Chapter Nineteen
M iss Gill, are you alright?”
Delilah looked up from her sub notes and caught several of the kids watching her. “What do you mean?”
“You seem cranky?” Megan said.
“If I do, I apologize. I’m still recovering from the holiday weekend.”
This launched the kids into a rapid discussion about how it went by too fast and they couldn’t wait until Christmas break. Normally, Delilah would be in the thick of their conversation, laughing at their stories and cracking jokes, but Megan wasn’t wrong about her being cranky. She wanted to go home and crawl into bed, but at least being in the classroom distracted her from thinking about Anthony.
The bell rang and she dismissed them, wishing them a nice day. It was the last period and Delilah packed up her notes for the day, stapling them together before sliding them into the pocket at the front of the sub binder. She turned off the lights and closed the door, went into the hallway and weaved her way through the sea of middle schoolers. The smell of too much cologne and perfume combined with the sour stench of body odor made her stomach turn. While she loved teaching this age, Delilah wished their parents paid attention to their hygiene.
She dropped the binder at the front office and exited the side door toward her car. A few students called out to her and she waved, but she wasn’t going to stop for anyone. The minute she climbed into her car, she pressed the button and the ignition came to life. Delilah’s car connected to her phone and it started going off, alerting her to multiple phone messages. She pulled her phone out of her purse and checked her messages. The first several were texts from Holly and she tapped her name, scrolling through.
You and Merry were wrong!
The mayor says we can’t exclude anyone from the auction.
Brodie and Trip caused a stink.
They are back in.
Are we ever going to talk about this weekend?
Delilah grimaced. Holly had spotted Anthony’s truck over the weekend and called her Saturday, hammering her with questions about their relationship. When Holly swung by her place yesterday and surprised her, Delilah didn’t want to let her bestie in. She’d faked a migraine and Holly told Delilah to call her when she woke up. Instead, she’d been avoiding her anxious text messages and behaving exactly like Anthony.
A coward.
Maybe she could have handled his reaction to the fight with Pike with understanding and grace, but it was all so ridiculous. While she’d never had any conflict with Holly over liking the same guy, Delilah couldn’t imagine them ever blowing up their friendship over one. Whether Anthony had made a move on Delilah without telling Pike or not, she’d already told Pike there was no chance. Thus, his betrayal was an imagined, childish reaction and Delilah couldn’t believe Anthony was buying into it.
Maybe he is looking for a reason to run.
While the little voice is mean, ultimately it made sense. The fact that Anthony’s first inclination was to take a step back from her hurt like a gutshot, and she didn’t like how easily she’d let him past her defenses, believing he was the real thing. So what if he hadn’t fallen in love before? In her idiotic, romantic mind, she’d imagined that it was because he was waiting for her.
So stupid.
Her phone rang and the number that flashed across her car screen was a Colorado area code. She almost didn’t answer but finally pressed the accept button. “This is Delilah.”
“Delilah Gill?”
“Yes?”
“This is Tabitha Newton with Outside Publications. How are you doing?”
“I’m good, thanks. How are you?”
“I’m doing well. I’m calling because a few weeks ago you submitted an article that really resonated with us. I know it was a freelance job, but are you looking for anything more permanent?”
“In Colorado?”
“Preferably, yes. Some of our writers have worked out of state but we do a lot of team building and in-person collaboration, so it’s nice to have everyone in a single place.”
“What is the job?”
“We’re looking for a plus-size outdoor enthusiast. Your realistic portrayal of hiking while plus size was funny and engaging. The way you described the serenity of the woods makes me want to move there.”
“Thank you.”
“If you’re alright with it, I’d love to send you the standard contract and starting salary. Hopefully you find the compensation reasonable. We also provide a small stipend for moving expenses if you’re coming from out of state.”
“Sure, I’ll take a look at it. You have my email, right?”
“Yes. We are looking to fill the position before the first of the year, so if you could let us know as soon as possible.”
“I’ll look this over when I get home. Thank you again.”
“We’ll talk soon.”
Delilah ended the call, making the turn off the main road. She’d already made up her mind not to take the job, especially because they thought she was a plus-size outdoor enthusiast. She’d written the piece after a walk in the woods with Holly and although it had ended with her stepping on a hornet’s nest and being stung several times, she’d used it as inspiration to write the article.
She pulled into the driveway and once she parked, headed inside to let Leia out. Delilah was halfway up the sidewalk before she heard someone calling her name. She spotted Holly coming from the other side of the street, where she’d parked kitty-corner. She probably thought that Delilah was avoiding her, which she was, but no way would she admit it.
“Hi, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be selling Christmas ornaments?”
“Erica is closing up for me so I could hunt you down. What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing!”
“Lies!” Holly marched after her when Delilah turned away, unlocking the door while Holly railed, “There is mischief afoot! Pike and Anthony aren’t speaking and you’re avoiding everyone. You didn’t even get coffee this morning.”
“I made it at home.”
“You never make it at home!”
Delilah pushed the door open and set her purse on the side table before releasing Leia from her kennel. The little dog zoomed around, saying hello to Holly before running to the back doggie door and outside.
“I felt like it today,” Delilah grumbled.
“Alright, I feel like I need to introduce myself again because I feel like you forgot who you’re talking to. Hi.” Holly held out her hand. “I’m Holly, your best friend. The one you share all your troubles with. There are no judgments, no recriminations. Just love and support from someone who loves you.”
Delilah sank onto her couch, staring out the window at the gray sky. “Pike kissed me on Wednesday.”
Holly flopped next to her. “Which you don’t sound thrilled about?”
“I thought he was what I wanted for so long, but when he kissed me, I felt nothing.”
“So, what happened after?”
“I told him that I wasn’t interested in him.”
“Sounds like you were honest.”
“I was, but when I went to grab road-trip snacks that night, Anthony was there, too. He wanted to talk about the blowup on Monday—”
“When you thought he laughed at you for wanting good sex.”
“Who is telling this story?”
“Hey, I’m just clarifying!”
“Yes, because we had a misunderstanding. So he followed me out to the parking lot. He told me to get into the truck and one thing led to another … ”
“Oh my God! You had sex with Anthony?”
“Not … quite.”
Holly squealed, grabbing one of the throw pillows and hitting her with it. “You evil wench, you’ve been holding out on me since Wednesday!”
“We’ve both been a little busy!”
“There is no excuse! So how was the not-quite sex?”
Delilah’s chest seized, remembering Anthony’s eyes on her while he touched her. “It was glorious.”
“Oh, good Lord. Okay, so you have an encounter on Wednesday and then … ”
“He left to go to the bar to meet Pike but asked if he could drive me to Boise on Thanksgiving. I said sure. I had so much fun with him.” Delilah’s voice broke on the words. “He was funny and sweet and then he kissed me before we got to my parents and told me he wanted me.”
“This is all good stuff!”
“Just wait.” Delilah grabbed the other pillow and hugged it. “He ended up back at my parents’ house for the weekend and it was all practically perfect. We were talking about what would happen when we got back to Mistletoe, after Anthony talked to Pike—”
“Wait, back up, Pike didn’t know that Anthony stayed the weekend with you.”
“No, he didn’t want to tell him over the phone.”
“I see. So, when did he find out?”
“We were parked off of Highway 20 so I could get my water bottle and he saw us. He flipped the car around and the two of them got into it on the side of the road. I tried to talk to Anthony, to reassure him Pike would get over it, but I could tell he wanted to run.”
“Oh, honey.” Holly reached for her and Delilah laid her head in her best friend’s lap, sobbing. “How did you leave it?”
“I told him that he was a coward and I was done.”
“Are you sure that’s what you want?” Holly asked.
“No, but the whole thing is stupid! Pike and I weren’t dating, so why does Anthony have to ask permission?”
Holly shrugged. “I don’t think that’s what this is about, love.”
“What do you mean?” Delilah asked, sitting up.
“I talked to Pike a bit on Thanksgiving. I’m not saying you aren’t a catch, but I think Pike has a lot of insecurities when it comes to women and friendships. I think the problem is that Anthony wasn’t up front and hid it from him and it reminded him of his past relationships.”
Guilt twisted in her stomach. “We weren’t trying to hurt anyone.”
“Hey, you were both single and into each other,” Holly said reassuringly, squeezing her hand. “You didn’t do anything wrong. This is between the two of them and if Anthony needs a little time to mend his friendship with Pike, maybe you should give him grace. Pike not speaking to him would be like the two of us beefing.”
“Ugh.” Delilah buried her face in her hands and groaned. “Am I the selfish a-hole?”
“No,” Holly said, scooting closer to wrap Delilah into her arms. “You’re human and you’ve got your own relationship scars. I think that might have contributed to how you reacted to Anthony.”
“Maybe this whole thing was a sign,” Delilah said.
“What do you mean?” Holly asked, cocking her head to the side.
“I got a call today with a job offer.” She glanced away swiftly when she noticed the narrowing of her friend’s eyes. “This magazine I submitted an article to liked my writing and wants me to come write for them as their plus-size outdoor enthusiast.”
“You hate the outdoors,” Holly scoffed. “Besides, I thought you were waiting to talk to that editor. When is that happening?”
“Tomorrow.” Delilah’s heart sped up thinking about the talk and the possibility of leaving Mistletoe. She didn’t want to go anywhere, but writing opportunities were few and far between. “I just figured I’d keep this in my back pocket. I can fake it until I make it.”
“So, you want to take it?” Holly asked, her tone neutral.
Delilah shrugged. “I don’t know. They sent a contract and salary, but I haven’t looked.”
“What are you waiting for?” Holly said, waving her hand impatiently. “Pull out your phone and let’s see.”
Delilah got up and removed her phone from her purse, tapping on the Gmail app. Delilah clicked on the email and whistled. “Well, it’s more than I make subbing and writing combined.”
“Let me see.” Holly frowned. “Why is there a moving allowance?”
“The position is in Colorado.”
“Nope, no! Not a fan.”
“I need to at least consider it, Holly.” She took her best friend’s hands. “I love you more than anything, but I’m spinning my wheels right now. I feel like I’m in the limbo of waiting on good things to come to me. The whole point of my tirade and trip to Brews and Chews was to start my own inferno, but it turned into a dumpster fire. I’m just keeping my options open in regards to the job. I do have a favor though.”
“What’s that?” Holly asked.
“Will you teach me to snowboard?”
Holly arched a brow. “Is it for this potential job offer?”
“Yes.”
“Then nope, sorry, I’m busy that day.”
Delilah released her hands with an exasperated huff. “You don’t even know what day.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m not going to let you run away.”
“Even if it ends up being what’s best for me?” Delilah asked.
“I’ll make you a deal. See how the conversation with that editor plays out and if you really feel like this would be a good change for you, I’ll drive the U-Haul.”