Page 27 of Someone to Have
He perks up at this news.
“Taylor said the bakery makes apple fritters every Saturday and they usually don’t sell out until lunch.” The words are mumbled, but I hear something in his voice—a spark of interest that makes my chest tighten. I haven’t been able to convince him to leave the apartment for anything other than school since we arrived.
“Bruh, I love an apple fritter. Let’s check it out.”
“Really?” He glances up at me from beneath his long lashes. He has my sister’s eyes, the color of thick caramel.
I hate that he’s nervous about asking to make a stop at the local bakery. I hate that my sister, who loves any kind of pastry, might have said no because the extra expense was too much for her.
“Hey, as far as I’m concerned it’s fuel for this afternoon. I think you’ll have fun on the ice.”
He doesn’t argue. “I always have fun on the ice.”
There’s at least one thing we agree on, I think, and we head toward the center of town.
7
TAYLOR
After the library closes,I walk over to Cover to Cover, the bookstore Sloane owns on the opposite end of downtown. It’s just after five and already nearly dark. There are a few restaurants along Main Street with cheery lights in the windows, but it feels like the town has mostly hunkered down for Colorado’s coldest months.
Normally, I like the lull after the holidays. People are less interested in being social, which translates to relief for me. Everyone is busy renewing and resetting their resolutions, so when I stay home to read a book on a weekend night, it doesn’t feel like I’m the odd one out. Like it did in my extroverted family, where my preference for quiet corners was treated like a personality defect that needed fixing.
My sister and brother collected friends like trading cards, while I preferred the company of characters from my favorite books. My parents’ calendar overflowed with dinner parties and community events, while I invented stomachaches to avoid sensory overload. I tried to convince myself there wasn’t something wrong with me. I was just wired differently.
The book club is the first social circle where I truly felt like Ibelonged and could be my real self. But now that Sadie and Iris have found love, Sloane’s away for treatment, and Avah’s engaged to her longtime boyfriend, our little group doesn’t get together as often.
This should be fine with me. I’ve spent a lifetime perfecting the art of being alone. But there’s a hollowness to it now that catches me off guard. Even though alone has always been my sanctuary, it’s an entirely different sensation to actually feel lonely.
I take off my hat and mittens as I enter the bookstore and wave at Connie Bradford, the older woman who’s managing things during Sloane’s treatment.
“Everyone’s in back,” she calls from her place behind the cash register.
The bookstore’s as warm and inviting as ever, but there’s something missing. Sloane is the magic that makes Cover to Cover a must-stop destination for both local book lovers and visitors to this part of Colorado.
I expect to find my friends in the cozy back room where we normally hold our monthly meetings, but it’s empty. Instead, I hear voices coming from Sloane’s office down the short hallway. I crack open the door to find the other four women crowded around the computer screen. Tears immediately spring to my eyes at the sight of Sloane’s face smiling back at the group from her hospital bed. She looks thin and pale, her bald head wrapped in a light blue turban that makes her robin’s egg-colored eyes stand out even more.
“Surprise,” Molly says as Sadie guides me forward so that I’m in front of the camera.
“Taylor’s here, Sloane.” Iris’s voice is gentle, which is unusual for our type-A friend. Ever since she reconnected with Jake Byrne and started working for his family’s foundation, Iris has been more relaxed in general. Love looks good on her.
“Hey,” I whisper as tears and emotions threaten to clog my throat. “You look great.”
Sloane rolls her eyes and grins. “You’re such a bad liar.”
Avah barks out a laugh. “It’s okay, Taylor. We’ve already established she looks like shit.”
“I feel like shit, too,” Sloane confirms. Hearing her sweet, lyrical voice and seeing her smiling face feels so right. Except for the part where she looks sick. That hurts my heart.
“I’m sorry for the tears,” I say, swiping at my cheeks.
Sadie puts a comforting hand on my shoulder. “We’ve also taken turns with the waterworks.”
“I’m out of tears for the moment,” Sloane tells me. “But I’m also out of the woods.” Her smile wobbles a little before she nods. “At least for the time being.”
“What kind of woods?” I glance around the group then back at the computer. “Are we talking about some random trees or a national forest?”
“I vote for a giant redwood forest,” Avah offers.
