“Hi J,” I answered.
“Hey, sweetie, how are you doing?” Joanie answered back in a sweetly delicate voice.
“I’m fine. I’m just getting organized before I leave tomorrow—”
“Oh, good, listen, I thought about it, and I think it’s best if I go back with you tomorrow,” Joanie said matter-of-factly.
“You don’t have to,” I interjected.
“I know I don’t have to. I want to. You need someone with you. I’m the only family you have!”
I heard what she was saying, and it took a second to register that she must have found out I was going back alone, without Max.
“What changed your mind? And what about Nick?” I asked, knowing full well she didn’t want to leave him.
“We talked about it. I don’t want you going back alone. Besides, Nick thinks I should go back with you too. Let’s face it, there will be plenty of other New Year’s Eves,” Joanie said in a reserved tone. I could sense a hue of disappointment.
“Did Max call you? I told him I was fine.”
There was a silence as her breathing became the only sound between us.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said, flippant.
“Joan—”
“Listen, Wilson, my mind is made up. I am going with you, that’s final,” she interrupted in a huff.
I felt every muscle in my body release. Then relief flooded over me and I couldn’t argue.
“Thanks,” I whispered.
“Now, will you be rolling over here in a limo to pick me up or do I need to find my way over there?” Joanie’s voice was light, almost teasing.
“Oh, I think the driver will come get you.” Besides the fact that I don’t think Max would be okay with Nick dropping her off here.
“Perfect. I’ll pack tonight and be ready first thing in the morning. Oh, Cuz, we’re gonna have a lot to talk about on the plane ride home,” Joanie mused.
“Yeah, we have quite a bit to talk about,” I responded in a low voice as I sat on the side of the bed, wondering where our words were going to take us. Were Joanie’s stories about her and Nick going to be stabbing swords laced with my jealousy or will the sentences she formulates be ones I’ve heard time and time again when she’s fallen for a guy? But Nick wasn’t just any guy. He was the one I almost lost Max over. He was the guy who picked me up when I had no place to go, kissed me when I was hurting, and watched me walk away when I knew he was a big mistake.
“Well listen, Wil, Nick and I are going downtown. Even though the ER doctor told him to take it easy, he wants to show me around Aspen before I leave tomorrow. I think he’s trying to convince me to come back and visit him this summer.”
Joanie’s words stabbed me in the gut. Forget the heart. Right down in the center of my soul was where her words cut me. It wasn’t like she was trying to make me jealous or hurt my feelings; she was doing nothing more than telling me her agenda for the day. It was the fact that I was taking her away from Nick earlier than she expected. It was my messed-up situation that was bleeding into her opportunity to be happy.
“I’m really sorry I’m screwing up your time with—”
“Quit apologizing. You are still my best friend, Wilson. That will never change, Nick or no Nick. Now, you better call me in the morning, okay?” Joanie’s tone was motherly.
“Okay,” I mumbled.
“Promise?”
“Yeah, I promise. Oh, and Joanie? Thanks for…well, everything,” I felt my words wobble as I held back the bubble cresting the back of my throat.
“You’re welcome. I’ve gotta go. Talk to you in the morning.” The connotation was that Joanie wanted to get back to Nick.
“Okay, talk later,” I said just before I heard her hang up.
Every burden and every second of anxiety that had been fluctuating through my body suddenly vanished. It was as if every organ, muscle, and bone took a huge sigh of relief. Warmth filled my heart, swirled in my head, and radiated out to the tips of my fingers and the bottoms of my toes. Once again, Joanie was there to save me from my own drama. She really was the sister I knew I supposed to have. I flopped back across the collection of outfits I’d been matching on Max’s bed and stretched my arms out to my sides. Staring at the ceiling, I couldn’t help but think about the time Joanie was having with Nick. It was those moments that I wish I could regain with Max—walking together in downtown Aspen, or being completely alone with him in his cabin. I guess Max and I had our flicker of incredible memories that made this trip unforgettable. Besides, I loved the fact that he convinced Joanie, behind my back, to go back to the Bay Area with me.