Page 15 of Just a Number (Magnolia Row #2)

MICAH

A fter we leave Rhodes at the hotel, Nana and I ride home in silence. I must admit I’m having mixed feelings about seeing Garrett tonight. Maybe I should stay home and have dinner with Rhodes instead. That’s certainly what Nana wants, and I’m positive my friends would feel the same way.

Once we get home, I get a text from Garion—he’s on his way to meet Julian at the house to pick up the pieces we bought. He’s going to put them in the old rectory for now, and once Nana and I decide which pieces to have in the store, he’ll help us get it all moved.

I don’t have time to wash my hair, so I put it in a shower cap and rinse the sticky day off my body before driving to Montgomery.

I reapply my makeup, fix my hair by re-curling the ends and spraying some dry shampoo in the front, and return to my bedroom in my robe to pick out an outfit.

I decide on a seafoam green sweater with a deep v-neck, bootcut jeans to hide my calves, and gladiator sandals.

Before I leave, I make sure Nana has dinner lined up, lay out her medication for her, and give her a kiss on the cheek.

The sun has set by the time I hit the road, and on the drive I get a text from Garion with a photo of his packed-out moving truck with all our stuff from the house. This only makes me think of Rhodes, and I find myself driving a little slower on the back roads to Montgomery.

I arrive at Garrett’s apartment and sit in the car for a few moments before going in.

Part of me doesn’t even want to be here, which is new for me, and I’m not sure what to do.

He lives alone on the third floor in a scantily-decorated one-bedroom unit.

I’ve offered to help him fix it up, but that seemed to freak him out, so I haven’t brought it up again.

When I finally go up, he greets me at the front door, wearing a plain white t-shirt with jeans and bare feet. He’s my height, thin, and has light, messy hair. The apartment smells amazing—like onions, peppers, and garlic.

“I’m making us tacos!” he says after giving me a hug.

“Delicious!”

He kisses me, and though I kiss him back, I notice he tastes like beer and cigarettes. I didn’t know he smoked, or at least I’d never noticed it before, but I don’t say anything.

He offers me a drink, which I take. I follow him to the harshly-lit kitchen and he talks about his day.

Apparently he had to lay off some of his people due to performance, and he’s hoping he can replace them soon since they have some big contracts coming up.

I nod and listen, offering empathy where I can.

He talks about his brother and sister-in-law expecting another baby, and his other brother, who recently got engaged.

Apparently this makes his parents anxious for him to settle down, but he doesn’t understand why he has to conform, especially since he’s married to his work.

The whole conversation makes me sad, not to mention bored out of my mind.

I really should’ve chosen dinner with Rhodes.

I look around the apartment as I listen to him drone. Sistine does have a point. This is not the living space of someone with a successful company. Most of the time, he looks like he just wandered out of a used video game store, not a boardroom. Maybe it is all a lie. Maybe he even believes it.

As we eat dinner, I have another beer and limit myself to one taco so my stomach isn’t too full.

He continues to talk about himself, and for the first time, I notice he never asks about me.

I know I’ve told him about Nana and her health problems, but not once has he expressed any interest in how she’s doing, or how things are going at the store.

After dinner, we go to the bedroom and put on a movie, but don’t watch it.

When he kisses me, he still tastes like stale beer, and his hands are so clumsy trying to get my clothes off that I almost leave.

I feel like I’m going through the motions and, if I’m honest with myself, I don’t want to be here. I don’t know why I stay.

Once it’s over I put on my clothes, get my purse, and he walks me to the door.

“Thank you for driving up here, babe. It was so great to see you again.”

“Yeah. Take care, Garrett.”

He kisses me and I walk away.

He has no awareness of how disconnected I’ve been throughout this entire evening. He doesn’t care either way. I normally feel exhilarated and giddy when I leave him, but tonight I only feel sadness—partly for him, but mostly for myself.

This is not what I want.

Maybe I do deserve better.