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“Yeah. They want to fold you right into our group. You don’t really have a choice.”
She laughed. “I guess I’m going to a party then. Should I bring something?”
“We’ve got food and drinks and dessert covered, but I know that Paige and Esme wouldn’t say no to a nice hostess gift.” I hadn’t even known what a hostess gift was until I’d read one of Paige’s articles about entertaining.
“Will you help me pick one out?” Natalie asked.
“Sure.”
We checked out and crammed the groceries into the only open spots in the back of the truck.
“Looking at all this unpacking makes me want to cry,” she said. “I wish I could avoid it, but I have to get the truck back so I don’t have to keep paying for it.”
“I can help,” I said, and wanted to smack myself. What was I doing? I guess I was incapable of not offering to help her with literally anything.
“No, you definitely don’t have to do that. My dad already said he would. We’ll get it done,” she said.
“I should guilt Wyatt into doing it,” I said. “I would, if he had any sort of guilt bone in his body, but I don’t think he does.”
“My sister really knows how to pick ‘em,” Natalie said with a sigh.
* * *
We made it to Castleton around seven-thirty.
“It never changes,” Natalie said, as I drove the truck down Main Street, giving every car that passed the two-finger wave over the top of the steering wheel. It was weird to me the first time I drove outside of Castleton that people in other towns don’t wave to everyone who drives by.
“Not that much,” I said, and we made it to Natalie’s parent’s house. It was close enough to the main area of town so she could walk everywhere, which was great for her. My cabin was much further out.
I turned off the truck and patted the steering wheel. “You’ve been a good truck. Thanks for getting us home safely,” I said.
“Are you talking to the truck?” Natalie asked.
“Yes. It was a good truck. Didn’t give us any trouble,” I said.
She stared at the front of the house, all lit up and cozy. The sun was still up, but hidden behind clouds.
“I feel like I should say something profound, but I don’t know what that would be,” Natalie said. “Thank you. Thank you for driving, thank you for everything. Thank you for giving me a second chance.”
She tried to lean over the console in the middle to give me a hug, but it didn’t really work.
“Let’s get out and try this again,” I said with a laugh.
I jumped down from the seat of the truck, and made sure I’d collected all my stuff. Natalie helped me get the groceries out of the back and put them in my car.
I leaned against the driver’s side and waited for her to speak.
“Thank you, Em. Thank you so much.” She put her arms around me and I held her. I didn’t know the last time I’d hugged her like this. So long ago.
We were taller now, both of us. Our heights were almost identical, which was nice.
When she pulled back from the hug, our eyes were on the same level.
“I’m so glad it was you who came to get me,” she said.
“Me too,” I said. “Even if I did it for the money.”
That made her laugh.
