Page 78 of The Nice Guy
“Um, maybe because she wanted him gone?” Everett offers, his chin in his hand as he shrugs. “If he was arrested, it meant he’d still be here as he waited for his bail hearing. Just an idea.”
Until now, my sister went unnoticed, and I wonder when she walked into the Town Hall. I pray she didn’t witness what happened, but the look she gives me as she walks over tells me she saw it all.
“Not to add on top of this wholeRhett’s a moronbandwagon, even though it’s totally true, Brynlee just found out about the weddin’ countdown website thing talkin’ to Mom at Thanksgiving. She saw it when Mom asked to see a picture of her ex and his family, and Mom said she was really upset seein’ it. Her ex purposely didn’t tell anyone the weddin’ was off.”
Oh, God. What did I just do?
“Have you always been this stupid, or is this a recent change? Because you have a woman who loves you, and you humiliated her by dumpin’ her in front of the entire town,” Everett says. “And you’re still sittin’ here rather than tryin’ to stop her.”
“You said what you knew would hurt her, and you didn’t even care,” Darla says. “For what it’s worth, I found out the Monday after the fair that Brynlee’s in love with you and made me promise not to say anythin’. She was waitin’ for you to say it first.”
My eyes lock with hers. “Come again?”
“She’s been waitin’ for you to say it because she was worried you didn’t feel the same way. She was scared of losin’ you, and she couldn’t handle it if she said it and you didn’t say it back.”
“But congrats,” Tim says. “I don’t think you’ll have any more issues with the nice guy label you hate so much. Doubt there’s a single person in here who thinks you’re even remotely nice anymore.”
A sinking feeling weighs in my gut, and I replay the words. I didn’t mean Brynlee wasn’t enough. She has to know that, right? That’s not what I said. Or was it?
I wanted to hurt her the same way I was hurting, but she wasn’t the one who hurt me.Iwas the one who hurt me. She just ended up paying for it. When the hell did I becomethatguy? The guy who hurts someone he cares so much about because his love turned him into a crazy person?
Grabbing my wallet, I throw down whatever bills I have and take off to my pickup. I don’t care about the speed limits. All I care about is making it to her house before she leaves. I have to stop her. If she leaves, especially without knowing I’m in love with her, I will never forgive myself. Hell, I may never forgive myself as it is.
Shifting into park in front of her house, I don’t even bother turning my pickup off and jump out, racing up the steps. Pounding on the door, I knock an envelope taped there off. The door’s locked, and I glance to the porch swing I put up for her to see my shirt folded up with the bear I won her on top of it.
My fingers shake as I pick up the envelope. My name is on the front, and I feel sick.
Rhett,
You never gave me the receipt for the items you purchased, so I hope this is enough to cover it. If it’s not, let Darla know. I’m keeping in touch with her because of an arrangement we have. If I need to, I can send more money.
I know you don’t believe me, but I do love you. I understand I’m not enough for you, and that’s okay. It would have been preferable to have the conversation in private rather than in front of the crowd, but I suspect you wanted it to hurt.
I don’t know what exactly it is that I did to make you so distant, but I’m sorry. Even though I’m not the one for you, I think you might’ve been the one for me. No matter how much it hurts right now, I won’t ever regret meeting you. Once the pain subsides, I’ll be able to remember that, for a short while, I had it all.
I had someone I thought could love me one day, and it was for more than what meets the eye. For a little while, I felt seen and worthy. And I think until this past week, I was enough. I’m not sure what changed, but I’ll forever be sorry it did.
I don’t know how to live in the same town as you without being with you. Being only your friend isn’t something I think I’m capable of. Your friends and family are everywhere in this town, and without you, I don’t have anyone or anything. There’s not much here for me now that I’ve lost you.
I hope you find someone who fits you better, and I hope you find happiness.It will forever haunt me that I fell short of what you want, but I hope you know you were everything to me. If there’s any positive thing you take away from what we had, I hope it’s that you know that everyone who’s ever told you that you weren’t good enough was wrong. You’re everything and more.
I’ll miss you,
Brynlee
I push down the fear and race back to my pickup. If she’s leaving town, she’ll need to top off her tank with gas. That’s where I’ll intercept her.
“Randy!” I shout as I run inside. “Have you seen Brynlee tonight?”
The man in his mid-forties and gray hair starting at his temples nods. His mechanic’s shirt with his name embroidered on the left breast looks ridiculous now that it’s at least one size too small and nearly bursting at the buttons.
“She left about half an hour ago. She never came inside and paid at the pump. It looked like she was cryin’. Did I hear right? Danny called and said you broke up with her outside the bar. If it’s true, you’re not only an idiot, man, you’re also kind of an asshole.”
“Which way was she headed?” I ask, ignoring the rest of it. I’m more than aware of my jackass nature right now.
Pointing east, he says, “Probably towards the interstate.”
I damn near break the door as I slam it behind me and rush to my pickup. The interstate isn’t that far, but the speed limit gives her a hell of a head start.
