“Come on, Nicky, you can tell me.” I nudge his knee, and he pushes my hand away.
“Fine. I keep the truck because all of my firsts with Jessa happened in that cab. Our first date, our first kiss, our—”
“Stop.” I hold my hand up and make a face. “Say no more. Who knew you were so sentimental?”
“It’s called love.”
“I wouldn’t know a thing about that.”
“Not all men are like Todd. Someday you’ll find a guy willing to put up with your crazy life, and I’ll be here to rub it in your face and make fun of you the way you do me.”
I thought I loved Todd, but all it took was him cheating on me and a few days of thinking to bring what we had into perspective. I see now that I loved the idea of Todd. I loved the idea of having someone who supported and understood me, someone who checked in on me because he wanted to, not because he had to—although it turns out that’s not really what Todd was doing at all.
“Don’t hold your breath.” I’m sure as hell not. “Do I need to put plastic down on the seat in your truck? I’m not going to get any bodily fluids on me, am I?”
“Probably wouldn’t hurt. You never know. I’m kidding,” he says, laughing at the look on my face. “The truck has been thoroughly cleaned and hasn’t been driven in months.”
“Good to know.”
“But you might want to stay away from the hammock down by the pond.”
“Ugh.” I wad my napkin into a ball and chuck it at him. “I read a book out there yesterday.”
He doubles over laughing.
We clean up our mess and walk into the house. “What do you want for dinner tonight? I figure I’ll cook for you and Jessa since she’s cooked the last few nights.”
“No need. We’re meeting Jessa’s parents for dinner after she gets off work—it’s our regular dinner date. You’re more than welcome to come.”
“Nah, I’ll just hang here.”
“If you change your mind, the offer stands.” Nick grabs his work hat from the kitchen counter and pulls it over his head. “Hey, would you mind doing me a favor while you’re out today?”
“Depends on the favor.”
“Jessa found one of Emma’s dolls under the couch from when she was here the other night. It’s in my truck. I was going to run it to Gray after work, but if you’re getting out and don’t mind dropping it off, that would save me the trip across town.”
My breath catches at the thought of seeing Grayson. I’ve only thought about him a hundred times since he walked out of Nick’s house Monday night. His chiseled arms and easy smile have popped into my head, and my dreams, more than they should have.
Plus, I still need to apologize.
“Yeah, no problem. You’ll have to tell me where to find him.”
“It’s easy.”
I follow Nick to his truck and grab Emma’s doll while he tells me how to get to Grayson’s house, and then I hop into the raggedy old Ford, crank down the window, and take off.
It’s been months since I’ve driven a car—well, other than my joyride in Todd’s BMW. A shiny, black Mustang sits in my garage back in LA. I never get the chance to drive it, which is a shame, because there’s nothing better than having the radio cranked up and the wind blowing through my hair.
One of my favorite country songs comes on the radio, and I belt out the lyrics as I drive through town.
Nick and Jessa always tell me how lucky I am, and how good I’ve got it, but I don’t think they realize they’re the lucky ones, because the freedom to do what you want, when you want, and how you want, is priceless.
Sure, I’m loaded, and I get to go to fancy parties and rub elbows with celebrities, but at the end of the night, I’m alone. The older I get, the more that bothers me, especially on days like today when I have no one to share my newfound freedom with.
8
Grayson