Page 23 of Mountain Pine
But… he didn’t cheat on her if…
“They broke up. For real. You know that for sure?”
Grace and Dean both nod their heads.
I head for the door and don’t bother putting on my boots. I just grab them from the floor and yank the front door wide open.Shit. “I don’t have my truck.”
“Take mine,” Dean says. “No. Wait. I need it for later.” He rests his coffee mug on the table, then kisses Grace’s head and whispers something to her that makes her smile. “I’ll drive you back to your house so you can use your own vehicle for all this goddamn groveling you’re about to do.”
Taylor
I didn’t get a hold of Austin last night. It made me worry that he was either at the hospital getting his bones reset or already putting handcuffs on Conner. I ended up coming home and was too mad to sleep so I rage-cleaned my house. Now I’m emotionally and mentally exhausted, sipping tea, and counting inventory in my shop.
Five orchids.
Six snake plants.
Three Venus Fly Traps.
Okay, let me check my crystal coverage. Hmmm…
Two blue agates.Yikes, I’ve got to order more of those.
Five rose quartz.Maybe I’ll get a few more of those too.
I’ve been putting together mystery boxes and wellness boxes for my shop and online. They always seem to sell in waves. Oh, that reminds me, I’m all out of fluorite and moonstones.
Did you know amethyst is like the best for stress relief? Lepidolite is great too. Maybe I should shove a few down Conner’s throat or up his ass to fix his current state. Couldn’t hurt, right?
“Tay?”
I look up from my laptop, startled to see Austin at my door.
When I rush over to give him a hug, he stops me from getting closer by holding out a plastic container between us. “Here.”
I stare at the dandelions inside. “What’s this for?”
“Conner made a good point last night and I just… I….” He sighs and I stare at his busted lip, cheek, and swollen left eye.
“Come on.” I take the container and his hand and pull him out of my shop and into the house where I get a steak out of the fridge and slap it on his eye. “Want coffee?”
“Yeah. That would be great.”
I make him a strong cup in silence and want to scream. I can’t believe Conner did this to Austin.
“So...” I sit across from him and slide his mug over. “Want to tell me your side of things?”
The container of dandelions sits between us on the table and a ladybug crawls along the rim. Birds are chipping outside. There’s a lovely breeze coming from my open windows. The atmosphere is so peaceful even though I’m vibrating with tension and staring at my ex-boyfriend who looks ashamed, annoyed and completely beaten down.
I’m going to kill Conner for this.
“It was a misunderstanding,” Austin says.
“Who swung first?”
He scoffs at me. “Who do you think?”
I sip my coffee and try to come up with something to say. Apologizing on Conner’s behalf is not something I’ll ever do. He’s a grown man making grown man mistakes. He’s not my responsibility. But…
