Page 141 of Love Unavoidable
Chapter 39
Sadie
After the first two shots, we move on to beer to avoid getting too drunk. Tenley orders us nachos and we analyze and re-analyze everything I could do or say once I see Ethan while we eat and drink.
“Okay, so,” Tenley starts. “He answers the door, you don’t say a word. Just put your arms around him and kiss him. He kisses you back, you steer him toward his bedroom, the two of you go off to rock each other’s worlds. Meanwhile, I grab a beer and go hangout by the pool to work on my tan. When you finish playing ride ‘em cowboy, bring the man outside, we’ll all make nicey nice and then go to dinner. He’ll introduce me to a friend, also a hot firefighter, who’s wilder than a peach orchard boar. I’ll go home with the friend, you’ll go back to Ethan’s, we will meet up in the morning and compare saddle sores. Sound good?”
“Sounds good.” I grab another chip, dripping with nacho cheese and jalapeños. There’s something about fake cheese sauce that is so satisfying over salty chips with a cold beer. “You know, there was a guy I met, his name was Spence, I think. He was nice. But I know for certain he took pictures of my ass when I was stuck in that window at the bar.”
“My kinda guy!” Tenley says.
My phone buzzes, I look down. It’s Aaron. I hold it up to show Tenley. She shakes her head. “Don’t answer it.”
“What if it’s about my mama?”
“Why would your ex be calling about your mama?”
I shrug. “Because they are close?”
“It’s weird if you ask me.”
“How close they are?”
“Yeah, I mean if I didn’t know for certain that your mama was the ice queen with a sewn shut vajayjay, I’d swear the two of them was beatin’ cheeks.”
“Stop,” I say as I pick up my phone to answer. “Hello?”
“Sadie?”
“Aaron, what’s up?”
“Sadie, don’t go. Please.”
“Aaron, I . . .” I don’t know what to say to him I haven’t already said. Tenley tries to take the phone from my hands. I put it on speaker and lay it on the tabletop, we both lean over it to try to block the outside noises. “Aaron, I can’t be what you want me to be. What you need me to be. I’m just not that girl. I’m sorry. You need to move on. Meet someone new. You’ll be so much happier for it. I know you will.”
“I won’t be, Sadie. You are it for me.”
I close my eyes.
“Give it a month, Aaron,” Tenley says. “Don’t think about her, don’t call her.”
“Tenley?” Aaron asks.
“That’s me,” she says.
“What are you doing there?”
“I’m here with Sadie.”
“At the airport?”
“Yep.”
“Why?”
“It’s what best friends do,” she says.
“Oh.” Aaron sounds sad. “Why a month?”
