Even if he still wanted to do any of that, I’d never let him get that far in real life. Because as wonderful as it sounds, it wouldn’tlead anywhere. Or it would lead somewhere other than here, which is where I’m stuck.
Not stuck! Where God has me! Where I’m busy blooming.
I roll my eyes at myself in the mirror.
I take my time getting ready and feel pretty confident by the time evening rolls around. My curls are down and tamed, I have actual foundation and eye shadow on, versus my usual sweat-proof-mascara-only look. I am short but I’ve been told I have a great set of boobs and, well, this dress is helping to show them off.
I swipe on some lip gloss with a half-smile right as my phone buzzes.
Steven: So we’re still NOT shipping Haiden, right?
Harper: What?
Steven: You and Aiden, that’s still an absolute no-go?
Harper: Right
Steven: Okay good because I did what you asked.
Steven: [photo]
I almost drop my phone.
Aiden is laughing. With a woman. A realtor from Cedar Ridge, or somewhere, I’m positive. She’s tall like him, lean and strong like she works out, but sporting perfect, long, caramel waves, as if that rigorous workout was at the beach. They look amazing together with their bright white smiles and tailored clothes.
I can’t…
I don’t…
He’s laughing?!
I am stuck staring when another message comes through.
Steven: Nailed it, right?
Steven: Elizabeth is the perfect distraction for him! I bet they won’t even make it to intermission
Right.Right.
I asked Steven to find Aiden a distraction, and he delivered. Gosh, did he deliver. Elizabeth is such an old money name. I bet her last name is, like, Washington or something else forefather-y.
Good. This is good. He’ll stop buying me things and asking me to dinner.
He’ll buy Elizabeth things and take Elizabeth to dinner. Then she’ll leave Cedar Ridge and travel the world with him and they’ll have a massive wedding in London and pop out three perfect white-teeth babies and it’ll be all anyone can talk about.
And I’ll be here.
Right.
Good.
Great.
This is great.
_____
“This is some bullshit,” Maxine grouses the second I arrive at the barn. We’ve set up a concession stand inside the big structure that was sitting empty. I frown in confusion at her, since the barn is full of paying customers, so she goes on, “I didn’t go by your shop to watch you two hotties fall in love every single morning for months just for him to get snatched up by some Pine Bluff bimbo!”
