“He said he went to your place this morning, and you and Rora left for the weekend.” Graham looks uncomfortable. “I didn’t tell him where you were, but I feel bad about lying. I don’t lie to my friends.”
“I’m sorry, Graham. You don’t have to lie to him,” I tell him, feeling guilty. This is the tricky part with escaping to your boyfriend’s best friend’s house.
“I won’t call him and tell him, but if he asks again,” Graham says, shrugging. “I hate lying to him. He sounds torn up.”
“I’m not avoiding him forever. I just need some time to figure out what I want.”
Graham seems to be unsure of what to do with that, but I can’t really give him a straight answer. I can’t even give my boyfriend one, and I ran away from him so I didn’t have to deal with it all.
“Derek is…” Graham leans his forearms on the table, thinking about how to say whatever’s roaming around in his brain. “He’s sensitive. I’m sure you have already figured that out. But losing people he loves, or being left, it hits him hard.”
I feel a swell of guilt bubble in my gut. I know Graham’s not saying any of this to hurt me, but I wasn’t his friend, he was Derek’s. He’s just protecting his best friend.
“I’m sure he’s explained what happened with his mom,” he says, and I give him a nod. “And his last girlfriend was the most manipulative woman I’ve ever seen. I only met her once, but the guys said she was pretty bad to him. So I think he has a fear of losing people.”
“I understand, I’m not.” I pause, unsure how to reply. I wasn’t ready to just forget and forgive. Not yet. I’m not someone who holds a grudge against people, especially not my family or loved ones, but I’m hurting.
Graham nods at me and says, “I’m not trying to push you, Elizabeth.” Quinn’s hand comes up to rest on her husband’s shoulders in support. “I’m just explaining my side of things. I know Derek messed up, but he doesn’t want to lose you either.”
I feel those emotions I’ve been hiding from, start to threaten to come back up again, and I sigh, letting my head fall a bit. I understand exactly what he’s saying. Derek is a good person, which I’ve never doubted once, and letting him think he lost me maybe isn’t fair.
I’m just not ready to talk to him. Not yet.
“Well! How about we hit up the farmers’ market? It’s opening weekend!” Quinn says, and I smile at her, thanking her silently for diffusing my situation.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“When your heart breaks, it can feel like an actual heart attack. Just the most awful feeling in the world.” – Viviana
DEREK
“I think this will work great for what you need.” Archer plants his hands on his hips, nodding at the giant storage container that he found.
“I agree,” I say, stepping into the empty space. It’s a start. A start I didn’t know I would actually need—a start I wouldn’t have come to if it hadn’t been for Elizabeth.
I rub at my chest, my eyes pricking at the memory of her, and sigh. It’s been four days. Four days of no contact, no phone calls, no texts.
I finally found out that she was at Graham’s place, and he apologized for not telling me right away, but I don’t hold that against him. He was stuck in the middle with no clearout in sight. I was glad, to be honest, that she felt comfortable enough to seek a place that was safe for her to escape to.
She knew that if she was at her folks, I would have found out and probably camped on the lawn until she spoke to me.
I’ve still called her every morning and every night. I’ve texted her good morning, and I’ve said good night to them both.
No idea if they’ve seen my messages, I still don’t know what Rora knows. But I selfishly hope that she’s clueless, that her trust in me isn’t waning, and that she doesn’t think this person who she’s come to rely on just flaked out in her life.
Of course, she’s four, so it probably is nothing to her, but still, I know how that feels to have someone disappear, and I’m not going to be that person for her. For anyone.
“Did you get that order settled up with Tom?” Archer asks, leaning against the side of the unit.
“Yup, supplies start arriving tomorrow, and we should have his full shipment by the end of next week.”
“Great. I know he’s got a big mouth, so if that goes well, you’ll be getting more work thrown at you.”
I shake my head, fuzzy with all the things it’s been sorting through over the last five days. Essentially, Elizabeth’s plan was genius. All it needed was to be executed.
I know she’s brilliant, I see it every day. But my friends now got a front-row seat to how amazing she is. Everyone was pitching in in ways they know how. Jane had invested in Fowler with an amazing deal for me, one that I know I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere else.
Archer and Garrett have been helping at the shop when they can, and Archer was helping me build my contact list as we went along.
