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Chapter 6
Tyler
After dinner on Thursday, I’m hanging out in the game room with some of the other ranch hands.Grayson isn’t here because he’s headed out for a second date, which has us all shocked.He’s so shy that he barely spoke to me for the first month he worked here.And it’s rare to see him talking to females, other than Ava and Lilith.
Kent is also missing.I’ll check in on him later.He’s usually quiet, but not like he’s been the last few days.Dag is talking about the woman he met at the party, and that gets me thinking about Bottle Caps.She’s in my head a lot.
It’s one day short of a week, but I can’t stop thinking about her.So I stand and stretch.“I’ll catch y’all later.I’ve got stuff to do.”
I manage to slip out without having to explain anything, for which I’m grateful.
Waiting to go back to her place seemed like a smart idea this past weekend, but now I’m sorry I didn’t rush over.What if she wasn’t fine?
Thankfully, I don’t have any trouble finding the place.The pale gray house with the sunflower yellow shutters would be hard to forget.
When I pull up in front, the house is dark.But I stroll to the door and knock, then wait.
Next door, a light comes on, and an older woman steps out onto the porch.She eyes me a moment before speaking.“You here for the blonde or the brunette?”
“The brunette.”
“She moved.”The woman crosses her arms.“The other went out, all gussied up.”
“The brunette, what’s her name?”
The woman shakes her head.“You’ll have to ask her.I’m not giving you that info.”
I can’t blame the woman for not telling me.“Is there a way you could get a message to her for me?”
Her nose crinkles, and I know bad news is coming.“Sorry.I don’t know where she went, and the other one doesn’t like me.She blames me for what my cat did.If she hadn’t trapped my baby in her car overnight, it wouldn’t have happened.”
Whatever happened is none of my business.I’m not asking more questions.“Thanks for the information.”
Back in the truck, I head home, kicking myself for not coming sooner.
Kent is sitting on the top step of his porch when I park.“Did you talk to her?”
I’m not sure how he knows I went to see my mystery woman.“She moved.I waited too long.And thanks to a cat and its overnight stay in a car, the neighbor won’t talk to the roommate.”
“Yikes.Sounds complicated.Was the party near here?”
“Nope.And she lives—lived—about twenty minutes up the highway.So I don’t expect to bump into her at the hardware store.”
We both laugh since that’s where Grayson bumped into Daisy, the woman he’s now dating.But that encounter had help from Sutton, another friend of ours.No one besides Kent knows what happened at the party, so I can’t hold out hope that someone will intervene and help me reconnect with Bottle Caps.
“I’ll just have to go back over there midweek.See if I can catch the roommate at home.Ingrid.I at least knowhername.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
I stand near his porch.“Everything okay?You’ve been quieter than normal.”
“I’m good.Just thinking.My wedding anniversary was last week.It’s got my brain churning.Mistakes.Regrets.That’s all.”
“I didn’t know you were married.”
“Yeah.It’s complicated now.I should probably do something about that.”He leans back and rests his elbows on the wood.“What’s so captivating about the woman from the party?”
I inhale, taking time to really think about his question.“Her looks caught my attention.Not gonna lie about that, and the way she kept looking around people to make eye contact with me was cute.I liked that.Then when she seemed fuzzy, she latched onto me like I was some kind of superhero.Like I was safe and could protect her.It felt nice.Good for the ego.”My reasons are selfish.Like it’s all about how she makes me feel.“Plus, I can’t stop thinking about her.Crazy, right?”
