Page 85 of Heartstrings & Horizons
The boundaries are long overdue and I refuse to let her self-righteous indignation ruin our last day in Oak Ridge together.
“If that’s how you want it, I guess I have nothing more to say.” She turns on her heel and storms out of the diner, leaving a heavy silence in her wake. I stare after her, a mix of anger and sadness churning in my gut. Returning to my seat, Paige gives my thigh a reassuring squeeze but her body is rigid, and I know she’s more damaged by what just happened than she’s willing to let on.
The rest of the meal is stilted and quiet. The earlier mood replaced with awkward silence and the occasional murmur from the rest of the patrons. We say an awkward goodbye, then everyone pairs off to spend the rest of the day doing their own thing.
“So, it’s your last day in Oak Ridge. How does my wife want to spend it?”
The smile that had dissipated with my mother’s arrival comes back in full force.
“Can we go home? I can’t think of anywhere else I want to be.”
I take her hand, leading her to my truck parked on the curb. As I’m pulling open the passenger door to help her into the seat, Rosie comes barreling out of the diner. She hands me a styrofoam container before pulling Paige into a tight embrace. “You take care of yourself, my girl. We sure are going to miss you ‘round here.”
“I’ll miss you too, Rosie. So much.” I watch as a tear escapes down her face.
Rosie gives me a pat on the cheek and a knowing smile before retreating to the diner. I open the container to find a giant slice of Rosie’s famous pecan pie with extra whipped cream.
“Let’s go home, Sunshine.”
Paige
Walking up the porch steps to the cabin, I feel a heavy weight settling in my bones; my impending departure casting a somber glow over my last day in the town I've come to call home over the past couple of months.
Cade presses a soft kiss to my forehead. “Movie night?”
“Sure, I’ll go make some popcorn.”
I’ve got my legs stretched out with my back to the armrest, my feet resting on Cade’s thighs. The bowl of popcorn is perched on my lap as Ever After plays in the background, but I haven’t been paying attention. It’s one of my favorite movies, but Cade’s fingers are digging into the arches of my feet and I’m completely blissed out.
“Mmmm,” I moan. “If you’re trying to convince me to stay, it's working.”
“You keep making noises like that, we’re going to have a very different evening.”
“Stop it,” I say, tossing a kernel of popcorn at his head. Before it can reach its target, Cade opens his mouth and catches it. “That was a fluke,” I tease.
“Pure talent, baby. Give me another one.”
I toss another and it bounces off his lip.
“Ha!”
“Lucky shot, try again.”
I toss another one and he catches it, giving me a smug smile. While he’s gloating, I let another one fly, hoping to catch him off guard, but it lands on his tongue, and the crinkling around his eyes melts me.
“Pfft. Whatever. It’s not that hard.”
“I’ll show you hard,” he says, before lunging across the sofa, tickling my ribs as I try to hold the popcorn out of the way.
“Cade! I’m gonna drop the popcorn!”
He grabs the bowl from my hand and places it on the coffee table beside us before positioning himself between my thighs, stealing my breath in a hungry kiss. We’re both panting heavily when we break apart.
“I’m going to miss you so fucking much.” His voice is strained and there’s an ache building in my chest. I had forgotten about the ticking clock, if only for a moment. A tear tracks over my cheek at the realization that my time here is limited.
“Fuck, I’m sorry,” he says, swiping away the tear before pulling me to his chest.
“I just have to keep reminding myself that I’ll be back. It’s not forever.”
