Page 100 of Keeping Guard
She waited to feel better. It didn’t happen. Time...that was what she needed. Given enough time, he would be nothing more than a favorite memory, a smile on her lips the few times she thought of him. Meanwhile, she’d go make the best beer in the history of Elk Antler Brewery.
Sunday she was on a cleaning frenzy in an effort to keep he who shall not be named out of her mind when the doorbell rang. She’d talked to her father earlier, and he’d been home, so it wasn’t him. Since her friends list was woefully lacking, she couldn’t think of who else could be calling on her. That reminded her that she’d vowed to find herself some girlfriends. She’d started with Nichole, but she wanted more. She should call Heather and invite her to lunch.
“Oh, hey.” She didn’t want to let on how happy she was to see Nichole.
Nichole’s gaze landed on the yellow rubber gloves on Peyton’s hands. “Ah, busy cleaning whatshisname right out of your life, huh?” She grinned. “Been there. Done that. Didn’t work.”
“Well, drat. Didn’t want to hear that.” She stepped back. “Come in.” It was too early to offer wine...or beer, so what did you offer a new friend you were happy to see when it was too late for coffee and too early for booze? She needed to research girlfriend etiquette. “Um, can I get you something to drink?” That worked, let Nichole guide her in this new territory.
“Thanks, but I’m here to kidnap you. Jack’s waiting in the car. We’re going to take a ride on the Parkway and we’re taking you with us.”
“Oh, well, I don’t want to be a third wheel if you and Jack are—”
“Girlfriend, just go with the flow, okay?” Her gaze returned to the rubber gloves. “But ditch those. Also, it’s a beautiful day out, a cute pair of shorts and sexy top kind of day.”
Peyton blinked. “Are you speaking in some kind of weird code.”
Nichole laughed. “If you only knew. Come on. Take me to your closet and I’ll help you decide what to wear. We need to get a move on since Jack is double parked. You don’t want him hauled off to jail, do you?”
“I feel like no is the right answer to that question.”
“You are correct. Show me your closet so we can get this show on the road.”
One new thing Peyton learned was that Nichole was a force of nature, especially when digging through Peyton’s closet. In less than ten minutes she was dressed in a pair of white shorts and a sleeveless red top.
“I feel like I’ve fallen in a rabbit hole and nothing makes sense anymore,” she said as Nichole pulled her into the elevator.
“Curiouser and curiouser,” Nichole said with a suspiciously secretive smile on her face.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing. It’s a beautiful day for a ride on the Parkway is all.”
It was a beautiful day, and because the temperature up on the Blue Ridge Parkway was a few degrees cooler, they rolled down the car windows. This was what she needed...the breeze, the pine-scented mountain air, the incredible views, and time with friends.
Jack had a classic rock station playing on the radio, and they were all singing along to the Eagles’ “Take It Easy.” Not one of them could carry a tune, but they were rocking it at the top of their lungs.
Noah would love this.
Stop it.No thinking of him, no being sad today. When the song ended, Nichole high-fived Jack, then reached behind her with her palm up. Laughing, Peyton slapped her hand against Nichole’s.
Gosh, it felt good to laugh. She hadn’t been sure she ever would again. But as they drove along the Parkway, thoughts of Noah kept creeping into her mind. How much fun it would be if he were with them, how much she wanted to hear his voice chiming in with theirs. When Jack reached across the console and rested his hand on Nichole’s leg, she unsuccessfully tried not to wish Noah was here to touch her.
She turned her gaze to the window and blinked against the stupid tears prickling her eyes. This tearing up over any reminder of Noah was getting old. If she was still missing him this much ten years from now, she was going to be seriously peeved.
“Why are we going here?” she said when Jack turned into the parking lot of a waterfall.Thewaterfall. Oh, no. She did not want to walk down that path.
Jack glanced back at her as he opened his door. “Nichole wanted to go to a waterfall. What Nichole wants, I give her.”
“True story,” Nichole said, giving Jack a goofy grin.
Well, she could act like a brat and stay in the car and pout, or she could grin and bear it. Since she couldn’t bring herself to get bratty with her new friends, she pushed her door open.
As much as she liked Nichole and Jack, it was hard being around them, seeing the love they had for each other. She really thought she and Noah could have what they did if he’d only given them a chance. She would have waited for him for...well, forever if that’s what it took.
Jack told her to go down the path first and Nichole walked behind her with Jack bringing up the rear. With each step she took, her heartbeat increased until she wondered if she was having a heart attack by the time they neared the bottom.
In less than a minute, she’d see the rock they’d sat on while sharing her bottle of champagne. She’d remember looking up and seeing the most beautiful man her eyes had ever beheld as he watched her. The smile curving her lips surprised her, but it was from remembering the wariness in the stranger’s eyes as he no doubt wondered why a crazy woman was sitting half-naked on a rock, chugging a bottle of champagne.
