“I’dmurderfor some fries, Addy,” she said through the speakers, not even letting me say, “Hello.”
“No murder necessary. We’ll get you some on the way to Alabama.”
“I can’t believe we’re doing this, Addy. An entire summer at the beach.”
I couldn’t either. It’d been an errant impulse to call Jillie the night we finished packing up the cabin, sitting in the airy, empty space, feeling even emptier inside.
I’d asked her if Live Oak was hiring positions that fit my qualifications and Delly’s.
Just because Pops thought he needed to leave didn’t mean we couldn’t follow. At least for a little while.
“How long, do you think, until you’re here? I got all my stuff packed and ready.”
I could practically picture her bouncing on her toes, and it made me wince just imagining doing the same.
“I’ll text you an ETA after I’ve loaded up. Shouldn’t take long.”
“Ugh,” she said, “I hate that I’m not there to help you. Imagining you hopping around on one foot as you load up the Jeep is depressing. And kind of embarrassing, honestly.”
“Yes, very embarrassing,” I deadpanned. “But thankfully for you, Cole will be there to help. That should mitigate your shame.”
There was a long pause and then, “Ew.”
I let out a long-suffering sigh. “Do I need to hire a peer mediator to stay with us for whenever Cole visits this summer?”
She snorted. “Butwhy,brother? You’re so good at dealing with conflict.”
“Tell that to my tears.”
“Dork,” she accused.
“Brat,” I countered.
She laughed. “See you soon. Drive safe.”
“I’ll park safe now, as I’m pulling into the complex,” I said, turning into a space. “Love you.”
“Love you too. And I’ll extra mean it once I’ve got my fries… and, Addy?”
I put the Jeep in Park, killing the engine but not the Bluetooth. “Yeah?”
“I’m excited about this.Reallyexcited.”
My chest swelled with bittersweet emotion. “Me too.”
Three knocks rapped on my window, and I jumped at the sudden noise but then relaxed at my best friend’s smiling face. I laughed and grabbed my phone from its cradle, seeing that Delly had already hung up.
Cole yanked open my door. “Baby.”He spread his arms wide as if he expected me to jump into them. “You’re home.Finally.”
I ignored his arms and slid out of the seat, giving him a mock serious look. “Cole. I’m leaving you. I’ve told you this.”
He took a step back and shook his head in denial, then tucked one side of his shoulder-length hair behind his ears. “It was just a fight, Addy. We can get past this. And I didn’t mean to overwater your succulents. I swear.”
I shook my head and opened the back door to get my crutch. “That’s the problem.” I braced myself on the crutch and turned toward him. “You never do.”
He sniffed and scrunched his face up. “Damn, Addy. I think that actually hurt my feelings.”
I cracked a smile. “I trust you to care for my plants while I’m gone. And to replace them if you do murder.” I thought of the unkillable snake plants that’d wilted under his care last year. “Or murders.”
