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I put my hands out. “I’m asking you now!”
Rolling her eyes, she finally lowered the box. “Fine, but you’re no fun at all. We should go out back and drink while we burn everything.”
That actually sounded amazing. “Do you have anything?”
“Psshhh, I’m half Russian, half Moldavian. Of course I do.”
Once I pulledon a pair of Nora’s sweats, I bundled under several blankets while she started the small fire pit in her back yard. Cuddling on her cushioned patio furniture, I reached for the bottle of vodka and took a swig.
“Your parents don’t care that we’re doing this?”
Sure, we were both twenty-two, but I still felt like her mom was about to come out and lecture us about drinking.
Nora tipped the bottle back and then poured a little on the fire. “They’re already in bed. They said goodnight to me when you were changing. They just told me to be sure the fire was out before we passed out or went back inside.”
Laughing, and feeling a bit warmer, I started digging items out of the box. “Okay, first…the location journal.”
“Nooooo, we worked so hard to track his every move.”
Snort laughing, I shook my head, thumbing through the journal again. “I can’t believe I kept this. I can’t believe we did this to begin with! What were we thinking?”
“Well, you were thinking you were in love, and I was just your supportive best friend.”
Sipping from the bottle once more, I pointed it at her. “You should have stopped me.”
Nora leaned forward and grabbed the bottle. “It was endearing to see your love. It was vibrant and alive, Rae. I looked up to you for it. Hell, I still do.”
Thinking back on how I had loved Davis only made me feel stupid and ashamed. I was completely unhinged when it came to him.
“This stuff is illegal, Nora. I legitimately stalked him.”
It was her turn to snort. “You were completely harmless. You just loved him. You didn’t even say anything when you saw him with that hussy in the library.”
That hussy being the reason I ended up cracking mentally and leaving Macon as soon as I had a chance. Yeah, no harm done.
“I just want to burn it all and forget.” I tipped my head back and drank.
Nora studied me for a second then leaned closer. “But he’s back in your life, and he kissed you. That has to mean something, like the universe is finally giving you your chance.”
“I don’t want it,” I snapped. “I don’t want him, I want nothing to do with him. I just want to carve out a tiny piece of life for myself and leave him in the past.”
Nora’s concerned expression left me feeling raw. I didn’t want her pity, and whether she meant to or not, that’s what her face was delivering.
I had to put a stop to all of this, so I ripped out several pages of the book and tossed them into the fire.
15
DAVIS
Gary rolledthe toothpick inside his mouth, giving me the side eye. His denim hat was more grease than oil stained, and his face was pockmarked. He wasn’t the most attractive man to ever grace the earth, but more so, his attitude seemed to match his looks.
“Weren’t you just here for gas a few days back?” he mumbled, grabbing the pump handle and shoving it back into place while my receipt printed.
It wasn’t any of his business how often I got gas, but just like everyone else in this town, he was nosy as fuck.
“How about you mind your own business, Gary.”
He huffed, while pressing a few buttons on the pump, the loud beeps echoed through the stale, humid heat. “There’s rumors ‘bout you and the Jackson girl bein’ friendly, and I’ll tell you right now…” He pinched my receipt between his filthy fingers, while angling toward my truck, but I wouldn’t be sticking around to hear what he had to say.
