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Bad luck had driven this wedge between us.
It had driven Whitney away from me.
And I wouldn’t let bad luck do it again.
I needed to be smart about things.
Whitney Roselovedme.
But does she love me now?
That was the question.
I wanted to punch that kid all over again for trying to drug Katie Kooney. That one act created a domino effect that left me and my best friend reeling.
Still, I couldn’t believe she wouldn’t just come to me and ask. We’d always been so open with each other.
Why couldn’t she have asked me to my face if I had slept with Katie Kooney? At the time my answer would have been a resounding no. My feelings for Whitney were the only ones I considered back then.
I dragged my hand down my face.
Ten years of friendship ruined over nothing.
What a mess.
Then my stomach clenched because Whitney might forgive me for not sleeping with Katie back in high school, but she couldn’t find out what happened when I returned to Haver’s Creek.
I shoved that thought to the slide as I cleaned our table, washing the glasses in the downstairs kitchen.
When I finally felt like I had a leash on my emotions, I ascended the stairs.
Whitney sat by the fireplace. Her legs curled up on the leather couch. The sight made me want to start a roaring fire, pour more wine, and feed her cheese and crackers all night long.
A look at my watch revealed that hours had gone by since we’d first arrived. I knew we needed to head back to town, if only so that we could check on Savannah and retrieve some things from Savannah’s house for both she and Whitney.
I cleared my throat, drawing Whitney’s attention.
Her head whipped to where I stood in the doorway between the upper floor and the cellar.
“Oh, hi.” She tucked her phone away.
I walked behind the bar, pulling out cheese, salami and crackers and began making myself little sandwiches. I alternated between eating and drinking water.
Whitney’s revelation had sobered me up quickly. But I wanted to be a hundred percent sure it was safe for me to drive.
I caught her staring at me while we ate and every time she’d turn away or pick up her phone.
Eventually, she started rubbing her hands together to get rid of all the crumbs, so I took the cue and began packing everything away.
Things between us were awkward and quiet. Nothing like they used to be when we were young. Ihatedit. If only this type of tension could be eliminated like a bad guy in an action flick.
I held up a water bottle. “Want a water for the road?”
She accepted the bottle from my outstretched hand. “Sure, thank you.”
When everything was tidy, we walked to the front door. I gave the place one final look over before turning off the lights and letting us out.
The wind still held strong, but it was nowhere near as bad as it was when we’d first arrived.
