Page 45 of Hello Handsome
With Mia being the CEO of a billion-dollar company, I couldn’t help worrying what she’d think of our simple country home. Aggie’s special brand of positivity, the way she always knew just what to say… I needed it more than ever.
Hoping she was still my friend, at the very least, I picked up my phone to call her.
After a few rings, she picked up. “Gray? Everything okay?”
My chest instantly ached at her voice. God, I missed her. And at the same time, I hated myself for calling her. “I’m not sure,” I answered, setting aside the pillow I had been wrestling to get a fresh pillowcase on for Ford and Mia.
“What’s going on?” she asked cautiously. I couldn’t tell where she was, with no noise in the background. But I wished I knew. I missed her like I’d miss the sun if it went underground.
I sat on their freshly made bed and filled her in on my incoming guests. And then I snuck in, “I miss you.” Maybe it was a fool’s confession, but I wanted her to be here so badly the desire radiated through each of my limbs, permeating every ounce of me.
She was so quiet, I thought she’d hung up on me.
“Aggie?” I asked. Calling had been too much. I should have waited for her to call me first. But I didn’t know if she ever would.
“I’m here,” she said, the usual warmth gone from her voice. “Just restocking sugar packets at the diner.”
“I didn’t know you were working,” I said, standing up from the bed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”
“It’s dead in here,” she replied, and then I heard the clack of containers. “I’m sorry, but I’m working a double today, so I can’t come over. I’m sure it will go great. Your kids love you, and I’m sure Mia will, too, since Ford thinks she’s good enough to bring home.”
Already, she was making me feel better despite my disappointment at not being able to see her. “Thank you. Maybe I’ll head into the diner to see you later.”
“If you want to,” she replied.
“Unless you don’t want to see me,” I said. “I’d understand. I just… miss you.” I sounded so pathetic, even to my own ears.
She paused again, and suddenly, my pulse was speeding up. I switched my phone to the other ear as I paced the room.
“Aggie, tell me we can get past this,” I whispered hoarsely. “I understand if you don’t want to give me another chance romantically, but I can’t lose you as a friend.”
She took a deep breath, audible through the phone speaker, leaving me praying I could handle her next words. “I can be your friend, with time. But right now, I need to focus on me. I don’t know a good way to say this, but I started an online dating profile.”
It was like a knife to the brain, cutting away all my thoughts and leaving me a blank sheet of paper. “Oh?”
“I just didn’t want it to be a surprise, if you saw me with someone else.” I heard the bell in the background, and she said, “Sorry, customer incoming. Talk later.”
I couldn’t manage any words, so I lowered the phone to my lap. Aggie had already ended the call.
Havingeyes on all of my kids usually made me feel whole in a way I rarely did. And Mia, despite being a city gal with an important job, fit right in with the rest of us like she’d been here all along. Just like Aggie predicted.
But even with my children, their partners, and my grandchildren here, I felt empty. Haunted. My mind kept replaying the conversation with Aggie. Kept picturing her with someone else.
It was torture, plain and simple.
But I couldn’t get it to stop.
I watched my sons interact with their significant others, thinking how lucky they were to have found love. And how proud I was of them for risking their hearts for romance. And that’s when I noticed something was off between Ford and Mia... I could tell in his eyes that he cared for her, but he never referred to her as a girlfriend. Just his friend.
I couldn’t bring it up in front of Mia. Fletcher and Knox had left, and it was late at night with just Ford, Hayes, Bryce, and me sitting around the firepit when I finally got a chance to say, “Okay, we’ve gotta talk.”
All the guys sobered up at my come-to-Jesus voice. They watched me with intrigue as I looked at Ford and said, “What’s going on with you two?”
Bryce and Hayes turned their focus on Ford, who shifted in his camp chair as he said, “What do you mean?”
I scoffed. “You’ve had your eyes on her all night long, brought her home to introduce her to your family, and yet, you’ve never once referred to her as your girlfriend, the love of your life, the one... You’ve only ever called her Mia or your ‘friend.’ Something’s off with you two, but I can’t tell what, so you’re gonna need to fill me in.”
I’d be damned if Ford let a good thing go. I knew firsthand how horrible it felt.
