AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Good plan. I imagine you have to grieve the loss of the guy you loved for all those years and the guy you got to know on the trip, huh?”
She was right. There were two versions of him living in my brain, and I’d lost them both. I looked at the tall cutout standing in the corner of the room. I wondered if it would feel cathartic to light it on fire or smash it in the dumpster, but the foolish part of me didn’t want to let it go, either. I got up and rummaged through my kitchen junk drawer for a Sharpie, then uncapped it.
“What’s going on?” Charlie asked, a little concerned.
I used the Sharpie to color little devil horns on the top of his perfect hair and color in one front tooth. I started shading in his upper lip for a mustache but stopped when it reminded me of the time we’d gone for pizza and he wore the fake mustache, and how it had tickled my lip when I’d kissed him.
I put down the marker and dropped onto the couch again.
“Did that make you feel better?” she asked.
Not at all. “Blergh. I’m done talking about me. How is Liam Junior doing?”
She rubbed the top of her belly. “Healthy and strong. Hopefully he’ll be here soon so I can stop growing.”
I crossed my fingers. The next episode ofGilmore Girlsbegan. I leaned into the comfort it provided.
“You will turn your phone on again, yes? Your mom is freaking out.”
“Can you text her that I’m okay? I don’t want to turn it on again until I have to. Which is probably going to be for that wedding Saturday.” I pulled a face. “I don’t think I can bear the disappointment of hoping he’ll call and hearing nothing from him.”
“Okay.”
I waited until the theme song ended before I asked the question I’d been debating since she showed up at my door. “Hey, Char, do you know anything about Liam asking Rhett to hang out with me?”
She tucked her chin and reared her head back a little. “No. He did that?”
As I expected. Charlie loved me, and she knew me well enough to understand it was patronizing to ask Rhett to consider me a charity case. Charlie’s umbrage was validating. “Yeah, I think he was trying to do me a favor. When you get home, you can thank him, because his meddling is what got me in through Rhett’s metaphorical door—and his physical one too, I guess.”
Charlie grew really quiet, then reached over and took my hand, squeezing. “I’m here for you, okay?”
“I know.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
If I told you howmany seasons ofGilmore GirlsI was able to watch over the next few days, you would either be impressed or disturbed. So, I’ll keep that bit of information to myself. My bride on Saturday, Beatrice, turned out to be sweet-tempered despite her Momzilla. I did the hair and makeup for Beatrice and all six of her bridesmaids. They paid for the package that meant I had to stick around and do a touch-up between the ceremony and the reception, so the wedding planner showed me to a space where I could wait.
I had fully charged my phone the night before because I knew I would need it to get me to the venue. Aside from texting Charlie and my mom to let them know I was alive, I didn’t look at any of my other notifications. But now, with time to kill, I couldn’t help but flip open my Messages app.
There were the normal texts waiting for me. Various clients asking if I could fit them in soon, a few great sales I simply couldn’t miss, a text reminding me that my car insurance payment was about to go through. Then my gaze snagged on Rhett’s bolded name.
He’d texted me.
Did I want to read it?
I mean, of course I wanted to read it, but was itsmartto read it right before I was going to have to go back and deal with all those women again?
I tensed my shoulders and clicked on his name.
Rhett:Did you make it home?
Rhett:I understand if you don’t want to talk to me. I wanted to verify that you made it safely back to California.
Rhett:We are still working on having most of those images removed. Some of them, we have no control over. I’ll keep you updated on the legal nature of the photos. Unfortunately, this is a side effect of being around me. Sorry.
And the final one that came yesterday.
Rhett:I trusted you. I don’t know what to believe, and I’m really disappointed.
