Her eyes are back to the soft, caring brown I’m used to seeing, and she nods decisively before standing.
“I’m going to head home before it gets dark out. I’ll lock the bottom lock on my way out, make sure you get the deadbolt before you go to bed.” I nod in agreement, smiling affectionatelyas she gathers her things and tosses them back into her purse. “I have a big brother to chew out, after all.”
I wince at the mention of Bo, but laugh nonetheless. It’s nice that Oakley is willing to bat for me, even when it comes to her family. She’s always had a strong head on her shoulders, so I shouldn’t be surprised.
“Drive safe, Oakley.”
“Always do.” She leans down to press a kiss to the crown of my head before heading for the door. “I love you! Have a good night, doctor’s orders.”
“I love you too.”
The door clicks shut behind her, and I feel lighter than I have all day. Maybe a bath is a good idea. I haven’t used the fancy kit Oakley got me, and maybe some pampering is what I need. I keep a knitted blanket draped over my shoulders as I wander to the door and flip the deadbolt. The air in my apartment doesn’t feel quite so cold or heavy anymore.
This may be the end of anything between me and Bo, but it doesn’t have to mean the end of anything else. I’m still a successful person with a bright life ahead of me, and it’s time I act like it.
I snag my phone from the coffee table, then pad my way toward the bathroom.
All my notifications are turned off, so I can be sure of my peace, but music would be nice. I set one of my favorite albums to play before pulling candles and the little kit of lavender Epsom salts and vanilla soap from under the sink. It’s not often that I treat myself to a spa night at home.
The scent of pine fills the air as I flip off the overhead light, and threads of relaxation wrap around me as the candlelight flickers along the walls. The air soon fills with steam as I dump the Epsom salts in and start the tap running, filling the tub with water hot enough to scald. I let the blanket slip from myshoulders to pool on the floor before stripping out of my baggy shirt and sleep shorts.
The water is hot enough to make me hiss as I sink into it, but I quickly grow accustomed to the warmth of it. It sinks all the way into my bones, and I rest my head back against the wall.
True relaxation is something I struggle with on a good day, and today is… not that.
I try valiantly to clear my mind and let the warm water and soothing scents do their thing, but I just can’t seem to clear my mind. Every time I close my eyes, I see Bo’s stricken face, hear the echoes of his words bouncing around my skull on repeat.
Tension sits stubbornly on my shoulders, and I sit up to twist the tap off.
I just can’t shake the frustration and unease that bubbles beneath my sternum. Why would Bo do something like this? Even if I take myself out of the equation, he’s a family man, through and through. He would never betray Oakley like this.
Besides that, IknowBo. No matter how differently I look at him after this, that doesn’t change a lifetime spent together. He’s not the kind of person to run away from responsibility, even if he doesn’t want to shoulder it. He’s careful and gentle, and I just can’t make this situation connect with the man that I know.
I stretch to snatch my phone from the sink, straddling the fence between desperate and angry.
I’m not friends with Savannah, but she’s pretty infamous around town, especially after the stunt her cousin pulled with Oakley. It’s not hard to find her online, and her profile isn’t private. I scroll through mindless status updates as I debate messaging her myself and sorting this out instead of overthinking it to death.
Uncertainty creeps up my spine the further I scroll.
Everything she posts is about one party or another, pictures of herself and a posse of ever-changing friends in skimpy outfitswith colorful drinks in hand. I don’t know enough about alcohol to tell at a glance if the drinks in the photos are booze, but she certainly seems to be partying it up, regardless.
Her latest update is a picture of her and a few friends at the lake, all of them wearing strappy bikinis and bejeweled cowboy hats.
She doesn’t look like someone trying to hide a pregnancy in that outfit, although I guess she’s probably too early to be showing yet. Something about it just rubs me the wrong way. If I were panicking about a surprise pregnancy and struggling with getting the father to take responsibility, I wouldn’t be partying and playing around at every opportunity.
At the end of the day, I guess we’re just different people. It doesn’t matter what Savannah Ward is up to. There’s no use in playing sleuth and trying to psychoanalyze a person I’ve only met in passing.
I’m supposed to be relaxing.
I toss my phone down onto the bath mat and resolve to do absolutely nothing but enjoy my bath.
The water’s already getting cold.
Chapter Twelve
BO
I’m fucking tired.
