Chapter 7 #2
“Not yet,” I said. “But it’s going well.” My thoughts flashed back to the hike where I pulled Jess into my arms to save her from the mud. It was an image that had replayed in my mind more times than I should admit. “We went for a hike.”
“A hike?” Brody looked surprised.
I shrugged and took a scoop of stew. “It seemed like the best way to look at everything firsthand and see the real impact.”
“Good idea.” My brother nodded. “I bet that was really—”
“Was Mason Harding there?” Quinn sat up in her chair, suddenly very interested in talk of the committee.
“Yeah.” I paused. “His mom’s on the committee. Why?”
She shrugged and tried—but failed—to look like she didn’t care.
“And he’s one of my Teens on the Trails kids,” I continued. “He’s actually been a lot of help.”
Her eyes flashed, and I saw my opening.
“You know, that invitation to join my group is always open.”
Across from me, her dad almost choked on his salad, and he shot me a look, but I only shrugged. Quinn was a thirteen-year-old girl with a crush. It’s not like she was getting married. Besides, I could think of worse ways for her to spend her time.
“So,” Reid asked, changing the subject. “You’re out hiking in the trails in a group, huh? Are you playing nice with everyone?”
“Why does it sound like you don’t believe I am?”
My brother pressed his lips together, stifling a chuckle. I knew exactly what he was thinking. What they were all thinking. “Oh, no reason.”
His wife elbowed him. “Preston is one of the nicest guys I know,” she said. “Of course he’s getting along with everyone.”
“Even Jess Anderson?” Brody pushed.
“Of course. I’m not a—”
“I mean, you do act like she’s the enemy, Pres,” Delaney said. “I’ve gotten to know her, and she’s really nice.”
I swallowed a grunt.
“It’s true,” Quinn added without looking up from her plate.
I shot her a look. “Maybe you don’t need to join my group after all.”
“Hey!” she protested, but it was lost in a laugh.
I sighed and leaned back in my chair. “I don’t hold grudges.”
Everyone laughed, and Reid almost choked on his salad. “Yeah, right,” he said. “You totally do.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but closed it again because the truth was, the thing with Jess wasn’t a grudge. Not really. It was something older, and I knew my brothers thought it was a small thing. But it wasn’t. Not to me.
“What happened?” It was Avery who asked. She was still pretty new to town, and like Delaney, for better or worse, didn’t know all of our childhood stories yet.
“We were only kids,” I said finally. “There was this day when we all went on a class hike. I think we were about twelve.” My brothers all nodded. Class hikes were fairly common for us. “She’d been scared to cross this little log bridge, and I helped her.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet.” A big smile crossed Delaney’s face. But she didn’t know yet how the story ended.
And it was sweet. I already had a crush on her, but that day when she put her hand in mine, something changed. The way she trembled, but calmed with my touch, made me feel so good. And then the relief on her face when she’d made it across. The smile she’d given me…It changed things between us.
I could still see it clearly. I remembered how it felt.
“Well, it took me a few months to work up the courage.” I continued the story.
“But I thought she was cute and nice and…well, you know.” I shook my head a little, like I couldn’t believe I was actually reliving this whole story.
“Anyway, one day I picked her a bouquet of daisies on my way to school, and I gave them to her on the playground before class.”
I swallowed, surprised to feel that old tightness in my chest at a memory that was so old.
Avery clasped her hands tighter. “That’s so sweet.”
“Yeah,” I scoffed. “Well, it wasn’t so sweet the way she looked at them and then dropped them in the dirt. Right there. In front of everyone. She didn’t even say anything. Just dropped them on the ground and walked away.”
She actually ran away, her friends laughing and following behind her, but I didn’t bother adding that detail.
“Harsh, man,” Quinn said, nailing my thoughts exactly.
Delaney’s expression changed. “Oh, Preston…”
I shook off her concern. “It was a long time ago,” I said. “But I got the message loud and clear. I wasn’t good enough. Just like the cheap daisies I’d given her. Plain and basic. She was always more than that. Even as kids. And now…well, you can see the woman she’s become.”
Strong, beautiful, kind, smart, successful.
A dozen words to describe the Jess I’d been getting to know popped into my head, but old habits died hard.
“Polished,” I continued. “She’s always acted like she was better than me,” I finished. “That hasn’t changed.”
But maybe it had.
“Preston, you were kids, man,” Grayson said. “That’s not fair.”
“Maybe it’s not.” I shrugged, knowing full well that it wasn’t fair at all. And after the other night, maybe I didn’t need to feel that way anymore.
“I saw the way the two of you were chatting the other night,” Ethan said, voicing my thoughts. “Do you think maybe things have changed? Or that they could?”
I shrugged again and stuffed another piece of bread in my mouth. As far as I was concerned, the conversation was closed. I’d already said too much. I sure as hell hadn’t planned to relive any of those old memories.
But strangely, now that it was out there, I felt lighter.
Fortunately, Brody could take a hint. He cleared his throat. “Speaking of things that catch you off guard…Lauren’s talking about having a kid.”
“What?” Ethan looked at Delaney. “Did you know?”
She shrugged. “She’s been talking about it.”
“Holy shit.” I shook my head. “How do you feel about that?” I asked Brody.
For years, the two of them had had a strange push-pull relationship.
They swore they were only friends, but every other person in town could see that whatever was going on between them was a whole lot more than friendship.
Even if they wouldn’t admit it to themselves.
“It’s not my decision.” He dropped his head.
“But I think it’s ridiculous.” His voice was laced with a mixture of frustration and anger.
“First, she’s on this quest to date and find a partner, and now all of a sudden, she’s abandoned that idea and she’s researching sperm donors.
Says she doesn’t need a husband to have a child. ”
“Well…she doesn’t.” All eyes turned to Avery, who immediately held up her hands. “All I’m saying is that if she really wants a child and doesn’t have a partner in her life, there are options that can actually make a lot of sense.”
“No,” Brody growled. “Nothing about this makes sense.”
We all grew quiet, exchanging glances with one another as we left Brody to his feelings. After a moment, someone changed the subject, and Quinn started to complain about school and how there was never enough time to read because of her homework.
Finished eating, I leaned back in my chair and let the noise of my family wash over me.
Quinn was complaining about school now, Avery and Delaney were debating something quietly at the far end of the table, and Brody stared down at his plate like he was still arguing with himself.
But my mind had drifted elsewhere.
To a handful of daisies crushed into the dirt.
To a woman who hadn’t meant to hurt a boy, even if she had.
I’d spent years carrying a version of that moment with Jess like it was proof of something. Proof that I didn’t measure up. Proof that I should keep my distance.
But sitting there, surrounded by family and half-heard conversations, it struck me that maybe I’d been wrong.
Maybe that story wasn’t finished yet.
And maybe—just maybe—it was time to stop letting a bunch of crushed daisies decide how the rest of it went.