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I’ve almost made it to Lux’s room sans any food-related casualties when a quiet voice calling my name stops me in my tracks.
Dithering at the end of the hall, fingers playing with the hem of her pretty sundress, Caroline smiles nervously. “Need help?”
“Hi.” No matter how exceptionally hard I try to keep surprise from my tone, I don’t quite manage it. “I didn’t know you were still here.”
She shrugs as she tucks a lock of dirty blonde hair behind her ear. “I didn’t wanna leave until I knew she was okay.”
Huh.
That’s… nice.
“She’s good.”
“Thank God.” Genuine relief washes over Caroline’s features. It surprises me; the last time we met, concern was not something she showed readily.
Not as surprising, though, as what comes out of her mouth next.
“My mom died when I was a kid,” she blurts out of nowhere, catching me so off guard I almost drop one of the bags clutched in my hands. She saves it before it slips from my grasp, tucking it beneath her arms as she chews on her bottom lip and shifts awkwardly. “I don't remember a lot about her but I remember the funeral. My dad was…” Something dark crosses her expression before she shakes it off. “He wasn't fully there, you know, so it was kind of just me handling everything.”
“I'm sorry,” I say quietly, and I mean it. I can't imagine a kid dealing with all of that alone.
“I remember wishing that I had someone there to help me. So at Jackson's mom's funeral…” She trails off, shrugging as a sad smile pulls at her lips. “I know I came on too strong but I was trying to help.”
The animosity I feel towards her fades a bit at the genuine concern splashed across her face.
“I'm not a fool, okay? I know he doesn't…” She swallows. “I know he doesn't love me.” Something about the look on her face, or maybe the crack in her voice, squeezes my heart. Her head drops, hair acting like a shield, probably to hide the way her fingers come up and quickly swipe beneath her eyes. “I just saw the way he was looking at you and I got jealous and mad so I was rude to you.” She shakes her head, a little hiccuped laugh leaving her as she brushes her hair back and says, almost to herself, “We were together for four years and he never looked at me like that.”
Well, fuck.
How am I supposed to blame a girl for that when, honestly, if the roles were reversed, I can't say that I wouldn't have reacted the same?
“You know, I thought I was gonna marry him. When I was eighteen, I truly believed he was it for me. And Serenity Ranch... It's the only place that's ever felt like home to me. I just have a hard time letting that go.”
That, I can understand. Six months without the place felt like a lifetime.
“I'm not tryna excuse my behavior, I'm just tryna explain it. And apologize for how I acted. I swear I'm not some mean girl, I just don't think before I speak sometimes and everything comes out wrong.”
Something else I can’t really have against her because, shit, do we have that in common.
Nodding towards the door, I ask, “You wanna come in?”
“I've gotta get back to the store.” At my questioning glance, she adds, “I work at the florist in town.”
Of course she does. She looks exactly like the kind of girl who spends her days surrounded by bright, pretty flowers. I can just picture her in some kind of greenhouse, elbow deep in dirt yet somehow completely clean, flowers just sprouting to life wherever she looks.
Fucking living sunshine.
Waving goodbye, Caroline starts towards the exit. Before she can disappear from sight, I call after her. “For the record,” she glances over her shoulder questioningly, “I think if you told Jackson all that, he'd understand.”
A laugh shakes her shoulders. “I know. That's exactly why I haven't.” She cocks her head at me, a genuine smile playing across her lips, and God, when she's not being all bitchy or fake, the girl is so pretty it almost hurts my eyes. “It's infuriating, how nice he is, right?”
I laugh too, my smile matching hers. “The worst.”
49
JACKSON
Of all theways I pictured today going, this was not a scenario I anticipated.
