Chapter 5
Holly
Ah… There’s nothing better than a freshly washed and pampered face. Stuffing my things back in their homes, I flip off the light and crawl under my covers. I left the window cracked so that I can listen to the waves outside.
Buzz.
Brynleigh: He’s moving into Trystan’s old place in two weeks.
Me: Hmmm. Why doesn’t that surprise me?
Brynleigh: Because it’s blatantly obvious that the guy is so into you.
Me: I don’t know if I can trust him.
Brynleigh: Let him at least try to prove it to you. I kind of like him for you. He’s a way better choice than the last 3 guys you swiped yes on.
Me: I’ll consider it. Gonna get some me time in before bed. Can’t decide on a book or show. Night, love ya!
Brynleigh: I’d pick a book if it were me. Night girl *heart emoji
A book does sound better right now. There is a cowboy romance, a sappy romance, eh yuck…
Nope. Definitely not in the mood for that.
Then there’s the why choose romantasy I recently started…
The gorgeous purple book on my nightstand wins.
I pick up The Never List by Jade Presley and decide a why choose romantasy fits the bill.
Give me fun fantasy and spicy book boyfriends with shadow daddy vibes and filthy mouths any day. Hands down, it’ll be the winner.
Around midnight, I’m closing the pages and wishing shadow daddies truly existed. I’m about to roll over in bed when my phone vibrates. Who the hell is texting me this late on a work night?
Unknown: I ran into your parents tonight. They said you moved! When did you move?
A sinking feeling of who is on the other end of the text drops low in my belly like a bag of bricks. I haven’t heard a peep from him in over a year.
Me: Why do you still have my number?
Unknown: Oh don’t be like that Holly.
Me: I haven’t heard from you in over a year.
Unknown: Yeah, I’m sorry about that.
I’m not…
Me: I moved over a year ago.
Unknown: Shit. I can’t believe I didn’t know.
Me: What would it matter if you had?
Unknown: …
Unknown: So where are you now? They didn’t say.
Me: I’m in Maine, and I have work in the morning, so I need to get to bed.
Unknown: Are we ever going to be friends again?
Me: We were never friends. You made your choice. Now I have to get to bed. I’d prefer if you’d lose my number, Michael.
Unknown: Ouch.
Me: No, you don’t get to do that. I’m being direct and telling you what I want instead of wasting your time. It’s called being an adult. Goodnight.
I turn off my phone and flip on my alarm so that I’m not even tempted to look at my phone again. What a freaking time for him to text me. It did feel good to tell him off though.
Minutes after my eyes close, I see jade. I imagine his eyes boring into mine seconds before his soft lips crushed against mine. His soft chuckle whispered against my lips when his fingertips caused goosebumps to skitter across my skin, much like my skin reacted to his touch on my arm again tonight.
I can’t deny it. I still want him. The question that burns in my mind, playing on repeat, is: Can I trust him?
Out of the few men I’ve dated or contemplated dating since Michael, he’s the only one I fear will destroy me, and I can’t go back there again.
I don’t want any more regrets. I don’t want any more time wasted not knowing if I’m a priority.
After seeing what my friends have, I’ll never settle for anything less. I deserve more.
???
Jaxon
For the rest of the week, I sort through things at home and donate a ton.
Next Saturday, I’ll be in a new place, and I am psyched.
I want to take the least amount of crap with me.
Good thing I’ve spent the better part of a decade in hospitals, so there wasn’t a whole lot of time for accumulating ‘stuff’ outside of medical journals and textbooks.
I had some PTO saved up, so my last shift in the ER was my last shift for the next month.
My spot at Kittery starts around the end of May.
It’s absolutely bizarre to imagine that I now have my evenings and weekends to myself.
That is, unless I decide to pick up an ER shift, which I totally will do on occasion.
The point is, my life is mine once again. I pull out my phone.
Me: Hey man… so how strict are you on next weekend’s move in time? Would you mind if I started dropping off boxes and looking around the place to get an idea of anything I need to get? I cashed in my PTO and basically have off the next month before my new position begins. I’m already stir crazy.
I wait a few minutes, packing up more boxes of scrubs and kitchen gadgets I don’t immediately need. When my phone lights up, I practically pounce on it.
Trystan: Okay, I’m jealous. I’m not strict about it. Do what you need to do. Hell, I don’t care if you officially started moving in now. I’ll text you where I’m working at today. Stop by and snag the keys.
Me: Seriously?
Trystan: Seriously
His job site address pops through.
Trystan: See you in a bit
Me: Thank you
Trystan: You bet
Blowing out a breath through puffed cheeks, I look around my tiny-ass, expensive apartment and feel nothing but excitement for a new beginning. I load up as many tubs and boxes as my truck will hold this round and take off on my new adventure.
???
Looking around the grocery store, I see I’ve got my basics.
Sandwich shit, breakfast shit, coffee shit, pizzas.
I’m going to have to start actually cooking again, now that I have time to cook.
I have to eat better than cafeteria food and quick bites between patients.
I’ll sit down tonight and start thinking of actual meals.
This will get me started, though. Trystan left the place practically fully furnished, except for the few items he decided to take to the new place on Ridge Lane.
Do they really all live on the same road?
It’s like they’re this unit. A family with no blood ties.
Well, mostly no blood ties. Mark and Brynleigh are family. I’m kind of jealous. My phone rings.
Mom.
“Hey, Mom, how’s it going?” I greet her, happy to see her picture pop up on my screen.
“Hey, Hun! It’s going good! Your dad and I are getting ready to go down to Florida in a few weeks. I’m excited to touch sand.”
“You could always come visit here this summer too. I have sand here.”
“What are you talking about? Your town didn’t have a beach the last time I was there.”
“With the end of my residency, I took a job in Kittery. I’m pretty close to the beach now. I’m currently moving into my new place. I’ve made some new friends, and I feel like a whole new man. It’s amazing what some sleep can do for you. My new position will only be weekdays.”
“Oh my gosh, that’s fantastic! Well then, we will have to plan a visit soon. Maybe now you can start thinking about finding me a daughter-in-law and giving me some grandbabies to spoil. I’m not getting any younger. Maybe we’ll even leave Tennessee and move closer.”
“But you love the mountains.”
“I love you more, and I want to be closer to my future grandchildren.”
“That’d be fantastic, Mom. I think I met someone I could really like. It was a chance meeting, but we’ll see how it goes. I have to get her to agree to a date first.”
“Oh? She’s playing hard to get?”
“I guess you could say that. She’s not just falling at my feet.”
“Then she doesn’t care about the whole doctor status. That’s good.”
“Ha, not like there’s a fortune to my name anyway. And, no, she doesn’t seem like that type at all. From what I’ve gathered, she’s a teacher.”
“She sounds lovely. Do the wooing. Be persistent, boy.”
“You sound like her best friend.”
“Then maybe I’m onto something here.”
“You always are, Momma.”
“I love you, Jaxon.”
“I love you too. I’m glad I got to hear your voice.”
“Where are you? I hear beeping, and not the hospital type.”
“The grocery store.”
“And you told me you loved me in public? Oh, I’m glad to see I raised you right.”
“A man tells his loved ones that he loves them. He doesn’t waste time.”
I do a double take when I notice milk chocolate hair kissed by the sun the next aisle over and smirk.
“You’ve seen a lot of people come and go that wasted time on things that didn’t matter. I’m glad you learned it early. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Give Dad my love too. Gotta go. Bye, Mom.”
I click the button and contemplate my next move.
She’s got an eye on wine. Must’ve been a long day at school.
Holly stretches her head to the side, rubbing her pretty neck as she browses her choices.
I walk quietly along the opposite side of the aisle, just taking in the scenery.
Her locks brush back, traipsing down her spine, and I ache to reach out and run my fingers through them.
Her hair looks so touchably soft. I imagine pulling it into my fist and running my lips along the side of her throat.
I imagine a breathy little sigh escaping her lips and goosebumps skittering along her skin again.
Mmmm, you’ve got it bad. She has earbuds in, completely oblivious to my presence.
I wonder what she’s listening to. Music?
Or is she one of those girls who can waltz through a store with the filthiest smut in her ear and not break out in a flush a single time? I have to know.
I step up behind her and reach to grab a bottle of red moscato she keeps eyeing. She startles. Her tits bounce and strain against the sunshine yellow blouse she’s wearing. Yum.
“I’d say, for as long as you’ve been debating over this bottle of red or the white, that that is either a really good song or book you’re listening to, or it’s been such a long day that you need both.”
“Oh my gosh! You scared me. Don’t you know better than to sneak up on people?” She pulls out a bud, tapping the pause button on her app. The Never List. Not music. Hmmm. I let my smile stretch slow and wide. I like how she watches.
“Good book?”
“Yes.”
“What’s it about?”