I feel Andi’s hand on my back again, and I hear Violet set another glass on the bar. I hope it’s more of the purple stuff.
But I have more to say first. “I believe you love me. And I’m glad that it’s not because of the stuff I do. It’s just because ofme. But…you were mad at my mom when she left. You were mad at Hunter when he left. And my other boyfriends. You were mad at Sean Patrick when he left. We’restillmad at Sean Patrick eventhough he came back.” I take a breath, then let it out in a long whoosh. “We get mad when people leave us. And look how we treat people we’re mad at.”
I don’t have to point out the straw polls and the protests at the arena or the rollercoaster of ticket sales, all directly due to Alex and the town’s feelings about him from one minute to the next.
I also don’t add that coming home to Rebel to visit, knowing the town was mad at me, or even just really disappointed, would kill me.
Muriel and Patty exchange a look. Muriel nods at Patty.
Patty looks at me. “Yes. We were mad at your mom. And all of those guys.”
I know she knows I mean the whole town, at least our part of the town, when I said ‘we’, and I know that’s what she means now.
I nod.
“But, there weresomany reasons for that, sweetheart,” she says. “Mostly that they hurt you. Especially in your mom’s case.”
“But they all left to go do something else, something bigger, something they loved.”
The ladies nod, but then Muriel says, “Each case was different. But the truth is, we are not going to be mad atyouif you leave with Alex.”
I don’t know if I believe her.
Maybe she and Patty won’t, but Muriel and Patty march to their own drummers anyway. My friends and family won’t be mad. Maybe. I don’t know how Bruce and Harley will feel, actually. I owe them so much. And my friends? They might not get angry, but how can I go through a week, not to mention mylife, without seeing them every day?
“Besides, Alex is different from all of those guys,” Muriel says. “We wouldn’t have encouraged you to go with any of them. They weren’t worth it.”
“You think he is?” I ask, my heart squeezing as I think about him. How am I going to not seehimevery day? Dammit, how did that grumpy, spoiled hockey player get so under my skin so quickly?
“I do,” Patty says with a smile.
“And obviously you do too,” Muriel says.
“How do you know?” I ask.
“You left garden clubandotter club for him.”
I did.
I’d thought leaving otter club early was a first, but that’s not true.
I did leave garden club early the day I picked him up from the airport. Of course, that was before I really knew him. I left garden club early for the hockey player.
But I left otter club early for the man.
CHAPTER 32
NORA
I sleeplike crap that night and awaken the next morning way before my alarm.
I give up and get out of bed and into the shower.
My friends hadn’t wanted me to come home alone last night, but I’d finally convinced them I was fine to be alone, and they’d settled for each texting me three times before I went to bed.
At least it kept me from texting Alex.
Well, it kept me fromsendingany texts to Alex.
