Wow. Soon
Yeah. It’s 300 miles away
That’s not too bad
I started to type something, but stopped when my courage faltered.
Really? Sara Tucker had never been scared about a guy rejecting her, which meant this guy mattered.
Will you come to see me?
Will you ask?
Relief whispered through me. I flopped back on the bed. He hadn’t said no. Which meant he wanted to say yes and was being as careful as I was. It was time to be clear that there could be something more between us.
I’m asking now
Then I will
29
Pretty Fast Apology
The Beings and I got home early from the work site on Monday. They looked fresh and cheerful. I’d crossed over into the seriously disgusting zone. While they retired to their residences, I hit the shower.
As I was pulling on a T-shirt over my clean self, my phone vibrated. A text from Kimberley.
Are you free?
Sure. How can I help?
Can you come over?
To your house?
Yes
She hadn’t referenced the argument from last Monday, so she’d either forgotten or didn’t care anymore. Not that it left me off the hook for apologizing.
Ok, leaving now
Kimberley stood by the front door, opening it as I walked up the sidewalk. Her eyes were red and watery. My insides flinched, but my feet kept moving forward.
“Hey,” I said, giving her an intense hug. “Is your mom here?”
“No.”
“What’s happened? Does it involve Mason?” I didn’t have to fake sympathy, because it hurt to see her like this.
“Yeah.” Her eyes glazed over with despair. “We had a fight.”
A month ago, I would’ve said that Mason didn’t faze easily. But between his tension at the Independence Day party and his distress about the apartment hunting, something was up. “What did you fight about?”
“He’s leaving.” Her voice cracked. “He’s returning to Wyoming.”
I choked back a gasp. This seemed too insane to be true. “Are you sure, Kimberley?”
“Yeah.” She led me inside and went to the kitchen table. After running her fingers over her iPad, she pulled up some notes. “His aunt is selling her house and moving into a retirement community in New Bern. No more free room and board.”
