“I have an idea,” she taps her fingers together like some sort of villainous overlord.
“Which is…” She’s making me antsy with all the long pauses and taking forever to answer a simple question.
She sits on the opposite side of the couch from me. “I’m going to come with you, and we’ll take my car.”
“What about Layla?” It’s odd that she’s so gung-ho about a road trip with me.
“I’ll ask my mom if she’ll keep her for a couple of days, and see if Reaf can take off work to join us. Though I’m sure he won’t have a problem with it if he can’t.”
“Okay,” I drawl. “But what’s your reasoning for going?”
“I haven’t seen my aunt and uncle since the wedding,” she shrugs. “And I’m sure she’s going to need more than just her car to haul her crap back here. She didn’t listen to me when I offered to take my car down there, too.”
“Basically, you just want to prove a point and get your way,” I shake my head.
“Exactly,” she grins. “We’ll leave tomorrow morning.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I stand up, and I’m not sure if I should hug her or shake her hand. This is something I never would have expected, least of all from her.
“I’ll call you if anything changes.”
“Thank you,” I breathe out. “You have no idea how much this means to me. And if she rejects me, at least I can say I tried.”
“You’ve grown up a lot, Randall,” she studies me as if I’m some unknown object. “Adulting suits you.”
“Whatever,” I roll my eyes. “I guess I’ll see you bright and early.”
“Yep.”
It’s starting to get awkward, so I head toward the door. What kind of parallel universe is this that the girl I once had a crush on is the one helping me fix things with her cousin.
As soon as I’m outside, I text Tony letting him know I’m finally going to cash in on my vacation days and need the next few days off. His response is quick.
Tony: We’ll get your shifts covered. Good luck with your girl.
Randall: Thanks. I have a feeling I’m going to need it.
The drive from Tonya’s apartment to mine takes two minutes, but I’m already mentally going over everything I need to get together. This is my second, okay maybe third, chance and I’m not going to blow it.
Twenty-One
Amelia
Boxes litter my room.There’s one big box that I’ve been filling up to donate to a local shelter. Anything I’m not taking back to Asheville with me gets tossed in there. Leaving them in this room to collect dust is ridiculous. I only wish I had realized just how much crap I’ve accumulated over the years. Maybe now is a good time to donate everything, and start over. A fresh new me to begin my new adventure.
“Amelia,” Mom calls from somewhere in the house. If I was a betting woman, I would say the kitchen. She’s been cooking up a storm since I’ve been home. It’s like she thinks Aunt Lucia doesn’t feed me. “Come eat something. You’ve been in there all day and you need a break.”
Looks like I was right. If she keeps feeding me, I’m going to have to start working out. Well, I should be doing that anyway, but it’s not number one on the list of things I enjoy doing. “I’ll be there in a minute,” I holler.
My stomach growls in protest. Clearly not happy that I haven’t followed the scent of arroz con pollo to the kitchen. I guess, I’m going now. Throwing the shirt in my hand toward the donation box, I stand up and stretch my cramped muscles. How long was I sitting there? It had to have been at least a couple of hours because the massive pile of clothes at the foot of my bed had dwindled down to a small stack. All I know is I’m making progress.
My bedroom floor has turned into an obstacle course, and I hop over piles until I’m at the door. The boxes I’m taking with me are labeled and neatly stacked against the wall. There’s no way all of this is going to fit in my car. I’ll either have to make two trips, or mom will have to bring some with her the next time she comes to visit. Tonya was right about needing two cars, but I’ll never tell her that. She would bring it up every chance she got.
No longer able to resist the aroma coming from the kitchen, I join my mom. There’s already a plate, with homemade tortillas beside it, waiting for me at the table. She spoils me, and I’ve missed it while being at my aunt and uncle’s.
“How’s the packing going?” She sits down in the chair opposite me.
“Why did you let me get so much stuff?” I whine. “I feel like I’m never going to get through it all before I have to go back.”