Page 52 of Homesick

“What are you doing here, Blake? I can get your mom if you want,” I say, attempting to shy away from the spotlight.

“No, I came to see if you wanted to ride together to your brother’s place tonight.”

“You couldn’t text me?”

“I was in the neighborhood. I figured I’d stop by,” Blake says while reaching one arm up to scratch his lower neck.

I can see his eyes darting back and forth like he’s trying to avoid eye contact with me. Is Blake nervous? I ask myself. I had only seen him nervous a handful of times and that included the first time he told me he loved me. I can still remember the same vulnerable look in his eyes and it made my heart soar. But now, all I feel is sheer panic.

“I’m just going to drive myself,” I blurt out. “I just think it would be weird if we showed up together. My brother might get suspicious.”

The foggy look in Blake’s eyes immediately clears up and he gets up from the bar stool. He clears his throat before saying, “yeah, that makes sense. I didn’t really think about that.”

There’s an awkward moment of silence between us as I decide what to say next. I try to make up some excuse about having to get back to work, but he beats me to the punch.

“I’ve got to get going. I’ll see you later, Wren.”

And just like that he’s gone. I feel like I’ve disappointed him, but he knows exactly how I felt when we started this arrangement. I know how our love story ended, and I wasn’t about to repeat it. I knew how devastating it was to lose Blake Fisher.

* * *

As I drive toward my brother’s house, I keep stealing quick glances at my rearview mirror expecting to see a rusty old pick-up. I keep telling myself I couldn’t care less if I see him, but I know that’s a lie. Over these past few weeks, my feelings have slowly shifted from dreading seeing Blake to hoping to see him.

I attempt to wrap my hands around the steering wheel to keep myself grounded, but I still feel uneasy. Blake visiting me at work today threw me off and I’m doing everything in my power to ignore the obvious.

After a few more minutes of endless anxiety over a silly boy, I pull up to my brother’s house. It’s cute, but I know his dream is to build a place closer to the farm.

We used to sit on the front porch at Mom and Dad’s and he’d go on and on about the huge house he planned to build. At one time, he even talked about making one of the rooms mine so I would have a place to stay when I visited home.

I slam my car door shut, but before I can shuffle inside, I see Blake’s pick-up coming down the driveway. I go to walk inside, but my legs feel cemented to the ground. A small part of me wants to know what he’s thinking before we go inside the lion’s den.

Blake parks his truck next to my car and gives me a weird look when he sees I’m waiting for him. Before I can say anything, he makes his way to the front door and I follow suit. His long legs carry him in front of me and I feel my temperature rise when my eyes wander to his Wranglers. I never knew I could be so attracted to a simple pair of jeans.

He pauses before he gets to the door, and I almost stumble right into his back. He turns and my eyes snap to his.

“Everything okay, Campbell?”

“Yeah,” I respond. “You’re not mad about earlier, right? I feel like we left things off on a weird note.”

Blake’s eyes shift from side to side and before he says anything, I can already tell it’s going to be a lie.

“No, we’re cool,” he says in a deep yet calming voice. “After you.”

I brush past him, and my breath catches when our hands touch. A small tingly feeling washes over my body. Before I have time to process it, I see Ashley standing in front of me with her arms folded and the look of a disappointed mom.

My mood completely changes, and I try to contain my smile. She’s wearing the apron I got her for Christmas a few years ago. It’s a standard apron, but just with hundreds of pictures of Chris’s face on it.

“And where have you two been?” she says while tapping her foot on the ground.

I turn to Blake and realize how it must look with us walking in together. “You said six. It’s like five after.”

She gives me one more frustrated glare and says, “Mmhmm. Wren, come help me set the table.” She does the cutest little spin and heads back to the kitchen where their dining table also sits.

I turn to Blake and try to put on my best poker face. As soon as I look at him, he gives me a kind smile and my heart starts to beat uncontrollably.

I head to the kitchen while I assume Blake is off to find my brother in the living room. As soon as I enter the small space, I head to the fridge to pour myself a glass of wine.

When I turn around, I almost run into my nosey sister-in-law.

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