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“I’ll see what I can do.” I refill my beer and head into the storeroom.
“Besides, Nolan is still hung up on the mayor’s daughter, Cora. He isn’t the best person to ask for help with getting a girl’s attention,” Shelly chimes in, a devious smile creeping across her face.
“Shut it, Shelly. You know nothing about my relationship with Cora,” Nolan hollers as he pops his head out of the back room.
“Or lack thereof. You aren’t faring any better than me, my friend.”
“Aren’t you due for your daily stalking trip past the vet clinic? Can’t miss your chance to get a glimpse of your lady love either,” Shelly says as she checks her watch, and a devious smile creeps across her face.
Ever since Nolan came to town a few years ago, he’s only had eyes for Cora. I don’t know much about his past other than that he grew up in foster care, joined the military at eighteen, and somehow ended up here in Magnolia. Besides my family, Cora was really the only other person in town that didn’t keep him at arm’s length. Last time we chatted, he hadn’t tried to make a move on her, claiming she deserves more than he can give her, but I can tell she is all he can think about.
I give Shelly a one-arm hug before ducking into the storeroom. Nolan is pretending to count the boxes of the new cider we got in from the Tennessee Cider Company a few days ago. I would consider Nolan to be one of my closest friends here in town and one of the few people that know the true depth of my feelings about Marissa.
“You counted that one already.” I place my now-full glass on a box near the door before leaning against the door frame. “I have a feeling you wanted to talk about something more than my failed date with Marissa.”
“I thought you said you didn’t crash and burn,” Nolan responds, not bothering to look up from the clipboard in his hand. But he stops counting.
Nolan may not want to be having this conversation, but I have a feeling he needs someone to talk to about what’s going on in his head. Hell, we both do. If there is anyone in this town that knows what it’s like to be in love with someone who doesn’t know you even exist, it’s me. The two of us can work together to find a solution to at least one of our problems.
“I didn’t. Things just didn’t go as I planned them.”
“How is that any different from saying you crashed and burned?” Nolan drops the clipboard onto a nearby stack of boxes and takes a seat. His head drops into his hands as his shoulders roll forward.
“Because that phrase implies there’s no chance of me having a second date.”
“And there’s a chance?”
“Oh, yes, there is. Even if she doesn’t know it.” I grab my beer from the box, striding toward Nolan and taking a seat on the box next to him. “Why don’t you tell me what you really want to talk about?”
“Am I that obvious?” He chuckles humorously. “But we aren’t talking about me. We’re here to discuss you.”
“There’s nothing for me to discuss. Marissa has been hurt. It’s written all over her face, and she won’t open her heart easily. I need to give her space. Go slow and reassure her that I won’t hurt her.”
“I think you’re completely full of shit.” Nolan’s head snaps up, his gaze locking with mine.
“As if you’re one to talk. You won’t even have a conversation with Cora because of your misguided feelings of not being good enough for her.”
“Again, we aren’t talking about me and my feelings for Cora.”
“True, but I believe we both have the same problem. We need to build trust with our ladies. To show them it’s safe to let their guards down and show us their souls. If we can get them to let their guards down, it should be smooth sailing after that.”
“Easier said than done,” he responds, slamming his fist on the box beside him. “At least your girl is in your league. Cora is in a whole different solar system. She’ll never want anything to do with a guy like me.”
“You never know unless you try,” I say, slapping him hard on the back. “Don’t be me, Nolan. I’ve spent years going through life, searching for a replacement for the girl I fell in love with in high school, but was too much of a pussy to let know how I felt.”
“It could also have been the perfect boyfriend she was head over heels with.”
Nolan isn’t wrong. Seeing how happy and in love Marissa was with Campbell was a big reason I kept my feelings to myself, but it wasn’t for noble reasons. I knew there was no way she’d return my feelings, so I kept them locked deep inside.
“Lucky for me, Campbell isn’t in the picture any longer.”
“For now,” Nolan responds, pushing to his feet and grabbing the clipboard. He begins counting the boxes correctly this time, one after the other, before writing the tally on his list and beginning again.
“Are you going to explain that statement?”
“What’s there to explain?”
“Do you have any idea what happened between her and Campbell?”
