Page 119 of Confessions of the Funny Fat Friend

“So when are you going to Texas?”

“How did you know...”

“Lucky guess.” She had a sly grin. “So, you are going, right?”

I nodded. “I booked the first flight out of LA tomorrow morning. Mom’s dropping me off so my car doesn’t break down on the way.”

Grandma laughed. “Please tell me you’re getting rid of that hunk of junk.”

“I’m selling it online. Bertrand told me a regular dealership wouldn’t take it,” I said with a laugh.

“This is so exciting,” she said, her eyes shining.

I nodded. “It’s excitingifit works out. We haven’t even talked for months.”

“A few months apart is nothing compared to the lifetime you could have together.” She smiled over at a picture of her and Grandpa. “All you have to do is show him that you still care about him. That you’re dreamingwithhim now.”

I lifted a corner of my mouth. She was so right. It was scary to put myself out there, to go big when he could tell me to go home, but I had to. Because the thought of feeling this ache for him every day for the rest of my life... it was pure misery.

I never should have let him go. I knew that now. It had been a massive mistake, but I couldn’t go back in time and fix all my worries, fear, and false sense of responsibility. All I could do now was show him that I’d never make the mistake of losing him again and pray he’d take me back.

74

Henrietta

Confession: I’ve never been so scared in my life.

As I drovemy brand new (to me) SUV away from the Dallas dealership, my heart was racing. I hoped I wouldn’t be driving this car back to California any time soon.

A call came through on Bluetooth, and I tapped the green button on the screen, feeling fancier than I ever felt in my puddle jumper. I answered it, and my dad’s voice filled the car.

“Hey, Hen. I just got off the phone with our lender, and they’re sending you a pre-qual letter. You’re good to put in an offer if that’s what you decide to do.”

My heart lurched, and I took a few deep breaths to focus on this busy Dallas traffic. Even driving out of town, the roads were packed. I definitely hadn’t timed my trip well, leaving the dealership around five.

“Are you sure you’re okay with co-signing for me?” I asked.

Dad quickly replied. “Of course we are. I know you’ll never need us to help with a payment with how frugal you are.”

I laughed. “The vote of confidence is nice.”

“Did you splurge on your car?” he asked.

“Yes! We’re actually talking on my new-car phone! I went with a Cherokee like Johmarcus suggested. Runs like a dream, and hopefully, I won’t be changing tires on the side of the road anymore.”

“Good,” Dad said. “You deserve to have something nice.”

“Thanks, Daddy,” I said.

I heard the smile in his voice as he said, “Go get ‘em, tiger. Call us after to tell us how it went.”

“Pray for good news,” I asked.

“We already are.”

We hung up, and then I tapped through to call the only romance author I knew. She answered after a few rings, and I said, “Mara, I need some advice.”

“Anything. How can I help?”

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