I want to stomp my foot and throw a fit, but I refrain. I’m an adult. I can do this.
I tap my fingers along my thigh in a steady rhythm and inhale deeply, trying to get my heart to stop racing. I can handle a little schedule change. I can handleoneshopping trip at the big stores. I can spend tomorrow preparing for the trip, and I’ll make sure I take my meds first thing.
“Okay.” Reluctantly, I look at Addison. Damn, she’s pretty. My belly does a silly little flutter. “We’ll need to leave by seven on Wednesday so we can get there right as the store opens. I have the list, but I’ll send it to you so we can both have a copy.”
She gives me a curt nod, her face blank. I hate that I can’t read her. She’s got her emotions locked down tight. Add that to her proclivity for staying quiet, and it’s going to make for an interesting trip.
“That’s all I needed from you, Addison,” Daddy says. “Do you have any questions or need anything?”
“No, sir. Thank you. I’ll be ready to go on Wednesday morning. Have a good day.” She spins on her heel and walks out the office door.
As soon as she’s gone, I slump down in the office chair. Daddy sits down on the chair across from the desk and clasps his handsover one knee. He’s giving me a look like he’s waiting for me to complain again, but I won’t. Not to him.
But boy, is my journal going to get a good rant tonight.
“I’m fine. I’m a big girl. I can handle one trip to Missoula.”
“I think next Friday night you should take the new employees to The Copper Mule and introduce them to the Hayes and McCains. We’ll be seeing a lot of Cillian, and it would be good for them to get to know each other. Besides, they deserve to have a little fun before next week.”
I let out a tired groan. I love going to The Copper Mule, and I love seeing my friends, but I’ll need three business days to recover from a night out. I won’t get that with the ranch opening early.
“I’ll see if they want to go,” I say, even though I don’t want to.
“Thank you, Juniper.” Daddy knocks on the desk as he stands. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Probably be runnin’ around like a chicken with its head cut off.”
He chuckles. “Probably. Love you, June-bug. I’ll let you get back to work.”
“Love you too.”
On Wednesday morning, as I wait in the truck, I take a sip of my coffee. The warm, sweet liquid wakes up my taste buds and hopefully soon, my body. I slept fitfully last night, anxious about the day ahead, and I’m still waiting for my medicine to kick in. The caffeine probably isn’t the best thing for my nerves, but it’s a necessary evil.
Addison strides out of the main house, her hair pulled back into a long ponytail through a black baseball cap. Why does shehave to be so damn attractive? She gets in the passenger seat and buckles up, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Good morning,” I chirp. “Ready for this adventure?”
“Morning.”
Okay then. Good start to the day.
“Mama gave me a to-go cup of coffee for you. There’s water in the door and some trail mix in the middle console. If you need to make a stop or anything?—”
“I’ll be fine. Let’s get this over with.”
“Right. Yeah. Of course.”Don’t keep yapping, Juniper.“Any particular music you want to listen to?”
“I’m good with whatever.”
I can’t tell if she’s trying to be amicable or if she hates me and wants me to shut up forever. Over the last two weeks, I’ve watched her interact with other employees, and this seems to be her normal mode. She’s cordial with everyone, but she keeps them at arm’s length.
Even knowing this is just how she is, my brain spins. She hates me. For what? I don’t know. Maybe our night together was awful, and she’s wiped it from her mind.
I put on a random playlist and let the music play just loud enough that we can hear it, but not so loud that I can’t hear if she says anything. I don’t expect her to want to ask me questions, but if we don’t talk at all, I’ll crawl out of my skin. I’ve been reminding myself over and over these past weeks not to bring up the night we spent together again. If she’s going to pretend she doesn’t know me, I’ll do the same.
And I do believe she’s pretending. She promised me she was sober that night, and unless she’s got amnesia, it would be pretty unbelievable for her to forget.
I just don’t understand why.
