13. Seth
“Trouble in paradise?” Brady asks as he flops down on the other side of the couch and puts his feet on the coffee table.
“You could say that. Bristol hasn’t been answering my calls or texts for the last few days,” I grumble, trying to think of anything I could have done to turn her off.
“Maybe she’s just busy,” he responds absentmindedly as he turns our PlayStation on.
It’s been about a few weeks since our date, and things were going well. We haven’t had much time to spend alone together. I try to drop lunch off to her at the studio once or twice a week, but I haven’t been able to as much since things picked up with the new construction project Vance and Connor hired me to work on.
Now, most days I’m exhausted when I get home, leaving no room for more dates with Bristol, but I haven’t left her hanging. Usually, I call her every night when I get home or shortly after dinnertime, depending on what her class schedule is for that week. Thankfully, being the owner of her own business, she understands being tired at the end of the day and just needing time to hang out and relax, so instead of dates, we settle for phone calls and text messages.
We usually text back and forth during the day and, if time permits, have long talks into the night. We talk about everything and nothing at the same time. She asks me questions about being in the military and about the places I’ve visited over the years, which I answer easily. I ask her all the mundane questions about herself, like her favorite color and food, her favorite hobby—other than yoga, of course. I want to know everything about her, even the small stuff.
We even briefly touched on the future. I told her about taking the civil service exam in hopes of becoming a deputy and how that might affect our spending time together. Bristol was clear about her fears that something would happen to me overseas, and she could very well have the same fears about me becoming a deputy. Bristol hasn’t said anything specific, but she has hinted that there’s always a possibility of something happening, even if Tyson’s Creek is a quiet town where nothing ever really happens.
Instead of blowing off her fears, I confronted them head-on, explaining to her that although I understand there’s just as much of a threat of me getting hit by a car crossing the street as there is of something happening while I was on the job, I’d do everything in my power to ensure I came home safely to her. That seemed to ease her worries, but Bristol promised to talk to me about her fears and concerns if they arise, and I promised to always listen to what she had to say. I understand her fears are valid no matter how unlikely anything happening to me is.
I hoped that conversation had brought us closer, and it seemed we were heading in that direction the last time we talked, but something’s changed, and I have no idea what it is. Either way, I need to ensure she knows I have no intention of leaving Tyson’s Creek or her.
With every conversation, the connection and love I feel for her grows more and more. I know people will ask how I can love someone I’ve only spent a few weeks with, but when your heart knows, it knows. Besides, Bristol and I aren’t just meeting each other for the first time. Yes, we went more than a year without speaking to each other while I was on deployment, but that wasn’t for a lack of trying.
But out of nowhere, she’s stopped answering to my messages and has been sending my phone calls to voicemail. The sudden cold shoulder has me second-guessing everything.
“Too busy to respond to a text?” I huff as I push off the couch.
Once Brady gets into gaming mode, there is no talking to him.
“Yeah, you’re probably right. People are attached to their phones.”
I cuff him on the back of the head. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, man.”
“Anytime.” He winks at me as I head past him toward my bedroom.
As soon as I walk into the room, images of the night I spent with Bristol filter through my mind. I never believed in love at first sight, but meeting Bristol has changed the way I view the world. I’m no longer going through my days on edge and waiting for the other shoe to drop. Instead, I’m thinking about the future. More specifically, a future with Bristol in it.
I believed that after we spent more time together, she’d understand where I was coming from. I thought if I just showed her how much I cared for her, even after all this time, I could convince her to open herself up to me a little more. But instead, things have just gotten more complicated.
Something has scared her off, and I need to find out who or what it was and fast, or I could lose her. The one time I spoke to her via text a few days ago, she said things were busy for her right now, but I can’t shake this feeling that there’s something else going on. Bristol told me there were things she wasn’t ready to share with me just yet, and I understood, not wanting to push her away. But I was hoping after spending all this time reconnecting and getting to know each other again that she’d trust me enough to share those parts of her, even if only a little bit. Instead, I feel like I’m back to square one.
My phone rings, breaking me from my thoughts. “Hello?”
“Seth Williams?” an unknown voice asks.
“Speaking,” I reply gruffly, wanting to know the meaning of this call as quickly as possible.
“Hello. This is Amie from Pointe Realtors. This call is to inform you that the owners of the home accepted your offer.”
I sigh in relief; things may just be looking up. Now, not only is Connor my boss, but he’s my neighbor, too. If he wasn’t such a decent guy, I would have reservations about it, but it seems to have made us better friends.
“That’s great. Thanks. Is there anything else you need from me to finish the process?”
“Not at the moment, but we’ll let you know. Thank you for choosing Pointe Realtors, and congratulations.”
“Thank you.” I hang up the phone quickly and head back out of my room, stepping right in front of the television to ensure that I have Brady’s full, undivided attention.
“What the fuck? I was in the middle of a game!” Brady shouts, leaning from side to side and trying to glimpse the screen around my imposing form before pausing the game.
“No, you aren’t. I got the house.” I smile down at my friend as he pulls his headset off and drops the control, his game now forgotten.
“That’s amazing, man.” Brady stands and gives me a manly hug. “One step closer to sealing the deal with your girl.”
“I’m going to need to have a lot more than a house to convince her I’m not going anywhere, but this is a step in the right direction.”
Don’t get me wrong, I love that Brady and his family opened their home up to me when I needed a place to stay, but it”s time for me to have space of my own. Having spent the last twenty-plus years sharing a room with two or three other men, it will be nice to not have to worry about anyone but myself.
“We need to celebrate. I’m sure Connor and Vance are busy with their ladies, but Walker and Riggs are in town. I bet they’d be down to grab a few beers at Crawdaddy’s.”
Leave it to Brady to find any excuse to head to Crawdaddy’s. He suggests we go there every chance he gets, whether it’s grabbing a beer with the crew from Ace Hammer after work or a bite to eat. Yeah, it”s one of the few bars in the area, but there is something that keeps drawing him back there… or I should say, someone.
Ever since his run-in with Emersyn a few months ago he’s been moody. He claims it’s nothing more than stress and adjusting to civilian life, but I know better. Nothing sets my friend on edge more than a beautiful woman. I always thought he had someone back here in Tyson’s Creek who had his heart, but he always denied it. Now I have a feeling I finally figured out who his mystery woman is.
“Is Emersyn going to be there?” I question, already knowing the answer.
It’s the weekend, and Crawdaddy’s is the place to be. Especially for a twenty-something-year-old girl wanting to blow off steam.
“I have no idea,” he grumbles before dropping back down in his seat. “If you don’t want to celebrate, I get it. But could you kindly get out of my way so I can finish my game?”
I step out of the way. “When are you going to tell me the story behind you two? Look, I’m not stupid. I know there’s more to the story between you two than her just being your friend”s baby sister.”
Brady stares into my eyes, and I know that look. He’s fighting demons of his own, ones that no one can help him overcome.
“Soon,” is the only answer he gives me before turning back toward the television, signaling the end of our conversation.
“I’ll text Walker and ask if they can meet us there at six. Sound good?”
Brady nods his head in response. Hopefully, he’ll work through his issues before we head out tonight.
I head toward the front door, deciding to leave and give him some space for a little while.
“Where you headed?” Brady calls as I turn the knob.
“To see Bristol. She can’t ignore me if I’m right in front of her face,” I say over my shoulder, pulling the door shut behind me.
As I make my way down the stairs toward my truck, I glance at my watch. It’s lunchtime, and what better way to show someone that you’re thinking about them than bringing them food? Remembering from our conversation how much she loves the sourdough melt from Culver’s, I stop there and grab us both some food, then head toward the center of town.
Since it’s a Saturday afternoon, I know Bristol shouldn’t have too many classes today, but she has been working since early this morning. Instead of having a relaxing Saturday to herself, she’s helping everyone else to relax instead. If my memory serves me right, she and the girls should be at the yoga or dance studio, since they’re all between classes. Here’s hoping she’s happy to see me.
I pull into a parking spot between the two studios and play a quick game of eeny-meeny-miny-moe before deciding to try the yoga studio first. I grab both our meals, then decide against bringing mine inside. I have no idea how busy she is today. The point of bringing her lunch is to let her know I’m thinking about her, not to get another date out of it. I mean, if it happens in the process, I won’t complain, but that’s not why I’m here.
I stride toward the door, pulling it open and stepping inside. The lobby of the yoga studio’s walls are painted a muted green and are covered in different pictures of women in different poses and one of Bristol smiling brightly at the camera surrounded by her students. Relaxing music playing softly filters through the door of the studio that’s propped open. But instead of being greeted with a hello as I come in the door, I’m met with complete silence.
Audrey, Selina, and Bristol all stare in my direction, no one moving or saying a word. I have no idea what these three were discussing before I came in, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that it has something to do with me.
My eyes zero in on Bristol, noticing the dark circles under her eyes, and her hair is piled high in a messy bun on the top of her head. She has on a baggy T-shirt that engulfs her body, hanging past her butt, and another pair of those tempting yoga pants complete the outfit.
“Hey, beautiful,” I say, waving to the other ladies as I stride toward Bristol.
“Hey yourself,” she replies, her eyes looking everywhere but at me, and takes a step to the side, putting the small welcome desk between us.
I try to give her a reassuring smile as I come closer, but she wraps her arms around her waist, her shoulders pulling inward like she’s closing herself off to me. Something is definitely off with her, but what is it? I try to think of anything I could’ve said or done during our last conversation to make her react this way to me when the realization hits me.
I asked her about our relationship status. I promised her I would give her time to sort out her feelings for me, but instead, I pushed her to decide what we were without even knowing what I was doing. It seemed like a natural enough question to ask, but I guess I was wrong, and now she’s pulling away from me.
I give her a reassuring smile as I come to a stop right in front of her, holding the bag of food out in front of me like a peace offering. “I figured you would be ready for some lunch.”
I wait a few moments for her to respond, but she says nothing, and she doesn’t take the food from me. I set the bag on the counter before walking around and giving her a hug.
“Sorry to barge in like this, but I missed you.”
Audrey and Selina sigh softly, but Bristol’s entire body stiffens as I wrap my arms around her before she steps away from me.
“I missed you, too,” she whispers, grabbing the bag off the counter and peaking inside. “You remembered.”
“Of course, I did. I remember everything you’ve told me about you.”
Tears stream down her cheeks as she clutches the bag tightly in her hands and pushes past me, rushing toward the back of the studio.
I rub the back of my neck, looking over at the other two ladies for some help. “What did I do wrong?”
“She’s just having a hard time right now,” Audrey says, leaning forward and resting her arms on the reception desk.
“Is that code for I just made things worse without knowing?” I shake my head as I take a seat in a chair under the large glass windows in the front of the studio. “I just wanted to let her know I was thinking about her.”
“Trust me, she knows.” Selina takes a seat beside me, resting her hand on my shoulder. “I’m sure you know Bristol isn’t the best at telling people how she feels. Sometimes it’s like pulling teeth to get her to admit when she’s worried about something.”
I nod my head in understanding, remembering how hard it was to get Bristol to warm up to me after we first met. At first, I thought it was because of her statement about not liking men in the military, and she hated me on principle, but the more I talked to her, I discovered it was something more. Bristol has always had to keep her heart guarded against new people, a product of being a military brat and being the new kid more often than any child would like. People always wanted to poke fun at the new kid and see how far they could push her before she snapped. After a while, she built a wall around her heart, making people prove to her they were genuine before she let them in. But once you worm your way into Bristol’s heart, you’re there forever. You’re part of her family.
I thought I had gotten past the walls to her gooey center, but I guess I was wrong. By pushing her, I was asking for something more than she was ready to give me. And I broke the promise I made to her, which is an unforgivable offense to Bristol. It’s the same thing she told me her father used to do. He’d make promises she knew he couldn’t keep for any number of reasons, but she always hoped that he’d come through for her. But he never did, leaving her devastated.
“Thanks for trying to make me feel better, but I know she’s pissed at me.” I sigh, running my hand along the back of my neck. “I just wish I knew how to apologize to her.”
“Wait a second. What?”
“Why would she be pissed at you?” Audrey questions, as if the answer wasn’t staring her right in the face.
“I pushed her. Just like I promised I wouldn’t, and now she’s pulling away from me.”
Audrey and Selina share a knowing glance before Audrey takes a seat on the other side of me. “Okay, slow down and tell us exactly what happened.”
“Maybe we can help you come up with the perfect plan to get back into her good graces.” Selina giggles softly, resting her hand on top of the little bump of her belly.
“Congratulations, by the way,” I say with a smile, motioning toward her belly. “Vance hasn’t shut up about how he’s going to be a father since we met. Don’t tell him I told you, but we have a pool going about whether you’re having a boy or a girl.”
“That sounds just like him,” Audrey replies as she and Selina both laugh loudly. “We do, too, because someone won’t tell us what she’s having.”
“And what would be the fun in that? Surprises keep us young, don’t they?”
“Speak for yourself. I may have a fifteen-year-old, but I’m far from being old,” Audrey retorts before turning her attention back to me. “Way to change the subject, but you aren’t getting out of explaining yourself.”
“I should’ve known nothing would get past you two.” I chuckle, looking for the right words to explain what happened. “Bristol and I have been getting closer since we had the date a few weeks ago. Talking on the phone and getting to know each other better, but about a week ago, I asked her something, and I don’t think she was ready to answer.”
“What did you ask her?” Selina asks, cocking her head to the side.
“Where she saw things going with us.” I push to my feet and pace back and forth across the room. “I know I messed up, but it just kind of came out. I promised her I wouldn’t push her, but I broke that promise. I’ve gone on and on about how I’m not like her father, that she can count on me to keep my promises, and I did the exact opposite.”
“I doubt you messed up that badly. Bristol isn’t one to hold grudges against anyone,” Audrey says, gripping my shoulder tightly, causing me to stop pacing and look at her. “She’s trying to work through some things right now. When she’s ready to talk, I’m sure you’ll be the first person she talks to.”
“This is honestly a case of it’s her and not you, trust us. She’ll get things figured out soon,” Selina chimes in, pushing to her feet and coming toward us, gripping both of my hands in hers and squeezing them tightly. “Just keep reminding her you aren’t the enemy. We all know how stubborn she can be. If being with Bristol is what you really want, then don’t give up on her.”
I turn toward the door for the studio, willing Bristol to appear again and give me a chance to apologize to her for pushing. For breaking my promise to give her the time she needed to decide how she felt about me. For being just like her father and breaking my promise. I stand there for a few moments before pulling my hands from Selina’s grasp and sighing.
“I hope you ladies have a good day.”
I stand and head toward the back of the studio but pause. Bristol obviously doesn’t want to see me, but it still feels wrong to just leave without saying goodbye.
“Talk to you later, Bristol,” I call out before turning on my heels and heading out the door.
Neither Audrey nor Selina say anything as I leave. Hopefully, they can at least tell her how sorry I am and that it wasn’t my intention to push her. Bristol looks exhausted—probably working herself to the bone again. Maybe those two can convince her to take it easy for a few days. I’m sure she needs it.
My visit didn’t turn out how I planned, but I should have known she wouldn’t want to see me. I open the truck door and am immediately hit with the delicious smell of my food. My stomach rumbles loudly as I climb into the truck and shut the door behind me.
She can be as stubborn as she wants, but like Selina said, I need to make sure she understands that I’m not going anywhere. If she believes that this slight hiccup is going to scare me off, then she has another thing coming.