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I know that they want to help me through this, but I don’t think that they can. There’s no amount of margaritas, tacos, or brownies that can fix the hole in my chest.
Evangeline: I’m fine. I promise. I’m just going to need some time.
Rowan: You missed girl’s night.
Evangeline: I know, I’ll be there next week. I promise.
Sydney: We’re here if you need anything before then. You can always call an emergency girl’s night. You know that we’ll be there.
I slip my phone back in my purse and sigh as I turn to stare out the windows again. It’s still coming down hard out there and I wonder if I should just close up for the day and head home. I can make some soup and grilled cheese and join my mom as she watches her soap operas this afternoon.
I’m about to start turning off the lights and locking up when a familiar black Jeep pulls into the lot.
My stomach drops and my heart starts to race. I’m not sure how to react to the sight of Jasper climbing out into the rain.
Our eyes lock through the front windows and he gives me a slight, hopeful smile as he heads through the rain to the door.
“Hey,” he says as he reaches up, shaking out the water from his dark hair.
“What are you doing here?” I blurt out and his hopeful look drops.
“I wanted to see you. I need to talk to you.”
“About what?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.
“I missed you,” he says.
My resolve starts to melt at his words but I remember the way he left town without a goodbye and I straighten my shoulders.
“How’s Gray? I heard that you went to Pittsburgh,” I say, trying to remain civil.
“He’s good. He and Nora are engaged.”
“Congratulations! Is that why you went up to see him?”
“It was part of the reason. I found out that he was going to propose and wanted to be there to help them celebrate.”
“What was the other reason?” I ask.
“Um, therapy.”
“What?”
My arms drop as I stare at him in shock.
“I went to do a joint therapy session with Gray. He’s been seeing someone up there to talk about our dad and everything that happened when we were kids.”
“Wow, um, how was it?”
That doesn’t feel like the appropriate question to ask here, but I’m not good at this.
“It was good. Kind of eye opening. It was interesting to see what Gray remembered compared to what I remembered. He, uh, he told me more about what it was like to live with our father after I had enlisted.”
I step forward, reaching out and resting my hand on his arm.
“I guess I’m lucky that Rod just stopped going home. It probably would have been worse for Gray if he was there with him, but I don’t love the fact that a sixteen, seventeen-year-old was left alone for weeks or months on end. If I wasn’t sending back money…” he trails off and my mind pictures a scared and helpless Gray at sixteen, all alone in that old house.
“I’m sorry, Jasper.”
