ask the question that’s at the front of my mind.
"How would it even work? I'm here in Jasper, and he's back home. My job is here, and his ranch is there."
As if she can read my mind, her words are what I've heard my mom say many times. When I was starting to have feelings for Garrett, it was the advice she gave me right before she died. Maybe, it stuck in my head, because she gave some of her friends that same advice, while I was growing up.
"If you want it to work, you’ll make it work,” Becca says. “There are plenty of ways to do so, and you know it." She gives me the straight up no bullshit answer.
I do a double take, because I swear, I hear my mom’s voice and not Becca's, as she says it. To fortify myself, I finish up the wine in my glass and fill it back up again.
"What if he doesn't want me back? I haven't heard from him, since he left, and I've called and texted. Normally, he would have at least texted me by now, because he never liked me worrying, if he was okay or not. I thought about texting Geo to make sure he made it home all right, but I feel like now that we are more than friends, that would be crossing a line."
"That boy is head over boots for you. Everyone can see it. He’ll take you back, but you have to talk to him and mean it. Show him you want him and have a plan to make it work."
"It's the how I plan to make it work I'm a little fuzzy on. I want it to work, and there’s no doubt about that. I just don't see driving back and forth the rest of our lives a solution."
Becca sighs and giggles. "Life would be so much simpler if you had just stuck with Jason like I told you. You’re both here, and he was even willing to go to Whiskey Run for you."
"By simple you mean boring." I giggle, and just like that, the tension is gone, and we are laughing and joking around. Then, we talk about the disaster of a date with Jason. Even before Garrett showed up, it was a dud, even if I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of admitting that to him.
I put all things Garrett out of my mind, all things boys, and focus on Becca. She talks about this new guy in her department, who has all the girls drooling over him. There’s a pool going around to see who he asks out first. So far, he's been polite but turned everyone down.
We give each other makeovers and watch the classic romances, Pretty Woman and Dirty Dancing. We crank up the radio and sing badly to the music, while dancing around.
It's everything you think a sleepover with your best friend would be in middle school or high school; not in your twenties, yet it's exactly what I needed.
That night, as I lay in Becca's bed in a sugar coma, a plan starts to form. A sense of peace comes over me, and I know everything will be okay.
Tomorrow, I will get him back.
Garrett
I didn't hear a word from Kaylee yesterday. Not a phone call or a text. I thought about picking up the phone and calling her to make sure she was okay, but I wasn't ready to talk to her.
Before we started dating, she would have been blowing up my phone, demanding to know that I at least made it home all right, and when I didn't answer, she would start blowing up Geo's phone and even going as far as asking her dad to drop by to check on me. So, when there hasn't been a word from her, I know I really messed up.