Page 121 of If It's You

“Well, he likes you. He told you that. So what’s the problem?”

Maizie bit her cheek and looked out the window, the events from last night flying past faster than the sagebrush. She couldn’t tell her best friend her fears. Lindsay wouldn’t get it. “He’s leaving at the end of the summer, and so am I. I’ll never see him again.” She stuck with the partial truth.

Lindsay looked over at her with a raised brow. “That’s why phones exist. Distance isn’t a deal-breaker.”

“But it will make it harder.”

“Hard. Not impossible.” Lindsay turned the radio down. “Look, girl, I know I’m not always the best friend to you. But I know when you aren’t giving something your heart. You’ve dated plenty of guys but never really let yourself get invested. You never let anyone get close enough to risk letting them hurt you. And I get it. Your brother died. But you didn’t.”

Maizie’s mouth fell open. It wasn’t true, was it? But even as she thought about it now, she understood. Breaking up with Turner hadn’t hurt her, because she had never actually given him anything to hurt. Neither had the multiple guys before him. But she was all too aware of how much Christian could hurt her, and that terrified her. That newfound revelation, along with last night’s, did nothing but turn her stomach to acid.

“What about you? Are you in love with my cousin?” Maizie changed the subject. As long as she kept Lindsay talking about herself, she could avoid any unwanted therapy.

“We are keeping it simple,” Lindsay said. Maizie once again noticed that Lindsay hadn’t spent nearly as much time on her appearance as she used to. Yet she was still just as beautiful. More confident, even. Maizie liked this side of her.

“I thought you despised him. Remember last summer? You wouldn’t give him the time of day.”

Lindsay glanced at the rearview mirror. “He’s different from what I remember. Or maybe I’m different.” She shrugged. “All I know is that when I’m with him I feel like the real me. Plus, he’s like the sweetest guy alive.”

Christian is the sweetest guy alive.

“I’m glad you’re happy. I’m happy for both of you.”

“Thanks, Maizie. I’m glad you and Jayce have made up so we can all hang out again. But look at us, on a girls’ trip talking about boys. No more! This is a boy-free weekend.” Lindsay pumped her fist in the air.

Of course, it wouldn’t last. Lindsay would surely be texting Jayce while they were gone, but it was nice to be just the two of them again.

“Girls rule, boys drool!” Maizie shouted like they used to in third grade.

If only she still believed it.

* * *

Christian could barely walk.His hips had turned into cement. He’d been stuck on the tractor all day, pausing only once when Mason brought sandwiches to him. He was exhausted, and he still hadn’t seen Maizie.

He sent her a text before crashing into bed.

Christian: I hope you are feeling better.Again, I’m so sorry.

But he didn’t see her response until the next morning.

Maizie: I am. Thanks.

That was it.

Jayce walked out of the bathroom, his hair a mess and no shirt. It was too hot on the second floor to sleep with a shirt on.

“Dude, there you are. Where have you been?” Christian asked him.

“Eric put me in the swather yesterday and forgot about me.” Jayce fell on his bed with a thump.

“He did the same to me,” Christian shook his head. “Do you think he just goes home and watches TV while we do all the work?” Christian mused.

“Ha!” Jayce scoffed. “I’ve yet to see that man sit down while the sun is up. So did you get it done?” Jayce yawned.

“Yep. You?”

“Yep.”