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“The pleasure's all mine,” Shiloh answered. I held back my laughter at her very adult introduction and smirked at Katie's wide eyes.
“Can you go check on Gram and Pop?” I asked Shiloh so Katie and I could have a chance to catch up in private. A lot had happened in the past few days, and I needed to tell her all about it.
“No problem,” Shiloh said, jumping down from the dryer and walking out of the room. We both waited until we heard the back door shut before talking.
“Is that Tristan’s daughter?” Katie half-whispered in surprise, sitting on the small folding chair I kept in the room.
“Yep, did you know he had a daughter?” I finished folding the last of the laundry and jumped up to sit on the counter across from Katie. From here, I had a good vantage point of the back door, so I’d know if anyone walked back in while we were gossiping.
“Yeah, I did. She’s like a carbon copy of Tristan. And really smart.”
“That she is,” I said, shaking my head.
“I actually bumped into Tristan at the gas station this morning,” Katie said with a mischievous smile. “Word on the street is that he’s single now.”
I could feel Katie studying my face for a reaction.
“I have confirmed that it’s true. He’s really single,” I said, trying not to show just how excited I was.
“Do you still like him?” She raised one perfectly sculpted auburn eyebrow.
It had been years since Katie and I had talked about Tristan, but as my best friend, she knew me so well.
“Just a little,” I said, holding my thumb and index finger an inch apart. I blushed uncontrollably, and Katie laughed, playfully hitting my leg. It was like I was fourteen all over again.
“So, when are you going to shoot your shot?”
My heart sunk. I could never do that. I wasn’t as confident with guys as Katie. It was easy for her when she was this tall, auburn-haired, green-eyed bombshell. Men practically fell over themselves trying to talk to her.
It would be incredibly awkward if Tristan didn’t feel the same way about me. It was definitely safer to just let things be–at least while I had to see him almost every day.
“I’m not going to,” I said, shaking my head. “I work here, Katie. And I need this job right now. I can’t afford to shit where I eat. It always ends badly.”
“C’mon, it’s summer. The season of flings,” Katie said, waving her hand in dismissal. “I know you love it here, but you can't stay here forever.”
“Even if something could happen, he’s in a complicated stage of life. I don’t know if I want to get myself tangled up in that. It just seems so complicated. I need calm, slow, and healthy right now.”
“That’s your problem, Arya. You don’t know how to have a good time! Not every guy is supposed to turn into a serious relationship. This can be just a summer fling. He’ll eventually go back to New York, right? So just live for the now.”
Katie and I each grabbed a laundry basket and left the room. Maybe she was right. Maybe I needed to do something fun and carefree for once. I just didn’t know if I could move on after it was over and this relationship was going to be over. I got easily attached, which was why I struggled to break up with boyfriends in the past, even though the relationship was clearly not working.
I didn’t want to get stuck in that cycle with Tristan. Our lives and our families were too connected already.
“I don’t know, Katie. Tristan probably isn’t the best target for a summer fling. And according to Shiloh, his ex-wife will be coming down here at some point. What if they work it out after they’ve had some time apart?” I was secretly hoping she would tell me I was overthinking everything and being irrational.
“They’re divorced. They've been through the worst of it already and now they're on the other side. But they’re still family and will probably always spend time together. It’s not strange, and it doesn’t mean they’re getting back together. Getting divorced isn't a walk in the park, so if they didn't want to, they wouldn't have gone through with it. It’s probably just their new normal.” Katie was always so reasonable.
“You’re overthinking this,” she added. “Just be in it for a good time for once. Anyway, I’m sorry to have to love you and leave you, but I gotta get going. I just wanted to get the scoop on Tristan.”
She pulled me in for a quick hug and planted a kiss on my cheek.
“Thanks for stopping by. I’ll see you this weekend.”
Katie waved and walked off toward the front door, leaving me alone with a spinning brain and a sink full of dirty dishes.
Tristan
I hated coming back to my parents’ house. Especially after having an argument with my mom.
