“Shhh! Riot, you will wake up Hannah,” Logan admonishes him sternly.
“Umm, I’m already awake. You called me, remember?”
I’m not sure if I’m annoyed or amused. It has been a long time since we talked on the phone in the middle of the night.
“Ohhh yaaaa,” he hums. “Are you alone?”
Theaudacityof this man.
“Seriously?! Not that it’s any of your business, but I would have been much too busy to answer the phone if I had a guest. What do you want?” I repeat with growing frustration.
“I just need to tell you something.” He pauses, takes a deep breath and lets it go in a rush.
“I think about you every day. Every. Single. Day, Hannah. For ten whole years. That’s a very long time, you know. Like 3650 days. I can probably figure out the hours and minutes too, but I’m not sure I can do that math right now. And I’m really good at math so you know it’s hard. Hey Riot, where is the calculator app on this phone?” he calls out to our friend.
“Yes, I know exactly how long it’s been, Logan.” I interrupt, rolling my eyes and shaking my head as I walk back and forth the length of my bedroom.
“I’m going to hang up now.” Pulling the phone away from my ear, I hear him yell,
“Wait, wait, don’t go. I want to tell you something really, really important.HEEEEEY, stop! Give me that!!”
Coming to a halt I hear a struggle over the line as Riot intercepts his phone. In the background, Logan is cursing and calling Riot names as he searches for his own phone. He yells something about Riot being agnome fucker, that I can’t quite make out.
“Sorry about that, Hannah.” Riot sighs with exhaustion. “I don’t think it’s a great idea that he offers up secrets and huge declarations of love in the middle of the night while he’s completely wasted. Are you good?”
“Love? Ya right,” I snort, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m okay. Did you stay at the bar late?”
“We were there until around midnight. After a couple more shots, Logan decided he knew how to line dance. It was highly entertaining, but I thought I should pull the plug before he embarrassed himself even further.” He chuckles.
“I can imagine. Will you spend the night with him? Just to make sure he’s, okay?” I ask, chewing on my bottom lip.
I don’t love the idea of him being alone in this condition.
“We are already back at the yellow house. Ryan stuck around to give us a ride. Meg delivered everyone else. I’ll spend the night and make sure to push water and Tylenol at him before I make him go to bed. I can guarantee he will be feeling rough in the morning.” He pauses for a moment before asking, “Do you want me to get him to call you tomorrow?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure how I feel about any of this.” I crawl back into bed and snuggle down into the blankets, pulling Penelope in close.
“I wish you had told me he was moving home, Riot. I would have been better prepared for this,” I say quietly.
“I know,” he sighs, “I probably should have, and I am sorry for that. I’m in a difficult position here because you are both my friends, and I’ve watched you both hurt over the years.” He pauses for a moment before continuing.
“For what it’s worth, he has a lot of regrets, Hannah. He may be drunk right now, but don’t think for one minute he doesn’t know how he feels about you. You know the saying: a drunk mind speaks a sober heart? I think it applies to this situation. When you are ready, listen to what he wants to tell you. Get some sleep and I’ll touch base with you tomorrow.”
As if I’m going to be able to sleep now.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sure enough, I’m awake when the sun rises. I did manage a couple of hours of restless sleep but not nearly enough. I usually love nothing more than to lounge in bed or down by the water with a good book on a Sunday morning, but the thought of being alone with my thoughts at the lake is less than appealing. I know myself well enough to realize I’ll keep analyzing everything about last night if I stay here.
Plus, there are no donuts.
I move quickly through my morning routine, choosing leggings, and the cozy grey sweater Megan bought me for my last birthday. I have no patience for my mop of blonde hair this morning. No amount of dry shampoo is going to fix this, and I don’t want to take the time to wash it, so I throw it up into a messy bun securing it with a scrunchy. Grabbing my sunglasses and bag I give Penelope a kiss on her forehead.
“I’ll be back soon, Pen. I just need to inject myself with caffeine and sugar before I can even begin to think about doing anything else today.” Penelope glares at me, stands, and spins in three circles before she lays down in the exact same spot.Well, okay then.
“Sorry I bothered you. See you soon.”
The drive into the village is quick this early in the morning. During the summer, the population triples with tourism and seasonal residents. People are drawn here for the freshwater lakes, hiking trails, and local artisans. Now that fall is here, vacations are ending and students are returning to school, it’s much quieter.
