“We have to see if the sunrises are better up there,” Wren said with a wink. “Alright, I gotta help this toothy girl finish packing before her ortho appointment. See you tomorrow!” We said our goodbyes, and I sunk back into the couch. The rest of the house could wait.
***
The next morning, the Wilsons picked me up in their rental car and we drove for an hour and a half to Port Huron. The cabin they rented was less than a block from the waterfront, and we could see the Blue Water Bridge from our window.
“Let’s get coffee first. George hasn’t had a drop yet, and he’s about to get cranky,” Wren said when we finished taking our bags inside.
“I already have a café saved in Google Maps,” George said good-naturedly. He picked up Mia with one arm, swinging her in a circle as she giggled.
We got coffees downtown, then walked along the waterfront on Lake Huron. We found a sunny spot to rest, and Mia and George played behind us on the grass while Wren and I sat on a bench together, staring out at the water.
“So, how was the house?” Wren asked.
I took a sip from my iced coffee, swatting away a mayfly in the process. “Exactly as I expected—a dump.”
“Have you decided what you’re going to do about it?”
A cloud covered the sun, and I lifted my sunglasses to the top of my head. “Probably fix it up a bit and sell it.”
“All by yourself? I hate that you’re alone,” Wren said with an over-exaggerated pout.
I lowered my sunglasses to perch back on my nose, averting my eyes. “Someone offered to help me.”
I could feel Wren staring at me. “Yeah?”
I kicked my feet back and forth, feeling like a little kid about to admit they had a crush. Except this wasn’t a crush. I didn’t even know exactlywhatit was I was feeling, but I was feeling something, alright.
Like a sick joke from the universe, my phone vibrated on the bench between us, and Wren bent down to read the text. “I’ll bet his name is Jackson,” Wren said in a sing-song voice.
I snatched my phone up, reading a text from Jackson that said,I came by the house but you didn’t answer. Is everything okay?
“God, he’s so annoying,” I mumbled. “I never even gave him my number. He must’ve texted himself from my phone when he addedhimself to my contacts.” I texted Jackson back that I was out of town for a few days, taking a break from the house.
“Okay, I’m waiting. Explain,” Wren said.
In the ten years I had known her, I had never told her about Jackson. I gave her pieces here and there about Peter and my mom, but even that took literal years for me to finally share. It wasn’t something I liked to talk about—or remember, for that matter.
I let out a long breath of air. “Some guy I worked with in high school. He owns the restaurant we used to work at. I ran into him in town and he offered to help. I don’t know how I feel about it yet.”
Wren smiled at me. “Well, it’s about time you started dating again. You and Phoenix have been broken up for almost two years now.” Phoenix and I dated for almost a year, and it wasn’t a pretty year. We had a lot of ups and downs, a continuous cycle of harmony and chaos. He was an addict, and having lived with one growing up, I thought it was my duty to fix him. I couldn’t, and he reminded me way too much of Peter in his reactions to conflict. Finally, I let him go, because his behavior was exactly what I’d run from in the first place.
I let out an exaggerated laugh. “Well,thisguy is engaged. So dating is a no.”
“Buggers,” Wren said with another frown. “How well did you know Jackson back then?”
I paused for a while.Well, I’ve seen him naked.
“I mean, pretty well. I was close with his family.” I couldn’t meet her eyes, thankful I still had my sunglasses on to block my face.
Wren was still staring at me, waiting for me to go on. Her eyes were boring into me like a spotlight. “Okay! Fine! I was in love with the guy. Can you just stop looking at me like that?”
Wren let out a laugh and patted my knee. “Love isn’t a bad word.” She stood up from the bench. “Come on, let’s play tag with George and Mia, burn off that sexual energy.”
I shook my head, but a laugh escaped me. “You’re sick.”
***
We spent the next three days visiting the lighthouse on the water, roaming antique shops, and swimming in the water when we weren’t being attacked by mayflies. On our way back home we were all starving, and Wren suggested we stop at Delvecchios’, to see where I worked before moving to North Carolina. Their flight wasn’t until later, and it would be better than an airport dinner, so I agreed.
