Page 73 of You Were Invited
Peter chuckled.
Annie threw her head back and looked at the ceiling. He was probably right. “But how do I stop?”
“Thinking about him? I don’t know. But you’re still going to get into that car and drive to Northgold.”
She stared at him and raised an eyebrow.
Peter laughed again over the rim of his coffee cup. “Want to ask me for the cabin keys now?”
“N-no!” Her face flushed. “I’m not driving–”
“Well, maybe I’ll call into work sick today and take Molly up to this grand reopening tonight. Getting away would probably cheer her up. You’re welcome to come, too, of course.”
“You never call in.”
He fake coughed and beat a fist on his chest. “Ugh...” He rubbed his nose and sniffled.
She tried not to snicker. “I don’t need a taxi.” A second later, her mind betrayed her:might help my nerves to have them close by.
Peter searched the counter and then picked up an object that made a metal sound. He held a nickel in his fingers. “Want to flip for it?”
Annie laughed. “No.”
“Tails you forget about him. Heads, I see you in a few days.”
“I have to go apartment shopping today. I already made the appointment. And we’re still planning your party.”
Peter took a bite of donut before tossing the nickel. He laid it across the top of his hand, keeping it hidden under his palm.
Grief welled up in Annie. Her heartbeat quickened.
What if it’s heads?
But what if it wasn’t…
She swallowed the raw lump in her throat.What am I doing? I’m acting like I’ve been starving in the woods, and am about to have my first meal taken away from me…
Peter smiled gently. “If he breaks his sobriety, I promise to drive Molly as far as I have to so she can tear him a new asshole.”
Annie closed her eyes and sighed. It was important to ignore Peter’s temptations, and she was getting sleepy. She grabbed the packet of crackers and spun on her heel. “See ya after work.”
“I bet a year’s magazine subscription I won’t,” he called after her. “Cabin keys’ll be by the door.”
twenty-seven
After taking a nap, Annie toured another apartment. She struggled to concentrate, her awareness elsewhere, rather than on safety factors, cleanliness, and the amenities. It felt like she was wasting the property manager’s time.
When she saw Peter’s cabin keys on the little table by the front entry, she knew she had no choice but to drive to Northgold.
To silence her senseless curiosity once and for all.
To prove she’d made the wise choice.
To move forward again, no regrets.
Her mind worked chaotically as she organized and packed. Caught in her thoughts, she didn’t realize at first that Molly wasn’t in bed fawning over Bell or talking to the TV; she was on the phone with Peter.
“Don’t pat yourself on the back too hard,” Molly laughed. Her tone then grew serious. “Julian has to want to see her, too.”
