Page 138 of Keep My Heart
‘I should be thanking you. I get a job where I get to be outside all day instead of stuck in an office.’
‘You’re really doing this?’ Jason asks. ‘You’re giving up being a lawyer?’
‘He’s not giving it up,’ Sawyer says, smiling at me. ‘I need a lawyer. You think you could look over some vendor contracts for me?’
‘Only if I get free beer.’
‘You can have all you want.’
‘Hey, Nick,’ Nash says, standing at the door.
‘Yeah?’
‘There’s someone out here that needs to talk to you.’
‘Who?’
‘Just get out here,’ he says, cracking a smile.
I walk out to the hall and see Lyndsay standing there, wearing jeans and the Kanfield Orchard t-shirt my mom gave her the day Lyndsay helped clean up after the party.
‘Hey, Nick.’ Her eyes lock on mine and I feel like all those pieces that were falling apart are starting to come back together. I don’t know why she’s here and what this means, but having her here feels as right as telling my dad I want the orchard.
‘I’ll leave you two alone,’ Nash says, going in Dad’s room.
‘Lyndsay, what are you doing here?’
‘I wanted to be here for you.’ She steps up to me. ‘As a friend, or whatever we are now.’ She glances at my dad’s room. ‘How’s he doing?’
‘Better. He’s tired, but the doctor said that’s normal after a heart attack.’
‘Is he still having surgery?’
‘Yeah, later this week. How long are you staying?’
‘Actually, I live here now.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘I decided I don’t want to be in LA anymore. So I packed up my stuff and left.’
‘To come here,’ I confirm. ‘To Haydon Falls.’
‘Yeah. I’m going to live with my mom, get a job, save up some money. I thought about what you said, Nick, and you were right. We were moving too fast. I’m not ready to move to New York with you. I’m still working through all the issues I had with Chris. I need to learn to trust again. I can’t be accusing you of things you didn’t do.’
I step aside as a nurse goes by us, pushing a guy in a wheelchair.
‘Let’s go outside,’ I say to Lyndsay. ‘I don’t want to talk in here.’
Taking her hand, I lead her down the hall and out the doors tothe front of the hospital. I spot a bench and we walk down there and take a seat.
‘I understand you need time to work through stuff,’ I say, turning to her. ‘But I’d still like to see you.’
‘I’d like to see you too, but how are we going to do this? You can’t fly home every weekend.’
‘I don’t need to.’
‘What do you mean?’
