31. Piper
PIPER
Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch
Kerry Winsor: I’m bored again, everyone. I need one of you young folks to fall in love! Give me some news!
Comments:
Mollie Wilson: We’re not entertainment fodder!
Kerry Winsor: Come on! Isn’t it Jade’s turn?
Jade Clark: Show me a decent man and I’ll gladly climb him like a tree. The problem is that men are TRASH.
Kerry Wilson: Okay, so Jade’s not ready. Anyone else?
Tammy Jane: The only thing that I saw was Piper and Theo in the diner, but she’s barking up the wrong tree. He’ll never crack.
I was able to plop myself at the dining room table and get my laptop ready to go by the time my appointment started. I couldn’t wait to catch up with Scarlett.
Even though she was my therapist, there was something I loved about her on a personal level. I had a feeling she was a great person to be around outside “work.” We may never become friends because of how we met, but maybe she’d find her way to Strawberry Springs.
When she logged on, her blurred background looked slightly different. I didn’t know much about Scarlett’s personal life, but it seemed like she moved around quite often.
“Did your move go well?” I asked when her video started.
“It did,” she said with a smile. “I’m really sorry I had to cancel our last appointment. I hope everything was okay.”
“Everything is good, actually. It really was no problem to cancel.”
Scarlett sat up straighter, her eyes bright. “Really? The last session we had was an emergency one, where you were nervous about Theo’s past.”
Wow. A lot had happened since we last spoke.
“Yes. You were right about talking to him. It was the right thing to do. He explained his past and that he left as soon as he could.”
“Good.”
“It actually made me trust him more. And I, uh, have been working on my fear of touching.”
“Interesting.”
Just the word made me tense up. I wondered if somehow this was all a fluke, or if I’d handled my fear in the wrong way and she would tell me that I should get distance and do all of this differently.
“Y-yeah.” I knew she would ask what happened, so I continued. “We both were victims of circumstances that we couldn’t control. It started as an accident where someone in town was reaching for my shirt and I chose to bump into him instead. After that, I asked if I could do more and he let me.”
“It is a really big step. How has he handled it?”
“With a lot of patience. At first, I was nervous about asking him to essentially be my guinea pig, but he’s been incredibly patient. He’s never once pushed me past a limit.”
Scarlett smiled. “That’s amazing. I’m so happy you finally took that step. Do you think the medicine helped you with that?”
“It’s helped with a lot, actually. That and trusting Theo.”
“Good.” Her eyes narrowed. “Though I do feel like you’re twisting your hands outside of the camera view.”
I froze. She’d caught me.
“I’m actually a little nervous that you’re going to tell me that I shouldn’t have done it with him.”
She blinked as if not expecting me to say what I felt so boldly. “Do you feel like you shouldn’t have made that step with him?”
“No. Not at all, but I know how it looks. He’s older and has tattoos. He seems grumpy, but he’s not, and—”
“I’m sensing a lot of defensiveness, and I want to stop you for a second. Is there something I’ve done to cause this?”
I shook my head. “No, not you. I don’t think it has to do with you at all. My friend, Joey, can be very protective and can be very judgmental.” I let out a long sigh. “I haven’t told him or his fiancé anything yet.”
Scarlett nodded and paused to consider her words.
“I’ll start by saying this. You are in control of what you do here.
If you trust Theo and your logic behind that trust is sound, then I’m not going to tell you it’s wrong.
Though, I do want to talk more about what’s going on with you and your friends. ”
“I need to tell them, don’t I?”
“It would probably be best, yes, but you seem to have a lot of fear stemming from this, and a lot of defensiveness over Theo.”
I sighed. This wasn’t where I expected things to go, but I knew I needed to talk about this.
“Ever since I’ve moved here, Joey is so against .
. . everything. He’s been saying that you’re pushing me too hard, or that I’m pushing myself too hard and that I should just move back.
Honestly, Scarlett, I’m tired of it. I know this has been hard and that I’ve struggled, but I feel like I have to.
I don’t want to be protected from the world. ”
“Especially if that protection comes with another form of control.” She said it slowly, and it hit me hard.
I let out a long breath. “You’re right. I feel controlled, even though I don’t live with them anymore.”
I leaned my head on my hands, hating that I felt this way at all, but knowing that it was the truth. I loved Joey, and he had done so much for me.
But I didn’t like what he was doing now.
“I’m setting boundaries, just like we talked about. But he’s still upset.”
“That is his problem to deal with. From what I see, you’re handling your fear in different ways.
The medicine is helping and you’re working on it with me.
That is all that’s in your control. I do think you should eventually tell Joey and Mitch what’s going on.
But I also understand wanting to see where things go with Theo and having everything under control when you do tell them. ”
“It’s just so new. All of it. And I’m starting to realize just how much I prefer the way Theo handles things.”
“And how does he handle things?”
“He’s seen me at my worst, yet he still believes in me. He doesn’t try to stop me from feeling anything, he just helps. Within reason.”
Scarlett hummed. “Sounds like another reason you trust him.”
“That, and he’s, like, super hot.”
“Wait a minute, he’s good with emotions and is hot? Unfair. Do you know how hard that is to find?”
I laughed. I loved seeing hints of her personality. “Really hard. But I’m lucky.”
“You could see it as luck, but I feel like you deserve this.”
“Thank you. Things just feel so much better. I know for a while it seemed like I was in a cycle.”
“That happens more than you think. A lot of people have a chemical imbalance and they want to work it out so badly, but their mind simply won’t let them. You did the right thing, and it seems to be working out.”
“Yeah. I think it really is too.”
And for once, I actually believed it.
I wound up walking into The Reserved Bean close to my usual time. I wanted to be earlier, but I needed some time to process all that Scarlett and I had talked about.
Theo didn’t seem upset, and he smiled when he saw me.
I returned it, but my head was fuzzy from a lack of caffeine. “Can I get a—”
“No hello first?”
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know you were so needy. Hello. Now I need coffee.”
“Holy shit.” Our gazes both slid to Kelsey, who was gaping at us from behind the counter. “This is next-level. Who knew one day off would do this.”
“This took more than just a day,” Theo said. “I’ll make her order.”
“Aw, he even wants to make your stuff.” Kelsey nearly ran over to me. “So, has it happened yet?”
“Some stuff has happened.”
“Yes!” she hissed.
“What are you two talking about?” Theo asked as he returned to the counter.
“I’m asking about your love life. At least Piper answers.”
“Vaguely,” I added.
“Still. I finally have some insight.”
Theo rolled his eyes before focusing on me. His lips curved upward. “Got your coffee, love. And breakfast.”
I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. My cheeks were on fire. “You can’t hit me with something like that so casually, Theo.”
“Oh, you don’t like it? Tough. Welcome to my world.”
“Rude,” I muttered, but I started to smile. Kelsey watched us with bright eyes.
As I walked to the table, I tried to keep myself contained. But the second I sat, a giggle escaped me.
This was the life I wanted.
Who knew coming to Strawberry Springs would get me that?
Unfortunately, my good mood faded when I opened an email from Mitch saying he was starting my new book. I loved the book I’d finished while sitting in The Reserved Bean, but I was nervous for my friends to read.
Mitch usually shared things with Joey, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for the questions that would come after.
Instead of panicking about it, I knew I needed to find something else to do. Whenever Mitch was reading something I’d written, I hopped into the next thing.
Now that I had real-world experience to match what I wrote about, things felt different. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.
A few hours in, water appeared by my side. Theo handed it to me with a smile and then headed off. I begrudgingly took a sip and continued with my work, making sure I would be free for the evening when the shop closed.
When it finally did, I was even more tired, but at least hydrated.
“Does this thing we have between us now mean that I can help you with closing up?”
Theo immediately shook his head. “That was a one-time thing.”
I let out a long sigh. “But we could hang out even sooner if I help.”
“I’m not with you for free labor. I’ll handle closing up and then we’ll go to your place.”
With me.
A slow smile spread on my face. Theo turned, obviously sure he’d won, but I wasn’t done.
“Does it always have to be my place? I’d love to see your house.”
He paused as he considered it. “It’s not very impressive.”
“It’s impressive that you have a house at all. Unless”—I tapped my chin— “you have skeletons in your closet I don’t know about.”
“You know about all of them.”
“Oh, or maybe a secret wife.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Or the worst of them all.” I leaned in close to him. “Clashing walls.”
“That’s it? That’s the worst you can think of?”
“Have you seen the yellow and red walls some people used to paint their houses? It hurts my eyes.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“So, I’m helping.”
“You’re not.”
“I am.” I slowly headed toward the back. “You can’t stop me.”
“Piper,” he groaned.
“Bye!”
I ran for the mop, and I only heard a laugh from Theo.