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She gave me a knowing smile, and I rolled my eyes. “Bitch, your brother is fucking sexy as fuck. Even I’m a little affected by his charm.”
I slapped her shoulder. “He’s not my brother.” Callie got a huge grin on her face. I think I just reacted the exact way she expected. I tried to cover up the outburst. “He’s a player, so nothing will happen with us. You know I can’t date someone like Max again. I need to be careful.”
Her smile fell, giving me a sad look like she felt bad for me. I never really wanted to talk about Max and how much he hurt me when it happened. In the beginning, she made me, but I put up a fight for sure.
“Girl, he isn’t like Max. Max hid shit from you. Lincoln seems to be pretty forward and truthful, don’t you think?”
“I don’t know. He seems the same to me. I got the player vibe from him.”
“Aubrey, you don’t even know him yet, don’t count him out. It’s been years since Max, and you haven’t let anyone get near you because you always say they are like Max with zero evidence. If you don’t let someone in soon, your lady cave will shrivel up and die. You will be an old, lonely, and decrepit bitch.”
I looked at her, stunned. I didn’t know whether to be offended or annoyed. “Tell me how you really feel bitch.” We both laughed and continued to get ready for the day.
A few minutes later, after Callie had made sure she had everything, she handed me a box. My eyes went wide when I realized it was full of my favorite things: a beautiful new pink planner and a sparkly green pen with musical notes on it. It sort of reminded me of my guitar. She also added a new guitar pick and some comfy socks. My favorite thing, of course, was a brand-new candle from my favorite small business back home. Honeysuckle Pear is the best scent on the planet. I go through about three of those candles a month because I light them so much. It will be nice to have that piece of home with me.
“I wanted to give you a piece of home for when I left.” Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears.
I had no words; I just hugged her tight and held on to her for a while
When I dropped Callie off at the airport, I cried like a baby. Although I wanted this, I was still a bit scared to be doing this alone. She promised to call or text me every day.
I packed all of my things and checked out of the hotel before bringing her to the airport. I wanted to head right to the house and settle in afterward.
When I got there, it was like the room came straight out of a magazine. Everything in the room was new. I almost felt bad for being here, like I would mess it up or something. The room had baby pink walls with a floral design trimming the top. A private bathroom was off to the right, and everything in there was peach-colored. There was a four-poster bed to the left, with a big open space, with room to walk over to the balcony window just big enough for one person. A beautiful mauve chair sat in the corner opposite the bathroom.
I put my guitar in the closet because I didn’t want anyone touching it. I unpacked my clothes and placed them into the vintage dresser, noting all the hand-painted flowers on the fronts of the drawers.
I basked in the view of my beautiful room for a bit then went downstairs to talk to Liza. I asked her if I could handle dinner tonight, and she was elated that someone was finally here who could cook other than her. She took me food shopping but didn’t let me pay for it, even though I was trying to do it as a thanks for them taking me in. I’ve only been in White Mountain for a few days, but I really like being here. I can’t explain it, but I feel like I belong here.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Lincoln
Aubrey and I went for a run around four thirty this morning. We had such a great time talking. I’m still replaying our conversation in my head. She told me all about her high school days. She was quite a music nerd, just like me.
“So you kissed your best friend; what was that like?”
She chuckled, “Yeah, it was like kissing my brother. We only went together to get everyone off our backs. Callie didn’t speak to us for a week because she thought we were seriously dating, and she thought we would stop being friends with her.”
“Damn, and what about after that? Did you date much?”
She gave me a sad look, “No comment,” she muttered as she took off running again.
When we stopped, she apologized. “Sorry, I don’t really talk about my ex much. It’s been a few years, and it’s still a super sore subject.”
“I get it. No ex-talk,” I reassured her.
“Thanks, Lincoln.”
“Of course. I’m not the most open person either. I'm sure we will open up to each other eventually.”
“You think so?”
I smiled at her. “I do.”
She nodded her head, and we finished the rest of our run. When she walked into her hotel, I got a weird sense of loss. I know she will be at my house when I get home, but it was bizarre to feel this way about her. I barely knew her. I’m not sure if I hate it or love it. Talking to Aubrey felt like talking to someone I’d known forever. It was the most comfortable feeling I’ve ever felt.
I stopped by The Music Bar to see if Pops needed anything before I headed home after work, which was dumb because it was closing time, and he was going home soon. If I’m being honest, I think I just wanted to see if Aubrey was there. She had already gone home to get herself settled in. Pops told me she was cooking us dinner tonight. That made me even more excited to get home to her.
