Page 44 of Keeping it Local

Johnny

“So, I’m thinking we need to grab breakfast before we go pick up your car at the rental house.”

“Ugh,” Beth said, peeking out at me from where her hands covered her face. “I forgot I left my car over there. How bad do you think that looks?”

“I’m a big boy.” I smirked over at her. “I think my brother knows that we have sleepovers.”

“Guess so.” She shook her head.

She didn’t have any other clothes with her, so after she used a spare toothbrush and cleaned herself up best she could, we jumped in my truck and headed to Seagull. I’d wondered if it would be a bit awkward, but that wasn’t the case at all.

In fact, it felt more comfortable with her than it had before. It felt like she was all in. Was she? We’d talked about this just being casual, but why did it feel like more? We’d figure it out when the time came, but I felt the most comfortable I had with a woman in… ever. And even though that scared the shit out of me, I wanted to see it through, even if it was only for a short while.

We pulled up to the cafe, and it was packed. That made sense since it was the holiday weekend still, but I was so used to getting my spot at the bar, I didn’t think about it.

“Want to grab a coffee to go and grab something from the deli? We can eat by the lake,” I suggested.

“That sounds perfect.”

She waited outside while I grabbed two coffees on the house from Lane, then we each picked out a breakfast sandwich from the deli next door and walked the couple blocks to where the trees cleared before the water.

“This place is so beautiful,” she said, taking a seat on a picnic table and setting her coffee in front of her. “I’m going to miss it. I love my morning runs along the lake—being so close to the water.”

“Yeah, it’s hard not to love it.” I smiled at her, taking a sip of my own coffee.

“So, I should probably tell you…” Beth said.

“Yes?” I asked, waiting for the other shoe to drop after our night last night.

“Michael? You know the guy that runs the farm with my family?”

“And your ex-boyfriend?”

“Yeah, same guy,” she said, nodding.

“He called yesterday morning. Asked if I could come home early.”

My stomach sank.

“He said that my dad fell, and that things were getting tougher with me being gone. That my mom was keeping things from me that I needed to know.” She paused. “He said I wasn’t the person he knew. That the old me would have rushed home to help.” She shook her head, scuffing her flip-flops in the sand.

“How bad is it?” I asked, looking over at her.

“I called my mom. She said he’s bruised but overall is fine. I honestly think Michael was using it as a ploy. Something to get me back there so we could get back together, which is something that he said he wants.” She sighed. “I just can’t do it though. I told him to stop reaching out unless it was business related. I’m just so tired of him holding me back and trying to make decisions for me without even realizing.”

“Maybe he does realize.” I raised my eyebrows at her.

“Maybe. He just can’t imagine anyone wanting a different life.” She bit her lip. “I want something more though. I just can’t figure out exactly what that looks like.”

It felt she was holding back, but how could I ask her to open up when I hadn’t been fully open with her either. As much as I shut down about my past, maybe it was time to open up.

I nodded at her. “I haven’t told you about Anne.”

“No, you haven’t.” She sat next to me, just listening.

“My wife.”

“Wife?” Her eyes got big, and she reared her head back.