Page 72 of Choose You

Something hits my head in three light taps. I toss the blanket down and kick my legs straight. “What the hell?”

When I open my eyes, Gracie and Leann are standing over me.

“Hey beautiful.” Gracie smiles.

“Why are you here?” I growl. The last thing I want right now is company. I’m too exhausted for more conversation. All I want to do is sleep.

“Because you need friends right now.” Gracie grabs my hands and pulls me up to a standing position. “Plus, Adam called and said we better get over here before you do something really stupid like run back to Seattle.”

I roll my eyes and shake off her hands. As soon as I’m free, I grab my blanket and curl back underneath it.

“Oh, no you don’t.” This time it’s Leann that pulls the blanket off me. “We don’t have to talk about my stupid brother or your problems, but we’re having a girl’s night whether you like it or not.”

“I don’t want to go out,” I whine.

“We don’t have to.” Gracie shrugs. “We can stay right here and drink all your wine. I even brought my laptop and projector so we can watch sappy rom coms.”

I raise a brow at Gracie. “A projector?”

“Yep. We got it a while ago so we could watch movies outside during summer months. It’s cool. We can project the movie on the white wall opposite your couch.”

“Really?’ I frown. “That sounds cool. Have you been doing that long?”

She shrugs. “Three or four years now. So what do you say? Girls’ night?”

“Fine.” I stomp my way over to the mini fridge and grab a bottle of water. “Did you bring food, too? I smell food.”

Leann holds up a bag of Chinese takeout and smiles. “We’re not stupid.”

“In that case, I’ll forgive you for waking me up.” I take a drink of my water before I sit it on the desk. “You get set up. I’ll go get the wine.”

“That’s my girl!” Gracie calls as I walk out to the cellar.

By the time I make it back to the cramped office, the food is laid out across the desk, the couch has been moved to the back wall, and my blanket is spread out in front of it. The opening credits toSweet Home Alabamaare projecting onto the white wall opposite the desk.

“Just in time.” Gracie takes one of the wine bottles I grabbed and uncorks it while I sit the glasses on the desk. “You grabbed my favorite.”

“I also grabbed the white that Leann likes, but it needs to chill.” I put it in the mini fridge. When I turn around, Gracie shoves a full wine glass in my face.

“Thanks,” I say, and take a sip. Gracie and Leann both pile Chinese food on their plates and take seats on the blanket. I’m too busy staring at the movie currently projecting onto my wall. “Do wehaveto watch this one?”

“Yes,” they both call out in unison.

I groan and grab my own plate of food. I’m not sure if I’m ready to lose myself in a movie about childhood sweethearts reuniting, fighting, and falling in love all over again. It hits a little too close to my own story with Matthew. Minus the marriage and child with another woman. Then again, the heroine almost married someone else.

Gracie smiles at me and pats the space between her and Leann. They both seem oblivious to the movie's correlation to my own situation. I smile in return and join them on the blanket.

True to their word, they never once bring up Matthew or my current living situation. We watch two movies, eat too much food, and drink too much wine. It’s exactly the kind of girl’s night I need to relax and take my mind off my problems. If only the morning would take an eternity to arrive so I can hibernate in this moment of almost-normalcy for a little while longer.

CHAPTER 26

MATTHEW

Istare at my phone for far too long before I finally open my contacts and pull up Jessica’s number. Momma all but begged me to invite her to Sunday dinner and so far, I’ve put it off. I haven’t talked to her in almost a week. She disappeared after my drunken night, and she hasn’t been back to the house. I don’t even know where she’s staying.

My finger hovers over the call button, hesitant to talk to her after the way we left things between us. I begged her for another chance. Her disappearance is all the answer I need. Calling her to invite her to a dinner I’m sure she’ll say no to feels a little too much like desperation.

But I promised my momma I’d do it, so I hit that button and hold my breath.

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