Page 19 of Love Letter Lost
“Don’t worry about it. I can stick most of this in the dishwasher.”
“All right.” Ridge continued to watch me, his blue eyes more intense than I remembered.
“What?” I asked when I couldn’t take his stare a moment longer.
He shrugged. “Just wondering how you could go over a decade without talking to me and then be mad at me when I show up on your doorstep to help you.”
“Excuse you? What about the fact that you ghosted me after prom? I thought we had fun. You evenkissedme, which was my first kiss by the way, and then you disappeared without a word. I thought we were at least friends, if not something more.” I paused, letting the words settle before continuing.
“Prom wasn’t the only thing that happened that night. There was the accident and my dad and…” He trailed off before shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter now. I tried to apologize, but clearly you didn’t want to hear it.”
We stood quietly for a moment, me finishing the dishes and Ridge watching, before I finally spoke. If I really wanted to forgive Ridge, I had to start somewhere.
“I didn’t get your letter.”
“What? What do you mean you didn’t get my letter?” Ridge grabbed my arm and turned me to face him, confusion puckering his forehead.
“I didn’t get your letter until a couple days ago. I found it while helping Livvy move.”
“Wait, what? Livvy never…” Ridge’s eyes widened as realization dawned. “All these years of radio silence, and it’s because Livvy refused to pass on a stupid piece of paper?”
“Yep. I didn’t know I was ignoring you. What’s your excuse?” I turned back to the sink and scrubbed the plate I held with extra vigor, not sure I wanted to know his answer.
“Will you accept stupidity and an underdeveloped teenage brain?”
I paused, considering. “Only if it comes with an apology and the promise of a milkshake.”
“Deal. But you have to promise to forgive me and not ignore me if I ever write you another letter.”
I looked over to find Ridge, a slight smile curving his lips, hand extended to shake on our agreement. I wiped my hands on a dishtowel and accepted his handshake, a small jolt of electricity shooting up my arm at the contact.
“Deal.” The words, the gesture—it all felt too easy. But we had to start somewhere, at least that’s what I told myself. I just hoped opening this door with Ridge didn’t lead to even more scars.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
DecidingI couldn’t handle sitting alone with Ridge in my apartment, waiting for Livvy to call back, we left before most stores opened. Despite our truce, this whole thing felt like a loaded situation. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much choice. Hopefully, the awkwardness would be more manageable in his blue sedan that smelled like stale fast food than it would be in my apartment.
As we drove out of the parking lot, I tried to ignore the construction equipment that lined the street, workers in yellow vests and hard hats working to tear down the houses that I’d driven past for years.
“Looks like a happening place to live, lots of progress,” Ridge remarked as we drove.
“Growth is happening everywhere in Utah, especially Utah County. Whether it’s a sign of progress is debatable,” I muttered, trying not to think of the offer Dad had hinted at from Milton Corp and how supposed progress would lead to my dream being torn apart like these houses.
Ridge ignored my barbed comment with a shrug and kept driving.
An awkward silence filled the car, the soft static of the radio doing little to ease the tension.
We pulled into the craft store parking lot ten minutes before it opened, the discomfort intensifying as we continued to sit in silence. There was a lot between us, years of neglect that I wasn’t sure how to tear down. I continued to draw a blank as I stared out the windshield. I’d passed the craft store a hundred times but never entered. The bright orange sign was meant to be welcoming, but I felt dread building in my stomach as I took in the tan building, its large windows filled with red, white, and blue home décor.
Ridge pulled the keys from the ignition and turned towards me. “How about we have a do over from Saturday? Let’s pretend this is the first time we’ve seen each other in over ten years. Where did life take you?”
“Many exotic and faraway places.” I leaned back into my seat, relieved to have something to focus on. “I went to college in Provo, graduated, and found a job in Pleasant Grove. I’ve stayed put ever since. About a year ago, I started saving to buy the building I live in from my dad. I might as well put down roots somewhere, and having the other apartments as income opportunities will help with the whole starving teacher thing.”Assuming Dad doesn’t sell to someone else.I pushed the thought out of my mind. I couldn’t focus on that on top of everything else. “What about you?”
“That’s great.” Ridge’s excitement made my life sound interesting. “Since you did get that letter after all”—I flinched, but he kept talking, seeming not to have noticed—“I’m guessing you already know the highlights. I worked in Florida for a couple of years, came back, and moved up to Idaho for school. I’m still there and will be for at least two more semesters. Basically, my life has been slightly more exotic than yours.” He winked and I turned away, trying to ignore the pull of his blue eyes and refusing to let that simple gesture completely erase my hurt.
“Given the temperature, humidity, and wildlife, I’d say Florida qualifies as ‘exotic and faraway.’”
“I was talking about Idaho. It’s hard to be more exotic than Rexburg.” Ridge kept a straight face as he spoke.
