AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My hands curled into fists. “That’s bullshit, Gen! There were so many times I needed you, and every time I did, I would try again to find you. Did you ever even really care about our friendship?” My voice cracked as I held back the pain of the past.
She sniffled as she began to cry. “I wanted to so many times, but I was scared.”
A thick wall of resentment divided us, but at the same time, my heart felt heavy with relief. I had never made another friend like Genesis. Bridger was it for me. He became my everything after she left.
“Now what?” she asked after several silent seconds passed.
“I don’t know.” I walked past her to my trailer door and pulled it open. “A glass of wine?”
“I’d like that.” She laughed through the last of her tears.
She told me all about her adventures on the farm, being chased by a rogue pig, raising her niece, and then eventually moving to New York to do an apprenticeship in a celebrity salon. My mom would have been so proud of her.
After spending a decade in New York, she opened her own salon in Nashville. It rose to being the celebrity go-to salon for country singers to get their hair done. She got married and then divorced. No kids, which didn’t surprise me. She had always been a free spirit, and kids were never in her plan. She said it was a contributing factor to her divorce because he wanted kids, but I could tell there was more to the story.
“He was nothing like Jayden. He was uptight and wore suits. Turns out he was not my type. Too bad I figured that out after we were married.” We were on our second bottle of wine. “Do you ever miss the surf scene?”
“Not until Bridger passed. It was all-consuming when he was traveling in the circuit, but now that he’s gone and being here, it brings up a lot of good memories. He was the happiest in that world.”
“He was the happiest with you.” She reached over and squeezed my knee. “I followed him on the internet for a while after I moved. They didn’t say much about you, but they did mention it when you guys got married.”
“That’s not fair. You see that, right? You were able to track me, but for all I knew, you were dead by some crazy stalker.”
She laughed. “Do you remember that football player that was obsessed with me?”
“Oh my God, the one that sent you naked pictures?”
She gagged. “Yes. It wasn’t even picture worthy. He should have kept that hidden from the world.” We shared a laugh. “I missed this.” The mood shifted from lighthearted to solemn. “I’m really sorry, Char. About Bridger. Leaving you. Not finding you sooner.” She teared up, which quickly turned to sobbing.
Squeezing into her side of the table, I pulled her into me and reassured her. “I see that now.” I stroked her hair and held her until she regained control of herself. This was all I ever wanted from her. To be able to comfort her the way she did for me when my parents died.
After we polished off the rest of the wine, I took the glasses to the sink and rinsed them.
“Char, you should move with me to Nashville. I have the room, and I’m all alone now that Rick moved out.”
I hadn’t envisioned anything past July eighteenth, only two days away now. It struck me then that it will have been two years since I last held Bridger. Two years since I kissed him. Two years since I was able to look in his beautiful green eyes and tell him how much I loved him. My fingers wrapped around the counter, gripping tightly, trying to keep my body from folding into itself.
“Char?” Her voice pitched in concern.
“I’m fine.” I sucked in a deep breath and turned back to her. “I’ll think about it,” I lied.
“It’s fate that I found you, Char. You and me.” She smiled thoughtfully.
It was always supposed to be her and me. Maybe fate intervened for a reason.
“He’s here again.” Genesis jumped up and down excitedly as Jayden and his friends got ready to surf.
“Whatever. It’s just a coincidence,” I said, but my whole body warmed with anticipation.
“There are no coincidences. It’s fate, Char. You’re meant to meet him and get married and have lots of babies.”
She had me laughing so hard I almost choked. “You’re so extra sometimes, Gen.” I pushed her lightly. Maybe it was fate, though. She said she had never seen him here before and this was two weekends in a row now.
She linked her arm in mine and dragged me to our spot by the rocks and threw out a blanket. We sat closely as we watched the boys surf. My eyes were glued on Tattoo Surfer Guy. He was an expert surfer, taking waves with ease and riding barrels flawlessly.
“Do you think he’s professional?” I asked.
“Ooooo. Let’s look!” She tore out her phone and started searching up professional surfers. “Holy shit, Char. That’s him!” She pointed to a picture of him being carried by people. He had won the US junior champion title last year.
