“What?”
“High school crushes. Dances. First loves. I’ve read so many books about all of it, but I’ll never know what it’s like.”
A burn scorched my chest—a mix of anger and grief for the woman sitting beside me. I covered her hand with mine. “I wish I could give you those years back.”
She stared down at our hands. “I know I’m romanticizing it in my head. I’m sure if I experienced it, I’d want anything but. There are little heartbreaks in those experiences, too. Maybe no one would’ve asked me to the prom, or the boy I thought I was in love with could’ve wanted nothing to do with me.”
“Trust me. Someone would’ve asked you to the prom.” I would’ve asked her. An image of walking into my high school auditorium with Addie on my arm hit me. She would’ve worn a gown in pale pink, and I would’ve kept her in my arms all night. “I didn’t go to my prom, either.”
Addie twisted on the picnic bench so she faced me. “Why not?”
“It was only a month after Shiloh was kidnapped. It felt wrong to go to a party when my family was falling apart. I think there was some guilt mixed in there, too.”
“Guilt?”
I twisted the tab on my soda can until it popped off. “I pawned Shy off on Hayes because I wanted to take Cynthia Edwards on the damn Ferris wheel. I was working my way up to asking her to prom, thinking I’d get lucky. She was dating someone else most of the way through high school but was finally single, and I was making my move.”
Addie’s hand found mine this time as she wove our fingers together. “Having a crush doesn’t make you a bad person.”
“I know that, but it ate at me like crazy afterwards.”
“What happened with Cynthia?”
I grimaced. “She tried to be there for me after, but I wanted nothing to do with her. She was a reminder of how badly I’d messed up. She ended up going to prom with one of my best friends.”
Addie scowled, angry heat lighting her gaze. “That’s rude.”
“That’s high school. No one’s brain makes the best decisions when their hormones are running the show.”
“Maybe you should listen to yourself on that point.”
I sent a mock glare in her direction. “How dare you use my perfectly good words against me?”
Addie laughed, the sound catching on the breeze. I’d never get tired of it. I wanted more and more so I could drown in the music of it.
She wrapped up the trash from our lunch and put it into the paper bag. “What’s next for our day?”
“How would you feel about running by The Trading Post? I talked to Aid International, and they said they’d sponsor an outreach program if I could get it set up.”
Addie’s whole face lit up. “Really? That’s amazing. Why didn’t you say anything?”
“We’ve had a lot going on lately.”
“Never too much to hear about the good stuff.”
“Fair point. I promise to never keep the good stuff from you again.”
“Good.” She pushed to her feet, taking the bag of trash with her. “Let’s go.”
I pulled into an empty spot in the parking lot of The Post. The lot was only about half-full, with an array of vehicles—mostly trucks covered in dust and mud from navigating the back roads.
r /> I turned off the engine and looked at Addie. She studied the building in front of us, and I had no idea what was going through her mind. “You don’t have to do this. I can go talk to Sue, and you can wait here.”
Addie shook her head. “No. I can help. I want to help.”
“You just give me a sign if it’s too much or you feel uncomfortable.”
The corners of her mouth tipped up. “Purple elephants.”