Page 8 of All This Time

I bury my head in my hands, propping them up on the kitchen counter. “God, how am I going to survive this, Dilynne? Being near him makes my body and mind do weird shit. It’s like he has a forcefieldsurrounding him, and when I get too close, I get sucked back into his orbit. It’s happened every time I’ve seen him sincethatnight.”

“This isn’t an alien romance book, Laney. He doesn’t have magical powers.”

“I’m not so sure about that. And you know what I found out today?”

“What?”

“He booked a manicureanda massage at the salon this week.”

Dilynne’s head rears back as she takes a seat on one of the stools at the kitchen counter.

“What the hell?”

“Exactly. I wonder if he even knows I own the place.”

Dilynne tilts her head and arches a brow. “Laney. Babe. You really think in the past six years the guys haven’t told him you opened a business? One of those guys isyour brother.”

I grimace. “Okay, so if he does know, what the hell is he up to? Trying to get close enough to me that I might be tempted to pluck his toenails off, one by one?”

Dilynne shudders. “The fact that you came up with that so fast tells me you’ve put a lot of thought into that.”

“I have.” I stand up from the counter again and take my glass back in my hands. “I never should have agreed to be Tori’s maid of honor.”

“I tried telling you that, but you insisted that it was the right thing to do,” she sing-songs, mockingly.

“Yeah, well, if things were going well in my personal life, I don’t think I’d feel this off-kilter. I just hate that he still has this effect on me after all these years, and yet again, I’m single with no prospects of moving on with someone better. There has to be someone else who can make me feel the way he did.”

“As your best friend, I’m going to tell you something you may not like, but I think you need to hear it.”

I swallow roughly, preparing for the truth she’s about to deliver—because if there’s one thing Dilynne’s good at, it’s telling it like it is. “Okay…”

She leans forward in her seat, locking her eyes on mine. “You’rethe one giving him this power over you. You’ve spent so much time and energy hating him for what he did… And you’re the only one who can decide when to let it go.”

Emotion clogs my throat—because just hearing that reminder from Dilynne reminds me of all of the ways I’ve had to pick myself up and keep going, even when life felt hopeless and unfair.

I stare at her, knowing she’s right. But it doesn’t change how I feel.

Fletcher Adams broke my heart and it’s never been the same since.

“How do I do that?” I whisper.

“You just channel your inner Elsa.“ She shrugs like it’s so simple. “Besides, I think you romanticized a lot of your relationship with him because of your age.” I can’t deny that the thought has crossed my mind as well. I was a teenager when I became obsessed with him. I bet if I was dating someone else right now, I wouldn’t even care that he’s in town.

Sure…keep telling yourself that, Laney.

“And if that doesn’t work, you tell him the truth. You finally tell him how he made you feel that night, and then maybe you can start to move on.”

“Ugh, that sounds exhausting.”

She takes a sip of her wine. “No matter what you decide, you know I’m here for you.”

“I don’t know what I would do without you.” I reach for her hand, covering it with mine.

“You’ve been here through all the shit life has handed me.”

“Right back at you, Laney. And that will never change.” She smirks over the rim of her glass. “Although, I have to admit, I can’t wait to see what happens between you two leading up to this wedding. My Costco order of popcorn is already on its way.”

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