Page 17 of That Time I Kissed The Groomsman Grump
I frown. “What didIsay?”
“Erin with anE.” She shrugs. “I’m talking about Aaron with a doubleA. Aaron’s a he. Not a she.”
Great. Nat’s new boss is a man.Aaron with a double A.A vise clamps down in my guts. I’ve got to get away from these feelings. So I ease my truck back onto the road, flip a U-turn, and start heading toward Abieville. My home—still and always—is a world away from California. From Sloane and Wyatt. From rent-controlled, beach-adjacent apartments.
When we pull up to the first red light on the way out of Southampton, I hazard a glance at Natalie. Her smile is small. Cheeks pink. “Congratulations,” I manage to say. “You should be really proud of yourself.”
“Thanks. I am proud.” She meets my gaze, her eyes wide and expectant. What is she waiting for? Is there something else I should be saying to her? Natalie’s got me so off-balance, I don’t know right from left anymore.
My jaw shifts. “What?”
“The light,” she says, nodding at the intersection. “It turned green.”
For most of the rest of the drive to Abieville, my throat is tight with regret. My head’s running a reel of all the stuff I’d do differently if I could rewind time. Stuff like the way I treated my sister when we were kids. Or the last time Nat and I were together. Or convincing Doc Swanson I was the guy he should take a chance on. But what’s done is done, and I have to make the best of it. I can’t change the past.
As if reading my mind, Natalie finally speaks. “Everything looks exactly the same, you know.”
I glance her way, and find her staring out the window. “Hmph.” I return my focus to the road. Ahead, on the right, an old liquor store sits abandoned. The windows are all boarded up. It’s been like that for years.
“I mean, seriously.” Her voice is soft. Reflective. “Nothing ever changes around here.”
“That’s not a bad thing.” I grip the steering wheel. I’m defending the town. Defending myself. “I like knowing what to expect. Being a part of something that will outlast me.” I take a beat. “I’m cool with wanting to leave a legacy that will live on after we’re gone.”
“Huh.” It’s not a question, and I don’t think Natalie’s teasing me. Maybe she’s just genuinely puzzled.
She shifts in her seat. “Don’t you think that’s kind of … morbid?”
“It’s reality,” I say. “I see death all the time. Like this morning.” My jaw goes tight. “I had to help Mrs. Jenkins say goodbye to her old cat, Sampson. They’ve been coming to the clinic as long as I have. I hated every moment, but it had to be done. Sampson was suffering. So was Mrs. Jenkins.”
Nat clears her throat. “I’m so sorry, Brady.”
Yeah. So am I. Especially since the mark I actually want to leave in this world has nothing to do with the clinic. That’s Doc Swanson’s purpose, not mine. But after all the time and effort he’s invested in me—not to mention his trust—I owe the man. And I always honor my commitments.
“Anyway.” I blow out a breath. “Feel free to talk about a subject you find more upbeat.”
A small burst of laughter escapes her. “More upbeat than our inevitable and impending mortality?”
I quirk an eyebrow. “Sure.”
“Ah. Good. So pretty much anything, then.” When Natalie chuckles, the knot in my chest unravels, and I start to laugh too, then I shut it down fast. Man, it’s hard not to feel good around her. But if I enjoy being with her too much this week, I’ll only feel worse when she leaves again.
She readjusts her body, crossing one lean leg over the other. I drag my eyes away, looking out over the hood of my truck. A vein in my forehead throbs. Good thing Abie Bridge is one mile up. I won’t have to work this hard at not staring at her much longer.
“You know what?” Natalie asks, breaking the silence.
“That’s a rhetorical question, right?”Keep your eyes on the road.
“I was wrong when I said everything’s the same around here.” She waits a moment before continuing. “You’vechanged.”
I screw up my face. “No, I haven’t.”
“You have,” she says. “You’re different than you were two years ago, back when we were trying to get Kasey and Beau together.” Despite the fact that she’s challenging me, her voice is calm and even. And when I glance at her again, her eyes meet mine. They’re so clear and pure, I have to look away. I’m afraid she’ll see too much.
“I’ll try not to take that as an insult,” I mumble.
“I never said different’s bad.”
Loosening my grip on the steering wheel, I make a right at Abie Bridge. That’s when the lake comes into view. And the docks. Beyond that is The Beachfront Inn. Hopefully Beau was able to work out the flooding issue they were having earlier.
