Chapter 3
EMERY
EIGHT YEARS AGO…
“Have you told him yet?” Marie asks, handing me my second wine cooler of the night. I grab it from her hand and grip the cold bottle as I shake my head.
“He’s over there talking to Jack,” Marie says, pointing to the two men standing in front of the line of pick-up trucks.
“You should just tell him now. Get it out of the way so you two can celebrate properly,” she says, wagging her brows.
I roll my eyes and laugh, exhaling some of the nervous energy eating through my brain.
I take another swig of sweet liquid and push my body in his direction. I expect him to see me and turn around with open arms, but he and his friend duck behind the truck at the last second. I’m about to interrupt when I hear my name.
“How are things going with Emery? She’s pretty hot, dude. But I’m surprised you kept her around this long. I know you’re not letting some city chick tie you down.”
“I’m not.” Knox laughs, making my stomach sink. “It’s just a fling. She’s leaving at the end of the summer, but we’re having fun, so there’s no need to complicate things. I’ll let her down easy then.”
The word fling feels so convoluted in my mind that every time I repeat it, my grip on the glass bottle gets tighter and tighter. Finally, I squeeze so hard that the bottle slips and the glass shatters on the ground around me.
Knox looks up and his eyes connect with mine. “Bambi?”
I panic and run straight into the field of cars with no destination in mind. All I want is for the pain to go away.
Before I can get too far, I crash into Knox. His hands find my face, begging me to look at him, and I almost fall for it before shoving him away.
“I can’t believe I was going to stay here for you!”
“What do you mean?” he asks, tension rippling across his brow.
“I was going to ask my parents if I could finish senior year in Honey Grove. My grandma already agreed.”
“Please tell me you weren’t going to move here for me. That’s way too much pressure,” he says, hurling a cold and bitter realization at me.
“It felt right,” I whisper, searching his face for any last tendril of hope I can find. “I… l—love you, Knox.”
His expression doesn’t soften. He doesn’t open his arms or smash his lips against mine like they do in the movies. Three words can’t magically fabricate the connection I thought we had.
“Emery, you were supposed to leave at the end of summer. This—us—it wasn’t supposed to get serious. I wouldn’t be a good boyfriend.”
The words rip through me, but I make myself stand still and ruminate in the pain. I want to remember this feeling.
“Don’t worry,” I manage, pushing all the emotion out of my voice. “I get it. But let’s not wait until the end of summer. I don’t want you to have to let me down easy.”
His head snaps up. Something clicks inside his brain and his eyes shift. I’d like to think he’s registering the damage he’s done here tonight.
When I turn around, he tries to grab my arm, but I escape him. And when I walk away, I don’t look back. Not once.
I inhale deeply through my nose and close my eyes. For a moment, I reach back to the memories that made me think this was something more, but it’s no use. They’ve all been ripped to shreds in mere seconds.
The boy who held the key to my heart just proved he doesn’t deserve to use it ever again.
“I’m fine, Eve. Give it a rest already,” I groan into my phone. I set down the can of dark chestnut stain and switch the device into my other hand before plopping down on the couch in my new living room.
“You’re so not fine. Who quits their job, breaks up with their boyfriend, and moves to the middle of nowhere out of the blue?”
My sister’s hysterical voice makes me smile even though her protective older sibling act is bordering on irritating. There was a time when we weren’t this close. She is two years older than me, and for most of my childhood, I idolized her while she stuck her nose up at me.
And then there were our parents, who tried to pit us against each other, but that’s a whole other thing, I’m sure, that will continue to keep my therapist in business. Thanks, Mom and Dad.
But long story short, she’s one of my favorite human beings, and I understand why she’s concerned.
“You just described the plotline to all of those Hallmark movies you obsess over and make me watch every holiday. This could be a good thing.” If you consider risking everything for love. I would never give up my dream and agree to run a Christmas tree farm in the middle of nowhere for some man.
“Erggg,” Eve groans, her own frustration mimicking mine. “You will not distract me from this very important issue by baiting me into a debate about Hallmark movies again.”
She’s right. I did do that. I rarely manage to outsmart my dear sister. The woman is a whole-ass doctor, for Christ’s sake.
“Listen, Eve,” I say, letting out a deep sigh.
“This didn’t come out of nowhere. I’ve been looking for a change, and Grandma just so happened to answer my prayers by leaving me her shop.
This is my chance to finally pursue my passion and see if I’m any good at it.
If it all goes to shit, then I’ll sell the shop and move back to the city. I’m not stupid. I have a plan.”
“I hate to break it to you, Ree, but you’re not going to make any money selling upcycled furniture. Plus, you’re turning your hobby into a job, and that never ends well.”
Now that I mentioned how much I love my sister, I feel like it’s appropriate to mention how much she pisses me off sometimes.
As a quintessential Type A, she doesn’t understand the concept of taking risks.
I like to imagine she has her five-year plan mapped out carefully on a spreadsheet with graphs and color codes that would give me a headache. And that works for her, but not me.
“I’m not turning it into a job,” I mumble, dragging a hand through my greasy hair before remembering the stain remnants I didn’t do a great job of cleaning off. Oh well. I need to wash my hair anyway. “I’m turning it into a life. One I actually want to wake up to.”
Another pregnant pause fills the phone line, and I picture Eve pacing back and forth in the break room of the hospital where she works. “I’m just worried about you. You’ve been through a lot this year, and I don’t want you to run away from your problems. They always come back to haunt you.”
“I know,” I agree softly, “but I’m not running away. I’m simply shifting my direction. Plus, I’m over the whole Patrick thing.”
“You mean the thing where he fucked your boss?”
The painful memory replays in my head like a broken record. Yeah, that did suck. It sucked a lot.
“At least I found out he is a cheating asshole now and not after we got married or god forbid, we had kids together.”
“True,” Eve says. “Are you still sure I can’t send one of those glitter bomb things to him? I think it would be hilarious.”
“No,” I answer. “I have faith that karma will come through for me.”
Although it seemed to miss Knox Cooke. I was really banking on the fact that he’d grown a ridiculous beard or at least be sporting a beer gut big enough to put a six-month pregnant woman to shame.
But no, he was still annoyingly attractive, and I still found myself drawn to him.
Thankfully, my bitterness and ability to hold a grudge was enough to send him the very clear message that I want nothing to do with him… after he fixes my truck.
“Ree? Are you there?”
“Shit,” I say, forcing my mind away from the blue-eyed devil occupying it. “I’m sorry. I think you cut out. What did you say?”
“I was saying I want to come and visit so I can make sure you’re not having a mental breakdown. I have some PTO I need to use. Maybe I can con Eli into coming with me too. Some fresh air might be good for him.”
I sigh, nodding my head. My little brother is four years younger than me, so I experienced the brunt of his moody preteen years. Thankfully, he’s mellowed out, and I find him bearable now, but I doubt he’d agree to a trip to the middle of nowhere in the prime of summer.
“Yeah,” I murmur, my voice heavy. “It might be fun to have all the Bennett siblings together. Or we might kill each other. Either way, I’m game.”
“Right,” Eve says, laughter filling her end of the phone. “I’ll check my schedule and let you know. As for Eli, you may have to call him and ask him yourself. He’s always liked you more.”
“Well, I never made him play dress up with me like my own real-life Barbie doll.”
“Oh, please. He loved it! At least until the lipstick came out.”
We both laugh, filling my empty apartment with life for the first time since I moved in.
“Okay,” she says, catching her breath. “My break is almost over, but I’ll let you know when I can visit. I love you and I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Love you too,” I say before the line goes dead.
I toss my phone on the empty couch cushion next to me and stretch my limbs. The tiny pitter-patter of paws echoes against the worn wood floor. My grandmother’s pitch-black cat comes bounding out of nowhere and jumps onto the couch beside me.
“Jesus, Klepto,” I gasp, pulling all twenty pounds of the large fur ball into my lap. “Where have you been hiding all day?”
Soft purrs vibrate my lap as he lets me gently stroke his head.
I’ve only been here for a few days, but I’ve already learned some important things about this cat.
He only wants attention on his terms. Try to seek him out and he’ll vanish into thin air.
He doesn’t take kindly to strangers in his home, but offer him treats or shiny little trinkets, and he’ll accept you with no questions asked.
He isn’t such a bad roommate. Other than the fact that he doesn’t pay rent or have money for food, we get along quite well. My grandma must’ve known I’d get lonely.
“Okay, bud,” I sigh, gently picking him up and depositing him to my side. “I have a lot of work to do.”