“You needa shave.”
“Pardon?” I sputter.
“You look like you just rolled out of a barn. Shave your damnface, Oakley.”
I stare at the back of Lawson’s trailer, indignant. “Fuck you very much. My facial hair is fine.”
“You’re gonna give someone beard burn.”
“I’ll have you know that’s half the appeal.”
He’s quiet for a moment. “Really?”
“Yes, really.”
“Huh.”
Jesus Christ, straight men. “I take it back. I don’t need your honesty.”
“Too late.”
I mutter a “Fuck,” and Lawson laughs. I redirect us quickly. “Tell me about Wendy. Has she finished applying for colleges yet?”
The next hour passes with Lawson catching me up on his daughter and which colleges she’d most like to attend after her final year of high school. I feel another pang of guilt knowing I missed so much of her life while in Kansas, even as we stayed in near-constant contact. I missed a lot. My dad’s knee surgery. My mom’s retirement from the local flower shop-slash-nursery. The end of Lawson’s marriage.
I missedthem, period.
And I missed my town, even as I tried not to.
Midday, Lawson and I stop for a quick bathroom break before getting back on the road. As the highway passes, I make several calls. First to my neighbor, letting him know to stop by and take whatever food he wants in the next couple days. After that, to one of the guys at the ranch who mentioned he’d be more than happy to resell what little furniture I left behind. Then a cleaner, who’ll scrub the place top to bottom. And finally, the realtor who sold me the house in the first place. It’ll be back on the market in a week.
It’s remarkably easy, tying up all the loose ends from that life. Lawson said moving on doesn’t have to be complicated. And I suppose, in some ways, that’s true. It’s a choice. One a person needs to be ready to make.
I guess I’m ready to return to where I was meant to be.
And the future? Well, I’ll figure that out one day at a time.
Chapter 5
Lawson
It’s the early hours of the morning when Oakley and I make it to his house, having driven straight through the night. He lets Bell out of the trailer first, guiding her into the large, fenced backyard before unclipping her lead. The cow takes off, getting her zoomies out.
Oakley and I leave most of his possessions for after we’ve had some sleep. He doesn’t even ask if I’m staying or going, just opens the door and waves me in.
His house is much as I remember before he sold it to his parents and moved. The walls are light blue and yellow, the furniture is old in a way that’s charming instead of looking run-down, and barring some of the more personal items Oakley brought with him to Kansas, even the decor is the same. His parents hardly changed a thing when they opened it up as a rental.
Oakley heads for the kitchen first, filling two glasses with water as his eyes roam, same as mine did. He shakes his head a little. “Looks the same.”
“It does,”I agree, accepting the drink he passes me.
Oakley downs his own before canting his head. “Come on.”
I expect Oakley to direct me to the guest room, but he doesn’t. He gives my arm a tug as he rounds the corner into the main bedroom, dropping his suitcase inside. I set my own backpack of essentials down, watching as Oakley tosses back the covers. He lies down, fully clothed, and groans.
“Coming?” he asks when I continue to stand there. “We’re gonna talk.”
“Now?”
