Trent
She is a bit overwhelmed. I could see that through the window before she’d opened the door.
Never underestimate the power of donuts.
I decide it would be a good idea to stick around and see if I can help until she gets her feet under her. I carry in the luggage for the couple and take it to the room they’ve reserved.
“Thank you,” Lacy says to me as I come back down the stairs. It is hard for her to thank me; I can see that too.
“It’s what friends are for, right?”
Lacy nods and laughs, a baffled sound. “What does it matter if we’re friends? I’m sure you have tons of friends.”
“It matters. You matter to me, Lacy.”
“Pickings must be slim around here if you’re resorting to exes, Trent.” She shakes her head at me.
Lacy is stubborn and strong willed, but she always has been, and I know it’ll take time to convince her that I’m not trying to play a game with her emotions.
“We were best friends as soon as we met, Lacy. You were always mine, long before I even understood what that meant. We can’t just throw that all away.” I rub my hand through the scruff of my chin. “Girlfriend or just friend, you’re the kind of person that matters.”
She’s not fazed at all by my reminiscing about the good ol’ days. Instead she answers me with a hand on her hip and her chin jutted out. “Too bad that isn’t how you treated me when we broke up.”
Damn, she’s a stubborn woman.
6
Lacy
He’s a lot smoother than he was when we dated through high school. He always seemed sure of himself, and maybe it’s because we were friends forever that he was so easy to talk to. But now he’s way more confident. Maybe even a little cocky. I know I’m going to have to do something to make sure I don’t fall deeper into the bottomless pit of loving Trent. Being mean to him and trying to hold him at arm’s length isn’t going to last, not with his determination.
Plus, even after what he did to me, I still hate being mean to him. He makes it very hard to hang on to my anger. He’s trying for sure. He’s already put more effort into this than I thought he would. Last night I convinced myself that Trent was only trying to maybe save face for the town or maybe he just didn’t want me to be mad at him. Whatever it was, I thought once I told him there wasn’t a chance, he would give up. But obviously, by the way he showed up here so bright and early this morning, he didn’t believe me when I said there’s no chance for us.
Saved by the doorbell, I leave Trent in the kitchen while I go and answer the front door.
I let in the cute handyman who is there to do some repairs on the house. Mom and Dad had set up to have some repairs done while they were gone, and he couldn’t have shown up at a better time.
He smiles broadly at me. “Hi, I’m Bradley. I’m here”—he looks down at his clipboard—“to fix a banister and the loose boards you have on the back porch.”
“Perfect. I’m Lacy,” I tell him, holding out my hand.
He fumbles around the clipboard and then takes my hand in his. His grip is firm, and I ask him, “So where do you want to start?”
“Uh, the back porch.”
“Great.” I point down the hallway. “Straight that way and the door at the end takes you to the back porch.”
He pulls his tool belt up higher on his waist and starts to go but not before giving me another cheeky grin.
“Let me know if you need anything,” I tell him as he walks away. I consider him for a minute. Maybe he’ll be the distraction I need. I’m going to have to figure out something to keep Trent at bay and let him know that there’s no chance of us rekindling our romance from three years ago.
That ship has sailed.
Trent
I take the grocery list from the clip on the refrigerator and finish my coffee and a donut before walking out to the entryway.
Lacy looks as if she’s deep in thought, and I hate to interrupt her. A creak in the floorboard lets her know I’m standing here, and she looks at me with that same guarded look from earlier.
I stop next to her, wanting to be physically close since I can’t be anything else right now. “I wanted to let you know that the plumber that your mother called owes me a favor and is going to be by to fix a leak in the bathroom in room two today.”
She thanks me, almost grudgingly. We seem to go one step forward and then two steps back. Knowing I can’t leave it like that, I start talking to her about my brothers and the ranch. She may not have liked living in a small town, but she sure did love the ranch.
“So Derrick has pretty much taken over on running the ranch. He’s good at it and seems to know all the ins and outs. Jason is, well, still Jason. They both are glad you’re home and they’d like you to come out to the ranch sometime,” I say.
She looks hesitant, so I end with, “You know, when you’re ready.”
She finally takes the bait and asks about Jason. “Didn’t he graduate this year?”
I can’t resist rolling my eyes. “Yes, thank goodness. We didn’t think we were going to make it. After he invited two dates to prom, he caused quite a stink down at the high school. He’ll be leaving for the Army soon, so I’m sure that’s going to settle him down some.”
We get to talking and laughing, and it isn’t long before she’s gotten that nervous look on her face again, like we are getting along too well. “I, uh, have a lot to do. I’m going to go get some laundry done.”
She walks away, leaving me standing there.
I watch her go. She was thin in high school and now, watching her hips sway side to side, I want to trail my hands down her curves. There’s so many things I want to do with her. But more than that there’s so much I want to say to her, but there never seems to be a right time. I know if I push too hard, I’m going to lose the only chance I’ve got. I know I have to tread softly and that she’s afraid of being hurt again. I can’t blame her. I can only hope that eventually she will open up enough to listen to what I have to say.
I leave then to go to the Grove Grocery store. Her list from the fridge is pretty easy to figure out, but I do have to call her from the grocery store and ask her which kind of laundry detergent she wants me to buy.
In a panicked voice, she tells me, “I forgot that I needed to pick up the things on that list. Mom made it before she left.”
“It’s no problem. I’m taking care of it. I could tell you already have your hands full. Is there anything you want to add to it?”
She starts to say something and stops. “Uh, no thanks.”
“C’mon, Lacy, you want something. What is it?”
“You’re going to make fun of me if I tell you,” she says.
I can hear the smirk in her voice and automatically a thought comes to mind. Could it be? Surely, she’s not still eating those. “Lacy, do you want me to bring you home some Twizzlers?”
She laughs then, and I can’t help but join in with her. She used to eat Twizzlers all the time. We always joked about it.