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Fox had texted a little while ago and asked if I had plans tonight, but I hadn’t responded yet. Things had been off ever since our conversation Sunday morning, yet neither of us had spoken of the reason why. I’d felt like something was missing the last four days, not speaking to him or seeing him. It made me realize how deep I was already in, and I was terrified of falling any more when there wasn’t a future for us. If four days felt like a lifetime, what would four months without seeing him feel like?
So it was good that Opal had called. She would give me the distraction I needed. “I’d love to join you. Thank you for thinking of me.”
“Great. Seven at the Laurel Lake Inn. Gotta run before the boss gets back and finds me on the phone again. He was particularly grumpy after hearing me talk to my mother about menopause this morning.”
I laughed. “I’ll see you then.”
After I hung up, I finished painting and washed the brushes. Then I shot off a quick response to Fox.
Josie: Sorry, I have plans tonight.
A response chimed before I could set my phone back down.
Fox: Are you upset with me?
Josie: Why would I be upset?
Fox: Because I fucked up Sunday.
I sighed.
Josie: You were only being honest. It is what it is.
Fox: Can I stop over later when you get home?
I needed to protect myself, even if I didn’t want to.
Josie: I think I’ll be too tired. Maybe another time.
Feeling glum, I tossed my cell on the table and decided to go out back and get some fresh air. The lake always brought me a sense of peace, and I really wanted to look for Daisy again. I’d checked every day since Sunday, and there had been no sign of her. This morning a cluster of ducks swam by, and I thought it might’ve been the group she’d joined, but I couldn’t be sure. I only knew Daisy’s markings.
After a while, with no sign of her again today, I gave up and went inside to get ready for dinner.
As I was about to leave, my cell phone rang. My pulse quickened, thinking it might be Fox. But it wasn’t. Noah’s name flashed on the screen. I ignored it, but after a minute it started ringing again. So I swiped to answer on speakerphone while starting the car.
“Hello?”
“Oh hey. I was expecting to go to voicemail again. I called a few minutes ago but you didn’t pick up.”
“Is something wrong?”
“No. I didn’t leave a message the first time because I figured it would give me an excuse to call back. But then I realized that was stupid and you would probably never answer when you saw my name, so I called back to leave a voicemail.” He paused. “It’s good to hear your voice, Josie.”
“What do you want, Noah?”
“Can I ask how you’re doing first? I’m guessing once I’ve said what I called to say you’re going to rush me off the phone.”
He was right. I regretted picking up the phone and having to talk to him this much already. “I’m fine. What’s up?”
Noah sighed. “I got an email reminder about the vacation we have booked next month—to Aruba.”
I’d forgotten all about that trip. “What about it?”
“It’s non-refundable.”
Other than being glad he’d been the one to put down the deposit, I wasn’t sure what he expected of me. “Okay…”
“I was hoping maybe we could still go. As friends. It would give us a chance to talk things through. We have a suite with a living room, so I could sleep on the couch, if you wanted.”
