Page 47 of Served
“That sounds amazing. I really missed you guys!” I leaned in and hugged her hard. Ann was the best sister-in-law, and we were good friends. Not as close anymore since they moved. Which if I was honest, was my fault. She called regularly for months after they first moved but I was always busy working or hanging at the club. Or dating morons.
I plopped down on the bed and pulled out my phone. No texts. I swallowed hard but made sure to text Amy.
Me: Hey, made it safely. About to go to bed.
Amy: Okay, have fun and hug them for me! Miss you! Lots of pics!
Me: Goodnight!
I dug my charger out, plugged my phone in, and changed before climbing into bed. It was cozy and the bed was as soft as one in a fancy hotel. But it was still. I reached my arm across to the other side. Empty and cold.
It was much quieter here. And darker. And hundreds of miles from my problems. All of them.
Chapter 24
Lucy
The sunlight was beaming through the window onto my face. I cracked my eyes and looked up briefly before squinting to see the blinds were open. I looked at the time on my phone. Only a quarter to seven. I rolled over and shut my eyes, but it was still too bright. I opened my eyes to the empty side of the bed and let out a sigh. No going back to sleep now.
I threw my legs over the side and glared at the window. I should have noticed the blinds were open last night but it’s so much darker here at night that back home. Until the sun comes up anyway. I finally stood and stretched before shuffling to the kitchen.
“Good morning!” Ann announced as I strolled into the kitchen. She was looking especially ripped today in her tank and workout capris. I didn’t mind my softness, but I was impressed with her muscle tone. “Was I being loud? I can never sleep in, so I get up and get your brother out the door. How did you sleep?” She asked as she passed me a mug of coffee.
“Great.” Absolute lie. “So, Ethan left already?”
She nodded as she was twirling around the kitchen cooking and grabbing ingredients.
“He left just a few minutes ago. And I’ll drop the kids at school in just a few.”
She put a plate down in front of me with pancakes, bacon, and fruit.
“Eat up. When I get back, we can head over to the beach for a bit before school is out!”
Ann quickly walked past me, and I heard the kids bumbling down the stairs. Before I knew it, they were running to me.
They both were chattering over each other telling me they love me and would see me later before Ann whisked them out the door.
I ate my four-star breakfast and went to the guest room to find my bathing suit and get ready.
I couldn’t decide between my cheetah print one piece with tummy control or the vintage black and white polka dot high-waisted two piece. I tossed them all into the air to see which landed closest to me. Cheetah print it was.
I took my beach cover and flip flops to the bathroom with my toiletry bag so I could brush my teeth and attempt to tame my curls into a stylish ponytail.
My eyes were tired. My skin was pretty dull. I put some SPF on my face then swiped some mascara on and tinted lip balm to brighten my look. Better, but not great. I went to wait downstairs for Ann.
It wasn’t long before Ann was flying through the door and rushing through the house to change. She also made up a bag of drinks and snacks for us. Once she grabbed towels, we grabbed some chairs and walked the quarter of a mile to the beach.
“I have plenty of sunscreen in the bag. And just let me know when you need a snack,” Ann said as we walked onto the sand.
“Thanks, Mom!” I said back sarcastically but with a playful wink.
She giggled a little but then said, “I know, I know. But I’m so used to taking care of everything! But you need sunblock. Oh, here’s a good spot.”
We stopped near the water and opened our folding beach chairs. I put my towel down and walked to the water to put my feet in. It was warm and the waves were crashing against my ankles. The sand was soft and squishy in my toes and under my feet. It was warm and sunny out. A perfect beach day. I closed my eyes to soak in the moment. But, as I did, sudden pangs of sadness hit me. I missed Jason so much. I imagined him behind me wrapping his arms around me and snuggling his face into my neck. I didn’t want to be thinking that but even when I opened my eyes, it was hard to push it back down. I stood facing the horizon for a minute to be sure no tears started streaming down before I went back to the chair.
“You wanna talk about it? I don’t know the right thing to say, but I’m here.” Ann’s face was full of empathy and love.
“No. I’ll be fine. But what about you guys? You seem so happy here.”
