Page 62 of The Beat of My Heart
Pressing the green button on my phone, I wait for Lanie’s face to appear.
“Jules,” she hisses, “I haven't been here a week and we are already flirting. ME, Jules, I am flirting with a man!”
Trying not to laugh, I say, “O-kay, I know there are a million ways this could go sideways, but you are both consenting adults. As long as you both agree to put the children first, I don’t see why it's such a big deal. I’m freaking ecstatic for you.You’re finally on the road to recovery, my friend. If that hot specimen of a man can help you move on, I say go for it.”
Lanie had told me earlier in the week how hot he was, but until I Googled him, I couldn’t fully appreciate it. That man is definitely hot.
“It’s not that easy, Jules,” she complains.
Knowing she needs a little push, I ask her, “Answer me this, how would you feel watching Dex leave on a date with someone else? He is the first man in years you have had chemistry with. Would you honestly be ok with him dating someone else if you didn’t at least explore it first?”
Lanie hasn’t known this man long, but who am I to judge? I fell in love with a man in a matter of days. At least she knows this one’s name. I can’t help the sadness that washes over me as I think about Charlie. It hits in the most random of moments. I do my best to hide it. Lanie still feels guilty, even though it isn’t her fault, and I don’t need her dwelling on something that can never be changed.
I realize I’m still waiting for her to answer when she finally says, “I know, without a doubt, I’m in for heartbreak with this guy.”
Run, run, and never look back. You’ll never recover from it if you get hurt like me,I want to shout at her, but of course, I don’t, and thanks to my new trick of curling my tongue then biting it, the words don’t slip out from my mouth unbidden either.
Choosing my words carefully and willing my voice not to break, I tell her, “Sometimes, we have to have a little heartbreak to get to where we need to be. Maybe a little heartbreak will be worth it if he can help you get past what happened to you. Remember, you are the one who keeps saying you will only stay a year. You need to remember that. You aren’t the only one risking heartbreak if you take things any further with him.”
The sense of Deja Vu washes over me as I remember Lanie saying almost precisely the same thing to me about my one-night stand rules.
“You’re right, as always. Lord knows if I don’t do something, I will end up as alone as my mother has always been,” she says sadly.
“Lanie Kathleen Heart. You listen, and you listen good,” I scold her. “You are not, nor will you ever be, alone.”
“Thanks, Jules. I have to get going. Tate has to be at school soon. Luvs,” she says, sending air kisses through the phone.
* * *
Finally,getting Charlie in bed, I search for my phone. I don’t know how it’s possible to lose something so many times a day, but it’s become a real talent of mine. Finding it in the couch cushion, I check the time to see it’s getting late and Lexi still hasn’t arrived.
I’m getting nervous, so I give her a quick call, but it goes straight to voicemail. Trying it one more time, I leave a message, “Hey, Lex! It’s me, Julia. GG said you were coming up tonight, and since her roof still has ice damage, you’ll be staying with me. I was just wondering what time you’re coming. I’ll be here all night, so when you get this, just let me know. See you soon. Luvs,” I say as I hang up—GG’s concerns echoing through my head.
Around eleven, I’ve been pacing for over an hour. “Ugh, do I call GG and wake her up, or just keep waiting? I don’t want to worry her any more than she already is. Poor GG, she hasn’t had an easy time of it lately with Lanie and now possibly Lexi.” When I’m home, I don’t have to pretend. I can talk to myself all I want and no one makes fun of me for it.
Plopping down onto the couch, I do what any reasonable small-town girl would do. I call the fire department. Technically, it’s the volunteer fire department, but since we don’t have either a police station or a fire station, the volunteers are getting my call tonight.
“Hey, Jules, what’s your emergency?” the voice on the other end asks. I recognize it as Suzette from my mom’s book club.
“Hi, Suzette, I don’t actually have an emergency, but Lexi was supposed to be coming into town today. GG told me she would stay with me, but it’s been hours, and Lex isn’t answering her phone. I just wanted to see if anyone had reported any accidents?” I tell her.
“No, sorry, hun, I haven’t heard anything. Is she staying with you ‘cause of the ice damage out at the lodge? I thought we told Travis to get on that last week,” she says.
This is part of the problem with a small town. Everyone literally knows every single thing about everyone. Rubbing my temples, I fill her in, “No, Travis couldn’t get out to the mountain until later this week, I guess. GG said it was a guest room, I haven't been to see it yet,” I tell her.
“Well, that’s one way to put it. Rosa will freeze her ass off out there if someone doesn’t get to her soon. The ice damaged a sizeable portion of the roof, I can’t imagine it is contained to just one room,” Suzette tells me.
Grabbing my notebook, I write a quick note to myself to go check it out tomorrow. I wouldn’t put it past GG to downplay it, but if there is actual damage, I need to make sure she is safe out there.
“My dad and I will run over there tomorrow to take a look, okay?” I tell her. “So, no word on Lex or any car accidents?”
“Sorry, no. Chester is here though, how about I send him out on patrol to check out the area? I’ll give ya a call if anything turns up. Sound good?” she asks.
“Sure, thanks, Suzette. I appreciate it.”
“Anytime, kiddo, bring Charlie by the station sometime this week. We just got some new swag,” she says, stressing the word swag because that’s what she thinks the ‘kids do.’
“I will,” I tell her before saying goodbye.
