Abbi Glines - Never Too Far

“Of course. Yeah, working at the club is good money.” He stopped and ran a hand through his hair. “Blaire, nothing has changed. Not for me. You don’t need my permission.This is exactly what I want. Having you here again. Seeing your face. God, baby, I can’t do this. I can’t pretend I’m not fucking thrilled you’re standing in my house right now.”

I couldn’t look at him. Not now. I hadn’t been expecting him to say any of those things. The stilted nervous conversation was more of what I expected. It was what I wanted. My heart couldn’t take anything else. “I need to go, Rush. I can’t, I just wanted to make sure you were good with me being in town. I’ll keep my distance.”

Rush moved so fast I didn’t realize it until he was standing between me and the door. “I’m sorry. I was trying to be cool. I was trying to be careful but I cracked. I’ll do better. I promise. Go to Bethy’s. Forget what I just said. I’ll be good. I promise. Just… just don’t leave. Please.”

What did I say to that? He’d managed to make me want to comfort him. To apologize to him. He was lethal to my emotions and good sense. Distance. We needed distance. I nodded and stepped around him. “I’ll… uh… probably see you around.” I managed to croak out before opening the door and stepping outside the house.

I didn’t look back but I knew he was watching me leave. It was the only reason I didn’t break out into a run. Space… we needed space. And I needed to cry.

~*~

It was as if he had known I was coming. I’d already decided to go straight to the dining room and look for Jimmy. I figured Jimmy would know where to find Woods. But Woods had been waiting on me at the door when I opened the back entrance to the clubhouse.

“And she returns. Honestly didn’t think you would,” Woods drawled as the door closed behind me.

“For a little while maybe,” I replied.

Woods winked at me then nodded his head toward the hall that led down to his office. “Let’s go talk.”

“Okay,” I said as I followed him.

“Bethy’s already called me twice today. Wanting to know if I’d seen you yet. Making sure you got your job back,” Woods said as he opened his office door and held it so that I could walk inside. “What I didn’t expect though was the call I just received about ten minutes ago. It surprised me. From the way you bolted out of here three weeks ago and left Rush all high and dry, I didn’t expect him to call me on your behalf. Not that he needed to, mind you. I’d already agreed that you could have your job back.”

I stopped and looked back at him. Had I just heard him correctly? “Rush?” I asked, almost afraid I’d hallucinated that comment.

Woods closed his door and walked over to stand in front of his desk. He leaned back against the expensive looking shiny wood and crossed his arms over his chest. The smile he’d had when I arrived was gone. He looked more concerned now. “Yes, Rush. I know that the truth came out. Jace has told me some of it. What he knows at least. But then I already knew who you were. Or who Rush and Nan thought you were. I warned you he’d choose her. He was already choosing her when I gave you that warning. Do you really want to come back to all of this? Is Alabama that bad?

No. Alabama wasn’t that bad. Being a single pregnant nineteen year old with no family was bad though. That however was not something I was going to share with Woods. “Coming back here isn’t exactly easy. Seeing… them, won’t be easy either. But I need to figure out what I’m going to do. Where I’m going to go. There is nothing left for me in Alabama. I can’t stay there and pretend that there is. It’s time I found a new life. And Bethy is the only friend I have. My options for places to go are a little limited.”

Woods eyebrows shot up. “Ouch. What am I? Here I thought we were friends.”

Smiling, I walked over and stood behind the chair across from him. “We are but well… not close friends.”

“Not because I didn’t try my damnedest.”

A small laugh bubbled up and Woods grinned. “That’s nice to hear. I missed it.”

Maybe coming back wouldn’t be so hard.

“You can have your job. It’s yours. I’ve had shit for cart girls and Jimmy is still sulking. He doesn’t play well with the other servers. He misses you too.”

“Thank you,” I replied. “I appreciate it. I want to be honest with you though. In four months, I intend to leave. I can’t stay here forever. I’ve…”

“You have a life to get to. Yeah, I heard you. Rosemary isn’t where you intend to put down your roots. I got it. For whatever length of time, you got the job.”

Rush

I knocked once before opening the door to Nan’s condo and walking in. Her car was parked outside. I knew she was here. I just wanted to make sure she knew I was here. I’d made the mistake once of not knocking and had seen my little sister straddling a guy’s lap.I had wanted to pour bleach in my eyes and brain after that experience.

“Nan, it’s me. We need to talk.” I called out then closed the door behind me. I stepped into the living room and the sound of more than one hushed voice and footsteps coming from the master bedroom almost made me turn around and leave. But I wasn’t going to. This was more important. Her sleepover guest needed to go on home now anyway. It was after eleven.

Her bedroom door opened and closed. Interesting. Whoever was here was staying. We’d need to step outside on the balcony to talk. I wasn’t discussing Blaire in front of anyone else. I probably knew the guy in that room. It would be the only reason she would keep him hidden in there.

“Ever heard of calling before you come over?” Nan snapped as she walked into the living room dressed in a short silk wrap. She looked more and more like our mother the older she got.

“It’s almost lunch, Nan. You can’t keep the man in bed all day,” I replied and opened the doors that led out onto the balcony overlooking the gulf. “I need to talk to you and I don’t want to do it where your bedroom buddy can hear us.”

Nan rolled her eyes and stepped outside. “I find it odd that I’ve been trying to get you to talk to me for weeks and now that you want to talk you come barging over like I have no life. At least I call you first.” She was starting to sound like our mother too.

“I own this condo, Nan. I can come in any damn time I want to,” I reminded her. She would be leaving here in mid August to head back to her sorority house and her still undecided major. College was a social function for her. She knew I’d pay her bills and tuition. I’d always taken care of everything for her.

“Snarky much. What is this about? I haven’t had my coffee yet.” She also wasn’t afraid of me. I didn’t want her to be but it was time she grew up. I wasn’t going to let her send Blaire running. In a month, Nan would be gone. Normally I would be too. Not this year. I’d be keeping my residence at Rosemary. Mother would have to pick another location. She wasn’t going to have this house free for the rest of the year.

“Blaire is back,” I told her bluntly. I’d had time to see things from another angle. I didn’t feel like Nan was the victim in this any longer. As a child she was but then so was Blaire. Nan tensed as her eyes flashed with the hate that belonged at her father’s feet instead of on Blaire. “Don’t say anything. Let me speak first or I’ll go escort your sleepover friend from my condo. I hold the power here Nan. Our mother has nothing. I support you both. I’ve never asked you for anything. Ever. But right now I’m going to ask… no, I’m going to demand you listen to me and you follow my terms.”

Nan’s anger had faded and now the spoiled brat was there looking back at me. She didn’t like being told what to do. I couldn’t blame my mother for her behavior, not entirely. I did this too. Overcompensation had ruined Nan.