Page 15 of Forgetting Rafe Thomas
“This thing,” I growl, annoyed that I forgot to silence it before setting up on the patio to watch the shoreline. I check to ensure it isn’t anything important—like my bank account has dwindled down to nothing or my parents have yet another party to plan—and notice that it is an email from an old friend, one I haven’t spoken to in some time. I’m curious, so I tap on the screen and open the email.
Pleasantries abound to us all—lovely, it’s a group email—and it goes on to inform us that Hayden Laughton and Alexandra McFallon are engaged. I blink a few times and let that sink in. A massive sinkhole opening up and inhaling my entire hometown in a blink is easier to wrap my mind around than these two getting married. There it is, though, in black and white—okay, it’s in frilly pink and green—but it’s there. Solid evidence that even opposing personalities that grate on one another’s nerves until one might leap from a cliff for some relief can somehow come together in love.
“Hayden and Alex. Go figure,” I whisper and tap on the photo of them. They look good, happy, and for a second, I think about reaching out to them. We had such great times in high school, but color me surprised that these two got together. I was positive she hated Hayden’s guts, but I did always wonder if he had a thing for her behind all of his teasing and taunting.
Nevertheless, I’m happy for them. It stings a little, but it isn’t a bad sting. It means I lost something—namely my own perfect ending—and miss it, but it doesn’t take away from the joy I have for my friends. I decide I’ll reach out tomorrow despite all the years and miles between us—well, miles right now. I still liveclose to them in Coldstone Creek, but we’re so far out of touch I’m surprised they even thought to send the announcement to me.
I cram my phone in my pocket and head inside where it’s significantly warmer. I don’t know where the day has gone, but it’s already brunch. Eating should probably be a priority, but I can’t stop thinking about my friends and all of the double dates Luna and I went on with them—when they were dating different people, of course. I chuckle and wonder what Luna will think about Hayden and Alex getting married. Maybe she already knows? There’s a chance she’s kept in contact with them, but I’m not sure.
It hits me how little I actually know about my former girlfriend’s life. I mean, I knew about her dreams and the things she wanted for our future. I knew about her work and what I thought mattered but…I have no idea who her friends are now. I don’t know who she kept in contact with, who she hangs out with now that she’s not with me, who fills her days with conversation and acquaintanceship. Scrubbing my hand over my scruff again, I try to think. Who did she hang out with when she wasn’t with me? Viv and Lore, yes, but other than that, I can’t say.
A knot tightens in my chest. I miss those days, those friends, and all the great memories Luna and I made. Reconnecting with the guys from those days might be what I need to jump-start real life again, but that also means facing questions about how Luna and I are—assuming they don’t already know. And once again, I’m back to the beginning. Luna. Nothing moves forward without her. I can’t go back, and going forward means convincing her that Iwon’tgo back, but she needs to hear that first. Believe it…which is what this trip is for. I’ve circled all the way back to where I was when I first looked up at that cottage this morning.
Rehashing old wounds and spreading my already fragile heart even thinner is a horrible idea. Reaching out to old friends who might have stayed in contact with Luna could be bad right now, and I need as many brownie points as possible if I’m going to win her back. Angry Alexandra would hate me more than mustard if she discovered I hurt Luna, and the woman had incredibly strong feelings about condiments. Then again…theyweremy friends too. I should reach out.
Without overthinking it again, I scroll through my phone and find Hayden’s old number. There’s a good chance it’s not the same, but it’s worth a try. I tap it and try to be patient while it rings.
“Hello?” Hayden’s voice hits me hard. Man, I’ve missed him. I stop the flood of memories so I can focus on this moment, this conversation with an old friend.
“Hey, it’s Rafe. I uh…was calling to congratulate you.”
“Rafe Thomas, I never thought I’d hear your voice again. How are you?”
“I’m making it. How are you? I got the email just a little while ago.” I say a silent prayer he doesn’t ask me about Luna and how she’s doing. I’m not ready for that conversation yet.
“Ah, you got the announcement. Alex tried to talk me out of sending them to save money, but you know my mother. She wanted everyone to know. Email was the best way to appease them both, even if it is a little rude.”
I chuckle. Hayden was always worried about offending people. Except Alex, of course. “No, I’m glad I got it. It’s like a blast from the past, but a good one. How is Alex?”
Hayden chuckles and whispers. “Still a handful, but I love her. So much has happened just this year, but yeah, obviously we got over our mutual disgust with one another. Are you still in North Carolina?”
“Yeah, I am. Well, right now I’m on vacation, but I still live in Coldstone.” I swallow hard and wait for the inevitable question that comes next. I should have thought this out more. Had a better reason for my breakup than my own idiocy driving Luna away.
“Yes, the old hometown. I don’t know if you know this, but my family moved back to Virginia to be close to my grandparents. I decided to go with them, spend some time with family, and oddly I ran into Alex on the beach one day.”
“Is that when things changed?” I ask, steering the conversation farther from Luna.
“Absolutely not. We said hello and in fifteen seconds I managed to make her angry. Long story short, she was on a girls’ weekend with her sister and cousins and had ‘zero time for self absorbed idiots,’ as she put it.”
“Sounds right.” I laugh again and relax. I might avoid chatting about my horrible life if we stay on this track. “When did her disgust with all things Hayden dissipate?”
“When she and her gaggle of girlies broke down on the highway and she didn’t know a soul in Virgina but me. Enter big, strong Hayden to save the day.”
“I find that difficult to believe.”
He laughs and I hear something creak in the background, a chair maybe. “Okay, you got me. I might have treated her and six other women to lunch. Turns out, they all loved me, and I guess the remainder of the trip back to North Carolina was spent convincing her I wasn’t all that bad.”
“Is that so?” This is shaping up to be a whole romance novel in the making, or so I assume, based on the women in my life who tell me all about them despite my aversion to them.
“And she called me. Out of the blue, like three months later. We talked for a while and I asked if I could come down to North Carolina and take her on a date. She agreed, the rest is history.”
“Wait, so are you moving back to town or is she moving up there?”
“She’s moving here. We’re taking over that old inn my grandparents on my mom’s side own, remember the one I told you about?”
“Yeah, the one Luna wanted to visit? The one some Revolutionary War hero stayed in to hide out?” Ah, now I’ve gone and done it. I brought up Luna’s name, and there will be no escaping the truth now.
“Yeah, that one. We’ve been restoring it, so we’ll live there and run it as a bed and breakfast. Hey, we should get together sometime and catch up. Alex and I will be in North Carolina for an antiques show in a couple of months if you want to try to catch lunch or something.”
