Page 10

Ellie

A cool breeze blows over my face, and it's so calming.

I’m sitting outside on Haleigh and Ryan's huge front porch, waiting for her to return with some warm tea.

She insisted on doing it by herself—not that she’s incapable of carrying two mugs of tea—but it just feels weird having my pregnant best friend wait on me. I feel like I should be helping, but she said that’s what best friends are for.

And she’s right. I would do the same for her if our positions were reversed.

I haven’t been here long. She met me at the front door to let me in, and I asked if we could sit out in the cool night air. There’s something so relaxing about sitting outside in the country at night, listening to the crickets chirping with the crisp fall air nipping at your cheeks .

Headlights in the distance catch my eye. Not many people travel these back roads, so it’s always strange when you see a passerby.

Although, I guess this person isn't quite a passerby—because they slow at the driveway and start making their way down the long gravel drive towards the house.

Fuck.

I can make out the truck as it gets closer.

Why the hell does he have to come here tonight? I can’t seem to escape from his presence.

The truck comes to a stop, and Jaydon steps out into the light cast from the windows of the house. I inwardly groan as he walks up the front steps.

Why… why does he fucking always seem to find me?

I haven’t had to face him since the night of Haleigh’s wedding, and I wasn’t planning to for a long time.

He spots me as soon as his heavy boot hits the last step, his cocky grin lighting up his gorgeous face. I roll my eyes as he walks closer to me.

Couldn’t he have just walked into the house and left me alone?

I don’t feel like talking to this asshole tonight. I’m surprised he’s not out with my sister since they seem to talk on the phone so much.

He nods towards me, “Hey, Peachy. Long time no see.”

My response is curt, “Yes, and I was hoping it would be even longer before we had to see each other again. ”

His head nods like he’s slowly thinking over my harsh words. I guess he didn’t expect me to be a bitch, I don’t know. But what does he expect when he’s chatting it up with my sister behind my back? Fuck them both.

“Hmmm… seems like you’re in a bad mood.” He crosses his arms, leaning back against the large porch railing.

I groan. “Well, if you must know… I am. But I’m sure you can guess why.”

His brows pinch. “No, I honestly have no idea…” He taps a finger to his chin, pretending to be deep in thought. “Oh, did your boyfriend break up with you?” He chuckles, like he’s so fucking funny.

“No… he didn’t.” I snap, shooting him a glare. If looks could kill, he would be dead right now.

“Okay, okay… I'm only kidding,” he says, holding his hands up, surrendering, “I have no idea what’s going on, though.”

“Humph…. well, I’m sure my sister will tell you the next time you talk to her,” I mutter, dramatically rolling my eyes.

The smile on his face drops, “why the fuck would I talk to your sister?” He asks sharply, his tone quickly shifting.

My laugh is sarcastic. “I don’t know, Jaydon . Why would you talk to my sister ?”

Confusion slides over his face, “What the fuck are you talking about, Ellie? ”

I hear footsteps from Haleigh walking inside the house.

“You know what, it doesn’t matter… nothing fucking matters, Jay.”

The front door opens, and Haleigh steps out carrying two steaming hot mugs. Her timing couldn’t have been better—I’m about two seconds away from either crying or screaming at him. I don’t want to keep up this fucking game that Jaydon’s playing with me. She spots her brother immediately.

“Hey, Jay! I didn’t know you were coming by,” she says with a surprised smile.

She bends, handing me the hot mug; I silently thank her with a soft smile.

“Yeah, Ryan and I need to go over a few work things.” He replies with a stiff voice, clearly trying to hide the fact that he and I have things that are being left unsaid.

“Okay, well, go ahead inside; he’s in the living room watching football,” Haleigh replies, shooing him with the wave of her hand towards the front door.

I watch him walk towards the front door. Just as his hand grabs the handle, he pauses, turning his head. Then his eyes meet mine, and something passes between us. He’s silently trying to say something, but whatever it is, I have no clue.

It goes along with the rest of my life, though, because I have no clue what I’m going to do .

“Thanks for the tea. It’s just what I needed.” I say, staring into the cup.

Haleigh plops down in the chair right next to mine. “All right, spill… what has you down in the dumps?”

I tilt my head to the sky, taking a deep breath, “My sister… my mom…”

“What’s going on, Ells?” She asks, taking a sip of her tea.

“Well, for starters… my sister is a bitch,” she nods, giggling, “… and my mom took a new job offer.”

“Aww, well, that’s good, right?” She asks with hopeful eyes.

“Yeah, I guess, at least it would be…” I pause, letting out a quiet sigh. “Except the new job is in California.”

Her mouth drops, “What? What does that mean? Please don’t tell me you’re moving.” The desperation in her voice is clear. “You can't move, Ells! I need my bestie here with me!”

“No… I don’t know…” I shake my head, speaking quietly.

“I don’t want to, but I might not have a choice.

I’m trying to figure that part out. I need to try to find a place to stay and figure out how I’m going to pay for it.

I only have a few events lined up for next month and only one for the following month. So, money will be tight.”

“Oh, Ells… I had no idea.” She says softly, her voice full of sympathy .

“I didn’t either until this morning,” I reveal, unable to hide my frustration. “Apparently, Breanne has known about it for several months now.”

“Well, that’s fucked up.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. I could have used those extra months to save up money for an apartment. I’m going tomorrow to look at a few listings I found online earlier.”

“Well, that’s a good start.” She nods slowly. “What about the money part?”

“I don’t really know,” I admit with a shrug, “Until I start getting more clients, I guess I will have to find something part-time to make ends meet.”

“Will your mom help you?” She asks, with the tilt of her head.

I sigh, “No… because she wants me to move with her, and she doesn't have the extra money anyway.” I say, then swallow a quick sip of my warm tea.

“Damn, that sucks…” I nod along as she speaks. “I wish there was something I could do… maybe I can talk with Ryan. I'm sure he will be okay with you moving in with us for a while.”

I hold up my hand to stop her there, “As much as I appreciate the offer and would love to live with my bestie… I can’t impose on you and Ryan. You have a baby on the way, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable imposing on the two of you… I will find something. I have about a month. ”

“Okay, well, the offer still stands, if you can’t find anything…” her eyes light up with a thought, “Oh! Earlier today, when I went into town, I stopped by Sprinkles Café. Elaine said she was looking for some help. Maybe you could check with her.”

“Ohh, I love that place! I can stop by tomorrow on my way to see the apartments. I just hope she doesn’t want me to help bake.”

We both burst out laughing. Haleigh knows damn well I’m a disaster in the kitchen.

“Remember that time you stayed the night with me, and we made pancakes, and you tried to flip one, and it landed on your head?” Her laugh turns into a wheeze as we both double over in laughter.

“Girl, we don’t talk about that,” I say through my laughter, shaking my head at the memory of that night, “how the fuck did I even do that shit? I was trying to be fancy with my flip; I had to wash my hair in the sink to get all that shit off!”

“Oh my gosh, stop it!” She gasps, holding her growing belly. “You’re gonna make me pee my pants.”

I laugh even harder, wiping at the tears forming in my eyes. I know it’s from the laughter, but it might just be a little from all the stress and sadness as well. I’m so thankful I have her as my best friend.