Page 50 of Something Blue

“Just leave things the way they are.”

After he left, his sharp tone stayed with her, buzzing around the hot tub and reverberating in her ears. What had she done wrong? She’d only given her friend advice. If she couldn’t do that, then what could she do? Feelings for a person didn’t stop and start at a command. They festered and went dormant and sparked again when good memories came to the surface. And the bottom line was: she didn’t want Chase to marry Piper. Even he was better than that.

After a few minutes, she gathered her wits and followed after him, but the rest of the day was a bust. She and Andy stayed together, tiptoeing around each other, but ultimately avoiding anything that would make things worse. Time was needed to mend an argument. At least that’s what she kept telling herself.

21

Andy

Andy knew things couldn’t stay perfect forever. They’d had their first official fight, if he could even call it that. Seeing her in the hot tub with Chase reminded him that his thirty days of experiences with her was way less than Chase’s thirty years.

After faking a good day with her the last few hours, he wasn’t ready to see her again. Thankfully, she’d stayed back in the pool to cool off while he’d showered. As he opened the closet door to change, he saw his suitcase on the floor, bare and ready to be packed and taken home in two days.

Thoughts of leaving tempted him. Things felt sticky, and it had nothing to do with the humidity. Every time he turned around, Chase was in their face, worming his way back into Sadie’s life. Worst of all: she was letting him do it.

In case he decided to leave, he looked up departing flights and then headed to the game room to clear his head. He pulled out a dollar and shot a few aliens, but it did little to help him work off steam. A pool game helped some, but he felt achy and stuffy inside. How could he get rid of that feeling? They needed to have a talk, but he wasn’t sure how to start the conversation. At the time, putting Sadie in her place had seemed like the right thing to do, but now he realized it might have hurt her even more. She had a deep ache he couldn’t fix, and he hated it!

He headed out to the pool to find Sadie, but it was empty. Hidden in the nearby shade, a couple of Rester Club members laughed and smiled, rocking in rocking chairs as if they didn’t have a worry in the world.

Andy envied them.

He smiled at one of the ladies he’d met at the pool the other day. “Hey, Gretchen.”

She nodded to him. “You look like a pool noodle whopped you in the face. Why don’t you get out of the sun and talk with us old folks? We know a thing or two about life. If that doesn’t help, we’re always good for a laugh.”

“That’s right,” Nancy said, shaking her large cup at him.

One of the older men in the group pulled a chair closer to them. “Take a seat, son.”

It was something his dad would’ve said. He almost laughed, but instead, he politely sat down. Learning from people more experienced in love and relationships might work to his advantage, and he could use all the help he could get.

“We’ve got a few things to say to you,” Gretchen started off, giving him the eagle eye. “You’re dating our girl, and we want to make sure she’s well taken care of.”

His heart thumped painfully in his chest, but he ignored the uneasy feeling and prompted her to go on.

“I know the only reason Sadie came this year is because Chase is getting married. I’m sure it’s hard for you to see her go gaga over him, but I promise, it doesn’t last.”

He clasped his hands together tightly to keep them from shaking.

Gretchen smiled at him. “I know that look. We must have the same feelings about Chase that you do. Oh sure, he’s an okay kid. They’ve stuck together for a long time. When he started dating Piper, I think it broke Sadie a bit. And being away from him for the rest of the year doesn’t really help her have closure about the whole thing. Despite all that, she played nice and didn’t show her real feelings. Like an oblivious idiot, Chase stomps all over her.”

“I agree with that.”

She looked at him sharply. “Don’t you do that too. Even when she’s wrong, you make sure her feelings are understood. No one’s perfect.”

One of the other ladies caught his eye. “If she’s still having a hang-up over that boy, and you’re feeling jealous, be there anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

Nancy cleared her throat. “I happened to be up early and was rocking out here while you three were at the hot tub. Didn’t mean to overhear, but I did. Not much I can do about it.”

Andy smiled slowly. “It’s all right. I’m not offended.”

Nancy nodded once. “Good. Glad we have that settled. Now, about you two faking a relationship . . .”

Andy’s eyes widened. “You heard that too?”

“Mm-hmm. And you better do something about it. Look, I know the girl’s still hung up over him, but once you’re home, she’ll stop thinking about him so much. Let’s get Chase married, and then things will go back to normal. Then, you’ll have a real shot.”

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