Page 57 of Barefoot Dreams
“Okay then,” Zoe says. “Good luck.” She pats my shoulder with a sympathetic smile and heads to the bar all by herself. Leaving me to the wolves.
“My place or yours?” Hope asks.
“Neither?” I ask, sounding hopeful.
“Not an option.” She must read the pained expression on my face because she adds, “I won’t leave you alone in this! You were there for me when I was a mess and I’m not saying you are a mess. Not at all. You’re hiding it all very well. It’s impressive, really. But something is clearly off and I’m here for you now.”
See what I mean about us being the same? I smile softly, some of the tension bleeding out from my shoulders.
I’m not used to this girlfriend stuff. Jacob and I just give it straight to each other and if I don’t feel like talking, he leaves it at that but something tells me that won’t fly with Hope.
“Definitely my place. Yours will be invaded with surfers soon enough.”
Hope flashes me a wide grin but we barely make one step when another voice stops us.
“Wait up! Don’t start without us!” Gracie shouts, and I shoot Hope a look.
“Don’t look at me like that.” She lifts her hands up. “That’s not my fault.”
“Okay, let me get this straight,” Hope says, tearing off another piece of the lavender cream croissant I brought up to my place from downstairs. “You’ve been in love with him since you were eight. He’s in love with you, but neither of you have told the other?” She frowns.
“No! No, no, no.I amin love with him. Or rather, was in love. I’m tuning those feelings out as of recently. Again.” I sigh. “Buthewas never in love with me. We just had that weird moment when he came back. But that’s it. He needed a friend and there I was. Nothing more, nothing less, and then he stopped coming by at all.”
For the past hour and a half, I’ve been telling them all about my obsession with Griffin from a young age. I told them how I felt, what I overheard and what happened when he came back.
They all just blink and then Grace asks Joy, “Is delusion contagious?”
“Highly,” Joy deadpans. “Have you met her ducking best friend?” She raises her eyebrows in a don’t-be-an-idiot look.
“Look whose duck is quacking,” Hope snorts. “Weren’t you the one in denial about your feelings for Jacob?”
“Oh, because you were so honest with yours for Alec?” Joy counters, and Gracie shouts “Ladies!” getting their attention. “We’re getting off-course here.”
“Nope, please, continue,” I add with a smile.
“Julie,” she warns me, and I sigh.
“No delusions here. Did I think there was something between us—a spark—when he came back? Yeah, I did. But once again, that was just me because when I invited him to come see myradish, he didn’t come. Now, can we talk about something else?” I ask with desperation at the same time as Joy chokes on her iced tea.
“Jesus Christ,” she croaks, and Hope slaps her back a few times. “Did you just refer to your vagina as a radish?”
“Psh, look who’s talking. Not the person who literally talks to her vagina as if she were a living separate entity.”
“What can I say, she needs a pep talk from time to time.” Joy shrugs. “She always gets me in trouble.”
“Ladies!” Grace shouts once again, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Off-course again?” She bulges her eyes at them, and they look back at me.
“So, about your radish…” Hope starts but I stop her with a groan.
“No, no, I don’t refer to my vagina as radish.Sweet daisies. I was talking about the vegetable. Actual radishes, you know…red and white, grows in the ground kind.”
All three of them blink at me, confused, until Grace says, “Well that’s…interesting. Also, don’t let Fanny ever hear you say that or the next thing you know, she’ll give you lessons in seduction.” She shudders, no doubt speaking from personal experience.
“I feel like we’re missing something here?” Hope muses.
“You mean something other than why Julie was showing off her radishes?” Joy asks.
“Shh,” Hope interrupts her and looks at me. “What else happened around that time? There must be something, because I’m telling you Griffin has it bad for you! The whole town knows it.”
