Page 215 of Love in Riverbend
She hums and tilts her head.
“Until I wasn’t. I couldn’t let my best friend get married without a party.”
The bartender sets Marilyn’s glass of beer on a napkin in front of us. “Would you like anything else? Something to eat?”
It’s my turn to lift a brow toward Marilyn. She shakes her head. “We’re good for now.”
“Let me know,” the bartender says with a smile.
“I think you have an admirer,” Marilyn says as she lifts her glass.
My gaze goes to the woman behind the bar and back to the one sitting at my side. “Would you believe me if I said I’ve been out of the dating scene for so long, I think my radar is broken? Because if you think she’s sending something my way, I’m totally not picking it up.”
She lifts her glass. “To your future.”
Our glasses clink, and we each take a drink. Setting down my beer, I bite the bullet. “I know I told you at the wedding, but I’m sorry for the way I closed you out.” Marilyn’s smile fades, and I immediately regret bringing up the subject. “I may have been older than you, but that didn’t mean I was more…”
As I struggle for the next word, Marilyn says, “Mature?”
“I’ll take it. Guilty as charged. There’s something about staying in Riverbend that hinders a person’s ability to grow up.”
“People grow up in Riverbend. I didn’t want that, but I don’t think less of those who do.”
Exhaling, I sit straighter. “I’m not dissing people like Justin and Devan. Hell, she’s my sister, and he’s my best friend. If anything, I think Devan made Justin grow up. It’s crazy to say, but before they got involved, Justin was like me.”
“What is that?”
This is the most honest I’ve been with anyone in years. “A boat lost on the sea. A dandelion turned to seed and floating in the air.”
Her smile returns. “I didn’t know you were this deep.”
“Oh, I’m not. It’s that I appreciate you helping me, and if we’re going to make this seem legitimate, I thought the best thing was to come clean. Before Devan, I wondered if Justin was as sick of farming as I was. Every now and again, he’d make a comment.” I lift my beer. “He wasn’t tired of farming. He was just untethered.”
“Now he’s tethered—tied down?”
I shake my head. “That’s not a bad thing. I mean, it sounds bad.” I chuckle. “But for Justin, it’s given him the focus and drive he didn’t have.” I sit taller. “He’s kicking ass with ethanol. And don’t tell Devan, but he’s even made a few comments about being ready for kids.”
Marilyn’s eyes grow wide. “I’m not sure Devan is ready.”
“That’s why you can’t tell her. He doesn’t want to pressure her. They’ve got something that’s…” I inhale again “…it’s cool.”
“What about you?” she asks.
“What about me?”
“Are you still a boat or dandelion puff?”
“No.” I take a moment, giving her question consideration. “For the first time in my life, I think I’m on the right track. I mean, even after Vincennes, going back to Riverbend and farming was expected. You know, Dad took over Granddad’s farm. I was next. This, getting my degree and looking for more than a job, a career…it feels right.”
“Tell Justin that farming isn’t a real job.”
I take a sip of my beer. “That’s not what I mean. What about you? You didn’t have a drive to return to our small hometown.”
“No,” she says and sighs. “That doesn’t mean that sometimes I don’t miss it, the people, the closeness, the support. It’s different out here.”
“Do you want to go back?”
“Oh, God no.”
