Misunderstandings (Woodfalls Girls 2)

“I felt like shaking things up. You know, get some tongues wagging here in Deadfalls,” she said in her typical sarcastic tone. “I thought you were coming home Sunday,” she added, opening the bottle of black nail polish that was lying next to her knee.

“I missed you too, sugar lips,” I answered, picking up a bottle of purple polish.

“Aww, shucks, are we dating?” she asked, batting her thick eyelashes at me. “I’m not sure how I feel about eating peaches.”

“Ew, don’t be crude,” I said, smiling halfheartedly.

“You look like shit. Did Mr. Ass Face show his true colors again?”

“No,” I snipped.

“Holy shit,” she said, knowingly. “I told you he’d win you back. Don’t tell me you’re in love with him again.”

“I’m not in love with him.”

“Right, and I’m Mother Theresa,” Tressa said dismissively.

“Look, I don’t know what I am. I’m still trying to figure things out.”

“Figure out what? Either you’re into him or you’re not.”

I shrugged without saying another word, wishing it was that simple.

We spent the next half hour catching up. She told me about the nightmare date she’d gone on over the weekend. I loved Tressa to death, but her taste in guys was atrocious. Somehow, she was a magnet for assholes. Behind the tough exterior she liked to portray, she had crazy insecurities where guys were concerned. I personally blamed her ex-boyfriend, Jackson. He’d basically stripped away her confidence during the several years they had dated. I was convinced it was his own insecurities that made him feel the need to belittle Tressa. The guy was a total momma’s boy. He made Tressa second-guess her appeal.

Once we had exhausted Tressa’s disastrous date, she tried to bring up Justin again. I brushed off her questions, claiming to be tired as I rose from her bed. Truthfully, it was a subject I had to work out on my own. I knew what the look on her face meant when her eyebrows came together, but she dropped the issue. I threw her a quick kiss good-bye before fleeing from the room.

Five minutes later, I pulled behind Mr. James’s hardware store, where I rented the small apartment above. Hauling my suitcases from the trunk of my car, I trekked through the snow to the wooden staircase. By the time I made it to my one-room flat, I was both physically and mentally exhausted. I dropped onto my pull-out couch that also served as my bed. I couldn’t help thinking how bleak it suddenly seemed. Just a week ago, I was satisfied with my life. I was ready to finish the last of my intern hours so I could officially become a teacher. Now, what I was missing was glaringly obvious.

I decided I’d better call my mom. If word spread—and it would—that I was home and I hadn’t called her, shit would hit the fan.

“Hey, Mom. I just wanted you to know I made it back okay.”

“Oh, Brittni. You should have stopped by.”

“I know, Mom. I’m sorry, but I was too tired.”

“Well, come on over and rest here. You can tell me about your trip, and I’ll make you something to eat.”

“No thanks, Mom. I really am too tired to leave.”

My phone buzzed, indicating I had another call. As I looked at the Caller ID, my first genuine smile of the day spread across my face.

“Hey, Mom, I have to go, okay? I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Okay, honey. Make sure you call me. Bye.”

I tapped the screen to take the incoming call. “Hi,” I answered.

“Hey, you made it back?” Justin asked.

“Yeah, a little while ago. I miss you.” The words slipped out before I could retract them.

“I miss you too, sweet stuff. More than should be humanly possible.”

“What are we going to do?” I asked despairingly.

“We’re going to take it one day at a time. We’ll talk on the phone every day, and in three weeks, when I finish this job, I’ll come see you.”