Page 69 of Out of Place

The next morning, I’m up way earlier than expected, but I guess I’m still on farm time. After I’m dressed, I walk down to my favorite coffee shop and order my usual coffee, the one I’ve been craving for months. But when I take that first sip, something is off. Maybe I built up the taste in my head. Or maybe I’ve grown to like the version Landon made for me more.

As I walk down the street, I take a selfie with my coffee and send it to Landon. He quickly likes the photo and texts back that he hopes it’s exactly what I wanted.

It feels like a loaded sentence.

Exactly what I wanted.

I’m not sure I know what I want at this point. I’m sure I’m just confused after being gone for so long, but a huge part of me feels like I’ve left something important back in Georgia.

When I get back to the penthouse, I walk around in circles, unsure what to do with myself. I stare out the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room before texting Serena.

She answers immediately and is knocking on my door less than an hour later with her arms spread wide for a hug.

“I’m so glad you’re back, Liv. The city wasn’t the same without you.”

I smile, but I feel like her statement is only true for her. The city moved on just fine without me. In fact, being gone made me realize how truly insignificant I am. I can’t believe I used to walk around here acting like I hung the moon, and everyone I met should bow down to me because I am the one-and-only Olivia Sterling, heiress to Sterling’s department stores.

But while I was gone, not a single friend besides Serena reached out. My own brother didn’t so much as text me.

“It feels good to be back,” I tell her as I return her hug. It does feel good to be back in my own room and bed, so it’s not technically a lie.

She looks down at my clothes. “But honestly, what are you wearing? We have a standard to uphold.”

I look down at my outfit. I picked the leggings up on a random trip to Walmart one afternoon with Landon. I’d seen Cat wear them once, and they looked comfortable, so I decided I wanted some. They might be the best purchase I’ve ever made. And I’m wearing an Underwood Farms T-shirt that Aunt Dottie gave me one morning before we headed to the farmers market. She has a matching one, and when we wore them behind the table, it was kind of cute. We even made it on a page in the local newspaper, which Landon cut out and put on the fridge in the house.

“Yeah, for sure,” I tell Serena. “I was going to change before we went out, obviously.”

“Good. Well, here’s what I’m thinking.” She walks over and parks herself on the couch. “First, we get your nails done because I know they’re horrendous. Then we’re going shopping because you haven’t even seen this season’s latest items. We can’t have you being a year behind.”

“Right,” I agree, completely forgetting about all the time we spent at the start of the season fashion shows to get the first pick before anyone else. Thankfully, since my dad owns the department stores, I was always on the viewing list. Designers always hoped I would tell my dad about what I saw that he should stock in his store. As if he cared about my opinion. He has people that do all of his shopping for him, and I am not one of them.

She looks over at me as I stare out the window. “You should probably call Jules and see if she can get you in for a cut and color.”

My hair. I twirl a piece around my finger and think back to Landon helping me touch up my roots. I laughed so hard as he carefully painted the box color onto my head. It was cute how nervous he was. And scary how much I trusted him. I don’t let just anyone touch my hair.

“Yeah, I’ll call her,” I agree.

There’s a silence between us that lasts too long. She knows I’m hurting. But instead of addressing it, she shoos me along. “Well, go get dressed. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover today. This is what you need, Liv. To get back into your routine. I’m sure it’s difficult to be back, but this is your home. This is where you belong.”

I nod and take a deep breath. “I know.”

With that, I put on a suede skirt and chunky sweater with tan, knee-high boots. They’re from last season, which makes me cringe a little, but I don’t have a choice. Serena insists I do something with my hair, so I quickly do some curls and fix my makeup.

She’s right; I feel a little more like myself already.

Pretty soon, my nails are manicured, and I’m browsing through racks of winter dresses in one of my favorite stores.

Serena and I make an entire day out of it. We try on everything that we like. She buys a ton of new pieces even though I’m sure her closet is already bursting at the seams. I buy a few dresses and a pair of boots. Nothing too crazy, at least by my standards.

Serena asks me to go to dinner and drinks afterward, but I decline. I don’t doubt that she can see the sadness in my eyes even after I assure her repeatedly that I’m ok and just need some time to readjust.

She nods and lets my driver drop her back at her apartment. Before we get to mine, I ask to stop by a drugstore. I run in, find their small toy selection, and grab the only puzzle they have stocked. It just so happens to be of a sunflower field.

CHAPTER 28

Landon

“You alright, man?” Cam asks for the fifth day in a row.