Page 60 of Return to Us
“Not a clue.”
“Now we’re lying to each other?”
“No, I’m merely acting, which is my job.”
I glance over at the clock and sigh. “I wish I could talk more, but I have to get ready for work and call Winnie to make sure she actually shows up since she drank her weight in champagne.”
“All right. I’ll send you all the details about the premiere.”
“Jacob?” There’s a hesitation in my voice, but it is something I need to say.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. For everything. You saved my life that day, and I know you handled my medical expenses, which would’ve bankrupted me by now. You’ve been a great friend, and I just want you to know that there’s no one else in the world I would’ve rathered almost died with.”
He lets out a deep laugh. “Same. You saved me as much as I saved you.”
“I don’t think that’s true, but I appreciate it all the same.”
“Listen, you’ve been through hell, and you’re still dealing with it in ways that Elliot, Jose, and I aren’t, but we were given a chance, Jess. A chance to make things right and do the things we want.”
I lie back on the bed, feeling a bit dazed and lost. “It’s complicated.”
“Brenna would tell you that life is complicated.”
“Brenna is a wise woman.”
“Let’s keep that to ourselves,” Jacob says with a chuckle.
“I don’t know, Jacob, it’s like being here is being in the past, but that’s not reality. Things have stayed still since I left.”
If anyone could understand what I mean, it would be him. He left the town he’s from and vowed never to return but was forced to because of his father’s will.
“Believe me, I get it, but coming back home doesn’t mean a death sentence. My brothers and I are proof of that. If my father didn’t force our hands, we would’ve all been living very sad and lonely lives. Now look at the Arrowood brothers. We’re all in very different places.”
“But is it the place you would’ve chosen?” I ask.
“No, because I didn’t know this place existed.”
* * *
Pushing aside the branches and overgrown brush, I walk deeper into the woods. It’s crazy that I remember how to get here. It’s been so long, but the path is etched in my mind. I walk a little to the right, avoiding a rock that looks like it fell from the cliff above.
Today was a hard day. I had a migraine that left me feeling nauseous and then ended up having to call out of work. Then Winnie called to tell me she has to go out of town for her job, which means I’m unable to get anywhere unless Delia or my mother can drive me.
I slept the entire morning and afternoon, so now, it’s almost dusk, and I am wide awake.
Hence the hike.
This overlook was one of my favorite spots, not just because it was something I shared with Grayson but because it was a safe place. Somewhere that was untouched by the outside world and was a piece of Earth that was just mine.
I climb up the side with a grin on my face because I know that, once I get around this curve, it’ll have a small open space where two people can fit without anyone being able to see them.
One more step up and two twists and I’ll be in the clearing. There’s a sliver of my heart that wants him to be here, waiting like he was all those times. I’m clearly a freaking fool.
When I see my spot, a part of me weeps because he’s not here and another part weeps because it’s everything that I remember.
The ground is covered in soft moss, the mountain carved out on both sides gives a feeling of a cocoon, and the view . . . the view is breathtaking.
