Reid was gone the morning after the party. He must have left early to go on his hike or whatever he had been preparing for. As I sat up and checked my phone, I felt a deep shade of embarrassment and a slight headache creeping in at the edges of my vision.
Three texts from Lindsey. The first seemed panicked, probably right after she heard about what happened with Josh. The next two were more recent, probably after she woke up.
I sighed, stretching out. Lindsey hadn’t been like that back when we were friends. She was a sweet girl, maybe a little quiet, maybe not the smartest person in the world, but she was kind and caring. She never would have ditched me at a party.
Then there was what Reid and everyone else kept saying about her. Apparently, she was a pill addict or something? I didn’t get that at all from the party, but then again, she could have taken her stuff before we went or after she left me. We had been close, once upon a time, but so much had changed in the last four years that maybe I didn’t know her anymore.
Regardless, she was my only friend. And I didn’t want to be the kind of person who callously threw someone aside if they made one mistake.
It’s no big deal
, I typed back. Reid took me home, I’m fine
.
I hit send. A few minutes later, she replied.
I am SO SORRY about that asshole Josh. He is SUCH a creep
.
Not your fault, you did try to warn me lol
, I sent back.
Call me when you get a second?
she said.
I sighed and dialed her number. She answered on the second ring.
“Hey, Becca,” she said, sounding tired.
“Hey, Linds.”
“Look, I didn’t want to say this over text. I’m just sorry about what happened. I should never have ditched you like that.”
“I understand. I mean, they’re your friends. You didn’t have to babysit me all night.”
“Still, I feel awful. You didn’t know anybody.”
“It’s really not a huge deal, Linds.”
“I just feel bad. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”
I paused for a second as something clicked inside me. “Actually, there is.”
“What?”
“Is the Blue hiring? I need a job for the summer.”
She laughed. “Hell yeah they are! I’ll get you an application and put in a good word. Stop by any time after three, that’s when my shift starts.”
“Okay, great. That’ll be perfect.”
“I’m sorry again. But I’m excited to work together!”
I couldn’t help but laugh at her enthusiasm. “Yeah, don’t worry about it. I’ll see you later, okay?”
“Sounds good. See you.”
We hung up. I tossed the phone across the bed and sighed, wondering exactly where Reid was.
I imagined him mud splattered, fearlessly leading a group of people through the deep woods. He’d leap over fallen trees, chase off bears, and suck snake venom from bite wounds. I’d never met anyone like Reid before, and all of my feelings for him were crashing down on me as I pictured how defensive he had been of me.
I didn’t normally go for the caveman protective bullshit, but Reid was different. For some reason, it turned me on more than I could explain when I watched him knock Josh down and threaten him. I felt safe. I was practically melting for Reid right then and there.
Which was exactly what worried me. I would have thrown myself at him. I still wanted to, but I couldn’t imagine the disappointment on the faces of our parents. Even if we had kissed once before, a long time ago, back before our parents were married, we couldn’t do that ever again.
Despite what I actually wanted.
Saturday came and went without incident. I met Lindsey at the Blue, filled out an application, and met the manager. I even got a free meal out of it.
I woke up early Sunday morning feeling refreshed. The hangover funk of the day before was long gone and I was ready to do something a little more active than sitting around in a diner eating greasy food.
I walked downstairs and paused as I moved into the kitchen. Reid was sitting at the table, sipping a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper.
“Good morning,” he said without looking up.
“’Morning.” I walked over to the counter and poured myself some coffee. “Where have you been?”
“Guiding some locals.”
“How’d it go?”
“Went pretty good.”
“Where’d you guys go?”
He glanced up at me. “I took them around Bowl’s Point and they fished in Little Lake.”
“Sounds like a good two-day trip.”
He nodded and went back to the paper. “It was.”
I lingered there for a second, sipping my coffee. A whole host of feelings ran through me in that moment. His hair was slightly damp and he was wearing gym clothes. He’d obviously just gotten back from wherever he was, or at least with enough time to shower.