AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’m trying not to give her too much of a hard time. While I know they are both excited about moving back to Horizons Valley, she’s voiced a little bit of the anxiety she has about returning home. Juliet never wanted to be a small-town girl. She’s loved living in Nashville and I’ve always known she never planned on returning to where we came from, but since things have dwindled so much with her ex-husband Dillon and Ash and I are almost always at the lake, it’s time.
“That is if you ever get your head out of your ass and move on from the one who shall not be mentioned to actually find someone worthy of having a family with you.” She returns my glare, and I let out a sigh. While I appreciate her support over the last year, maybe it’s time for her to start backing off of Emma.
“Jar, Mom.” Bryce giggles.
Bryce tells me he’s saving up his money so he can buy a puppy since his mom said no. I don’t know what I think is funnier, him actually doing it just to prove he can or her pretending to be all offended by this when we both know she’s going to cave and get him one anyway.
“Do you mind?” I frown at her. “She isn’t that bad, and she also isn’t alone in this mess. Don’t forget I played my part in assuming the worst without actually speaking to her, and that’s on me.”
“Whatever makes you sleep better.” She shrugs then pulls her hair down to retie it up on her head.
Taking another sip of water, I look around. It feels like yesterday that she and I were painting this room a pale blue and getting ready for him.
Bryce was not planned, although he was the biggest blessing our family has had. Juliet met Dillon right after the three of us moved to Nashville, and while they did try to make it work, Juliet wanted it more than he did. We all have our own theories and opinions on what went wrong between them, but at the end of the day, the only opinion that matters is hers. I knew packing this house was going to be hard for her, which is why I volunteered without too much grumbling. She built a life here and has had to slowly watch it all fall apart.
In my back pocket, my phone buzzes, and I pull it out to find a text from Emma. Every day, I look forward to her texts. I probably shouldn’t, but I do.
Emma: How’s it going?
Me: Slowly.
It’s been a month since I’ve seen her, but that’s okay. She’s been doing her thing and I’ve been doing mine. I wasn’t sure how it would be after she stayed with me, but she’s kept it from being awkward. In fact, texting with her has been more fun than I expected.
“Who are you texting? Your face looks weird,” Juliet asks as she eyes me suspiciously. She’s resumed going through Bryce’s clothes. Why she doesn’t just dump it into the box, I don’t know. She could be sorting and purging, as she says, during unpacking when she has all the time in the world.
“Emma,” I mumble, because I already know how this is going to go. I don’t think it’s that Juliet doesn’t like Emma. She liked her fine up until I made that trip to the city, she just doesn’t like what being with her did to me.
“Why am I not surprised?” She rolls her eyes while squatting down to go through the bottom drawer.
No one was more shocked than Juliet, well maybe besides me, to find Emma in my house. She’s asked me a few times how I feel about her suddenly being back in my life, and I tell her it’s fine. I mean there’s not really much to tell.I forgave her and I’m trying to figure out what to do next, if anything.
“What difference does it make? It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Doesn’t look that way. Your face is doing that thing it does when it’s happy.” She twirls her hand around in front of her face for emphasis.
“What thing is that?” I stand a little taller. I hate that she can read me and my different expressions so well.
“You’re smiling.”
Oh.
I glance back and forth between her and Bryce, and he just nods his head in agreement. Sure enough, she’s right. I try to drop it, but I can’t.
“So should I ask you again? What’s going on with you two?” she asks while not looking at me, instead pulling out a Mickey Mouse costume and hugging it to her before moving it to the donation bag.
“I don’t know. I think we’re friends.” I move to Bryce’s bed and pull the mattress off. I need to disassemble the frame so I can get it loaded into the pod.
“Friends?” Her tone isn’t one of disbelief, more of wariness. I know she’s worried about me, but I think I’ve handled myself and this uncharted situation with her just fine.
I shrug my shoulders and pull out my phone again.
Emma: Would you rather bungee jump off a ravine toward a massive raging river or scuba dive down a hundred feet into a secret cave filled with exotic fish?
“What about the other guy?” I know she’s been dying to ask since she had lunch at my house, and she hasn’t. She’s giving me space thinking I need it when really I don’t think I do.
“She says it’s over.” I shrug. If there is a bruise to push when it comes to us, talking about that guy is definitely it.
Me: Am I allowed to pick both?
