Terry stood up with a frown.“What?Are you still leaving?”
“Yeah, it’s better this way,” Hallie said.
“Are you sure you want to travel at this time of night?”
“I just feel like being alone right now.”
Even though the talk with Terry comforted her a little, she still felt embarrassed about the whole situation and wondered if she could ever live it down.
Chapter 82: Lonesome Again
“Drop me a line sometime,” Terry mumbled as she left the room.
Hallie was pretty sure Terry actually meant it because of how bashful she seemed.She pictured texting or emailing Terry and actually getting a response.It was too strange to comprehend.
Maybe it was all worth it if she and Terry could finally become real sisters and this rivalry would be over.
At least, it was a start.
Hallie snuck out of the house as soon as everyone went back to their rooms after dinner.
Once she got into her truck, it was easy to drive the usual route back to Austin almost on auto-pilot, while her mind and her emotions churned in utter chaos.
The shadows of evening fell over the landscape.Not too many other cars were on the road, this being Thanksgiving weekend.
She decided to look for jobs first thing in the morning.It was probably going to be impossible to work for Luke after what happened, and the least he could do was give her a good reference.
The further she traveled away from the ranch, the sadder she got.Here she was again, starting over.
The lights of the Lonesome Cactus blazed into view.Hallie thought it would have been closed for the holidays, but she was glad of the opportunity to have a bite to eat and maybe a drink.
She found Maria behind the bar talking with some tired-looking older man over a glass of whiskey.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the wise bar tender,” Hallie said, “I’m amazed you guys are open on Thanksgiving.”
“Someone’s got to take care of all the sad bums out there,” the bar tender replied.