Page 15 of Make You Love Me
“That’s what he thinks, too, thanks to his symptoms.” She sighs. “Part of me thinks he retired for you.”
We reach the sale, and as I follow her past each table, disbelief has me seeing none of it. There’s no way he left the military for me. We hadn’t spoken for over nine months. If anything, he did it to forget me.
“Jiminy crickets! Look at this quilt.” Her excitement grabs my attention. She traces the intricate pattern with a finger, checks the price tag, then tucks it under her arm before moving on. “Since I didn’t hear otherwise,” she says without looking away from the items, “I assume you decided to do what I asked.”
“I have,” I manage while trying to ignore the nerves that feel more like blood-thirsty vipers in my belly. “But not without a mountain of reservations. This could end far worse than if we just told him the truth.”
“Possibly, but it’s up to you to ease him into it and make sure he doesn’t come out of this more damaged.”
“How in the world am I supposed to do that? He’s going to be—”
“Ooo. Stainless steel pots.”
“Josie.” I gently grab her arm and turn her to face me. I need advice, even if it’s from the queen viper herself.
“Just make him fall out of love with you.” She shoots venom at me with her blistering glare. “You’ve done it before. You can do it again.”
“That’s not fair.”
“What’s not fair? The truth?”
“You don’t know—”
“Oh, yes, I do.”
I glance around, and thankfully, the only other shoppers are an older couple, paying us no mind. The home’s residents are another story. But Josie barrels on as if she wants the entire block to know what she thinks of me.
“I was there for him when you weren’t.” She steps closer to challenge me, and I hold my ground, respecting her strength.
She’s scrappy, smart, and fierce despite her small stature. And if she didn’t use her disdain for me as a weapon, I might actually like her. But we’re nowhere near that now.
On the surface, we’re not so different. While I haven’t fought for everything in my life as she has, no one’s handed me anything either. My own battles have hardened me, and my work ethic has rewarded me. I protect my friends and family, too, just as she is protecting Jordan.
“You want to talk about fair?” The folded quilt she’s hugging to her chest fills the inches between us. “What about Jordan? He served eight years for his country in the most dangerous situations and returned with not one blemish. Less than forty-eight hours after he leaves, he’s almost killed by a frickin’ drunkdriver. He doesn’t remember any of it, or that he’s moved on from the one person who broke him more times than any drill instructor or weapon ever could. So, tell me, Nora. How fair is that?”
“It sucks, Josie, but this situation is not my fault. It was your idea to bring me into it, and I’d appreciate it if you’d stop treating me like the enemy.”
She stares me down as she backs away to resume shopping. “Alright,” she says easily, picking up a small wooden cutting board to examine the dents and grooves on both sides. “Answer this question first…truthfully.”
“I have nothing to hide.”
A smirk lightens her eyes when she glances my way. “Did you ever love him?”
Damn. Anything but that. As promised, I answer honestly, giving her insight into something no one else knows. “Yes.”
“Then why did you do it?”
“Do what?” I stall. I know what she’s asking, and I can’t avoid her question, thanks to myI-have-nothing-to-hidearrogance. My eyes blur over the eclectic arrangement of trinkets on the table.
“Don’t give me that shiitake.”
“Shiitake?” Snapping out of my sulk, I pinch back a laugh. Is she really so perfect that she can’t taint her flawless lips with a curse word?
“You know what I mean.”
“It’s shit. Mushrooms don’t have the same effect as a steaming pile of—”
I gasp when my eyes land on a rainbow squishy toy in the shape of a pile of poop. It has a goofy smiley face on it that matches my gratification over the impeccably timed irony. I snatch it up and display it proudly on my palm. “I’m getting this for you.”
