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“I will, promise. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“See you then. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Once I’m inside, I lock up the house as promised and kick off my heels, leaving them at the door. After dropping my purse on the coffee table, I meander through the living room to my bedroom and place my keys and phone on my nightstand before pulling the dress over my head and tossing it into my laundry basket in the corner. I collapse onto my bed, the soft pillows and fuzzy blanket soothing to my skin, and I reach down to the foot of my bed to pull my weighted blanket over me. Once I’m cocooned in it, my hand snakes out quickly to grab my phone, and I sigh in relief, prepared to get lost in a nice mindless scroll while in my safety bubble.
But my mind won’t leave me alone. Images of Jack at dinner, memories from our past, and my guilt about Parker all combine, and after a few minutes, my head is so full I’d bet money that one more thing would send me over the edge and I’d be up all night overthinking.
I doubt Jack’s number is still the same. I still know his old one by heart. It’s funny how that changes. Now, I don’t know anyone’s number except my grandparents’. I’m just accustomed to pressing a name; there’s no need to memorize a number.
But I do know Jack has social media. I don’t follow him or like any of his pages. His public profile has like, a hundred thousand followers. I highly doubt he even manages that page. I type his name into the search bar, then scroll down to his personal page. We have a few mutual friends from school.
And oh my god, he’s friends with Papaw. I sit up, my blanket sliding slowly down my chest with its weight. I must have looked over that before. My grandfather is pretty tech savvy, so I shouldn’t be surprised that he added Jack. They always got along well.
My finger hovers over the Add Friend button for a moment, but I hurry and press it before I can second-guess myself. Even though I claimed the door is closed, that we should leave things where they are, I’m not sure I’m ready to do that. I’m still peeking through the cracked door of my connection with Jack Anderson, and I need to know for certain that he’s not waiting on the other side.
FOUR
Letting Rachel walk out of the restaurant is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done—up there with not going after her at the party after graduation. But my mom is my priority at the moment. Juliet Anderson has always been there for me, and I’ll be damned if I’m not there for her in her time of need. My parents are going through a divorce right now, and I’m all she’s got.
“Hey, Mom.” The words are out of my mouth before I’ve barely got the restaurant’s office phone against my ear. “Why didn’t you call my cell?”
“I did, sweetheart, and you didn’t answer. But it’s not a big deal. I was just going to ask you to order a meal for me and bring it when you come home.”
My chest relaxes, a relieved sigh slipping from between my lips. I’ve got a history of reacting strongly in situations, and I just did it again. But as long as my mom is okay, that’s all that matters.
“Sure thing. I’ll be home soon.”
When we hang up, I check my pockets for my phone. It’s nowhere to be found, so I turn and glance around the table, checking my chair. Not there either.
“I must have left it in the car,” I mutter, shaking my head. “Dammit.”
“Shall I put your mother’s order in, sir?” Chester clears his throat, alerting me that he’s still in the room.
“Yes, please. That’d be perfect. I’m going to run out to my car. I’ll be back in a few to grab the food.”
Chester nods. “Very well.”
As I sink into the driver’s seat of the car, my body relaxes for the first time since I saw Rachel outside that door. I just sit there for a moment, breathing deeply and recovering from the shock of being in her presence after so long.
I must have sat there longer than I thought, because a knock on my window startles me and I look over to see Chester outside the door. I roll down my window, and he hands me a to-go box.
“I apologize, Chester. I lost track of time. You didn’t have to come all the way out here.”
“It’s no problem at all, sir. And I wanted to tell you something, if it’s not too forward.”
“Of course.”
“This is the best date you’ve had since you came home.”
“I—”
“Good night, sir.” He’s gone before I can manage an answer.
As I pull out of the parking lot, my low chuckle fills the otherwise quiet car. He’s not wrong. Even if it was tense, at least we could have a conversation.
The house is dark except for a low light in my mom’s bedroom on the second floor, and I’m sure she’s wide awake, but at least I can make sure she’s eaten something. My mother is a prime example of why I need to forget about Rachel. The way we ended the first time broke my heart. I can’t imagine how a second ending would affect me. I think of my mom—she gave her whole life to my dad, and he left without a backward glance.
