He has a point there—Jax chuckles and high-fives Ollie before I continue.
“When I saw her lying on that hospital bed, it brought back all the old memories—man, it was tough. I feel like I’m losing her again. Even if we both love each other, I’m not sure if that’s enough.” I babble on before stopping for a moment. “We need time, but at the same time, it feels like we are just talking in circles without fixing the problem between us.”
I put my head between my hands after baring my heart. Both Ollie and Jax are quiet. It rarely happens. But I guess today’s my lucky day.
“What, you don’t have anything to say for once?” I say half-mockingly and glance over at Jax. He chuckles awkwardly, and Ollie pokes him in his ribs. They exchange looks before Ollie speaks up. “Do you want to cancel the trip this weekend? I mean, it seems like you two need some alone time. We can always go some other time.”
“No, it’ll be good to get away from the city. Rose still hasn’t seen the beach house anyway. I just have to make sure she wants to go.”
“Yeah, just ask her, and it’ll all work out,” Jax speaks out, and we all sit there in silence drinking our beers.
And I wonder if he’s right. If it’ll all work out or not.
22
ROSE
Eli:Hey love, still up for a weekend in The Hamptons?
Rose:Definitely. I feel like we all need a break from the city and our lives.
Eli:I couldn’t agree more. Do you want me to pick you up?
Rose:No, thanks. I’ll drive out with Haisley after we both finish work.
Eli:Sounds good. Let’s talk more later. Ollie and Jax both say hi.
Rose:Say hi back for me.
Eli:Will do. I love you.
Rose:I love you too. I’ll never get tired of saying that.
Eli:And I’ll never get tired of hearing that.
As I reread our text conversation, I can’t stop thinking about everything that has happened. To say that my mind is a mess would be an understatement. The entire summer so far has been a whirlwind of emotions—some positive, some negative.
I feel like I need a break from everything. It would be great to just get away for a moment—other than going to the Hamptons with our friends. Because of my internship, I can't go on a proper holiday. So the long Fourth of July weekend at Eli's beach house sounds perfect right now.
The beach house is one of his latest purchases so he could have his oasis away from the city. I’m excited to have a little break from everyday life and enjoy three days of fun with Eli and our friends.
At the same time, I worry about my hospital stay and what I learned from Grandma Lou’s letter. It feels wrong that she will be known as a killer after Helen turns in the letter.
I know Grandma Lou did it, and people need to take responsibility for their actions. But she has been dead for four years. Can’t we just let it go for now? It’ll take me a while to forgive her. But that isn’t happening today. I think I need a bit more time to process everything. Even if she did everything with good intentions, her actions leave space for improvement.
Taking a sip of my hazelnut-flavored coffee, I continue reading the latest article my colleague sent earlier—I often proofread and fact-check articles for others. It’s one of my favorite tasks as an intern. I also enjoy reporting, finding topics for articles, and assisting with interview questions. Once I’m done with the article about an upcoming female sports agent, I’ll go over my draft for Eli’s interview one more time before saving it to the server, as Carol instructed me last week.
Stressing about the article, I haven’t been able to sleep well lately without aid, meaning meds or Eli. Sleep medication with added melatonin helps me sleep for longer than three hours at a time. There are nights when I don’t even dream because I’m next to him, which is a pleasant change to my overactive imagination.
As my feelings for Eli grow deeper, it gets harder to write the article from a neutral point of view. The deadline is the following Monday, which means it’s getting too close for my comfort. If I could, I would only gush about him and his brilliant mind. That isn’t very professional, so no gushing. Sometimes I feel like I should have given the article back to Carol. Part of me knows that it would be the right thing to do. But I can’t give away the opportunity like this.
* * *
After a long work week, it’s finally time for the Fourth of July weekend at Eli’s beach house. Based on my overflowing suitcase, it looks like I’m planning on staying for two weeks instead of three nights.
Packing my new bikini last, I smile to myself. The blue and white striped top part hugs my girls the best way possible, and the red bottom has a high waist to bring attention to my waist while giving an extra lift to my butt.
I close the duffel and grab my sunglasses before heading downstairs, where Haisley’s waiting for me.
