Page 99 of The Cost of Forgetting You

Truett and I let out a held breath simultaneously. I try to catch Tru’s gaze, but blond lashes shield his gray irises from view. He dusts an unseen particle off his jeans and clears his throat. The sound is so rough. So full of unspoken pain.

It’s the simplest moments that rip your heart into pieces. This is one of those.

I sigh, trying to push the ache out on my exhale. My phone vibrates on the counter. I don’t even react. It’s probably another message from my mom, and I’m not in the fucking mood. Don’t know if I ever will be. “Okay. Well, if you two are going, I guess I’ll need the mower, Tru. I can come get it or—hey!”

Truett reaches for my phone and flips it over, gaze scanning the screen. The corner of his mouth curves upward. “Relax, it’s Alicia.” He tosses it to me. “I’ll mow. You go make nice with the locals. You deserve a day off. A real one.”

“You are the locals, and I’ve made nice with you,” I retort, ignoring the way his words make my heart stutter and skip. A day off. When was the last time I had a real one of those?

“Yeah, you have.” His expression turns downright scandalous, and I force my gaze down to my phone to avoid meeting his.

Alicia: Going to the News Room with Tess Monroe—you remember her? Couple years older than us. She just got back into town and I’m done stripping the classroom so we thought we’d let loose with some mimosas.

Alicia: Anyway, that was a weird way to phrase it, but I’m inviting you. I can pick you up in an hour, if you’re not busy?

I glance at Roberta, still too warm in the cheeks to face Truett, and lift an eyebrow. “She wants to go to brunch, but I can totally say no?—”

“Go, Delilah. Have fun.” She smiles softly, an expression meant only for me. “Live your life. That’s why I’m here.”

My teeth clamp down on the inside of my cheek. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, ma’am. And I’d commit to it before that one changes his mind and makes you mow.” She points over my shoulder with the teaspoon she was using to dump sugar into her coffee.

Tru swallows the sip of coffee he’d taken and smacks his lips. “Now that you mention it, it is really fun to watch her spin in circles when she forgets how to steer.”

“That has never happened.”

“I thought those were crop circles,” Roberta tuts, ignoring me.

“All right, I’m going.” I fire off a reply to Alicia before I can second-guess myself. “But first I’ve got some laundry to fold. Need a shirt, Dad?”

He shifts in his seat. When our eyes meet, there’s gratitude there, replacing the fear of uncertainty. “That’d be great.”

“Good deal. And Truett.” I point at him, and he splays a hand over his heart in mock surprise. I narrow my gaze. “Try to do a better crop circle, I dare you.”

Amusement glimmers in his eyes. “Challenge accepted.”

Tess has already commandeered a table for us when Alicia and I arrive at the News Room. Of all the mismatched furniture in the place, the one she’s chosen is by far my favorite. Chrome edging, white tabletop, with bright turquoise chairs to complete the vintage feel. Tess suits her seat perfectly, like she dressed knowing it’d be waiting. Cat-eye sunglasses hold back her shoulder-length blonde hair, and she’s paired a gingham-print babydoll blouse with flared jeans to complete the outfit. Her face is small, delicate in a way I’ve never been. She glances up as we approach, green eyes flashing with recognition when they land on me.

“Delilah! You came. What a nice surprise.” She stands, encircling Alicia in a tight embrace. Then it’s my turn, and though I’ve barely spoken two words to her in my life, she offers me a hug that’s equally as familiar. “I ordered a flight of mimosas to share; then we can pick a flavor we like and order our own. Sound good?”

“Sounds great.” Alicia smiles brightly. We slip into the chairs opposite Tess, who lifts the paper napkin she left on the table and sits, spreading it over her lap.

What little I know about Tess has me studying her, checking her confident exterior for cracks. She lost both parents in a car accident when she was a junior and we were freshmen. That was in the spring, and we didn’t see her again until fall. Her grandparents had taken her in so she wouldn’t have to change schools. When she returned, she seemed unchanged. She maintained her spot on the cheerleading squad, and when I passed her in the halls, she was smiling and laughing. I didn’t understand how a grief like that could leave someone so unmarked. Now, as I stare down the possibility of losing my own parent, I wonder if pretending everything was normal was the only way for her to make it through.

The same surly teenager who took our order last time we came saunters up to our table and places a water glass in front of each of us, though his gaze lingers on Tess the entire time. “Do you know what you want to eat?”

Alicia and I exchange a glance. Tess answers for us with a cheery, “Not quite!”

He nods and scuttles away. I watch him retreat to the counter, which I can just see through the widened doorway behind me. A line of waiting customers turn to glance at our table, their expressions as confused as I feel.

“How did you get him to bring your order to your table?” Alicia asks.

Tess shrugs. “He offered.”

My brow furrows. “I didn’t think this was that kind of restaurant.”

“It isn’t, unless you’re Tess, apparently.” Alicia snorts. She pops a straw from its wrapper and drops it into her appointed water glass, which is already sweaty with condensation from the balmy summer morning. “How was Colorado? Do anything fun?”

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