Page 36 of Meet Me at Christmas
“Yeah. That’s another thing that’s baffled me.”
“How so?”
Henry scooted closer to her, filling in the small space between them. “When did you leave Leiper’s Fork for good?”
“When I was eighteen.”
“How many years ago was that?”
His line of questioning made her nervous. “Thirteen years, I think.”
“That’s when I enlisted in the army.”
“I wish I knew why you decided to join the army specifically,” she said, trying to allow the two events to remain separate until his brain decided to connect them.
“It’s a respectable thing to do. I keep trying to find meaning in that. Was that why I joined, you think?” Henry asked.
“It absolutely is honorable to serve your country.”
“Perhaps I was looking for adventure.”
“Maybe. But I must say, traveling overseas wasn’t ever really your thing. You always wanted to stay around here…”
“Yeah…”
And then the reason hit her: he’d been running, just like she had. They’d both run to the ends of the world to avoid facing what they’d lost.
She was so deep in thought that she’d missed the fact that the two of them had fallen into silence.
Henry spoke first. “Thank you.”
“For what?” she asked, his comment jarring given her thoughts.
“For today. I feel… like myself today. Whatever that means.”
“I’m glad. If it helps, you seemed more like yourself today to me too.”
His chest rose with a calm inhale and he nodded, his gaze remaining on her. “I should probably get home.” His words didn’t match the message of affection in his eyes.
Stella decided it was probably a good idea. She stood to allow him to exit, and Henry followed suit.
“Hey, why don’t I pick you up for therapy tomorrow?” he offered. “We can ride together.”
Her answer was on the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t trust that it was the right one.
“It’s fine,” he said, reading her indecision right away. “Just an idea—"
“No,” she stopped him. His disappointment was more than she could endure. She’d already caused him enough. How bad could it be? They were just carpooling to Vanderbilt—no big deal. “I’ll ride with you.”
“Great.” He pulled out his phone. “Do I have your number?”
She leaned over to view the screen as he typed her name, her details popping right up. “Text me when you’re on your way tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Henry went to the kitchen to thank Mama, then Stella saw him out. Mama was still in the kitchen doorway when Stella shut the front door and turned around.
“You okay?”
