Page 74 of Denim & Diamonds

“Thank you again for the bracelet. It means a lot. I want you to know I’ll always cherish it.”

I plopped down on my couch and rubbed my eyes. “Don’t be afraid to use it, you know?”

After a few seconds of silence, she said, “What if I come to my senses, years down the line, use the bracelet to come find you…and you’re married? What then?”

I scratched my chin. “Well, then I might have to go on avery longtrip to the store for some milk.”

She giggled. “You’re bad.” She sighed. “You’re never gonna believe what song came on the radio as I was leaving Meadowbrook.”

“What?”

“‘Wild Horses’ by the Rolling Stones. If you listen to the words, it kind of reminds me of us.”

“Well, I don’t think I’ve ever paid attention before, but I’ll definitely listen to it.”

The line went silent, and I realized the call had dropped.

Shit.

I tried to call her back, but it went straight to voicemail.

My phone rang about a minute later, and I immediately answered. “Everything okay?”

“I’m sorry. That was on my end. Damn patchy service again.”

“No worries, Red.” When she started breaking up, I added, “Be careful driving, okay? Text me when you get home.”

“I will.”

After we hung up, I sat there in a daze.

Oak came over and placed his chin on my leg.

I rubbed between his ears. “You tried to warn her that I was looking for her, didn’t you?”

He whimpered.

“I know,” I muttered. “We tried.”

***

That evening, Tim Weaver, who owned one of the local convenience stores, sat at my bar.

“Rang up that ginger beauty, February, this morning,” he told me. “She grabbed a few things for the road. Told me she was headed out of town, back to New York City.”

“Yeah. She left this morning.”

“Not sure if I should be telling you this, but…”

My eyes darted toward him. “What?”

“Her eyes were red. Looked like she’d been crying.”

Fuck.I stopped wiping the counter. “Yeah?”

“You do something to upset her?”

“None of your damn business, but no.” I gritted my teeth.

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