Chapter 24 #2
River offered to take me to the airport. He lived in Virginia, so he was driving home. On the way he asked, "You fix things with your girl?"
"We haven't had much of a chance to talk. I texted her that first night, and then things got busy." I kept telling myself we'd have plenty of time to talk when I got home, but I was a little worried I'd be too late.
He glanced over at me. "She okay with you skipping her thing to be here?"
"I'm not sure. She hasn't reached out to me." My stomach clenched.
River pulled up to the curb at departures. "Fix things with her. She sounds like the real deal."
I gripped my backpack. "I can't lose her."
"So don't. Do whatever you have to do to hold onto her."
"That's good advice."
"That's what I'm here for, helping friends not screw up their lives."
"And what about yours?" I wasn't sure what he had going on in his life. I'd been so wrapped up in the business and renovating my house.
"I don't have a girl. Not anymore." He looked through the windshield. "Don't make the same mistakes I did."
He'd dated someone when he first enlisted, but they grew apart, and I think he always regretted it.
"I'm getting a second chance, and I can't make the same mistake I did before." But it appeared I already had. I hadn't communicated with her, and as soon as I got around my friends, I was too busy to check in with her.
I wanted to help Mitchell, but I should have talked to Natasha in person before I left. Made her realize that I'd be back. That I wasn't going anywhere.
"Good luck," River said before he got out of the truck.
At the bed, he pulled out my suitcase, and we embraced.
"Thanks for calling me," I said to him.
River nodded. "We'd said we'd be there for each other."
We promised to stay in touch, and I hoped they'd visit soon.
On the plane, I had a lot of time to think and plan.
I needed a way to show Natasha that I was here to stay, and that she could take a chance on me.
I wouldn't let her down. At least not again.
First, I needed to apologize to her sister because I was supposed to be the one manning town hall for her.
When I landed, I dropped my bag at my house and called the front desk of the inn.
"Mistletoe Inn. How can I help make your stay merry?"
"Aspen?" I felt relieved to hear her voice.
"Are you in town?" she asked, her voice lower.
I nodded, even though she couldn't see me. "I'm back now."
"How's your friend?" Her voice was soft.
"He's having a tough time, but I think we got him set up so that he has support."
"Is he why you missed the parade?"
I sighed. "Yeah. I texted Natasha, but the message never sent."
"Eve and Natasha aren't talking about it, so I don't know how that went over," Aspen said, and I sensed she was chewing her lip.
"Do you know how I can get in touch with Eve? I need to talk to her first, explain what happened, and apologize."
"I'll send you her contact information."
"That would be great. Thank you."
After a brief pause, Aspen asked, "Are you planning to talk to Natasha?"
I sighed. "I'm not sure how to make that situation right. I'm hoping Eve can give me some ideas."
"Good luck."
"Thanks." I clicked off and waited for Eve's number to come through. When it did, I texted her, asking if we could meet for coffee.
When I walked inside Coffee Dreams, Eve was sitting in the back with a laptop open on the table in front of her.
I sat across from her, not bothering to order myself anything. I didn't need caffeine. I was already hyped up on the urgency to win Natasha back.
Eve's expression was wary.
I didn't bother with niceties and got straight to the point. "I'm sorry about not being at the parade. I texted Natasha, but the message never went through.”
Eve's face softened slightly. "Natasha said you were helping a friend."
I nodded. "But that's no excuse, especially with our history. I should have called her or talked to her in person."
Eve nodded. "You should have."
"I wanted to talk to you first. One of my buddies in the military just got out and is having a tough time assimilating into civilian life.
We spent time with him, signed up for a gym membership, and helped him apply for a few jobs.
The best thing we did was find him a local veteran who could serve as his mentor. Someone who's done this before."
"That's a nice thing you did for him," Eve said, her expression unreadable.
I dropped my head, staring at the chipped table. "I don't want Natasha to feel like she comes in second to the military or my friends."
"Then don't."
"How do I fix this? How do you make up for past mistakes?" I'd spent the flight home thinking of what I could do and came up empty.
She met my gaze. "You tell her the truth."
"I texted her when I was in North Carolina."
"Try in person."
"It's not enough. I wanted her to trust me, and I blew everything we were building."
Eve leaned in close. "Let me give you some advice—"
I nodded eagerly. "That's what I'm here for."
"Tell her how you feel. That's what she's missing." Eve leaned back in her chair. "She thinks whatever this is"—she waved a hand at me—"is temporary."
"I originally asked her to be my holidate, and when it changed into something more, I didn't talk to her about how I was feeling."
"Bingo."
I needed to tell her how I felt. But how? "I should do something special to show her how I feel."
Her face was pinched. "I wouldn't wait too long. Natasha's been hurt before, and she's putting up her walls, distancing herself from you and the possibility of being hurt again."
I stood. "I won't."
A small smile spread over her face. "I liked you when we were in high school, and I like you more now."
Now to come up with a plan to win my girl back. "Thanks, Eve."
"For what it's worth, I'm rooting for you," Eve said dryly.
It meant a lot to have Eve in my corner, but I needed to prove to Natasha that she was the one for me, and no emergency would ever change that.