Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 57897 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57897 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
“Come in,” she said.
I followed her inside, and she closed the door behind us. Looking around, I noticed she’d gotten a lot of work done over the weekend.
“It looks good in here,” I said.
She nodded. “Thanks. Sit down. Do you want a drink?”
I figured she probably wasn’t offering me the liquor talking about my ex always brought to mind, but I nodded.
“That would be nice.”
Beth Ann nodded and went toward the kitchen while I settled onto the couch in the living room. There was still a lot of stuff around, but she had definitely gotten the place under better control and was working her way through it. I had to admire her determination.
She came back in a few moments later with a tray holding a pitcher of lemonade, two glasses, and a plate of cookies. She set it on the coffee table and took a seat in the corner of the couch, purposely leaving the center cushion empty in between us.
I poured myself a glass of lemonade and took a sip before grabbing a cookie.
“What happened between the two of you?” Beth Ann asked.
She didn’t sound angry anymore. Instead, there was a note in her voice that said she was open to hearing what I had to say. I could completely understand now why she left without saying anything and why she didn’t answer my calls or my messages. Finding that thong had to be a bad moment for her. She’d gone out on a limb to be with me, and she probably felt like I’d totally used her.
I didn’t want her to feel that way. As much as I hated talking about my ex and what happened at the end of our relationship, I couldn’t just leave her thinking I would hurt her that way. She needed to know the whole story.
“She and I had been together since sophomore year of high school,” I said. “A lot of times it felt like we’d been together my whole life. I figured she was it for me. I just assumed we were going to get married and spend the rest of our lives together. Have children. Buy a house. All those things you are supposed to do when you grow up.
“In fact, I thought it was all going to happen here. I’d been wanting to work with my cousin Carter at his logging company for a long time, and he finally offered me a spot. I wanted my ex to come with me, and we were going to settle here in Ashford. I thought it was a perfect idea, but she didn’t. She had no interest in moving to Tennessee, even for such a good opportunity.”
“So, you came without her,” Beth Ann said.
I shook my head. “No. Not at first, anyway. She wanted to stay in Maryland close to her family, so I stayed there with her. I told myself it was more important to be with her than it was to do anything else and that eventually she would come around. I was convinced that if I made the compromise for her for a while, soon enough I could bring it up again, and she would change her mind.
“That didn’t happen. I had an accident, and soon after that, she ran off with the guy she always told me was just her best friend. She told me the accident changed me, but when it got down to it, it was just an excuse. She said it embarrassed her to walk around with me while people stared at my scar. I don’t know how long she was cheating on me with her friend, but we didn’t really have a relationship for months, so it was probably a while. They got married almost immediately. So, I packed everything up and moved out for a bit and then came here. I ended up with her suitcase by accident.”
23
BETH ANN
When he finished speaking, he looked at me with anticipation, like he was waiting to see how I was going to react to it. There was something like relief in his eyes, and I could tell he didn’t like to talk about that situation. Not that I could blame him. It was a horrible story, and I didn’t know how he was able to get through it and be even slightly open to having someone else in his life so soon.
I slid closer to him across the couch and wrapped my arms around him. Jason felt slightly stiff at first, like he wasn’t sure I was extending a genuine gesture toward him, but I just held on. After a few moments, he relaxed and sank into the embrace. His hand came up to rest on my arm while the other wrapped around my waist and his head tucked beside mine.
“I’m so sorry I just left like that,” I whispered into his ear.