Page 25 of Housekeeping

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” she pointed out. “Your voice sounds heavy, like you have something important to tell me. Did something happen at the hotel? You can talk to me, you know? You’re always telling me that, let me do it for a change.”

I wanted to tell her all about Mason’s sudden interest in me, how I’d found myself cleaning up his room daily while trying to avoid him at the same time, about the two of us sleeping together. Instead, a sigh escaped my lips, and I leaned back in the chair. She sounded pretty excited, and it had been a while since I heard her sound so happy. I didn’t want to ruin it over something so minor when I could always tell her some other time.

“Nothing much,” I said with a sigh. “Things around here are just a little dull without you.”

“You could always use the opportunity to make more close friends?” she said, sounding exasperated. “Hell, there’s always Emily to keep you company!”

“I think she’s a little busy these days, and I just don’t click with any of the other staff like I do with you,” I said honestly. “I just wish you were still here. I’ve missed you.”

There was a short pause, then the sound of giggles and my eyebrows shot up. Something definitely must have made her happy for her to sound like that.

“Hey,” she said, tone slightly teasing. “Guess what?”

“What?” I asked, a little suspicious and impatient because I hated guessing games. “Something good happened, but what was it?”

“You won’t have to miss me anymore!” she said, laughing.

My mind blanked, and it took me a minute to understand what she meant. Then my eyes widened, and I let out a gasp.

“Don’t tell me…!”

“I’m on my way back!” she squealed. “Trent came to the beach hotel to ask me to come back, and I said yes.”

My eyes went impossibly wider. “He did what?!”

“I have no idea why he even did it, it was such a surprise to me too, you know? Anyway, don’t worry, I will be back home soon, so you won’t have time to miss me for much longer, all right?”

“Jessi, that’s wonderful! Surprising and completely unexpected, but I know it’s what you want, right? You’re giving this guy a chance?”

She went quiet for a moment, and when she spoke again she sounded pensive.

“It’s weird, isn’t it? Even after all those times I told myself there was no damn way anything could happen between him and me. I just called it a miracle and decided to roll with it. It feels kind of like getting an old friend back. Did I tell you that Trent and I grew up with each other?”

“Hmm,” I hummed, thinking back. “Come to think of it, did you? You didn’t give me many details about the two of you.”

“Oh, yeah. I didn’t feel like talking about him before, but if there’s something you want to hear, I’m all for it right now.”

“There’s one thing I’ve been curious about,” I said, once she gave her confirmation. “Tell me all that happened between you and Trent from the day you found out he was coming back, to the two of you meeting for the first time in years.”

I shifted so I lay back on the arm of the couch with pillows cushioned under me, settling in comfortably for what I felt would be a long talk with my best friend.