Chapter Twenty-Four

Another Great Day

Mandee

Watching him leave, I try to find something of comfort, but my heart hurts so damn bad.

“Goodbye,” I whisper. “Goodbye.”

From behind me, Gage clears his throat, but I can’t turn and look at him, not when tears are filling my eyes.

“Thanks for all the food,” he says.

I clear my throat. “You’re welcome.” Tears fall, and I try my best to wipe them away without him noticing.

“Not sure we’ll eat it all.”

“Freezes well.”

“You need Phoenix?” he asks as I hear him walking down the stairs.

“Nope, just dropping of food. Lots to do. Tell her I’ll see her Thursday?”

He grips my shoulder. “You sure?”

“Yep.” I pat his hand. “Enjoy the food.”

He takes his hand off my shoulder, and I start to walk away.

“Hey, Mandee?”

I stop but don’t look back. “Yeah?”

“Put my mind at ease here?”

I don’t say anything.

“Something going on with you and Gray?”

Not anymore, I think. “No, of course not.”

“Hmm...” he says, and then I head to my truck.

I drive past the woods and want desperately to go there, but I know it will hurt more if I do. Instead, I decide to head to the bar, because I don’t want to go home, because home now reminds me of him.

After disarming the alarm, I walk in and look around. I decide it needs a good cleaning and not because it’s dirty, but because I need to do something. First, I will stock the coolers, check the bottles, and get the drawer set up for tomorrow. As bad as today feels, tomorrow, knowing he’s even farther away, that’s going to hurt even worse.

I turn on the juke box, add free credits, and then hit random shuffle before heading back to the office.

When I finish stocking and setting up the cash drawer and staring at the wedding pictures I have on my phone, namely staring at Grayson and allowing myself to believe he’s staring back at me, I walk out into the bar and look up at the clock. It’s three o’clock, and right now, I’m missing my dad.

I sit down at the bar and call him.

He answers with, “Everything okay?”

“Yes, everything is fine,” I answer. “Just sitting at the bar.”

“We’re closed Mondays,” he says.

“I know. I just wanted to get things set up for tomorrow.”

“Plans for tomorrow?”

“Work,” I answer.

“How’d we do yesterday?”

“Deposits gonna be about seventeen hundred.”

“Seventeen?” he asks.

“Is that bad?”

“Nope, just goes to show women sell more beer without me hanging around.”

“So, it’s good, then?”

“Yeah, Mandee, we usually make just over a grand on Sundays, this time of year.”

“Oh, so that is good.”

“Really good.” He sighs.

“Then why do you sound so down?”

“I don’t, Doodlebug.” I smile when he says my nickname. It may be the first smile since Grayson left this morning. “I’m just trying to get used to doing nothing, since I have two more weeks of nothing to do.”

I look up when the door opens, and Blue walks in.

“Door was un—”

He stops when I put my finger over my mouth, signaling him to not finish that sentence. Dad would have a fit if he knew I forgot.

“You there?” Dad asks.

“Yeah. Well, I’m gonna finish up here and head home to do some relaxing of my own.”

“Love you, kid,” he says.

“Love you, too, Dad.”

As I hit end call, Blue walks over and sits a couple stools down.

“Didn’t want him to know you left the door unlocked?”

I shrug. “Not a big deal, but he’ll worry.”

“It is a big deal, Mandee.” He scowls. “Someone could’ve come in here and robbed the place. Could have hurt you.”

“Blue, I’m fine.” I sigh, trying not to come off as bitchy, but I don’t like the tone he’s taking with me.

“So, you and Gray—”

“With all due respect, Blue, that is none of your business.”

“You cheated on me.”

I stand up, pick the stool up off the ground, and set it on the bar. “Blue, as I said, it’s none of your business. Just like you telling him about my past was none of your business, yet you don’t see me—”

“He told you that?”

I shrug. “Blue, I didn’t cheat on you. We went on a few dates, we hung out, we were—”

“I’ve had a crush on you since freshman year,” he interrupts.

“Blue, I—”

“No, I don’t want an apology. I don’t want a damn thing. I just wanted you to know.” He stands up and shakes his head. “He’s a lucky man to have your attention, but Mandee, he’s gonna fuck it up. I hope you know, you fucked up, too.”

I hold back my desire to go off on him. I hate that I hurt him, but the heart wants what it wants.

“Blue,” I stop him. “Someday, you’ll find a girl who this crush you say you’ve had will feel more like a poke.”

“That’s comforting,” he huffs.

“Well, I hope so. You’re a good guy. I’m sure she’ll guard your heart.”

“I was trying to do that with yours.” He nods, turns around, and walks out the door.

I walk over and lock it behind him. Then I turn around and walk to the juke box. I add more credits and hit shuffle again.

Travis Tritt’s voice fills the room with that song, and I want to cry. Instead, I smile and look up. “I know, Mom, I know.”

I turn up the music, grab the broom, and start to clean the corners of the ceiling.

§

At five o’clock, I walk out of the bar and lock it behind me. When I turn around, I see something shiny out of the corner of my eye. I walk around the corner and see Grayson’s bike. My heart starts beating faster. I rub my eyes and look again.

I smile as I walk toward the back, where the picnic tables and horseshoe pits are set up. I see him sitting on one, guitar in hand, and start walking faster. Then I almost run.

He looks up and holds his hand out, signaling for me to stop, but I don’t.

When I get closer, he asks, “You back with Blue?”

“Grayson Falcon?” I ask, stopping at his feet and taking his guitar from him.

“Mandee, I’m fucking serious,” he says as I set it on the next table over. “We had a deal.”

I hurry back over and stand in front of him, grab his hair in my hands, and look him square in the eyes. “Don’t you ever leave me without...” I try to swallow back the tears, but the sudden burst of emotions doesn’t allow it. “Don’t you ever leave me without a goodbye. Don’t do that to me. Ever. I can’t deal with that.”

When his mouth covers mine, I stop and get as close to him as I can. Then he pulls me up, and I straddle him. He grabs my lower lip with his and pulls out while grabbing the sides of my face.

“Did you miss me?”

“God, yes,” I say, wrapping my arms around him and squeezing him tightly.

He lets out a pained groan and hugs me back. “I almost forgot I promised you a date,” he says, lips against my neck.

“Okay, but just stay like this for a little bit longer.”

He rubs his nose against my cheek. “Take as much time as you need.”

“I’m gonna need more time than you or I probably have.” Then I hold tighter, afraid he may push me away.

“Okay.”