Page 21 of Willow Embers
“Come on, babe. You know how I roll.” She makes a kissing sound into the phone. “See you soon.”
When she hangs up, I glance in the rearview mirror at Tiberius sitting in the middle of the back seat. Instead of pressing his nose against the window or pacing back and forth from one side to the other, he’s just sitting there, staring back at me.
“Should I be mad at her for tricking me into calling Beauden?”
His floppy ears perk up as much as they can, and he tilts his head a little to one side.
“I’m taking that as a no.” Mostly because I don’t want to be angry with my best friend. And I’m sure, however misguided, her heart was in the right place.
I get back to my mom’s, give Tiberius a big bowl of kibble mixed with wet food, and proceed to take the world’s longest, hottest shower.
“Honey, I’m home.” Breigh’s voice carries through the house, and I hear her playing with Tiberius in the kitchen. But I stillgive myself another couple of minutes, letting the hot spray pour over my skin.
Why am I even thinking about Beauden right now? Why am I giving him space in my head? I have nothing to be torn up about. He didn’t ask me to stay. He didn’t reach out to give me a hug before I left.
He gave me exactly zero indication that last night meant anything to him. Well, except for that whole ‘anything for you’ line. Which, in hindsight, frustrates me even more.
Flipping the water off, I yank the towel off the hook and rake it over my skin. Two minutes later, I walk into the kitchen, finger combing my damp hair, to see six gourmet bagels arranged on the counter with three different kinds of cream cheese and a gallon-sized thermos of coffee sitting beside them.
Breigh spins on her stool to face me. “This is an apology.” She motions to the food.
I glare at her half-heartedly. “I’ll only accept if you tell me you brought creamer.”
She gets up, goes over to the fridge, and pulls out a small container of my favorite sweet Italian creamer. “Does this mean I’m forgiven?”
“For giving me Beauden’s number without telling me? What do you think?”
She presses her lips together. “Would you believe me if I said he was the best option?”
No.
Yes.
Hell, I don’t know.
It’s not like it matters. So, instead of directing my irritation at her, I snatch a cheesy bagel off the counter and proceed to tell her everything. My stomach is in knots by the time I get to the end, and she’s sitting there with a confused look on her face.
“What do you mean you just left?” she asks.
“I got in my car and drove away.”
It’s pretty self-explanatory.
“He didn’t say anything else?”
I let out a sigh. “There was nothing to say. He helped me, we hate-fucked, we made it down off the mountain in one piece. The end.”
She studies me, her coppery eyes knowing. “If that was the end, why am I here?”
“Because I…”
What? Wanted to vent to my bestie? Needed to tell someone who knows me what happened?
“Because I’m leaving,” I say. “Today. I have a few more papers to sign at the lawyer’s office, then Tiberius and I are heading back to Denver. And I just wanted to see you again before I go.”
Breigh hums under her breath like she knows I’m full of crap. I mean, yeah, I always want to see her, but it’s not like years go by without us talking. We have our weekly wine and video chat, and she crashes with me whenever she needs a city escape, which is at least a couple of times a year.
She leans back in her chair, one manicured eyebrow arched. “Try again, hot stuff.”
