Page 29 of The Outpost (Jamison Valley 4)
“Don’t get too excited,” he said. “It’s pretty fucking old. I picked it up at the pawn shop and the clerk said the built-in DVD player might not work.”
“I appreciate it anyway.”
There were few men as thoughtful as Beau. He made me realize the men I had chosen to date were nothing but a group of pompous jerks and narcissists. Men more interested in their bank account balance and social status than me. Those men liked me because I was arm candy. Beau actually listened when we were talking. He cared what I had to say.
I’d bet millions that Beau was a world-class boyfriend. He didn’t give a lick about his hairstyle or fashion sense. His Hanes T-shirts and ten-dollar haircuts suited him just fine. The ladies of Prescott were probably falling all over themselves for his attention.
I was lucky to have it, even for a brief time, and when I got back to Seattle, I was upping my standards.
“What’s in here?” I asked, lifting a huge black backpack off the truck’s floor and slugging it over my shoulder. He’d already brought me everything from my wish list, except the couch.
“It’s from Felicity. There’s a letter from her in the glove box too.”
My smile grew to kilowatt levels as I scrambled to the front of the truck, desperate for any connection to my friend. Ripping open the envelope, I took in her beautiful, swirly handwriting. It was the same script I used to see on our shared bathroom mirror when she’d leave me little messages before tests or job interviews.
Miss you.
You’re probably going crazy so I’ve thought of a solution.
Write me a story.
xoxo
I smiled, tucked the note in my pocket and hustled inside, excited to see what was in my backpack. When I pulled out a sleek gray laptop, I laughed at her trickery.
Felicity loved romance novels and had begged me more times than I could count to write one of my own. I had always brushed it off, being too busy with the newspaper and advancing my career to even consider moonlighting in fiction. But now that I had nothing but time, I had no excuse not to try something I had secretly always wanted to do.
My friend knew me all too well.
I went back to the bag and fished out a bag of my favorite dark chocolates, a manicure kit and some feminine products. I laughed again, grateful that she’d thought to refill my tampons so I wouldn’t have to add them to Beau’s grocery list, though I doubted he would have cared. He was the type of man who would bring his woman tampons without comment or complaint.
“Yes!” I cheered when I retrieved my last item.
Felicity had sent me a pair of jeans from my favorite designer. I hugged them to my chest and pressed my face into the soft denim. I’d missed jeans. My wardrobe of leggings, yoga pants, T-shirts, athletic zip-ups and hoodies was comfortable but slouchy. I rushed to the bathroom and quickly swapped out pants. The structured seams and thick material felt glorious against my skin.
“Good stuff?” Beau asked, bringing in a cooler as I emerged in my new attire. His eyes lingered on my legs for a brief moment before he got to work stocking up the fridge.
“Yeah,” I said. “I miss my Felicity though. Is she doing okay?”
I hadn’t seen her in a month. April had come and gone and now it was May. I was in that weird limbo of time where it seemed like I’d been here forever and yet no time at all.
“She’s good. Keeping Silas on his toes.”
“I bet he likes it.”
Beau chuckled. “I know he does.”
I was grateful that my friend had found her happily ever after. Felicity was so hard on herself, taking the blame for things that were outside of her control. I was overjoyed that Silas had helped her see just how special she was. To see what I had always seen. Behind her prickly exterior was a heart of gold.
I put away my new belongings, sending good thoughts into the universe for my beautiful, caring and feisty friend before going back outside.
Beau and I spent the next hour unloading supplies and setting up my new entertainment unit, that being a box with the, luckily, working television on top. When Beau handed me a pile of movies, I scanned the titles and stared at him in disbelief. I had asked for chick flicks but what he’d brought were even better. Cheesy action films and unrated comedies. I didn’t believe in
soul mates but Beau was starting to make me rethink that position.
Since I couldn’t thank him with a kiss, I did the next best thing. I gave him the tightest hug I could muster with my scrawny arms. “Thank you, Goliath.”
He didn’t hesitate in wrapping me up, my cheek squishing even further into his rock-solid chest. “You’re welcome, Shortcake.”
