I wasn’t sure how long we silently held each other just like that before we finally said goodbye.
Lauren
“You obviously survived your two days with Cole,” Reese Remington teased as we visited at my house the next afternoon. “How was he doing when you left yesterday?”
Reese had worked in her Crystal Fork clinic today. Her main office was in Billings, but she spent at least one day a month here taking care of the townspeople.
Reese had come by my place the moment she closed her clinic today.
I’d poured both of us a glass of wine, and we were currently relaxing in my living room. I’d claimed the recliner, and Reese had made herself comfortable on my couch.
I was close to all of the Remington women, but Reese and I had formed a really tight bond. We hadn’t really known each other that long, but it felt like we’d been friends forever.
She’d been through a lot in the last few years, and it made my heart happy to see how joyful and relaxed she was now that she was married to Devon Remington.
Anna and Hannah had helped me feel better about my physical appearance since I’d returned to Crystal Fork.
Hannah was a stylist who had made my crazy hair behave as well as possible, and she’d taught me how to make the most of my good features with the help of some good makeup.
Anna was a pop star who had helped me find my personal style in clothing.
Reese had made it her mission to work on my confidence and self-acceptance.
I’d always been critical of my physical appearance, and I was a work in progress now.
“He was better but still pretty wiped out,” I shared with her. “He texted me today and said he was getting his energy back.”
Her eyes widened as she swallowed a sip of her wine. “You’re actually texting each other now?”
I nodded. “We traded numbers. He wants me to do some reports for him on some of his prospective investments. I like him, Reese. I’d like to be his friend.”
I didn’t mention that he was going to let me use his gym. Reese would tell me that I was always welcome to come to her house to use Devon’s gym, but she and Devon were still newlyweds. I just wasn’t comfortable dropping over to their house to use Devon’s gym anymore.
The two lovebirds needed their privacy right now so they could adjust to being a married couple.
She chuckled. “There aren’t many people who would say that. He’s not exactly friend material. I’ll be his friend forever because he saved my life, but I think most people are afraid of him.”
I shook my head. “He’s not that scary,” I told her. “Maybe I feel the same way you do. He actually saved me once, too.”
I’d never spoken to anyone except my brother and the police about what had happened that day on Cole’s property.
It was a bad memory that I’d never felt the need to talk about.
It had happened a long time ago.
For some reason, I wanted to share the experience with Reese now so she could understand why I wanted to be Cole’s friend.
“Explain,” Reese insisted as she sent me a questioning gaze.
I told my friend everything about what had happened that day all those years ago.
“Oh, dear God,” Reese said in a horrified voice after I’d finished. “What a dirtbag. I’m glad he didn’t have the chance to molest you, but you must have been so scared.”
I nodded. “I was terrified.”
“Please tell me the asshole went to jail for what he tried to do to you,” Reese said in a pleading voice.
I shook my head. “We filed a police report that evening, but there was never time for an investigation. I’m not sure there was much they could have done anyway. Nobody saw him coax me into that barn, and he didn’t have a chance to molest me. Cole’s father was murdered a few days later, and the incident was forgotten. Cole was my hero that day, Reese. He saved me from experiencing something even worse. I hate the way that so many people in Crystal Fork treat Cole and Asher like murderers. I think Cole can use all the friends he can get right now.”
