Page 46 of Highest Bidder
“It’s good to hear your voice, too. It was a tough day. My mom isn’t the easiest to be around, and my dad’s too weak to be the usual buffer between us. But the doctors seem to think he could go home in about 48 hours. I’m hoping for that.”
I can’t help but smile. I love listening to her and hearing about her life and family. I can tell how much she cares for her dad. Stretching back out on the couch, I get comfortable.
“Tell me something real.” I change the subject to distract her from her current situation. “Something few people know about you.” She laughs, and it’s music to my ears.
“Hm. That’s a hard one for sure because I’m an open book.” She pauses.
I’m excited to hear whatever it is she’s about to tell me, but I’m stalling because I don’t want to get off the phone with her.
“Okay, when I was little, my parents would have me pull weeds outside. I always hated it, but I had to fill a grocery bag.”
“How is that something not many people know? Don't all kids do that when they’re younger, either as a punishment or chores around the house?” I was always doing yard work around the house to help my mom, which meant I was always dirty. I used toget made fun of when I was little for wearing shirts with stains to school because my mom was too busy working. She didn't have much time to make sure the clothes I wore were clean.
“Well, the thing is, I would always take a lot longer to do it because I had a crazy imagination. So I would pretend the weeds were people and instead of dolls talking to each other, I had the weeds talk to each other, like little weed people.” She laughs while explaining her story.
“Wow. . . so you were kind of a weirdo?” I laugh through my question.
“Ha. Ha. Yes, I was. I’m not ashamed of it. I loved creating my own little world. It made a very annoying chore more fun. But it made it take way longer than it should have,” she pauses and a few beats pass before she says, “Well?”
“Well, what?”
“Your turn. I told you something real. You had to know it was coming back to you. You have to tell me something now.”
I rub my hand over my face. I didn’t think this through. I wasn’t expecting her to ask me the same thing.
“Okay. Well, something real would be,” I pause, because I don’t want to scare her, but this is the most genuine I can be. “I really like a wild-haired brunette that I can’t stop thinking about.”
She’s so quiet that I can’t hear a peep from her end.
I tap my fist against my forehead and squeeze my eyes shut. “Hunter?”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
“Thisscares me.” Her voice is quiet. “The whole thing, I want to believe it’s all real. I’m just scared,” she admits. “I don’t want to get hurt.”
“I know you are. I am too. Let’s be scared together,” I say. “I wish I could hold you in my arms.” As long as she doesn’t shut me out, we can make this work.
“Me too, Myles.”
“Why don’t you get some sleep, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Alright?” I don’t want to get off the phone, but I know we both are sleep-deprived. Hunter has the added emotional exhaustion that comes with travel, an entire day at the hospital, and strained conversation with her mom.
“Okay. I’ll call you when I can tomorrow. Goodnight, Myles.”
“Goodnight, Hershey.”
She ends the call. Man, I have never felt like this before, but I wasn’t completely honest with her. This doesn’t scare me. If anything, it makes me crave her more.
20
HUNTER
The universe decidedI didn’t need a calmer day. I’m staring at my dad while sitting on a brown scratchy fabric couch. The doctors give him the rundown of how he needs to take better care of himself, starting with his diet. He isn’t too happy about all the foods they tell him to cut out, but it’s a necessity for his health. My mom half listens while her eyes flicker from my frizzy hair down to my worn-down shoes. Her glare saying, “How dare you wear those clothes out of the house.”
She, on the other hand, is dressed to perfection. Her hair is pulled into a low-style bun, not a single hair out of place. Her blue dress is completely free of lint, hair, and wrinkles, and nude heels with no scuff marks. She always wears some type of jewelry. Today, she has on pearl stud earrings and a gold necklace with a single pearl at the bottom.Always classy.I thought I could enjoy alone time with dad, but I guess not. There’s always my mom, doctors, or nurses coming and going, no actual moment of peace. So as I sit here trying to stay out of everyone’s way, I allow my mind to wander to the phone call with Myles last night.
I can’t believe how blunt he is sometimes. I’m thankful I know what he is feeling, but I am scared he may be lying. Or thathe will grow bored after a while, and I don’t want to get hurt. Even though I ended things with Steve, it wasn’t an easy breakup. He knows my parents, and his parents are in the same club as mine. He convinced his parents to talk my mom, so she pressures me to be with him. Believe me, they didn’t need to pressure her. She was already doing it herself.
