Chapter 12 #2
She nodded. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be coming back, but I hoped.”
“Why?”
“I’ve been meaning to call you or text you, but I just didn’t know if you’d answer,” she continued. “Then when I saw you on the beach this morning, I was too shocked to say anything, but, well, I couldn’t let you leave without talking to you.”
I frowned and shook my head, rubbing my hands across my arms to try to combat the sudden chill of the wind. It had been so cozy inside the café, but the sun had just crept behind a cloud, taking its warmth with it.
“I’m surprised to hear that,” I said. “I didn’t think you cared about me anymore.
” She’d more than proven that when she stole my boyfriend.
The last I’d heard from Norma, Nina and Levi had ended things, but that didn’t change the fact Nina hadn’t cared enough about me as a friend in the first place.
“That’s the thing, isn’t it?” Nina let out a long breath. “You don’t realize how much something meant to you until it’s gone.”
She took a step toward me. There was a more determined look in her eyes now, like she was intent on taking this opportunity to say whatever it was she needed to say.
“Iz, when you left, I fell apart,” she said.
“I know I was horrible to you, and I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I was wrong.
I thought I was in love. I got caught up in the moment.
But everything with Levi was a big mistake.
It didn’t take me long to realize I’d messed up.
I’ve been desperate to tell you how sorry I am, and I’ve been wishing and hoping you’d come back home so I could tell you just how badly I miss our friendship. ”
Nina’s emotion was clear as she spoke. She was rambling and nervous; nothing like the brazen girl I’d once been friends with. I didn’t doubt the legitimacy of her words, and I knew she was being sincere. That didn’t make it any easier to forgive her.
As I stared at her though, I was surprised to find the memory of what Nina and Levi had done to me was no longer an open wound in my heart.
It had long scabbed over, and all that was left was the faintest of scars.
Nina had been a terrible friend, but I didn’t feel the same anger toward her that I once had.
“I’m not sure we can ever be friends again, Nina,” I said. “Not like we once were.”
She nodded, and her gaze fell back to the floor as she continued to brush her feet across the ground. “Yeah, of course,” she said. “I understand. That’s all I came here to say. I guess I’ll see you around, Iz.”
She went to leave, but I shocked myself by calling out to stop her. “Nina, wait.”
She turned back to look at me. I wasn’t sure I could forgive her, but I knew I couldn’t watch her walk away like this after she’d just apologized.
We’d once been so close, and while I’d moved on from my disastrous relationship with Levi, accepted what happened, and was feeling stronger for it, Nina was clearly still hurting.
She and I didn’t have to be best friends, but we didn’t have to be enemies either.
“My mom’s about to bring out her pumpkin pie,” I said. “Do you want to come in for a slice?”
“Really?” Surprise lit her eyes.
“Yeah.” I felt a little more certain as I responded. This trip home had made me realize that leaving Rapid Bay had helped me grow, but could I truly be doing that if I was leaving such a big part of my life here unresolved?
“I’d love that,” she said, a small, optimistic smile forming on her lips. “Do you think your mom’s nailed the recipe this year?”
“Oh, I’m sure she has,” I replied. “But I’m also sure she’ll still be working on it next year.”
I opened the door to the café and walked inside with Nina at my side before pulling up a chair so she could sit beside me.
“Seriously,” Anna said to my mom, who had brought out the pie and was busy slicing it up. “Where do I get a magic turkey from?”
As Mom passed around the pie, I introduced Nina to Cress, Anna, and my dad.
Understandably, she was especially surprised to meet Matthew, considering I didn’t have a father last time we’d seen each other.
I could tell she was bursting with questions, but she still seemed a little apprehensive, so she didn’t pry.
Instead, she asked me about my new school and filled me in on the latest gossip from Rapid Bay High.
It felt strange to have her sitting here sharing Thanksgiving with us after everything that had happened, but it also felt right.
I was glad I’d decided to let go of the past. It made me feel like it was easier to start building a new and improved future.
Lunch continued for hours. After dessert, there were more drinks and coffee and talking, and night was beginning to descend by the time everyone started heading home.
I walked Nina out and gave her a hug goodbye.
She looked much happier than when I’d first seen her looking through the window, and she smiled brightly as she walked off down the street, her shoulders seeming significantly lighter.
We’d repaired a little of the rift between us, and I had to admit I felt somewhat lighter myself.
As I watched her go, I heard the door to the café open behind me.
“You should be very proud of yourself,” my father said as he stepped out to stand beside me.
“Should I?” I didn’t think he knew about what had happened between Nina and I, so I wasn’t sure what he was talking about.
“Of course.” He nodded and looked down at me. “You’ve been through a lot recently, and you’ve done it with such grace and maturity. It can’t have been easy.”
He was right. It hadn’t been easy. But I just shrugged. “I guess so.”
He smiled and shook his head. “Well, I hope you know how proud your mother is of you. And how proud I am. I’m very happy to have been here with you both today.”
“Thanks.” I glanced up at him and smiled. “It was nice having you here. How long can you stay?”
“I’m afraid I have to leave tonight. I was hoping to stay for the weekend, but I received a call about an hour ago. Something’s come up with work. I’ve got to be back in the city for an early meeting tomorrow.”
“Oh, okay.” I was slightly disappointed, but I understood.
“How are you getting on at school?
“School’s fine,” I replied. “It’s been busy.”
“Have you given much thought to your college applications?”
The question caught me by surprise, but it probably shouldn’t have.
Everyone around me was working hard on their applications and some kids had already finished them.
Deadlines were coming up in the new year, and I knew I was running out of time.
I should have been giving a lot of thought to college applications, but every time I went to work on them, I seemed to freeze up.
“Uh, not really,” I admitted.
“Because I’m happy to organize someone to help you with your applications if you need.”
“Thanks, but it’s not just the applications I’m worried about,” I murmured.
“Then what is it? You don’t know where you want to go?”
“Sure, that too, but…”
Matthew’s eyes weighed my expression. “Isobel, my offer to pay for your college degree still stands. It always will. And it’s meant to help you, not hinder you.”
I nodded, but Matthew seemed to sense I still wasn’t wholly on board.
“You don’t have to accept my offer,” he continued. “Your future is yours to shape. I’ll support you however I can. Whether that’s financially or with any connections that I have. And if all you want is a bit of advice or someone to talk to about it, then that’s okay too.”
I studied my father as he spoke. He was barely recognizable from the man who I’d first met in his office at his Weybridge mansion.
The man who had spoken about the expectation that came with the LaFleur name.
It had felt like he was trying to change me before he even knew me.
But now he was being supportive and nurturing as though what I wanted was now the most important thing.
He was doing his best to help me, so I felt like I should be honest. “I just feel guilty letting you pay for college for me,” I admitted.
He let out a soft laugh. “I probably shouldn’t be surprised. You are your mother’s daughter.”
“Apparently so,” I muttered. Mom was proud to a fault, and it seemed I’d taken right after her.
“It’s not just that though,” I continued.
“I always wanted to go to college, but a part of me knew it would never happen. I even killed the idea completely last year. But now that it’s a possibility again, I don’t feel prepared.
I’m worried I’m going to make the wrong choice.
And I’d be even more worried about that if I took your money to do it. ”
He nodded and gave me an understanding smile. “No choice is the wrong choice,” he replied. “You don’t need to have it all figured out right now. Everything will work out in the end. I know it did for me, and I changed schools halfway through my first year.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “So, believe me, you’ll figure it out along the way.”
The tightness in my chest seemed to loosen at his words.
In my head, everything about college had been in absolutes.
It felt like such a big deal. But Matthew’s words had relieved some of the pressure.
He made me feel as though, even if I didn’t accept his offer to help, I wouldn’t let him down. I wouldn’t let myself down.
“Look, why don’t you keep working on your applications and do a bit of research on a few colleges. We can discuss them the next time we talk, and you have nothing to lose by applying.”
“Yeah, okay,” I said. “I think I can do that.”
“Good.” He smiled, but then his expression sobered somewhat. “While we’re speaking of your future, there was something else I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Okay…”