Sighing, I plop down into a patio chair and respond to her good morning. As soon as I hit send, my phone startles me with a ring, and I see that it's Florence.
"Good morning, brother," she says when I answer.
"Hey. What's up?"
"Not much. Just checking in to see if you have finally come to your senses."
I roll my eyes, knowing full well her now-common nagging tirade is about to start again.
"She lives in Arizona, Flo," I say with a slight irritation in my voice.
"So? People have never moved before? You told me that she loved her time on the mountain."
"That doesn't mean she wants to move here."
"Sheesh, Floyd. I'm getting sick of this back and forth. For whatever reason, you're being annoyingly stupid."
"Thanks, sis," I say with a snort.
"I mean it, brother. You are clearly in love with this woman."
"I'm also twelve years older than her," I remind her.
"Oh, and did that bother her?" Florence asks with a clip to her tone.
"Well, of course it didn't bother her during that weekend. I was helping her out with something that she really appreciated."
"I think it was more than that. Actually, Iknowthat it was more than that, and I think you know it as well," Florence says.
"Dude, what do you want me to do? She lives about eight or nine hours away from me. I don't know what you expect me to do."
"Dude?" my sister repeats, laughing. "What are we, fourteen? And what Iexpectyou to do is to follow your heart and grab life by the horns."
I open my mouth to respond, but I don't even know what to say.
"Dammit, Floyd, go to her! Go tell her that you love her. Get off your ass and go. You will regret it if you never do. At least if you tell her, you'll never wonder what if or be angry that you kept quiet."
My sister's voice rises as she speaks, clearly passionate about the demand she is placing on me.
"Wouldn't that be creepy?" I mumble, more to myself.
"Hell, no! It won't be creepy. The woman has talked to you nonstop every day for the last two, two and a half months. If it were me, I would be bowled over by how insanely romantic showing up at my door would be."
Standing, I stare at the lake, processing my sister's suggestion. The thought of hopping into my truck and being able to see Lexi in person by midafternoon fills me with an excitement that I haven't felt since saying goodbye to her. Since the last time I held her.
"Earth to Floyd," my sister calls out on the other line, and I realize I've been quiet for a good minute or two.
"Alright. Fine. I'm going," I say, determined.
Florence whoops loudly into the phone. "Let me know how it goes and drive safely!"
After a quick five-minute shower, I grab some snacks before jumping into the truck and hitting the road. Minus a couple of quick bathroom breaks, I drive nonstop toward Phoenix, sending just a couple of texts to Lexi, who has also been relatively quiet today. Eight minutes out of the city, my phone rings, and I see it's the curvy woman for whom I would give anything.
"Hey, you," she says when I answer through the car's Bluetooth.
"Hi. How are you?"
"I'm good. You home?"
