“Oh! What are you doing?” I ask, dreading the answer. She probably has dates lined up for the next few months.
“I’m going to Montgomery.”
Ms. Barbara says nothing, only shakes her head.
“Well, another time. Rhodes, you know, I don’t have your card. Can you give it to me so we can be in touch about the fountain?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say, reaching into my wallet and retrieving one for her. She’s in the front seat so I can’t see what she’s doing.
“Here,” she says, handing me an old receipt with a phone number on the back. “That’s Micah’s number. If you need anything, call her. She’s better at these gadgets than I am.” She waves her phone around like it’s a toy, then gives me a wink.
Thank God for Ms. Barbara.
Though now I’m wondering what Micah has going on tonight. My gut tells me she has a date, and my heart sinks. I’m probably competing with ten other guys.
“It was a wonderful day,” I say. “Thank you so much for letting me tag along.”
They each say goodbye, and the thick evening air greets me as soon as I exit the car. I’m halfway to the hotel door when I hear Micah’s voice call me from behind. I turn, and she’s trotting towards me, her red hair bouncing over her shoulders.
“I’m sorry if Nana made that awkward.”
“No, don’t apologize. I should’ve gotten your number weeks ago when we had lunch. I clearly needed a little help.” I chuckle, a bit embarrassed. “I was planning to ask you to dinner anyway, but since you have plans...”
Her face drops. “I’m sorry. It’s something I can’t get out of. Next time you’re here, though, I’d love to go to dinner with you.”
Relief floods my body, and I already can’t wait to come back.
“You have my number now, so stay in touch,” she says.
“I absolutely will,” I say. She gives me a hug, and when I wrap my arms around her, I don’t want to let go. She’s tall enough I don’t have to bend over, and she smells like lavender and vanilla. I want to kiss her, but I know her grandmother is watching from the car.
She lets go, and I watch her walk away. I wave as their car leaves the parking lot, then go back to the emptiness of my hotel room.
MICAH
After we leave Rhodes at the hotel, Nana and I ride home in silence. I must admit I’m having mixed feelings about seeing Garrett tonight. Maybe I should stay home and have dinner with Rhodes instead. That’s certainly what Nana wants, and I’m positive my friends would feel the same way.
Once we get home, I get a text from Garion—he’s on his way to meet Julian at the house to pick up the pieces we bought. He’s going to put them in the old rectory for now, and once Nana and I decide which pieces to have in the store, he’ll help us get it all moved.
I don’t have time to wash my hair, so I put it in a shower cap and rinse the sticky day off my body before driving to Montgomery. I reapply my makeup, fix my hair by re-curling the ends and spraying some dry shampoo in the front, and return to my bedroom in my robe to pick out an outfit. I decide on a seafoam green sweater with a deep v-neck, bootcut jeans to hide my calves, and gladiator sandals.
Before I leave, I make sure Nana has dinner lined up, lay out her medication for her, and give her a kiss on the cheek.
The sun has set by the time I hit the road, and on the drive I get a text from Garion with a photo of his packed-out moving truck with all our stuff from the house. This only makes me think of Rhodes, and I find myself driving a little slower on the back roads to Montgomery.
I arrive at Garrett’s apartment and sit in the car for a few moments before going in. Part of me doesn’t even want to be here, which is new for me, and I’m not sure what to do. He lives alone on the third floor in a scantily-decorated one-bedroom unit. I’ve offered to help him fix it up, but that seemed to freak him out, so I haven’t brought it up again.
When I finally go up, he greets me at the front door, wearing a plain white t-shirt with jeans and bare feet. He’s my height, thin, and has light, messy hair. The apartment smells amazing—like onions, peppers, and garlic.
“I’m making us tacos!” he says after giving me a hug.
“Delicious!”
He kisses me, and though I kiss him back, I notice he tastes like beer and cigarettes. I didn’t know he smoked, or at least I’d never noticed it before, but I don’t say anything.
He offers me a drink, which I take. I follow him to the harshly-lit kitchen and he talks about his day. Apparently he had to lay off some of his people due to performance, and he’s hoping he can replace them soon since they have some big contracts coming up. I nod and listen, offering empathy where I can.
He talks about his brother and sister-in-law expecting another baby, and his other brother, who recently got engaged. Apparently this makes his parents anxious for him to settle down, but he doesn’t understand why he has to conform, especially since he’s married to his work. The whole conversation makes me sad, not to mention bored out of my mind. I really should’ve chosen dinner with Rhodes.
