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“The day after tomorrow.”
“Well, then we’ll need to have the party tomorrow!”
“That’s very sweet. But I don’t want a party, Opal. I don’t really feel up for it.”
“If you’d rather keep it small, I can do that. How about just a few of the girls then?”
It wasn’t lost on me that a woman I’d met only two months ago was ready to jump in and throw a party for me on a day’s notice, yet my mother wasn’t even taking Nilda to dinner. Laurel Lake was a special place. It wouldn’t be right if I snuck off without saying goodbye to some of its special people.
“That sounds perfect, Opal.”
“Great. I’ll call the gang and set it up and get back to you with the plans. But let’s say seven tomorrow night?”
“Okay.”
“Goodnight, sweetheart.”
“Goodnight, Opal.”
***
Afewturned out to be twelve. But it also turned out to be exactly what I needed after a full day of packing. Opal had arranged dinner at an upbeat Mexican restaurant two towns over, one with a lively mariachi band and a long list of margaritas. When I’d walked in, she’d hugged me and whispered, “The jackass hates these types of places. He’d never step foot in here.” That went a long way toward helping me relax and enjoy the evening. Everyone had gone now, and it was just me and Opal at the table, eating fried ice cream.
“Thank you for pulling this together. You have made me feel like family since the moment I arrived, Opal.”
“You are family, sweetheart. Your daddy grew up here, and we take care of our own. But that sounds like it’s an obligation.” She shook her head. “With you, it’s an honor.”
My eyes welled up. So much of me didn’t want to leave here. After two months, this place felt more like a home than my own house ever had. Opal reached across the table and covered my hand with hers.
“He’s crazy about you,” she said. “I know he is.”
“He has a funny way of showing it.”
“The man can keep skating after taking a stick to the head. He’s the toughest guy I know. But he can’t seem to move on from what happened.”
That might be true, but I’d promised myself I’d never settle for a man who wasn’t willing to give me back what I gave him. “I can’t stick around waiting for something that might never happen. You know how he is, everything is black and white. I don’t exist anymore to him.”
“I think you’re wrong there. He might not be knocking on your door anymore—in fact, I’d wager that dumb oaf keeps his head locked straight ahead when he comes out of the house because he won’t allow himself to catch a glimpse of you—but you’re in here…” Opal tapped over her heart. “He can pretend all he wants, but you exist in a place you can’t ignore forever. Maybe he’ll come around.”
“I can’t wrap my life around a maybe.”
“Of course not. You have to do what’s best for you.”
“Take care of him, will you, Opal?”
“You know I will. Whether the grumpy idiot likes it or not.”
CHAPTER 35
Happily Never After
Fox
Why does doing the right thing always feel shitty?
I stood in the guest bedroom on the second floor, watching her through the mostly closed blinds as she packed up her car. It felt wrong for a thousand reasons. Josie had just loaded a box into the backseat. She stopped halfway to the door and used the back of her hand to wipe sweat from her forehead.
“Why don’t you open the blinds?” she yelled while looking straight ahead. “It’s less creepy.”
