***
The Tavern wasn’t all that busy. A lot of people from town had attended Arlene’s funeral and were probably back home with their families, cherishing their time together. I didn’t have family here, but I assured myself I was doing the same thing: spending precious time with the people I cared about.
Emmett ordered us a pitcher of beer and a basket of wings to share. When the pitcher arrived in the middle of the table, he expertly filled all of our glasses, leaving the perfect half inch of foam at the top. I sipped it off and licked at my upper lip as Emmett dug into the wings.
“Help yourselves, ladies,” he said, hot sauce staining the corners of his mouth.
Gracie took a wing but I declined. I wasn’t hungry. Losing Arlene and Brayden had left my stomach feeling all kinds of uneasy. The beer wasn’t helping, but I hoped once I pounded this one back, I’d feel right as rain. Maybe even good enough to snack on some wings or order a meal.
“Today was rough,” Gracie said after avoiding the topic since picking me up at my house. “I was impressed with how well Brayden kept it together.”
“He’s not a very emotional person,” I said.
Emmett nodded his agreement. “I think he’ll grieve privately. You know him best, Rein. He’s okay, right?”
I shrugged. “He’ll be fine.”
“What’s his plan now?” Gracie asked. She was watching me like a hawk. It was as if she could already sense that something was amiss. She had a sixth sense for trouble, and I didn’t doubt that an alarm was going off inside her pretty head, telling her that something was wrong.
I would have to tell them eventually. There was no point in saying anything but the truth. I lifted my gaze to meet hers and sighed. “He and Bella are already on a plane back to Florida.”
Gracie blinked. “Wait, what?”
She and Emmett exchanged an uneasy look.
I took another sip of beer, and it bubbled unpleasantly in my stomach. I pushed the mug away from me slightly, not in the mood for more.
“Yeah,” I said. “Right after he put Arlene in the ground, he and Bella drove to the airport, got on his plane, and left.” I could hear how furious I was. My voice was trembling.
Gracie and Emmett looked sideways at each other again.
I rolled my eyes. “Listen, you guys. I’m not a fragile china doll. I can handle it. I’m just pissed. That’s all.”
“And rightly so,” Gracie said. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”
“No, but I mean, I pushed you back to him. I shouldn’t have gotten involved. I just couldn’t help it. I thought things would play out differently. I thought—”
“Gracie, seriously. Don’t even think on it for another minute. I’m a big girl, and I made my own choices. Now I have to move on, like I did last time.”
Emmett looked uncomfortable as he sat across the table from me. He was cleaning his fingers with his napkin and fixed me with an apologetic look.
“He’s an ass sometimes, Rein,” he said.
“Don’t I know it.”
Gracie sighed and picked at her nail polish. “Did he tell you what he was going to do? Seems so abrupt to just up and leave the same day as his mother’s funeral. Poor Bella. I think she wanted to stay longer.”
“He didn’t say anything. Actually, I didn’t give him a chance to say anything. It wouldn’t have mattered.” I shook my head as I recalled him lying beside me in my bed. My heart had shattered into a million pieces that night for him. I knew the grief and the pain he was feeling, and I would have done anything to take that away from him. “I hope he’s okay.”
Gracie chuckled without humor. “He leaves you yet again, and you’re still thinking of his wellbeing. You’re a much better person than me, Rein. Much better.”
I shrugged. Hoping to get off the subject, I flagged down the waitress to ask for a glass of water. Then I went out on a ledge and ordered a burger and fries. When they came, I dug into them and ate fervently. Emmett and Gracie watched me and tried to look like they weren’t as repulsed as they were.
“What?” I asked with half a French fry in my mouth.
“Nothing,” they said together.
Then Gracie reached out and grabbed my hand. “Forget Brayden. Are you okay?”
I stopped chewing and swallowed. I washed it down with water and looked her straight in the eye. “I know you’re scared because of how bad last time was, but I promise it won’t be like that again. I think a small part of me knew this was how it would end the whole time. I’ll be okay.”
Gracie gave my hand a good squeeze, and she smiled at me. “You’re a tough bitch, you know that?”
I laughed and nodded. “Took a while to get there.”
“I’ve trained you well,” she said smugly.
Those were the only genuine laughs I enjoyed that day. They were brief but enough to rid my heart of the storm clouds that had begun to make a home there. I reminded myself that despite the heartache I was feeling, I was lucky.
Lucky to have friends who cared about me and who would stick by me over the next couple of weeks as I adjusted back to my normal routine of painting and getting coffee from Mr. Gallant every morning. Of grocery shopping once a week and pinching my pennies so I didn’t have to get a “real” job. Of nights in, mornings alone, and lunch breaks with Gracie.
It wasn’t all that bad.
I had been happy before Brayden came back here, and I could find that happiness again. I just had to search for it.