Page 23 of Ocotillo Kisses
Brittwalked into the diner and sat at the counter. Ginny, the new owner of the place, was behind the counter. Britt didn’t want to go into the grocery store, since Con and Poppy clearly didn’t want her following them, so she thought she’d grab a glass of tea while she waited for her grandmother. She’d told Teresa, the receptionist, to give her a call when her grandmother was done with her appointment.
“Beating the dinner rush?” Ginny asked, placing a menu in front of her on the counter.
“No, I just thought I’d get a glass of tea while I wait for my grandmother to get out of the doctor. We might come over here after for an early dinner, though.” Really early. Senior citizen time. Her whole schedule had skewed to senior citizen time since she’d been out here. She wondered how long it would take to get back to normal once she returned home.
Ginny turned away to pour the drink in a tall plastic cup, with lots of ice. “I’m sure Austin will get her out as efficiently as possible.”
“So yeah, about that. I was surprised to see him back in town.”
Ginny placed the cup in front of Britt, leaned on the counter, her gaze toward the doctor’s office. “He signed a contract. The town paid for his education, and he’s obligated to serve seven years here.”
“Do you think he’ll stay longer? Because of you? Y’all are together, right?”
Ginny lifted a shoulder. “We’re not thinking that far out yet. If he decides to stay, we will. If he decides to go, I’ll sell the diner and go with him. I’m not glued here anymore.”
“And you’re getting married?”
“We’ve talked about it, though no, not engaged.”
“You never left, did you?”
“Nope.”
Clearly Ginny didn’t wish to discuss her decisions.
“What about you?” Ginny pivoted the conversation. “Do you have someone special back in Houston?”
Britt wasn’t sure how much of a gossip Ginny was. She owned the diner so she probably heard a lot of it, so Britt measured her words.
“Not now. I’ve had a couple of boyfriends, but we’ve been at the time of our lives where the career comes first, before relationships, and that’s always put a wedge between us.”
“Well that sucks.”
Britt swallowed the mouthful of tea, trying not to wince at the sweetness. And she disagreed with Ginny’s assessment. She didn’t feel she had anything lacking in her life. “I mean, not really. If you have something you want bad enough, you’re willing to sacrifice for it.”
“Most people say that about relationships, not about careers.”
“Not most people I know.”
“I guess most people I know put people first.”
Britt trailed a finger down the side of the cup, making a line in the condensation. “I guess you are always going to be on Con’s side.”
“I don’t think you really have a side to be on. You know you hurt him.”
Britt squared her shoulders. “I do know that. I was protecting myself. I was a kid.”
“We all were. I know I wasn’t on the bus that day, but I lost friends, and I supported my friends who had been there. And the way I did that? I stayed. I stuck around. If they wanted to talk, I was there. If they wanted to be distracted from it, I was there. If they didn’t feel safe, I was there. No one had to show me how to do it. I just knew to do it because they were my friends.”
Britt battled back the temper that rose in her. She knew she’d screwed up. She didn’t need a lecture. She hadn’t come in here for this.
She had a successful life now. She didn’t need this constant judgement about her past. She reached for her wallet, hoping she could get her grandmother to agree to dinner at The Wheel House, or maybe even drive over to Kimmel. By the time they reached the other town, it would be a reasonable dinner time anyway.
“You know, I think I’m just going to go sit in the park and wait.”
Ginny sighed and waved away the bill Britt extended toward her. “You’re right. You were a kid. You were looking out for yourself. I just get upset because I remember how bad off Con was at the time. He was devastated and alone. You were the person he knew best, and you weren’t there. We stepped in, tried to help, but there wasn’t as much trust there as there had been between the two of you. I remember, and so do the rest of us. I’m sorry if it will always seem like we are on Con’s side, but the fact is, we had his back then and we do now.”
“Message received.” Britt pushed to her feet just as the bell over the door rang and she turned to see Poppy and Con walk in.
