Page 10

Wren

“ I ’m gonna miss you so much when you’re gone,” Delilah announces from the chair behind the nurse’s desk.

It’s been a long week here at the hospital, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted to call in sick for the last few shifts I have here. But I can’t do that to the patients who need help or to the girls here who would be working twice as hard or coming in on their days off to cover my absence.

Last week, when Carson told me about his plans to keep his dad’s house and move back to Twin Pines, I felt even more motivated to get my butt in gear, knowing that everyone would be closer to each other again. I’ve missed my family so much since I moved here.

“I’ll miss you too,” I reply honestly. There aren’t a lot of girls that I’d consider friends here, but Dee is one of them.

“You better not ghost me once you leave,” she warns, clicking her pen and pushing it back into her pocket. “We still need to hit up that new mini-mall by the movie theater.”

She stands and comes around the desk. I loop an arm around her shoulder to give her a quick squeeze. At only 5’3”, Dee’s one of the few people here I can comfortably do that with. But I’ve always been a hugger, and height has never stopped me from showing someone I care about them.

“I’d never,” I promise, letting her go.

She meets my gaze with a friendly smile in her brown eyes. “I know. If you ever ghosted anyone, I’d die of shock,” she jokes.

Being the people-pleasing person that I am, I could never intentionally ignore someone. Having experienced it myself a time or two, I know how painful it can be. The thought of upsetting someone hurts me more than simply responding to them when I don’t feel like it.

I mean, it takes two seconds, right?

After my shift ends, I head back to my apartment and continue packing. I was lucky enough to find a house for rent in Twin Pines that isn’t too far from Carson’s place. Not that “far” really exists in a small town.

When I told him the news that I’d be right down the street and we’d practically be neighbors, I swear he smiled. He buried it pretty quickly, but I know what I saw. And what I saw was that man’s lip lift slightly beneath that scruffy stubble.

Grinning at the memory, I grab my phone and send off a quick text.

Hey!! I just had an idea.

Before I can even put the phone down, it starts ringing. I let out a sigh as I answer it and press it to my ear.

“ Hello, Carson, ” I answer, letting out a huff as I heave the freshly packed box onto the stack beside the front door.

“I hate textin’, Wren,” comes his reply.

“I know, I know. It’s just hard to hold this to my ear while I’m packing up my entire existence.”

“And it’s easier to type while packing? Doesn’t that require both hands, whereas talking only needs one?”

I roll my eyes. “Okay, Mr. Smarty-pants.”

“Just tryin’ to understand.”

I let out a huff. “Fine. You win.”

Plopping down on the couch, I pull my legs up beside me. Truthfully, I only wanted to text because I was nervous he’d shoot down my idea, and a text might not hurt as bad as hearing him tell me no.

“Not about winnin’, Tink. Just logic.”

“Okay, okay. Do you wanna hear my idea or not?”

“I’m all ears.”

“Well… I was thinking , since you’ll be tearing the house apart and remodeling it, that it might not be the best place to live. And since I’m gonna be right down the street…maybe you’d like to stay with me for a little while, just until the main living space is functional again.”

“No.”

Heat floods my cheeks with embarrassment from his quick rejection. “O-oh…okay! It was just a thought.”

I try to sound casual, but I’m sure he can hear the tremor in my voice. I can honestly say I wasn’t expecting such a blunt answer. Sure, I anticipated him turning down the offer, but not like that .

“Tink, it’s nothin’ personal. I just don’t think that would be a good idea.”

“Right. I get it.” I nod as my lips roll tightly between my teeth. The rejection hurts more than I expected.

“Trust me, you don’t wanna live with me anyhow. And besides, the way I’m plannin’ to do the reno, I’ll be able to stay there with no issues.”

“Okay,” I say again in a high-pitched voice, doing my best to stay cheerful. “Like I said—it was just an idea.”

“I appreciate the offer. Oh shit—hey, I gotta run, but we’ll talk soon,” he quickly adds.

“Okay. Sounds good.” I try to keep my voice steady, but it’s hard not to let a little disappointment slip through.

I wait for him to hang up, but he doesn’t—neither do I.

After a few seconds pass, I begin to think maybe he accidentally put his phone down without ending the call.

“Tink?”

“Yeah?”

There’s a pause on the line as I hold my breath, waiting to hear his next words.

“…We good?” I don’t miss the concern lacing his tone.

I smile into the phone. “Yeah, Carse…we’re good.”