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But then I glance around, and I realize there are more than a few pairs of eyes aimed our way.
Clearing my throat, I release Busy and take a step back. She does the same, though when her gaze finds mine again, I imagine the slightly dazed look on her face matches my expression.
“I’m glad you could come,” Busy says, licking her lips and taking a deep breath before letting it out in one go. Then she motions in the direction of the grill. “We’re just finishing up the hot dogs, if you want one.”
Another food I haven’t had in forever. Who knows what goes into the making of a hot dog, anyway? I chuckle internally, acknowledging that at least it’s not neon.
“I’d love one,” I tell her. “Is there somewhere I can put this for now? Until I can give it to Junie?”
Busy nods, taking a few steps back, in the direction of where she was walking toward the grill a few minutes ago. “Yeah, you can just take it inside. Through the sliding doors and anywhere in the living room is good.”
“I’ll be right back.”
She smiles then spins around, and I do the same, heading in the opposite direction. When I lug the rocking horse off the grass and onto the porch, I nod hello at Busy’s sisters where they’re sitting together on the patio.
“Let me grab that for you,” Briar says, hopping out of her chair and crossing to slide the door open for me.
“Thanks.”
I step into the blissfully air-conditioned home, wishing not for the first time that my cabin had a window unit orsomethingto keep me somewhat cooler during the summer.
“You don’t realize how hot it is until you step into somewhere that doesn’t feel like the face of the sun,” I joke to Briar as I cross through the kitchen and set the rocking horse down in the corner of the living room.
“My friend Abby and I used to live in the cabin Busy’s in now, before you moved into the other one. I donotenvy the way either of you are probably absolutely baking right now.”
I grin, resting my hands on my hips, my eyes darting around briefly and taking in the photos on the walls and the lake life décor scattered about.
“Can I ask you something?”
My eyes return to Briar, finding her watching me with a curious expression.
“Something very personal?”
I squint slightly, considering, and then I nod, crossing my arms.
“Sure. Doesn’t mean I’ll answer, though.”
“That’s fair.” Briar’s lips twist slightly and she rests her hip against the couch, watching me intently. “Why did you and Sarah get divorced?”
I blink, my eyebrows rising. “You’re right. Thatisa personal question.”
“And if I wasn’t wondering what you’re doing with my sister and my niece, I wouldn’t have asked it.”
“Busy and I are just friends,” I tell her, the words feeling wrong on my tongue. “That’s all.”
Briar nods but then glances at the rocking horse before her soft gaze returns to mine, waiting for me to answer her question.
Licking my lips, I tuck my hands into my jeans and shrug my shoulders. “It just didn’t work out.”
“Why?”
Chuckling uncomfortably, I shake my head. “Because…Sarah and I wanted our future to look a certain way, and when that reality changed, it wasn’t fair to her for me to hold her in a relationship anymore.”
“That’s incredibly vague.”
“And more than I’ve ever said to anyone about why we got divorced, so it’ll have to do.”
She hums quietly, and I wonder what she’s thinking. Does she think I’m full of shit? Or that I’m a cheater? That’s always been my biggest fear, that people in town will think I did something bad or hurt Sarah in some way, and that’s why we split. In reality, it’s the exact opposite, though I can’t really control what other people think. A hard truth to learn as you get older, but one you become more accepting of.
