Page 53 of New Girl in Town
Nothing could really change in a few days. Not when my heart felt the way it did, and I resolved to tell him what I felt when he came home.
Now I sat in Melinda’s kitchen, enjoying a late breakfast after waving Grant off that morning with a messy kiss.
“What do you mean Grant is gone?” Melinda asked, pouring a cup of coffee for herself before sitting down across from me.
I blew out a sigh and shook my head at myself. I’d offered to drive him to Denver just for the opportunity of spending a few more hours with him. Being with him meant that much to me. Yup, we were back in heart-eyes and rose-colored glasses territory, which was a place I hadn’t been in quite some time...but rather than resist, I let myself enjoy it.
It wasn’t every day I gave my heart to a man, now was it?
“He left this morning.” I pouted and then said, “I already miss him.”
Melinda laughed, stirring her coffee with a smirk on her face. “Ah, young love.”
I lifted one shoulder in a shrug and sipped at my coffee in silence.
Melinda’s hands stilled. “Wait, are you saying that I’m not wrong?”
“It happens,” I said.
Her mouth dropped open. “I never thought I’d see the day,” she said, looking a little dazed, but then she shook her head. “At least it’s with a man like Grant.”
I weighed her words and then gave a tentative nod. “You’re right. I’m glad it’s him.”
Melinda reached across the table and caught my hand. “He’s a good man. Honest and true to a fault, and I’ve never even seen him in the police blotter, which is kind of a feat in this town.”
I rolled my eyes. “Gee, aim for the stars.”
She giggled and then reached past me for the remote. “So what’s he in New York for?”
“You know, he didn’t really say. Just said he had family issues he had to drop by for.”
She pulled a face. “Family is...complicated.”
I nodded with a grimace. “You can say that again.”
“Are you going to tell him how you feel?” she asked, flipping through channels.
“Um...maybe,” I said, pretending to be engrossed in the morning news program she’d just landed on. A pretty blonde host with a thousand-watt smile grinned into the camera as she listed the top 5 must-see movies of the week. I feigned interest in her recommendations when I felt the full weight of Melinda’s stare on me.
“What do you mean, maybe?”
“Just maybe,” I said.
“We both know how you feel about that lumberjack dream, so why don’t you do yourself a favor and just tell him?”
When I didn’t answer she muted the television, and I groaned. “I was watching that,” I told her, giving her a sidelong look.
She leveled a glare at me and crossed her arms. “Aurora…”
“Because it’s scary,” I blurted out, throwing my hands up in the air. “And I know what you’re going to say, so just save it, mom.”
Melinda sighed at me. “He’s a great guy, Aurora. You can’t avoid life just because it’s scary. You’ve made so much progress since you left him.”
She caught my hand, and I swallowed hard at the unspoken name—himwas Dylan.
Melinda’s fingers squeezed mine tight. “I’m so proud of you, opening back up to the idea of love.”
My eyes widened at hearing her say it. Sure, I had thought about it just that morning but...to hear her say it out loud... “That isn’t... I, ah—”
