All week, in the brief time they’d crossed paths, neither had mentioned Abby, but Blythe wasn’t naïve enough to believe that Ricki hadn’t thought of her often. The tension between Blythe and Ricki had vanished, but still, a heaviness had descended on Ricki. She’d tried to be jovial and upbeat, but Blythe saw through her façade.
How long would it be before Blythe got her best friend back? Once Blythe shared her news with Ricki, it might be a step in the right direction.
Blythe’s phone dinged, so she walked to the couch to retrieve it. With too much pent-up energy to sit, Blythe circled the room and read her message. It was from Dapper, filling Blythe in on the latest drama from her ex.
Blythe laughed as she read Dapper’s scathing commentary. Dapper was funny, even in circumstances like this. She always had Blythe cracking up at her antics. They’d yet to meet, but they’d discussed FaceTiming. Several of their followers had been encouraging a meeting between the pair, and Blythe was about to make it happen. They could create some epic videos that would leave their followers begging for more.
The drama with her ex hadn’t negatively impacted Dapper, at least on social media. A large contingent had rallied around her, and she was more popular than ever. While Blythe envied her success, she didn’t want it at the expense Dapper paid.
In the end, karma had bitten the ex in the ass, when two of her friends went live and confirmed she’d been setting the trap for Dapper hoping to win her boyfriend back. The boyfriend, upon discovering her deception, dumped her.
Blythe was only two sentences into her response to Dapper when Ricki arrived home.
“Waiting for me?” Ricki asked.
“In fact, I am.” Blythe motioned toward the sofa. “Have a seat.”
“Uh-oh. Serious enough that you want me sitting?”
Blythe smiled and motioned to the couch again. She plopped down on one end of the couch and waited for Ricki to comply.
“All right,” Ricki said and dropped onto the opposite end. She turned and put her knee on the couch, so she was facing Blythe. “Lay it on me.”
“About this weekend, I—”
Ricki waved her hand. “I canceled, and I told Missy I wouldn’t be stopping in anymore. So you can relax. And this weekend is covered. One of my coworkers has a cabin on a lake in Wisconsin. She’s invited several of us to go, so I won’t be underfoot this weekend. We’ll need to talk about you spending more time in Harveston.”
Blythe noticed she’d avoided saying Abby’s name.
Before Blythe could comment, Ricki rambled on. “We should work out a plan. You get the house one weekend, and then I get it the next. At least for now. With the weather being nice, there’re plenty of places I can get away. We’ll have to compromise this winter when—”
“Would you take a breath?” Blythe finally said.
Ricki stared at her as if she didn’t understand why Blythe had stopped her. “I’m just setting ground rules, so we don’t have any misunderstandings.”
“What if I told you that you won’t have to worry about it anymore?”
Ricki’s face fell, but then she smiled. It was so put on that Blythe wanted to laugh, but she bit her lip to stop herself.
“Oh, you’re moving to Harveston?” Ricki said.
“What? No! It was nice to visit, but I’d lose my mind there.” Blythe shook her hands and wiggled her hips. “I need to be around movers and shakers, not cornfields.”
“So you’ll go there on the weekends, so I can have the house?”
“Nope. I broke up with Abby. I wanted to tell you before I made it TikTok official.”
“You broke up with Abby?” Ricki shook her head as if trying to clear it. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“I was thinking no woman is ever worth coming between me and my best friend.”
“That’s not right. You can’t do that.”
Blythe expected Ricki to be elated, but by her frown, Blythe had been mistaken. “Why are you staring at me like that? I thought that’s what you wanted.”
“You broke up with her because of me?” Ricki shook her head. “You can’t do that. I won’t let you.”
“Too late.” Blythe put a joking tone into her voice, hoping to defuse the anger lying behind Ricki’s eyes.
