Page 99 of Love At First Fright
“How are you doing, habiba?” Dina said, peering closer into the phone as if she could get a better view of Rosemary.
“I don’t know. I don’t really understand what happened.”
“Did you break up? I don’t get why he said those things.”
Rosemary let her tears fall freely as she told her friends everything.
“Fucking men,” Dina said. “You tell me if you want me to do any spells on him. When it comes to people hurting my best friends, I have no moral high ground.”
“I’ll let you know,” Rosemary said. She took a sip of coffee and had a bite of her donut, and slowly returned to life.
“The worst thing was, I was going to tell him I loved him, too.”
“Oh, Rosemary.”
“I know. Such a fool.”
“Not a fool,” Immy said vehemently.
“Not at all, habiba. But you know how hard coming out can be, maybe it’s true, that he did what he did because he thought it was the best way to protect you. It doesn’t mean you have to agree with it, and I’m with you one hundred percent,” Dina assured her. “You take the time you need.”
“I know. I know you’re right. I just need space from it all.” Rosemary hiccuped.
“What are you going to do now?” Dina asked.
“Stay home for a bit. There are kittens, and it’s nice to be around my dad. I want to finish the script forJulia,and I have to turn in my draft.”
“And after?” Immy said.
Dina frowned. “Don’t push her, Imms.”
“It’s okay. I don’t know yet,” Rosemary admitted. Did she still want to move to London? That had been the plan before, but now, after Ellis? She needed to figure out how much she wanted her future there, if he wasn’t in it, and how much of her desire to be there had been tied with him. Already, a part of her knew that she did still want to go. That being with her friends, in the country that felt most like home to her, was the future she wanted. But she needed time.
“I’ll figure it out.”
“You will.” Dina nodded. “And you call us every day.”
“If you don’t, we’ll be forced to get on a plane to come to you,” Immy threatened.
“I love you both.”
“Right back at you.”
—
Two days later, Rosemary wasdone wallowing. She needed fresh air and the sun on her skin. She’d woken up just after dawn, soon after her dad, and they stood silently in the kitchen watching the morning light flood the fields.
“Merry Christmas Eve, sweetpea.” He passed her a Christmas cookie to have alongside her coffee.
“Happy Christmas Eve, Dad. Thought I might join you out in the greenhouse today, if that’s alright.”
“Could always use the help.” He smiled.
They spent the morning checking the rows of plants forfrost damage—it had been an especially cold winter, and they could harvest only a few flowers from the greenhouse, which her dad sold in the local town farmer’s market once a month. If her mind drifted to memories of Ellis’s greenhouse, or the time they’d spent together in the vegetable patch, she quashed the thoughts.
After a few hours of manual labour, Rosemary felt more herself than she had in days.
“I’m going to heat up some casserole if you want some,” her dad said.
