Page 16 of Escape

Once she disappeared behind the double doors that led into the area I presumed was the kitchen, my thoughts immediately drifted back to my senior year of high school.

It was her.

She was the reason I became excited about school. My mom no longer needed to drag me out of bed in the morning, because I was eager to get to my physics class every day just to see her. The days we were allowed to work on the project in class were my favorite, but simply seeing her each day had turned things around for me. I was no longer in a rush to get to the end of the school year, and I certainly didn’t feel that need to have days off or the desire to drop out.

Josie never knew.

She didn’t know she was the reason I enjoyed my senior year of high school.

And now that I was here with her after all these years, I couldn’t help but be reminded of just how much I liked her back then. Unfortunately, I never pursued her the way I now wished I would have, because she was in such a vulnerable place.

I didn’t think it would have been good for me to start something with her when I knew I’d be leaving right after high school. My mind had been made up back then—I was joining the military. It just didn’t seem fair to do to her.

My eyes were pulled toward those double doors again when they swung open, and Josie stepped through them carrying a glass of orange juice in her hand.

As she made her approach to my table, I couldn’t bring myself to look away from her. Question after question popped into my head. I wanted to know what was going on in her life and how she was really doing. The little conversation I might be able to sneak in while she was working wasn’t going to be enough.

Josie came to a stop beside my table, set the glass down, and said, “Here’s your juice. Your food should be out shortly. I’m so sorry, but I’ve got to go and check on my other tables.”

“Of course,” I returned. “Do what you’ve got to do. I’m not going anywhere.”

She walked off again, my eyes continuing to follow her as she stopped at another table to check on the guests there. It was far enough away from me that I couldn’t hear the conversation, but it didn’t matter. All I wanted to do was watch her while I attempted to come up with a plan.

Not having a plan wasn’t an option.

I couldn’t do it again.

I couldn’t walk away from her today without solidifying another opportunity to see her. Sure, I could continue to come into Betty’s for breakfast or brunch at least once a week, but I wanted more than that.

The problem was that I could see it.

I could feel it.

The thing I used to think was all about Josie merely being a loner back in high school was still there. She still had so much uneasiness about her. And she clearly hadn’t gone on to get the career she’d wanted. Surely, she wasn’t still under her father’s thumb. That couldn’t be possible, could it? Josie had insisted she was getting out the day she turned eighteen.

Had something happened to prevent that?

It was unclear what I was going to learn, but there wasn’t a chance I wouldn’t attempt to find out. Before I left here today to head back to work, I was going to ask some questions. Her demeanor had been enough of a clue that I’d need to tread cautiously. It pained me to think things hadn’t ever gotten better for her after we graduated.

Years ago, I thought I’d done the right thing by simply remaining her friend while we were in school. Now, I wasn’t so sure.

Because if I’d done only one thing differently when it came to Josie, where would my life have taken me?

Perhaps, more importantly, where would her life have taken her?

THREE

Josie

It had been a long time since I’d felt genuine happiness. Pure, unadulterated joy was a complete mystery to me, and any ounce of contentment I’d had in my life was a distant memory, something I’d experienced once in my life for such a brief period of time.

And now, I was convinced I was dreaming the best dream I’d had in years. While there were at least a dozen reasons why I shouldn’t have wanted to have Huck Davidson be anywhere in the same vicinity as me while I was working—he probably thought I was so lame for not having made something of myself like I’d planned to do and even told him I would—I couldn’t help from feeling good about seeing him.

Huck had been the best thing I’d ever had in my life, and I’d always cherished the moments we’d had together when we were kids. I often wondered if he knew just how much of an impact he had on my life. Beyond that, I wondered if I’d ever get to a place where I could share that truth with him.

Having him here in the diner now and seeing him for the first time in all these years felt like the greatest gift.

It was a mystery how I’d managed to tear my eyes away from him. Huck was just as handsome as ever, even better than I’d remembered. He was as tall as he’d been during our senior year, but he had since packed on quite a few pounds of solid muscle. I was convinced I could stare at his shoulders and arms all day long.

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