Page 77 of When We Were Us
Wren
Mine.
Ginger Calling…
“So, let me get this straight,” Ginger says and clears her throat like she’s getting ready to address congress or something. Her faux formality makes me chuckle.
“This man has been looking out for your granddad in some way, shape, or form for thelastfive years?” She puts a dramatic emphasis on the last three words.
“Yes, at least that long.”
“Grumpy people are not generally in the habit of doing nice shit for people,” she says, confused. “I thought you said he was grumpy?”
“He was.” I settle onto my bed, leaning against the headboard with a pillow in my lap.
“But he’s not anymore?”
“No.” I quickly tell her how I’d fallen apart on him that day in the yard, how he’d comforted me, and how I’d felt a shift in us both that day. The anger that had been there was just gone. For both of us.
“Got it,” she says with all the pomp of a detective gathering facts. “And you not only saved his horse but also rescued a cow together?”
“The cow rescue actually came later, but yes.”
“And how did you end up with your tongue in his mouth and his hands on your tits?”
I let out a laugh, because this is just like Ginger, all rapid-fire questions with plenty of snark. She always knows just how to lighten a situation or mood that could otherwise be heavy or awkward.
“We were at the bar, and he didn’t like me dancing with someone else. Then, he kissed me. It all kind of escalated from there.”
“Wait,” she says abruptly, and I can hear the excitement in her voice. “Was there threat of bodily harm to the guy he didn’t want you dancing with?”
“There may have been mention of knocking out teeth, yes.”
A low whistle comes through the phone. “That’s some romance novel shit right there.”
I huff out a laugh. “Ginger, be serious. This is important.”
“Ok, ok,” she laments. “Then what?”
“Then, the morning after we basically mauled one another behind the bar, Finn told me he doesn’t date.” I pause. “Like, ever. Because ofme.”
There’s silence on the other end. I’ve either shocked my best friend into silence or she’s having a stroke. Maybe we lost connection? I pull the phone from my ear, but her name is still on the screen, meaning the call is still active.
“You still there?” I ask.
Her voice comes out incredulous. “He hasn’t datedanyonesince you left?”
“There was one woman he was seeing. I don’t know the details, but apparently, it’s been years. And his brother said he never brought her around. Hasneverbrought anyone around. In almost twenty years… How is that possible?” Sitting forward, I shift so I’m sitting crisscross before rubbing at my temples with a thumb and forefinger.
“Well, it’s definitely notimpossible.” I can almost hear the gears in her brain working. “But it is kind of unbelievable.”
“Right? And, Ginger, that isn’t like this family. They are so close, they hang out all the time, with family dinners and everything. If he was seeing someone—someone he loved and wanted to make a life with—wouldn’t he bring her around? I mean, his mom even invited me and Finn to join them for his dad’s birthday tonight.”
She blows out her breath. “What did you say? To Finn, I mean. When she told you?”
I drop my head back, looking at the ceiling. “I mean, what could I say?” I shrug. “I was just as shocked as you are.” I chew my lip for a beat. “Ginger, what if it’s true? Did I really wreck Hank so badly that he can’t even date?” I flop back on the pillows.
“Have you asked him about it?”
