Page 69 of Wounded Cowboy
All the other businesses along the street had big“No Change for Parking Meters” signs posted.
With a sigh, Kelsey took her place at the end of the line. It moved forward at a snail’s pace, and she could feel the precious minutes ticking away while she sweated in the blazing sun.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Kelsey got her ice cream and a few dollars in change. She hurried back to her car, only to find a parking ticket stuck under her windshield wiper.
Oh, no!
She climbed into her car, carefully holding her cone of overpriced ice cream that was already melting, and turned on her engine. She rolled down her windows and plugged her phone in one-handed to charge.
Happy freaking birthday day to me.Tears welled up in her eyes.And what’s the point of living near the beach if I can’t even enjoy it? The traffic in Los Angeles is a nightmare, and the beaches are always packed. Why did I ever want to come here?
As she ate her ice cream and waited for her phone to charge, Kelsey couldn’t help but compare the people she’d met here to those back in Montana.
She had tried to make friends with some of her yoga classmates, but they always flaked out at the last minute. Her assignments at the agency so far had been a series of sporadic, short-term gigs, essentially babysitting for rich out-of-towners who needed short-term childcare while in Los Angeles. Her clients had uniformly treated her like a faceless servant, and their kids were entitled, spoiled brats.
Is this really the life I wanted so badly?Kelsey wondered. Even the sound of the nearby surf and the fresh salt breeze coming through her car windows didn’t cheer her up.
“A month in L.A., and all I have to show for it is this stupid parking ticket and a melting ice cream cone,” she said out loud, then laughed bitterly.
When her phone battery hit fifty percent, she left her car and slogged the four blocks to the beach.
Kelsey walked along the surf line, letting the waves lap at her feet, and stared out at the vast expanse of the Pacific.
She’d dreamed about doing this for years. She should be deliriously happy right now. Instead, she was miserable and lonely.
She couldn’t shake the ache of missing Snowberry Springs and the people who had become so dear to her over the past couple of years. She missed her old friends Nick and Kegan, of course. But she also longed to see Autumn and Jenna and Summer, and above all others, Spring, April, and Abby.
Coming here was a mistake and I hate L.A., she admitted to herself. It was crushing to realize that her lifelong dream had fizzled out in four short weeks.
With a deep sigh, Kelsey took one last look at the crowded beach before deciding that she’d had enough for one day. She wanted to go home.
And by“home,” she didn’t mean her tiny, overpriced studio apartment in Sherman Oaks. She wanted to be in Snowberry Springs right now, welcoming April and Abby home from school. She wanted to spend every night in Spring’s bed and wake up every morning in Spring’s arms.
As she reached her car, Kelsey’s phone buzzed with an incoming message. She didn’t recognize the number.
Probably spam, she told herself as she opened her messaging app.
Hi, Ms. Kelsey. It’s April. How is L.A.? Have you met any movie stars yet?
Kelsey’s heart began hammering as she read the message.Spring bought phones for his daughters?
Hi, sweetie! So nice to hear from you,Kelsey replied.I’ve spotted one or two celebrities at my local grocery store and restaurants, but can’t say I’ve actually met anyone famous. How are you doing?
April’s answer made Kelsey’s heart clench.We all miss you a lot. Daddy’s been really sad since you left. Are you coming to visit soon?
Yes!But Kelsey hesitated before replying.I don’t want to give that sweet little girl false hope. What if I can’t afford the airfare and a rental car?
Her bank balance had been dwindling faster than she’d expected, even with the agency assignments. Everything in L.A. was freakingexpensive—groceries, gas, rent, you name it.
I think I can swing something. Give me a few days, she typed at last.
Yay! Can’t wait to see you!
Kelsey stared down at her phone. It was amazing how one brief text message could lift her spirits out of the abyss.
She knew now what she needed to do. She just didn’t know how she could make it happen.
Kelsey needed someone to talk to. Someone who was an ally, and might understand her predicament.
