The highway stretchedahead, endless prairie giving way to the first hint of foothills.Tristan drove with one hand on the wheel, casual, like the entire trip to Victoria was no bigger deal than popping down to the grocery store.I hated driving on the best of days, and I envied his approach.
“So, ER nurse,” he said, cutting me a sideways glance.“What’s that like?Saving lives, yelling ‘Clear!’dramatically, flirting with doctors?”
I snorted.The doctors were young, fresh, and willing to start in a small town before moving up the ranks to big leagues.They weren’t interested in anyone older, and definitely not someone with children old enough they could consider younger siblings.“It’s ninety percent paperwork, ten percent bodily fluids, and exactly zero flirting with doctors.Unless sarcasm counts.”I cocked my head.
He chuckled, low and warm.“Still sounds cooler than hauling wine crates up and down the loading docks.”
“Wait.You own a winery, don’t undersell it.That sounds very—” I wiggled my fingers dramatically “—romantic.”
“Romantic?”His mouth curved.“You ever cleaned grape mash out of a clogged pump?Real sexy.”
I giggled and instantly regretted giving him the satisfaction as he used it against me.Good naturedly, of course.
“Ahh, there it is.”He tapped the steering wheel.“First official laugh.Contract fulfilled.”
“Barely.”I folded my arms.“Don’t get cocky.”
“Oh, I’m only getting started.”He dropped one hand casually on the door rest.“So, tell me, how are your kids?Last time I saw you they were just little, so what are they?Teens now?”
I choked back a laugh.“Hardly.My oldest, Josh, is twenty-three, and Ally is almost twenty-one.”
A low whistle filled the cabin space.“Wow, I totally undershot that, didn’t I?”
“It’s all good.It goes by fast.Too fast.One day they’re in diapers, in a time where kisses healed everything, and in a blink, you’re no longer needed and their problems are too big to kiss away.”
“I’m sure that’s not entirely true.They still need you, just in a different way.”
“Yeah, someone to keep the fridge and pantry filled.”I let out a small sigh laced in love, knowing that what he said was true; the need was different.“But seriously, it’s not so bad.They are independent and great humans; I hit the lottery with them.”
A broad smile crossed his face.“That’s great.A proud parent.”He tipped his head to the side.“Do they ever see their father?”
Tossing my gaze to the road, I shook my head gently.“Um, no.He made it clear years ago that he was out.The whole family thing wasn’t what he signed up for.”I hung my head, even though I didn’t hold any anger toward the kid’s father.After all, he did give me two of the greatest gifts ever.“Guess Lizzie never told you that.”
He nodded too quickly, like her name was a door he didn’t dare open.“She shared a lot with me, but when it came to you, she was pretty tight lipped.Almost like she was protecting you.”
“That sounds like her.”
“And the last time you and I saw each other, there wasn’t time for small talk.”
Back then, I couldn’t look at Tristan without bursting into giant, ugly sobs.Time had softened the deathly hole Lizzie left, but it never really closed.I kept to myself, and stayed away, even though the plan to visit with him had sounded like the best decision, I couldn’t do it.In a weird way, he reminded me of what I’d lost.Lizzie had been the best friend a girl could’ve ever had.When I needed her, and even when I didn’t, she came running.
Now, in her absence, I was trying my best to channel my inner Lizzie by running to Victoria to surprise my broken-hearted friend Tina.It’s what Lizzie would’ve done for me.
The air grew heavy between us, getting thicker with each passing moment.
“I miss her.”The words fell out like a lead weight, yet somehow, I felt lighter.He was someone who understood that pain, that deep loss, although it probably hit much harder for him since she was his sister.
“Yeah, me too.”
“Liz was pretty awesome.She always was the bigger person – the first to apologize, the first to make things right.I always envied that about her.”
In our teens and early twenties, if we ever got into a fight, she was almost guaranteed to be the first to make amends.I had a nasty stubborn streak and could usually wait it out knowing she’d make the move first, so, in hindsight, I wasn’t as great a friend as she was.But I had loved her with all my heart, so that had to count for something.
“Anyways,” I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, stretching my legs out and crossing my feet at the ankles.“How’s your wife doing?Do you have any kids?”
A solemn look crossed his face for a heartbeat.“We divorced, but thankfully we had no kids so no worries about messing up anyone’s life with that nastiness.”
Like he and Lizzie’s father had when he divorced their mom.It left his mom a broken version of herself until the day she died.In all my memories of Mrs.Graham, I never remember her smiling.Ever.
