Page 144 of Shortcake
“Exactly,” Hope said, tipping an invisible hat to Finn.
Mom came over and poked her head into view of the screen. “Hey Hope! I hate to cut this short, but dinner’s almost ready. You all may be adults, but you’re never too old to set the table and wash up for dinner.”
“No problem!” Hope said. “Enjoy your dinner and I’ll talk to you all soon.”
We disconnected the call and I sighed, slumping back against the couch. It wasn’t a long call by any means, but it was emotionally draining… even for how well it went.
Mom bent and kissed me on top of my head.
“Thanks for the nudge to end it.”
“Of course. I know how it is… it’s nice having the safety net to cut it off after a certain amount of time.”
I smiled up at her. “And thanks for holding off on having her visit. I think… I think I’ll be ready to have a visit with her soon, though.”
Mom smiled at me as we all stood up from the couch and headed into the kitchen for dinner. “How’s the apartment hunt going?” Elaina asked me.
“Good. I think I found a little studio apartment out in Toftsboro. I’m supposed to sign the lease next week.”
“Toftsboro?” Haylee asked. “That’s like a thirty-minute drive!”
I shrugged.What’s a girl to do?“There’s not a lot of rental options in this area,” I said. “It’s too much of a vacation town. All the studio apartments have been turned into Airbnbs.”
Mom’s face twisted. “I don’t like it. You driving home at two in the morning was scary enough when you lived in town. Now you’re driving thirty minutes?”
“It’ll be fine,” I reassured everyone, grabbing a stack of plates from the cabinet above the dishwasher.
Though truthfully, I wasn’t sure it’d be fine. I wasn’t looking forward to that commute at all. I had no idea what a good deal Higgins was giving me on that studio apartment until I went searching for another one in my budget. “Look, I have four more weeks at the artist residency center here in Maple Grove, and then I’ll move permanently. It’s only a six-month lease, so if something better opens up, I’ll move back.”
“And there’s no chance that you and Conrad will get back together?” Chloe asked, tucking her silky blonde hair behind her ear.
A lump swelled in my throat and my spine went steely at the mention of Conrad’s name. I could feel Haylee’s eyes searing into the back of my head. She was the only one who knew that he had called me three times today.
And that I hadn’t answered it.
Nothing from him for two whole weeks and today, the day I was calling my sister for the first time, he reached out? That man has some sort of sixth sense.
“No,” I answered Chloe, making sure to keep my eyes cast down and my voice steady. I didn’t want to field the questions. Besides, it wasn’t like I had the answers.
It had taken me almost two full days to be able to get out of bed after Conrad dumped me. I wasn’t much of a crier, but at night when I was tucking into Haylee’s guest room, I would bury my face in my pillow and sob.
There hadn’t been a single call. No text. No communication whatsoever… until today.
His name had flashed across my screen several hours ago as I was having breakfast. I was so startled, I spilled my coffee all over the stupid hardwood floors of my temporary apartment at the artist residency center.
The masochist in me desperately wanted to answer and see what he wanted.
But in the end, I knew better than to open myself up to that kind of torment again.
It took me the full two weeks to finally stop crying myself to sleep every night. And what? I was just going to answer that call? Hearing his voice would just spiral me right back into my depression, I had no doubt.
He wasn’t ready for love.
I didn’t know if he ever would be.
And what was worse, he was using his daughter as his scapegoat. That’s a big burden to put on a sixteen-year-old girl. Especially one who’s carrying so much already.
And… that bastard ruined not only Halloween for me every year, but he also ruinedPride and Prejudice. An unfortunate fact I learned last night as Enzo, Haylee and I attempted to have a movie night and watch the Keira Knightly movie. Within ten minutes, I feigned a headache and left to go home, instead opting to watch the whole thing alone at home while sobbing into a pint of ice cream.
