Page 52 of Love, Rekindled

“I did, but I bet I can do you one better,” I challenge.

“Please. By all means.”

She has no idea what she just asked for. I’m the poster child for mess. “I’m divorced because my wife couldn’t handle the fact that I was injured. I lost my dream job, where I was literally kicking ass—daily. My parents passed away a year ago in a car wreck—while I was deployed. I live in a tiny ass apartment, after mooching off Jackson and Catherine because I basically shut myself down after my injury. I work here because Jackson and Mark won’t let me quit, no matter how many times I’ve tried. Oh, and I literally lost an appendage.”

“No fair.” Gretchen glares.

“No, it’s not.”

She shakes her head. “No, you can’t use the war injury as one of your life being a mess things. I call bullshit on that.”

“Excuse me?”

Gretchen leans back in her seat with her arms over her very ample chest. “That’s like the trump card that you can’t play. Your wife leaving you, fine. Your job, I get. Even the housing thing, I’m totally with you on, because I too am now homeless and living in my best friend’s husband, now boss’s house. But you can’t use your leg as a sucking point. Because it sucks, but it doesn’t make you a mess.”

I’m dying to hear her reasoning on that. “And how exactly does it not?”

“Because you, Benjamin Pryce, are a hero. A man who fought during a war and you survived. That’s not a mess, my friend. Not even a little. Find another reason.”

I laugh, a true, deep, hearty laugh for the first time in forever. She just called my ass out and doesn’t look the least bit upset by it. As if all these years haven’t passed and she’s still the dorky kid’s friend.

“You got balls, I’ll tell you that,” I toss back.

“Why, because your half-assed attempt at making your story sound worse didn’t work?”

I think back to reasons and the one sticks out. Her life list. She still has that damn thing? I remember she would write, scratch out, write more, cross it off, and add again all throughout school. She felt that if she wrote it down, she put it out for the world to find.

I always thought she was ridiculous with it, but she swore it would work.

“Where the hell is your life list?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Now it’s my turn to grin. “Not a chance. You called me out, time to face the firing squad. Give it to me.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No, I’m not giving it to you.” Gretchen looks away but I see the glimpse of her smile.

“So youdohave it? I bet it’s even on you right now.”

Her eyes narrow and she points a finger at me. “You will never see it.”

I lean in, pulling her hand down and my lips turn up. “We’ll just have to see about that.”

CHAPTER 5

Gretchen

He smells so damn good,and arguing with him felt so natural. It was like all the years never passed and we’re still the same people in some ways. Ben was the first person to really know me. He also never stopped making fun of my lists.

Lists are good.

They’re a loose plan that keeps things on track.

Of course my life list could be burned at this point because none of it is working out right.

---