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Riggs moves from a lying position to a sit, and he hands me his leash. I narrow my eyes at Paxton. Dirty move. He did that on purpose, so I wouldn’t leave without him.
“I’ll be right back.”
The first half of the drive went by in a blur as I spilled the details of everything that happened up to that point. Now, silence hangs between us, and everything is sharply defined, every passing mile stretching the quiet tension that lingers in the air.
“I like your new truck,” I say, breaking the silence. The lifted black Ford F150, blacked out in every detail, fit him and his dark, rugged style perfectly. He smirks, glancing at me before returning his focus to the road.
The soft leather seats embrace me, and I draw in a whiff of the new leather scent. The afternoon sun casts warm hues on the dashboard. Despite the seriousness of everything, there’s an unspoken comfort in being around him.
“I got it a couple months ago,” he replies. “How have you been? Fly to any new places?”
“Too many to remember. Ari and I started doing international flights eight months ago.” I start to tear up again. Will we ever get to experience another city together? I try to talk through my emotions. “The cherry blossoms in Japan were the most magnificent thing we’d ever seen.” I start to ugly cry. “I can’t do this. What if we can’t find her? What if I never see her again? She’s my best friend.”
He reaches over and grabs my hand and squeezes it once. “I remember Ari, and she’s pretty feisty. I imagine she’s a fighter. Just hold on to that.” That she is.
I sniff, remembering the times I felt uncomfortable when we were on dark streets in foreign cities and how she would always show off her wannabe jiu-jitsu moves, saying she would protect me. It’s not that it made us any safer, but our laughter would always settle my fear.
We pass a sign that says we’re ten miles away. Paxton turns to me, his eyes curious. “What’s in Blackburn?” I can’t believe it took him this long to ask.
“Remember when I talked about Pearl?”
He nods. She’s the only person I ever talked about.
“Well, her name was on the passenger list. I didn’t see her, which isn’t uncommon because I was working the galley during boarding and deplaning. But maybe she saw the guy. He was hard to miss. It’s a long shot, but I need to do something.”
“Do you remember any of the guys’ names?”
I try to recall any of them, but I scanned them too quickly to memorize any. Once I saw Pearl’s name, I somewhat expected Chip’s name to be there. But it wasn’t. I shake my head. “I didn’t recognize any. Only Pearl’s name.”
“I’ll ask Martinez to send me the list.”
“Thank you for helping. I can’t imagine helping your ex was on your to-do list today.”
“That it wasn’t,” he says, staring straight ahead. And then adds, “But I’m glad you came to me.”
As we roll into town, Main Street comes into view. The diner appears unchanged, except for the new specials sprawled across the window in bright red and baby blue letters. Whoever handles the display has much better handwriting than I ever did.
Paxton parks and unbuckles his seat belt. I stare at him, debating if he should come in.
“What?” he asks, confused why I’m not moving. “Why aren’t we going in?”
I shift in my seat. “It might be better if you stay out here. If Pearl catches sight of me with a guy, she’ll think we’re together and bombard us with a million questions. I don’t want to be here for very long. Plus, you wanted to text Martinez anyway, right?”
His expression says that wasn’t his immediate plan.
“Don’t take long, or I’m coming in.”
I swing open the truck door, hopping out with a quick, “Be right back,” tossed over my shoulder.
Riggs barks once, and just before I shut the door, I hear Paxton mutter, “I don’t like it either.”
A surge of curiosity has me looking down the sidewalk, wondering if I’ll run into someone. The realization hits me—this is how Ann felt coming back to this place. Shaking out of my thoughts, I refocus on my purpose for being here because I’m not here to prove I successfully moved on. I don’t care what any of these people think of me. Then or now.
As I reach for the door, I wonder if Pearl still works here. Are she and Chip together? Or did she meet a wealthy man passing through and chased him around the world? It could explain the expensive trip to Hawaii.
It’s different, yet the same, as I pull open the door. It’s an unsettling sense that I’m home, which makes me think I haven’t found one outside Blackburn. And that irritates me even more.
“Well, poke me done and turn me over. Look who’s here,” Pearl squeals, darting toward me and throwing her arms around my neck. I inhale a whiff of her familiar scent. It doesn’t seem like two years have passed. She pulls back, holding me at arm’s length, her eyes moving up and down. “You’re looking like a hot summer night.” She whistles, making me blush. “You’ve finally glowed up.”
