It had been exactly twenty-five days since I’d last seen Asher at Godwin’s. He’d successfully avoided me for three days, and then through the wonderful world of social media, I found out that he’d gone to visit some family friends in New York.
Twenty-two days later, and his visit was starting to feel more like a move.
I groaned as I pulled my gaze from the calendar on the wall to lean back in my office chair and bounce a few times. I really hated calendars. Maybe I should start a petition to ban them. All they did was hang on the wall and stare at you, reminding you of how long it had been since your best friend had promised that he would stay your best friend. The only thing calendars were good for was to log the abandonment of the one person who promised he would never abandon you.
Calendars were really stupid things.
I blew out my breath and tipped my face toward the ceiling. It didn’t help that I was stuck at home. After Gloria declared that she couldn’t fire me for being a whistle blower, she decided the best thing for me to do was to work from home and run the style section of the paper until she could, quote, figure out what she was going to do with me.
My life had gone from investigative journalism to wedding and death announcements in an instant.
Sure, I was happy that I still had a job. After all, I had bills to pay and I did like to eat, but this wasn’t what I went to school to do. Writing about funerals and lacy wedding dresses didn’t fulfill me in the same way exposing the injustices in our world did. Plus, the work didn’t help distract me from the fact that I was now best-friendless.
“This sucks,” I whispered as I stared at the white popcorn ceiling above me.
Just as the words left my lips, my phone chimed. My stomach lightened as I hurriedly sat up. Maybe it was Asher. Maybe he was texting me to say that he’d made a mistake, he was taking back his declaration, and he was ready to be friends again.
Sure, I’d chew him out for leaving me, but only because it was what he deserved. Once we got that over with, we’d go back to being friends. I missed our late-night phone calls and his once-a-day joke texts that I would always tell him were dad-jokes gone wrong.
I never realized how full my life had been before the person who filled my life was gone. It really wasn’t fair for him to just leave like he had.
I picked up my phone and stared at the screen, my stomach sinking when I saw it wasn’t Asher, but Shelby. The women of Harmony Island had been good to me, Shelby especially. After I exposed the Proctors, they took me out for drinks, and that’s when—with a little too much tequila in me—I told them about Asher.
Suddenly, I was the sad, pathetic friend they were rallying around. I was being invited to do things with these ladies left and right. I didn’t mind it. I really liked them, and they helped distract me from my loneliness created from Asher’s departure. But once the festivities were over, and I was once again alone in my apartment, sadness would inevitably creep over me.
I stunk at relationships. I couldn’t seem to find a good guy willing to stick around. I’d come to expect men to leave me once they grew bored and decided that I wasn’t worth fighting for. I just never thought Asher would leave me, too.
Not wanting to spiral down another black hole of pity, I shook my head and swiped my phone on.
Shelby:Drinks at the pub tonight? Miles has a daddy-daughter date with Belle, and I need to get out. I’ve done enough fluffing and folding of sheets to last me a lifetime.
I chuckled, envious that, even though she was complaining, I knew Shelby would never give up the life she’d found here in Harmony. She loved Miles and Belle, and I was jealous of her.
I wanted someone who looked at me like Miles looked at her.
My gaze slipped back over to my calendar, and I stared at the empty space under today’s date. I couldn’t even pretend I was busy. She knew my schedule was wide open and wouldn’t take no for an answer.
So, I took in a deep conciliatory breath and responded.
Me:Sure.
It didn’t take long before I got her response.
Shelby:Perfect! I’ll see you tonight at seven!
I sent her a thumbs-up emoji before I set my phone back down and stared at the computer screen in front of me. I’d been halfway through writing the death announcement for Mr. Griggs before my mind decided to wander with thoughts of calendars and Asher.
I straightened in my seat and cracked my knuckles. I was going to knock this article out and then take a shower. Tonight, I was going to do my best to forget about Asher and his abandonment.
Or I was going to drown myself in tequila trying.
* * *
After showering,I changed my outfit five times in anticipation of going out with the girls. I finally settled on a black, strapless dress and heels. Sure, I looked a little overdressed for the small island pub, but I was feeling bad about myself and this dress with these heels made me look like I had legs for days. Even though I was certain there was no one in Harmony I wanted to date, I still enjoyed the appreciative stares that were cast my way when I walked by.
Right now, I needed the ego boost, even though tomorrow, in the light of day, regret would become my new best friend.
I dabbed on some lipstick before I tucked the tube into my small black clutch and then combed my fingers through my curls. I fluffed my roots with my fingertips and then turned a few times from side to side to make sure I looked put together.
