Savannah nodded, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “That’s part of the reason why we’re in a hurry to get married.” She glanced at her watch and stood. “Sorry, Britt, but I’ve gotta run. We have less than four months to plan the wedding and I’ve already got a list a mile long.”
“Right.” Britt stood and faced her best friend. Not only was Savannah tanned, gorgeous, and six inches taller than her, butshe was also the sister Britt didn’t have. Tears burned her eyes. “What am I going to do without you?”
Savannah’s excitement dimmed for a moment as she seemed to register Britt’s reaction. “We’ll find time to hang out together before I move. I promise.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
Savannah hugged her. “You’ll be okay,” she said, her voice thick. “You’ll find your way.”
Britt nodded, not wanting to let her go. But she had to. Soon Savannah would be embarking on a new chapter.Without me.
“Missouri isn’t that far,” she said, stepping away. “You can come visit. We’ll be in Springfield, near the Ozark Mountains. Justin says it’s really pretty there. Lots of trees and hills. And mountains, obviously.” She smiled. “You’ll always be my bestie, Britt. You know that.”
Britt nodded and walked Savannah to her car, a used but still in good condition red convertible she’d gotten for high school graduation ten years ago. As her friend drove away, she swallowed the boulder in her throat.
Savannah’s words were true—at least for now. But being an introverted wallflower had given Britt the opportunity to observe people, which was always easier than interacting with them. She’d seen her peers at church pair off, get married, have families, move away. They were living their lives, and she knew some of them didn’t even talk to each other, despite being close while growing up. Missouri wasn’t just around the corner, and even though Savannah had kept her relationship with Justin fairly private, Britt knew she wanted a family. She wouldn’t marry him if he didn’t want one too. She would move on from Allen, Texas, and create a new life in Springfield. That’s how it always worked.
She stared at the convertible as it disappeared down the road. If she were Savannah’s maid of honor, she would get to spend a lot of time with her before she left. Surely, she could get over her anxiety enough to be by her side. All she had to do was be... social.
Her stomach clenched at the thought. Now the nausea was coming in for a landing. Her palms grew slick, and spots danced before her eyes. It was all so ridiculous, but she couldn’t help it.
If she couldn’t overcome her social anxiety for Savannah, would she ever be able to? Or would she always be stuck in her small universe, engaging with the world from behind the safety of a computer screen or vicariously through adventure novels?Will I ever grow up?
Chapter 2
“Hey! Watch where you’re going with that forklift!”
Hunter Pickett blinked and quickly maneuvered the vehicle away from his coworker and roommate, Sawyer Campbell, barely missing him. He put the lift in Park and turned around. “Sorry!”
Sawyer shot him a hard look. “Did you fall asleep at the wheel or what?”
Hunter shook his head, but Sawyer was already back at work unpacking boxes of merchandise off the pile of pallets Hunter had just unloaded. He didn’t blame him for being mad. He hadn’t fallen asleep or even dozed off. But he was tired, and he’d been distracted—a common state of mind for him lately.
Sawyer was good-natured enough that he wouldn’t hold the near miss against him. But Hunter expected some well-deserved ribbing was forthcoming.
He and Sawyer spent the rest of the afternoon unloading pallets at the warehouse where they worked, unironically called The Warehouse. They worked second shift, and as soon as ten o’clock rolled around, they met in the locker room, took off their safety vests, and clocked out.
“Wanna grab a bite on the way home?” Hunter asked as they walked outside and into the muggy Texas air. It was only May, but summer was already in full force.
“Rain check. You know Marissa?”
They reached Hunter’s motorcycle. Sawyer’s Subaru was parked next to him. “She works in the office, right?”
“I asked her out.”
“Don’t tell me she was dumb enough to say yes.” Hunter lifted his helmet off the handlebars.
“Of course she did.” Sawyer pushed his floppy bangs off his wide forehead, grinning as he got into the car. “Don’t wait up, Dad.”
Hunter shoved on his helmet as Sawyer sped away. Normally he laughed off his roommate’s digs. But tonight it grated. He started his Yamaha, revved it up, and took off. He wasn’t in the mood to go back to an empty apartment, so he headed for the local twenty-four-hour waffle house.
As soon as he entered, he was seated at a small booth near the window. He was the only patron in the restaurant. A waitress with short green and blue hair approached, carrying a pot of coffee and smacking her gum loudly enough to be heard in Dallas.
“Evening,” she said. A white plastic badge with the nameEnidhandwritten on it was pinned to the lapel of her uniform. “Coffee?”Snap.
“Sure.” He turned over the coffee cup in front of him and watched her fill it with the steaming brew. He hadn’t slept well lately, and a little caffeine wasn’t going to make a difference.
Snap.She gestured to the plastic-coated menu wedged between the window and the napkin dispenser. “I’ll give you some time to decide on food.” Giving him one last gum snap, she walked back to the counter.
