“Are you okay?” she asks after a couple silent minutes.
“Yeah.”
“You sure? Because you seemed pretty tense.”
I’m always tense.I almost say it, but decide against it at the last minute.
“I don’t like crowds either.” Bailey says quietly. “It reminds me of growing up in our tiny trailer with all seven of us. It was never quiet, and if it was, the silence just meant something even worse was coming.”
I glance over at her, but see she’s not looking at me, instead her gaze is fixed out the window.
“Sounds similar to a war zone,” I grunt because I completely relate to what she’s saying. It’s never quiet, and if it is that’s usually a bad sign.
That’s why the sky was where I preferred to be. It wasn’t as loud. Until it was.
“Yeah, I’d say my childhood was a bit of a war zone.”
I’m not going to pry, the fact that she’s sharing this much is surprising in itself. I just wait to see if she’ll say anything else. She doesn’t by the time I’m pulling up to our houses, and park in her driveway.
She looks over at me. “Thanks for driving, but I’ll take my keys back now.”
The heaviness from the moments before feels like it’s pushed back, and that’s fine by me. I hand her keys over, letting my hand rest on hers as I do it. She tries to hide her shocked gasp, but pulls her hand back quickly.
“Thanks again,” she mumbles, getting out of the car and opening the back for the dogs.
I don’t bother trying to come in. I know I could and she would let me, but I feel like if I did things would shift even more. I may even end up staying the night, or wanting to. And that’s a step I don’t know if either of us want to take right now.
Instead, I step up to her, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Goodnight,” I say softly before pressing a featherlight kiss to her lips.
“Goodnight,” she whispers against mine.
Even as I walk the short distance back to my house, I fight the urge to look back over my shoulder. I know if I get another glimpse, I’ll end up going over there. That’s why I don’t even glance at her window before I climb into bed.
CHAPTER 35
Bailey
The holiday seasonis weird for me. I enjoy seeing the Christmas lights go up, the atmosphere of winter, and of course the festive drinks we get to create at the coffee shop.
The hard part for me comes at the mention of family. It’s a free for all with everyone asking what your plans are, who you’re going to see, etcetera.
Even worse is when my family ends up messaging me asking if I’m coming to visit them. Not my parents, they couldn’t care less about me. They may as well be dead for all I know. It’s not like they have anything worth giving to us that would warrant being notified about a will.
In fact, they’d probably be left in that trailer to rot until someone complained about the smell.
I finish up making the last peppermint mocha for the day and start to close up the shop while I try to avoid the unanswered text in my phone.
The one from Brent that asked if I’m coming to his house for Christmas. The fact that I didn’t immediately say no is different for me. I usually make an excuse right away. But this year feels different.
After I make sure the small shop is cleaned, stocked and ready for tomorrow, I head home. Sadie greets me as soon as I’m through the door, which has been one of the best parts of my day. I used to like being alone, and I still do, but having her around is a different kind of company.
Then I realize she’s the perfect excuse to tell Brent that I can’t come. Although I know Sutton would be more than happy to watch her while I’m gone.
Still, it’s an excuse I can use and actually mean this year. But for some reason there’s a lingering feeling of disappointment at the thought. I don’t know why, and maybe I should be worried about my current mental state because I must be losing it.
I pull out my phone to reply, and see there’s yet another text from him, and one from Brynn as well.
Brent: Are you coming here for Christmas?
