In the angriest voice I’ve ever heard, she leans closer to me. “I said. Stop. The. Truck.”
I decide to do as she asks. I signal then pull over to the side of the road. We’re still in town, so we’re on a paved street. I put the truck into park, expecting to have a talk. Instead of that happening, when I turn my body to face her, she just jumps out of the vehicle. “Isabelle!” I yell as the door slams shut. Without wasting a second, I open my door and jump down. I’ve got to jog again to catch up to her. She’s a speedy little thing.
“Isabelle, wait up.”
She shakes her head and waves me off. “Go home, Nash. Leave me be.”
“I can’t leave you out here alone.”
Just then, she turns onto a sidewalk that leads to a small, white bungalow. I follow her. When she reaches the front door, she raises her fist and pounds on the door. “Isabelle, what are you doing?”
I don’t have to wait for an answer as her friend Rose answers the door. “Izzy, what’s up?” She looks more closely at her friend. “You’re crying? What’s wrong?”
“C-can I come in?”
“Of course.” She opens the door wider and lets Isabelle step through.
I make my way closer in the hopes I’ll get to go in too, but Isabelle puts a stop to that. “Nash, go home.”
I look at Rose then back at Isabelle. “Babe.”
“Go home, Nash.”
I run my hand through my hair and nod. “Fine.” I sigh. “I’ll call you.”
I don’t get a response because the door slams shut in front of me. I turn and make my way back to my truck slowly. If I take my time, maybe she’ll come back out. But no such luck. By the time I start my truck up, she’s nowhere to be seen. So, I do what she asked. I go home.
22
Isabelle
“Izzy,what the hell’s going on?”
Doing my best to get my tears under control, I suck in a few deep breaths before I answer. “Long story.” It’s all I can get out. I point to her sofa. “Can I sit for a second?”
“Sure. Shit, hon. What’d he do? Do I need to kick his farm-boy ass?”
I guess it’s obvious it has something to do with Nash. I mean, I practically ran away from him. “No.” Maybe. I sit down and lay my head back. I really haven’t had a chance to process everything that just went down. When I feel my phone vibrate, I reach into my purse and hold it up to my face. It’s a text. From my mother.
Mom:What the heck is going on? YOU’RE GETTING MARRIED? To NASH WATSON?
Wow. You know it’s bad when the text is practically all shouty caps.
Me:Can you come get me? I’m at Rose’s. I’ll explain everything then.
Mom:Be there in ten minutes. Prepare to spill the beans.
“Shit.” I want to let more tears fall, but I can’t. “I knew it.”
“Izzy, talk. What’s going on? You’re scaring me a little. Did Nash hurt you?”
I shake my head. “No.” Rose is squatting down in front of me, her hands on my knees. “He told the entire town of Honeywell that we’re getting married.”
Rose’s face has turned to stone. She isn’t even blinking.
“Are you going to say something?”
Shaking it off, she stands and then sits next to me on the couch. “All I can say is the guy works fast. How did he propose?”
