“Nope, not going to work. I called to see how you were doing because I know things have been rough for you.”
“Just tell me if you’re safe or not, and I promise I’ll tell you everything.”
“I’m safe. Admittedly, things aren’t great here,” she says, grimacing. “But that’s nothing new. And it’s nothing I can’t handle. I’ll be leaving soon, anyways.”
“Okay. Let me know what I can do to help.”
Winne smiles slyly. “What you can do to help is distract me by telling me all about your sexy lessons with Nate.”
“We never had another sexy lesson,” I admit. “After Storm died, there wasn’t really a time that felt right, and he, um, he left today.”
“He what?! I’m gonna kill him.”
“No, Winnie, it’s fine. I swear. He was done with his community service and he’s going to compete again soon, so he had to get back to his life.”
“But he left you!”
“Well, technically he asked me to be with him. And he told me that he loved me.” Winnie’s eyes turn into saucers, and I can tell she’s dying to say something. “But I don’t want to be in a relationship that’s so up and down, with him gone all the time for competitions. He’d have this whole life that I wouldn’tbe involved in because I need to be here, and it would be too difficult.”
“He is a player, I guess,” Winnie says. “Who knows how long he’d stick around.”
I nod. “And I just can’t see myself happy in a long-distance relationship.”
“It sounds like you did the right thing, then,” Winnie says. “Unless you love him?”
My heart knows the answer to that question, but my mouth seems too afraid to form the words—as if admitting it now that Nathan is gone is just too much to bear.
“I’m not sure.” It’s not the truth, but it’s as much as I can give right now, and Winnie is a good enough friend not to call me out on it.
“Okay well, if you change your mind on that, I’m here and willing to help you organize a grand gesture or whatever it is that you need to do.”
“Thanks, Win.”
“I’ll call again soon, but I gotta go right now. My mom is looking for me and I need to make sure I pass her inspection before today’s shoot. I’ve been on my best behavior so they don’t suspect anything.”
“The room is here waiting for you. Let me know as soon as you get on the road.”
“I will. Love you!”
“Love you,” I say back, and then we hang up.
I haul myself up, dust off my jeans, and open the stall door. I find Jenny standing there, with her hand on her hip and her head cocked to one side.
“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I was walking by and couldn’t help but hear the words ‘sexy lessons with Nate,’” she says. “Candice Wilson, you tell me what’s going on with you and Nate right now or I swear to God.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I say wearily. “He’s gone, and everything that happened between us is over.”
“So something else happened after the kiss you told me about? Was the kiss part of your lessons or whatever with him?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” I try to move past Jenny, but she manages to block my path despite being shorter than I am.
“I have bigger hips than you,” she says, squaring her body and crossing her arms. “Plus I’m a mom. There’s no getting past me until you agree to come to the Neon Horseshoe with me later. Beau will look after Lila, and we’ll get a taxi to and from.”
“That’s expensive!”
“It’s on me,” she says. “I sold out of my soap stock for this week so I’m feeling rich. Plus it’s LGBTQ quiz night and Ronda always makes a special cocktail for it.”
I try to squeeze past Jenny, but she pushes me back.
