Page 65 of Pants On Fire

“Whatever,” he mumbles, looking down at his beer. Finally, he sits up straight and gives me a pointed look. “Wanna know what I think you should do?”

“Yeah.”

“I think if you love her and want to give it a go, you should tell her. You guys can make it work long distance for a while, until you get to know each other better and maybe figure out where it’s going. I think you need to tell her how you feel, even if you’re afraid. Who cares that it’s only been a week? You’re miserable right now, right? So fucking do something about it.”

Do something about it.

I let his words soak in. Is a long-distance relationship going to be easy? Fuck no. Anything has to be better than these uncomfortable phone and text conversations we’ve been having for the last week. Every time we call, there’s awkward silence. It’s like we both have things to say, but don’t want to say them. At least, that’s how it is for me. Neither of us wants to discuss the hard stuff, so we stick to the basics. Work, weather, and television.

Fuck that.

It’s time to take what I want.

It’s time I get Cricket.

Reaching for my phone, I pull up my internet app.

“What are you doing?” Royce asks, resuming his beer drinking.

“Checking on flights to San Francisco,” I tell him, clicking on the first available flight that pops up.Yikes.Last minute flights aren’t cheap.

“Don’t go tonight,” my brother says, my fingers hovering over the purchase button.

“What?”

He shrugs. “First off, we’ve been drinking. It’s probably not a good idea for me to drive, nor you to travel. Plus, I hate to be the one to say it, but you kinda look like shit. When was the last time you shaved?” His eyes are teasing, but I can tell he means them.

Running a hand over my face, I stop and try to recall when the last time I actually shaved was. When Cricket was here? Even then, it was probably closer to our time at the reunion. “You’re probably right,” I tell him, hating to say those words to my brother. I know he’ll latch on to them and remind me that I said them as often as possible. “I should do this without beer in my system, but I don’t know about the shaving part. She seemed to really like my stubble,” I retort, wiggling my eyebrows suggestively.

Royce laughs. “TMI, little brother. Find a flight out tomorrow sometime. I’m crashing here tonight, so I can take you whenever you need.”

Not the first time he’s crashed on my couch after having a few beers on this very deck. “Fine, but it’s your turn to make breakfast in the morning,” I tell him as I resume my search for a flight to California.

“Deal.”

When I find one that doesn’t leave too early, I pay for my ticket and set down my phone. A weight has been lifted off my chest as I picture reuniting with Cricket tomorrow afternoon. I’ll have to get her exact address, but that shouldn’t be too hard with a little computer forensics work. I’m not sure what her reaction is going to be when she opens the door to find me standing there, but my brother’s right. I have to tell her how I feel and let her make the next move.

I just pray it’s a move in my favor.

Chapter Twenty-One

Cricket

“To Cricket,” Penny says, raising her glass high in the air.

“To Cricket,” a chorus of well-wishings echoes above the music as we all clink our glasses together.

“I can’t believe you quit,” my friend Kristie says, taking another sip of her margarita. “I mean, I thought you’d be the Good Morning girl forever.”

Me too.

Truth be told, I probably would have stuck it out for a while yet, maybe even until I retired. The problem with that is it wouldn’t be me living my best life or truly being happy. Funny, it took me talking to the one man I despise more than anyone to really make me see it, and act.

“I think she’s going to do great at her new job,” Rachelle adds as she licks the sugar off her own margarita glass.

Diving into the chips and salsa on our table, I say, “I’m really excited. It’s something I’d never thought I’d do, but still utilizes my communications degree.”

“Plus, all the hot guys you get to work with,” Penny adds just before shoveling her own chips and salsa in her mouth.

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