“Really? Come on, big brother, I know you’ve got this.”
“Well, that’s sort of on the back burner now. Grandma Betty is my focus.”
“No way. She'd be so mad if she knew you put yourself second to her. You better figure it out. Maybe think of all the ways you like to relax. Get your frustration out. Maybe you need to vent somewhere. Hey, maybe go home alone and lock yourself in a room and scream as loud as you can. It worked for me once.”
I laugh at her ramble of advice.
“Thanks, Quinn.”
“For what? I’m sure I said nothing that can help you. The only person who has ever been able to help you when it comes to your writing is Natalie. She knows you best, so ask her and do whatever she says.”
“She did give me advice, but it's not what I’m looking for.”
“What did she say?”
“That we should write a book together.”
Quinn squeals. “You so should! I mean, even if you don’t publish it, you should do it. It would be so cute.”
“Yeah.” I scratch the back of my neck and glance back at Grandma Betty’s room, where I hear her and Natalie’s laughter. “I don’t think it will help.”
“Why not?”
“It’s not what I’m used to.”
“Exactly. What you’re used to isn’t working anymore.”
She has a point.
“Okay, I have to go, but think of it this way: You need to get the words and emotions out. Writing is how you vent, so you can do it alone or with someone. It’s up to you to choose how to escape this rut you’re in.”
Escape?
Natalie pokes her head out of the room and waves for me to return.
That’s exactly what I need, and I have a feeling Natalie might need it too.
CHAPTER TWELVE
NATALIE
Once, during our last year of college, I saw Tobias in a pair of boxer briefs, but I was so excited about his new book deal that it didn’t really faze me when I’d let myself into his house and busted through his bedroom door. Today, though, I’m fazed.
I’m so fazed that each time I look at him, I think of him standing in his bedroom holding nothing but a towel to cover himself.
And that is not how I should see my best friend, not ever, and especially not the day after I called off my engagement.
Grandma Betty and Tobias are both intensely listening to her discharge orders while I pack up a few of the things she had with her when she arrived. We’d brought clean clothes, her favorite green rose earrings, her purse, and a few other things Tobias thought she might want. It didn’t matter if she planned to sit at home all day, she always got ready head to toe for the day.
Once everything is in a bag, I grab my purse. I check it for my phone out of habit, but I intentionally left it on the kitchen table at Grandma Betty’s house.
I’m sure word has spread by now, and the last thing I want is texts and calls about something I don’t want to discuss. I’ve texted my parents, sister, and the girls about it. That’s everyone who needs to know. It’s over. End of story.
“Okay, we’re all set,” Tobias announces just as a nurse helps his grandma into a wheelchair.
“Let’s go,” she says, twirling her hand in the air.
She might be crazy at times, but she’s one of the best souls I’ve ever met.
