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“Ryan? Why would I tell him anything? Ryan made it clear to me ten years ago what our relationship was. I haven’t spoken to him since he brought his girlfriend home that year. It would have been nice to have had a little warning. I wouldn’t have run to see him barefooted wearing Junior's overalls.”
I shook my head, a smile on my lips. I remember Carly wearing those, and damn, she was hot. I would have asked her out if she hadn’t been so smitten with Ryan. “Is that why you ran off with Jim and married him?”
“No, I did that because when I returned here after college, my mother wouldn’t leave me alone about finding a husband, and I couldn’t wait forever for Ryan to do something. The first time Jim hit me; I went home to my family. My Mom said I made my bed, so I had to lie in it. So, instead of running home, when he hit me, I ran into the forest. But I had Toby with me, so I wasn’t scared.”
Hmm, I wasn’t there when Carly ran into the house and saw Ryan and his girlfriend at the time together. Allison told me about it, and my heart ached for Carly, but I’m sure I was probably indifferent because I didn’t believe in love. Ryan was right; Carly was six years younger than him. She must have been nineteen at that time.
I looked at her as she carried her “have-to-have” items, as she called them. “What kind of stories do you write?”
“Thrillers. Can you imagine what went through my head in the forest when it was pitch black? I swear I could plot a story in one night and pray for daylight,” she chuckled. “Maybe I was a little scared. I had to keep my laptop hidden, and my stories backed up to the cloud because Jim would destroy it if he found it. He’s done that a few times.”
“Why did you stay with him? I’m sure you made way more money than he did.”
“Do you know you are the only person who has ever asked me that question? Allison used to get so angry at me for staying with him, but no one asked why I stayed with him. I stayed with Jim Harlow because he told me if I ever left him, he would kill the one person I loved most in this world.”
“Why didn’t you tell him to go fuck himself.”
“Oh, I’m sure I told him that a few million times.”
I looked at her, “Was it Ryan? Is that who he would kill?” She didn’t answer me; she just kept walking.
We both stopped when we heard someone approaching. “Stay right here,” I whispered. Carly nodded. And I quietly walked off the path and into the woods.
“What are you doing out here? I told you to stay behind the locked door.”
“I got to thinking that he might have a gun or got one of Carly’s, so I came to rescue both of you.”
I heard Carly giggle and turned around. “You were supposed to stay on the trail.”
“I didn’t want anyone to walk up on you by mistake. Hi Bailey, we’re having a sleepover.”
“I know, and tomorrow we are going to Cole’s house to stay so he can protect us,” Bailey said, glancing at Carly and me before bursting into laughter. They laughed the entire way back to the cabin.
“Carly, you can sleep with me, and Cole can sleep on the sofa,” Bailey suggested.
I had doubts about fitting on the sofa, but I saw how large it was when we got to the cabin. Bailey had already made up the bed on it.
“I still don’t understand why we have to go to your house. Won’t that be putting more people in danger?” Bailey asked, sounding concerned.
I shook my head, trying to assert some authority, I knew she didn’t like that. “No, I can keep a closer eye on you if you are with me at my house.”
“Why am I listening to you? No, he will never find me here,” Bailey said. “Let’s just stay here.”
“Did he know your cousins? What if he calls them saying he went to school with you and wanted your address?” I asked.
“I don’t even know my cousins, but I’ll call and tell them what’s happening. I’ll call them tomorrow. Carly, I’ll show you where to put your things,” she walked into her room, and Carly followed.
I could hear their conversation. “Did you do all of this yourself? It’s beautiful. I’ve been in this cabin before, and it looked nothing like this. I love everything. Can we do mine like this?” Carly asked.
“Of course, we can. That will be so much fun. I’ll take my magazines to Cole’s home, and we can plan everything. I love home decoration, if I wasn’t a chef, I’d be a designer, and I only just found out that I liked it.”
It appeared that they were on board with the plan to come to my place. Just like every night, I lay there for hours before sleep finally came. I woke up to the smell of delicious food cooking. I glanced around, and Bailey was preparing breakfast in the kitchen while Carly looked through magazines.
“What time is it?” I asked.
Carly raised her head and smiled. “It’s six-thirty. Bailey wakes up at five every morning. She’s cooking us breakfast.”
I folded the blankets and quickly showered before joining them at the table that Bailey was setting. “Cole, sit here. Breakfast is ready,” she said, handing me a cup of coffee. I took a sip, and my eyes rolled back in my head. It was the best coffee I’ve had ever tasted.
