I couldn’t help but smile at how easily he played along.
“Okay.”
“And as for the music,” he added, “I give you completely free rein.”
“Really? That’s a pretty big move, giving me all the power over the music.”
“Consider it a peace offering.”
I didn’t hesitate to press the media button and switch the Bluetooth to my phone.
“You asked for it.”
Rascal Flattsstarted playing over the speakers, and Jay’s brow furrowed.
“Country?”
“You already gave up the power. You can’t take it back.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t mind country. I just wasn’t expecting it.”
“What were you expecting, huh?”
“I don’t know. Maybe thePride and Prejudicesoundtrack or something?”
I smacked his arm. “I’ll have you know that soundtrack is impeccable.”
He grinned, amusement twinkling in his eyes.
He looked as if he was about to say something else, but then we passed by my brother’s cabin.
It was impossible not to notice it, nestled between the tall pine trees. The shrubbery was overtaking the front porch. The roof sagged more than I remembered. One window was boarded up. And the place looked smaller somehow, like it had deteriorated even further over the last few weeks.
“What’s your brother going to do with it?” he asked quietly.
I let out a slow breath. “I don’t know yet. It probably needs to be torn completely down,” I said, surprised by the pang of sadness that hit my gut. “And rebuilt from the ground up.”
Jay nodded like that made sense.
“I’m sorry,” he said after a moment. “I know you’dbeen working on it and had just gotten settled when you had to leave.”
I shook my head, eyes still on the cabin as it slipped farther behind us. “It’s okay. It was a dump anyway.”
He didn’t laugh. Obviously, he wasn’t buying my nonchalance.
“Still, I’m sorry.”
“Thanks,” I said, unsure what else to say.
I turned back to face the road again.
The truck picked up speed, and pine trees blurred past in my peripheral vision. Slowly, the cabin disappeared from view.
If there was one thing I’d learned from that little cabin, it was that some things weren’t meant to be salvaged.
Even when it’s difficult and hard to let go of.
Sometimes the best thing to do is to break it all down.
