Page 10 of In a Pinch

“Okay. Well, when you officially decide, give me a call. I’ll update your dad.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

I breathe a little easier after we finish our call. Spontaneously moving halfway across the country to live with your best friend is no big deal, right? I’m failing at convincing myself, but I'm giving myself a gold star for trying.

Gathering my thoughts, I do the only logical thing: create a pros and cons list. Visualizing things always helps my brain rationalize my decisions. Some people think it's stupid, but I think it's being diligent. Pulling out a pen and paper, I get to work.

PROS: Closer to Isla. Start over. Maine is pretty. I would have a job and a raise.

CONS: It’s far way from my family.

Tapping my pen on the paper, I stare at my list. Surely, there has to be more than one con on my list, right? I shake off my anxiety by pacing around the house. If I'm being honest, my nerves are more from knowing good and well my happy ass wants to do this. I don't know why I am being a little bitch about it.

Okay. I’m doing this. I’m moving. A bit of a giddy feeling fills my chest. The unknown is begging to excite me. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good, ole routine, but the challenge of mixingthings up and having to adapt, that gets my engines firing. Honestly, I think I thrive in chaos. I like making the crazy of a situation my bitch and taming the shift. Call me insane, but I love it.

Grabbing my phone from the countertop, I call Isla. As usual, she picks up on the first couple of rings.

“I’m telling Tyler I’ll take the job.” My eardrum is nearly ruptured from the screaming on the other end of the line.

“Oh. My. God. I am so excited. You have to call him right away. This is perfect!”

“Are you sure Cal is okay with me invading your apartment? You guys are about to get married, and I'm sure you want your space. I will try to start looking for an apartment now.” I better start making a new list of things I should do before moving and what to do when I arrive.

“Dude, it's totally fine. Cal has been working a shit-ton right now, anyways; they just got a big, new contract. So, it will be nice to have some company in the house. And with me no longer having a wedding planner, having you closer will help me a lot.”

“Well, if you insist. Make sure to stock up on the wine.”

“Bold of you to assume I haven't been stocked up. Wedding planning requires a lot of relaxation time. Because I’m ready to throw hands with at least one person a week.”

I can’t help but laugh because Isla doesn’t quite handle stress as well as me. She and I are two peas in a pod with most things, but planning isn’t one of them. Confrontation is also not her thing. I’m sure the wine is more of a filter dropper than anything.

“Double up on your next order. Also, how soon should I be out there? I really don’t have that much stuff.” My eyes sweep over my apartment, and I mentally start calculating how I’m going to pull this off.

“You could show up tomorrow and I would be ready. Once you’re hired, they have to do the whole HR blah, blah boring stuff. And I think Tyler said once you accept your start date, it would be ten-ish days later? I’d have to look at his text again to be sure. You could ask him when you call, too.”

“Yeah, I have to call him and let him know I accept, so I can get all the details then.” The thought adds a little rush through me. Am I really doing this? “So, say if I got rid of all my stuff in the next forty-eight hours, I could hit the road and be on my way to you, and that would be fine?”

“Once again, you could have shown up yesterday and things would have been fine. Worrying ain't your style, babe. Pack your shit and get in the car.”

Well, aright, then.

When your bestie tells you to pack your shit and get on the road, you do just that.

Chapter Five

Addie

It’s been eighty-four years since I've slept in a normal establishment. That's being a bit dramatic, but it sure feels like it. My back hurts, my ass hurts, and I had to bust out compression socks to prevent a blood clot from the lack of movement. Okay, that was dramatic, too.

Pretty sure I shocked every member of my family when I told them I was moving in a week’s time. Rash decisions aren’t something that I usually do, but desperate times call for desperate measures. And let’s be real, being rational hasn’t been cooking up anything great lately. They threw me the best last-second going away party, helped me shove my belongings into my cherry-red Bronco, and I was on my way.

Two thousand and something miles later, I find myself driving Isla’s new stomping grounds. My eyes strain through the dark as I make my way through town, taking note of the little businesses I see. It’s a cute town, not too small, not too big. Even after the ridiculously long two days it took to get here, I can’t help but feel a bit energized and borderline giddy. I’m out of my element here, but something about it just feels right.

A little over a year ago, I didn’t make a flight to our two-week Hawaiian vacation due to the jackass of a boyfriend I had unplugging my phone so it would die. Which it did. And I missed my alarms. All seven of them. She met the love of her life on that trip. Even though said jackass is the reason I haven’t dated in over a year, I can’t help but be a little grateful. Isla met her man, and when I see them together, I just know that he is hers. It’s the reason she ended up here, with the love of her life and flourishing career.

I just hope I can kick as much ass as she has. She always thinks I am the one who has it all together, and most of the time, I do. Or at least, I pretend I do. Fake it ‘til you make it. But lately, I've been losing my grip on control. People are whirling past me in life, and I'm just stumbling through. This change in my life feels completely necessary.

My navigation pulls me up to their condo, or is it a townhouse? Seriously, what is the difference? My mind wanders as I find a parking space on the street. I let Isla know when I made it into town so she would be expecting me.

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