Page 80 of The No Try Zone
“Have I been assigned to something I’m not yet aware of?” he asks, a grin on his bearded face.
I smile back. “You’re giving me a ride to your house.”
His grin widens. “Yeah? That’s good. Elodie’s been wanting to get you girls together.”
My breath catches. “Girls?”
“You, Kari, Allyson,” he answers, utterly oblivious to my rising…well, I don’t even know.
“Let me grab my stuff and we’ll head home. Unless you want me to shower?”
I force a smile. “Nah. I’m used to sweaty ruggers.”
He laughs. “I’m sure you are.”
We’re at his and Elodie’s place in half an hour. As he turns the engine off, I look over. “You know, you’re the first person in this country who I haven’t felt like I’m going to die riding with.”
His eyebrows rise. “Um, thank you?”
I nod. “It’s a compliment. I assure you.”
“C’mon,” he says as he slides out of his SUV. “I’m sure your nose would rather not be stuck in this vehicle with me.”
I half expect Allyson and Kari to pop up from behind the island when I find Elodie in her cozy kitchen, but it’s just her. I breathe a sigh of relief as I say hello.
Elodie rounds the island and wraps me in a hug, her soft curves a balm against my frazzled state. When she pulls away, she keeps my hands in hers as she studies me thoughtfully. “I thought so.”
I bite my lip. “Thought what, exactly?”
She gives me a sad smile. “That Kari was probably doing a number on you.”
I swallow hard and squeeze her hands, blinking rapidly at the unexpected kindness.
“Oh, honey,” she coos. “It’s not that bad, is it?”
“No.” But my bravado fails miserably and my voice wavers. “It’s fine. Really.”
She gathers me back into another hug and keeps me there. I sink into it, needing the comfort and missing my mum so badly it takes my breath away. In any other situation, Kari would be the one I turn to. But now?
“What can I do?” Elodie asks. “Want me to punch her?”
I sniffle and laugh, giving Elodie one last squeeze before releasing her and sliding onto the stool. “No. But a hard shake wouldn’t be unwelcome.”
She laughs in solidarity. “Listen. We all know she’s a hard ass.”
I snort at Elodie’s choice of words. “That’s putting it mildly.”
“But she means well,” Elodie finishes. “She’s looking out for you, even if it may not exactly feel like it.”
I blow the tendrils out of my face. “Maybe. But all it really feels like is she’s forgotten she’s my best friend in this country.” Best friend,full stop.Not that it’s felt like it lately, and truthfully, that’s what’s made this whole fight with her so much worse. I miss her. I miss her snark, her bite, and the way she pulls absolutely zero punches. I just never realized how much it’d hurt to be on the opposite side of her.
Elodie pulls out two soda waters, one lime-flavored and another grapefruit-flavored. “Which one do you want?”
I point to the grapefruit and she slides it my way.
“Tell me everything,” she commands.
An hour and two grapefruit soda waters later, I’m an emotional wreck. Elodie sent Ansel and his daughter out to grab pizza, then banished them to the kitchen while she dragged me and slices for us out to the patio, where she turned on the gas fire pit.
