“It’s fine, Jason,” she insists in a soft voice. “Really. You don’t need to feel bad or beat yourself up about it. I survived my teenage years. I graduated. I even did pretty well. I mean, I wasn’t Valedictorian or anything, but I got good grades and a scholarship that was my ticket out of town. That, more than anything, was what I needed at eighteen.”
“Do you go back often?” I ask, spotting a coffee chain with a drive-thru and turning in to get in line. “Your parents are still there, right?”
She nods, then stares out the window. “Yeah. They are.” One shoulder lifts and drops again, the motion so quick I would’ve missed it if I wasn’t stopped and staring straight at her. “I go back for the big holidays. Usually.” She pauses, then, almost too softly to hear, “I don’t have a good excuse to stay away then.”
I’m not sure that was meant for me to hear, so I choose not to respond. “Well, good job on escaping. That must’ve felt good.”
She gives me a wry smile. “Unfortunately, I didn’t get far. And something about this place always seems to keep me in its clutches. I keep hoping …” She shakes her head, leaving the thought unfinished. And I don’t prompt her for more because it’s our turn to order.
We both get a coffee, and I get a small breakfast sandwich as well. “You sure you don’t want a snack?” I ask before confirming that’s all we want.
But Hailey shakes her head. “Nah. I told you. I’m a coffee-for-breakfast person normally. Getting French toast in an hour or so will be plenty, I promise.”
“Okay,” I say dubiously.
Once we have our coffees, we head north, following the highways to Poynette.
It’s been ages since I’ve been back, and even the last several years of visits there weren’t exactly stellar. If Hailey’s up for it, I think it’d be good to visit Hunter’s grave.
And if she’s not … well, I might just have to come back and do that on my own before I leave. I want to let him know that even though I’ve fallen down on the job, I’m doing my best to make up for lost time where Hailey’s concerned, especially now that I know she needs help.
I want him to know that I don’t plan on screwing up like this again.
Stacy’s Diner is every bit as good as I remember. The hash browns are greasy, the pancakes are thick and fluffy, and Hailey moans when she takes a bite of her French toast in a way that has my dick perking up despite me lecturing it to calm the fuck down.
After breakfast, we drive around Poynette for a little while. It doesn’t take long to hit all the highlights, though. Poynette’s not very big. Hailey seems to enjoy our trip down memory lane as much as I do, telling me stories as we drive past the old corner store, the elementary school, the community church where we all attended Sunday school.
I turn toward the outskirts where the little town cemetery is located, and Hailey gets really quiet, turning wide brown eyes on me. And in that moment, I know stopping there with her isn’t the right call. So I take the next left, heading back toward the highway that goes through the center of town, and the tension goes out of her. Not just that, but she seems to crumple in on herself the way she did last night when it was clear her car was toast.
We’ve managed to avoid directly mentioning Hunter, which I should’ve taken as a clue that she didn’t want to go there, especially since so many of our memories here are tinged by his presence—and his absence.
Clearing my throat, I ask, “Do you want to swing by your parents’?”
She looks at me like I’ve grown a second head. Or asked the question in ancient Greek. Then she laughs, a short bark that perfectly illustrates what she thinks of that idea. “Yeah, no. Today’s been nice so far. Let’s not ruin it.”
My mouth opens before I can think better of it, but I manage to stop myself before any of the many questions about her relationship with her parents shoots out. If she wants to tell me, she will. But I have no right to interrogate her, even if I think it’s a little strange.
I know things had to be rough after Hunter died. But I can’t imagine not talking to my parents regularly or being in the same town and not bothering to stop by.
“They’re probably working anyway, though, right?” I mutter.
She snorts. “Yeah. When aren’t they?”
Right. That’s a sore subject, and like she said, we’ve been having a nice time. No need to ruin it.
“So what now?” I ask. “Do you want me to take you back home? Or do you want to keep me company while we see the sights?”
Turning to look at me, amusement stamped all over her face, she shakes her head. “What sights?”
With a shrug, I pick up speed as we leave Poynette behind us. “We could go into Madison itself. Have you been there recently? I’m sure we could find some sights. A museum. Visit the capital. A zoo. Maybe a botanical garden.” I grin at her. “We can see where the day takes us.”
“You’re the one driving. So I guess I’m at your mercy.”
“Awww, c’mon,” I protest. “Don’t say it like that. I’m not trying to kidnap you. If you don’t want to go to Madison, we don’t have to. I just thought it’d be fun. When’s the last time you went to the zoo?”
She screws up her face. “Uhhh, I honestly can’t remember. Elementary school, maybe?”
“Then it’s high time we go again.”
