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A summer fucking fling.
No big deal.
Obviously, the pain I’m currently feeling is one-sided because I certainly haven’t looked at us as a summer fling. Fuck, I was more than a little tempted to ask her to stay but felt like that was a real bastard move to ask her to give up her career to stay here with me on the ranch.
Apparently, all these feelings, all this fucking discomfort over the idea of her not being here anymore is for naught.
Because we’re a summer fucking fling.
We’re no big deal.
A fun fucking memory we can reminisce on when we’re old and gray.
“That’s right, darlin’,” I comment on a harsh laugh and stand up from my chair. “There’s nothing to get worked up over because it’s all no big deal.”
She just stares back at me, mouth gaped open wide enough to catch flies.
“And you know what? Why wait until the sixteenth, ya know? Let’s just cut our losses now,” I say and grab my plate off the table and walk it over to the kitchen sink. “It’s been real fuckin’ fun, darlin’. Thanks for all the fuckin’ fun this summer,” I say and slide my hands into the pockets of my jeans. “Have a safe trip back to Salt Lake.”
With a quick kiss to her forehead, I walk out of her cabin and out of her life without another word.
A summer fucking fling.
Who would’ve thought something that’s no big deal would hurt this goddamn bad.
August 11th, Wednesday
Rhett
I slept like shit last night.
All damn night, I tossed and turned over that horrible conversation with Leah.
I shouldn’t have left like that. I shouldn’t have let my pride get in the way.
I know that whole summer fling bullshit was just that—total and utter bullshit. And I know she’s been feeling about me the way I’ve been feeling about her. We’ve shared too much, experienced too many things together, for me not to see that we’re both deep in our feelings over each other.
Deep down, I want to try to find a way to make this work between us.
I still don’t know what that would entail or if it’s even possible, but I’m willing to try.
All morning, I’ve been wondering if she’d show up at the stalls to help with the horses. Or if I’d see her at the chicken coop after lunch. But when she went MIA on the ranch, I told Tilly to take over for me in Barn Three so I could make this shit right.
I pull up to her cabin to find the screen door wide open and the truck my dad loaned her nowhere to be found.
That’s odd…
Out of my truck and up to the house, the moment I step inside, I’m shocked to see Francine, one of the ladies on our cleaning crew, walking out of Leah’s bedroom with her arms full of bedding.
“Oh my goodness!” she shouts and jumps back a step. “You scared the shit outta me, Rhett!”
“Sorry about that,” I apologize and run a hand through my hair. “What are you doing here, exactly?”
“What do you mean?” She starts to shove the bedding into one of her laundry sacks. “Miss Leah left early this morning. So, Randall and I came over to get the cabin cleaned up again for guests. He just left about ten minutes ago to grab some Clorox wipes and toilet paper from the lodge.”
What? Leah fucking left? This morning?
When I just keep standing there, staring at Francine, she tilts her head to the side in confusion.
“Did ya need something, honey?”
I shake my head, but it’s all I can do. The ability to speak disappeared the second Francine told me that Leah left.
No goodbye.
No nothing.
She just hauled ass out of here like a criminal in the middle of the night.
My shock turns to anger, and I clench my fists at my sides to try to temper the intensity that rushes through my veins.
Leah fucking left without telling me. And she even left without saying goodbye to Joey.
My daughter is going to be fucking heartbroken over this.
Yeah. Well, that makes two of you.
I shake my head, turning on my heel to get the fuck out of Cabin Three and all the memories of Leah it contains, but Francine’s voice stops me before I can make it inside my truck.
“Rhett, honey! Wait!”
I look up to find her running down the porch steps and right toward me.
By the time she reaches me, her breaths are coming out in quick pants. “Oh boy, I’m outta shape.” She half laughs, half wheezes. “These were left on the nightstand for you and Joe.”
Two envelopes are placed in my hand.
I glance down to see my name and Joey’s name written across the front in Leah’s familiar scrawl.
She left me a fucking letter?
To say what? Thanks for the fun?
I turn on my heel again and open the driver’s side door, but when I glance over my shoulder and realize Francine is still standing there, utterly perplexed by my silent reaction, I offer a polite nod. “Thanks, Francine. See ya later.”
