26. Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Six
Nick
“Eliza is gone for a shoot today,” Granny says as I maneuver the old door off to the side, leaning it against the white siding of the house.
“I know,” I say.
She lets out a hum. “Things not good between the two of you?”
I shrug, keeping my mind focused on the work I have to do. “They’re fine, I guess.” I have no desire to talk to Ms. Marilyn about the way I’m feeling, especially when it comes to Eliza. Honestly, after the second night with her family, I decided space was a good idea.
“Now, Nick.” She lets out a sigh, folding her arms across her chest. “I know that things aren’t normal between you two ever since she devised that silly plan to have you pretend to be her boyfriend.”
I freeze, hanging onto the new door, but I have no clue what to say to her. It almost feels like I’ve been caught red-handed.
Except I knew that she already knew about it. It just hadn’t fully registered.
“I didn’t approve of it,” Granny says in a flat tone.
I nod. “She’s my … she’s my friend. I did it because of that.”
“You did it because you care about her more than that,” Granny levels with me, raising one of her dark brows at me. “I know you do.”
I don’t meet her eyes. “I should be finished with this door in just a couple of hours.”
She purses her lips and then shakes her head at me. “You’re a stubborn man.”
“Maybe.” I look over at her and smile. “I come by it honestly.”
“You really do. Your daddy used to run around with Will, and I tell ya, between the two of them, they didn’t do anything they didn’t want to. It’s a blessing and a curse sometimes.”
“Yeah.” My eyes fall to my hands, that old familiar feeling of grief creeping in. “Who knows where I’d be if my dad was still around.” I don’t know why I admit the thought to Ms. Marilyn. Maybe it’s because she’s easy to talk to, or maybe it’s because she’s starting to feel a lot like … family .
“I can’t say where you’d be, but I think that you’re right where you need to be now. You’ve really built yourself a nice life, one to be proud of.”
My jaw tenses, but I nod. “Yeah. I guess so.”
While I mostly agree, there’s this massive hole in my chest where my own family should be. Seeing Daniel and Vanessa begin to build their family, as well as my sister … It hits hard.
And even harder now that I’ve met someone I can actually picture it with.
“She’ll be back in a few hours.”
“I’ll probably be gone by then.”
“I know.”
And I am gone before Eliza shows back up at the house. I pass her car as she turns onto the road. She waves. I wave back.
And that’s that.
I floor the truck and am surprised when my phone lights up in the cup holder. I pick it up, answering. “Hey.”
“You’re already done with the door?” Eliza’s voice sounds … disappointed. “I thought maybe we could get dinner tonight or something.”
“Uh … I gotta get back to the store to close up. Mom has some plans this evening, and I don’t want her to have to worry about it.”
“Oh … um… okay.”
“Yeah, but the door is fixed, and I also cleaned out the workshop. There are some really solid tools in there if you ever want to experiment with building something. ”
“You’ll have to help me with that.” She laughs, though it’s only half-hearted.
“I don’t know,” I say, trying to jest. “I think you’re pretty smart. There’s nothing that you can’t figure out.”
“You’re too kind. I’d probably cut off a finger.”
“And have to call the fire department,” I tease.
She giggles. “Well, that’s one way to get you to come over and hang out.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I say, my humor draining. “Anyway, have a good evening, Eliza. I’ll see you around.”
“Um, okay,” she mutters. “See ya.”
I hang up, letting out a sigh.
She sounded a little flirty on the phone, but at the same time … I’m not even sure if she’s flirting or just being friendly, anymore.
I don’t trust my gut anymore after the night we kissed.
Parking the truck in front of the hardware store, I take a look around, noting that it’s empty other than Mom’s SUV. It’s a relief, mostly just because I’m not in the mood to deal with customers. I slam the truck door and head inside, the doorbell ringing as I enter.
“Be with you in just a moment,” Mom calls from somewhere in the back.
“Just me,” I call back to her. “You can go ahead and go—I’ll lock up. I don’t want you to have to rush around for your … date.” I swallow hard as the word rolls off my tongue. It doesn’t bother me that Mom is going on a date—she’s actually been on them before—it’s just that dating in general feels like a sore subject right now .
“You’re the best, son.” Mom appears from the back, her hair up in a messy bun. “I’m really excited about this one.”
I raise my brow. “Yeah? Another Farmer’s Only date?”
She rolls her eyes. “You know as well as I do that I can’t work those websites. Besides, I’ve watched enough documentaries to know better.”
Laughing, I nod. “Well, you’re not wrong, and I do kind of like Vince.”
That makes her smile. “He’s a good man from what I can tell. I just … I don’t want to get too excited about it.” Her smile fades. “I never thought I’d be out in the dating world, and the challenges are no fun.”
“I get that,” I huff, leaning my backside against the counter. “I think I’ve pretty much just given up.”
“Even on Eliza?”
My lip twitches. “Yeah, even on Eliza. After Thanksgiving, I just … I don’t know. I think I just kept hoping that she would magically change her mind about me, but all I did was read too much into everything. I think it’s better for me to just accept it for what it is.”
“But…” Mom begins, shifting her weight as she removes her apron. “You’ve never actually told her how you feel about her. I know I sound like a broken record, but it’s true.”
“It doesn’t matter how I feel when she’s made it clear that friends are all she wants to be,” I argue, feeling a glimmer of irritation boiling in my chest. “I’m not the kind of guy who’s pushy or willing to be desperate for someone. I’ve decided to be her friend—but maybe not as close as before. It doesn’t work for me.”
A sympathetic expression fills my mom’s face. “Okay, son. Well, I support whatever you decide to do. You know what’s best for you, and if that’s what it is … well, then that’s what it is. I’m glad you’re putting yourself first for once.”
“Thanks,” I mutter, even though it doesn’t feel that great. “Anyway, you better get going. Vince might be the next Prince Charming.”
Mom laughs, but her words are sobering. “Oh, I doubt that. There’s no such thing as Prince Charming. But if he did exist, he left me a long time ago. No one will ever replace the love that I have for your dad.”
“But I know he’d want you to be happy, and to have companionship,” I say. We’ve had the conversation before, and thankfully, my sister feels the same way. We’ve never pressured our mom to do anything other than what makes her happy.
And honestly, I don’t want to see her alone for the rest of her life.
“Well, I guess we’ll see if Vince makes me happy, huh?” she teases, poking me in the arm. “He’s a deacon at the church if that counts for anything.”
I shrug. “I don’t care what he is if he doesn’t treat you right.”
She rolls her eyes. “Ah, there’s my protective son. I was wondering where he went.”
“Oh, I might want you to be happy, but I’m always willing to kick some— ”
The doorbell chiming captures both of our attention as we turn to look toward the front door. Eliza is standing there, holding a paper bag.
“I thought maybe you’d like dinner?” Eliza offers, extending it. “I got some for myself, too, but I can always eat mine on my own.”
“Well, that’s really sweet of you.” Mom beams, hanging the apron up and heading for the door. “I was actually just leaving. I’ve got a date tonight.” She winks at Eliza, and then grabs the door. “You two have a good evening.”
And just like that, I’m left with the woman that I’m trying to avoid.
“Your mom has a … date?” Eliza looks more confused than ever before. “I never—”
“Yeah, she goes on them from time to time,” I say, grabbing a rag and wiping down the counter. “Could you turn the open sign off and lock the door?” I point behind her.
“Yeah, of course,” she says quickly. I watch her, noticing that she seems a little antsy. “Thanks for replacing that door at Granny’s. I never knew how bad it was until we got a new one.” She smiles as she walks toward me, setting the bag on the counter between us. “I got Bill’s Burgers for us. I’m not even sure if you like it, but…”
“Thank you.” I smile, determined not to read into anything. “I do! I grew up eating at Bill’s, so it’s always welcome.”
“Oh, good.” She lets out a cute sigh of relief then slides onto a stool and begins to undo the staples at the top of the bag. “We haven’t really hung out much since Thanksgiving. ”
“It’s only been a few days,” I point out as she sets a burger and fries in front of me.
“Well, yeah…” Her voice trails off as she bites down on her lip. “I was just kind of thinking that maybe we should talk about it all…”
My stomach flips as my heart takes off, but I play it cool. “Talk about what?”
“Thanksgiving?” She peers up at me as I pop a fry into my mouth. “I just feel like things have been a little weird between us, and I don’t want to ruin our friendship over what happened.”
Right. Friendship.
“Nothing is ruined,” I say plainly. “We’re still friends.”
“Are you sure?” Something in her voice catches my attention, but I’m not sure why. “You’re not feeling any different?”
Guilt hits me. “I’ve just been busy, and there’s a lot that I need to get done here at the shop. Not to mention, my workbench at the house broke.” It’s all the truth, but I don’t have the nerve to tell her that I also need space from her—to get over her.
That really might ruin the friendship that she’s desperate to keep reminding me of.
“Yeah … I, um, I probably shouldn’t have come here. I just thought … I don’t know.” She stands to her feet, grabbing up the paper sack with her food in it. “I can let you get back to work.”
“Eliza,” I say as she heads for the door.
She flips the lock and turns back to me smiling. “Maybe when things slow down for you, we can hang out.”
I’m stuck, not sure what to say. “Uh … yeah, I guess.”
And just like that, she’s gone, leaving me even more confused.