“He needs some space. I know it’s hard, especially with him, but you’ve got to let him run. He’ll call when he needs to.”
“I thought about calling Liz and checking up on him, but that’s sort of the same thing, isn’t it?”
“Not sort of, hon.” He chuckled and reached over to steal her cup. He took a long sip of her tea, shuddered, and then handed it back. “I think I’m going to go stretch out on the couch for a while. Sitting in that groomer all night didn’t do much for my back.”
Rose nodded, but her mind wasn’t ready to let go of the issue it had spent the night worrying over. “Do you think he’ll come home?”
“Honestly? I think he will. But all you can do is be patient.”
She swiveled her head against the chair so she could see him. “You’ve done such a great job with the lodge. Will it bother you if he does come back?”
“Not at all.” He reached over and folded her hand in his. “None of this is mine, Rose. I’m proud of the way I’ve taken care of it, but what holds me here is you. The rest of it belongs to Josh and I’m just watching over it for him. And, if he does come back, I’ll still be here, so you two won’t be doing it alone.”
She felt tears welling up in her eyes and tried to blink them away. “I don’t think he’s going to come home, Andy. Not for a long time and, when he does, it’ll only be for a visit.”
“What makes you think that?”
“I don’t know. I think he’s pulling away. When I talk to him, he sounds more and more distant, and I think he’s starting to need me less. To need to be grounded to this place less.”
“He’ll always need you.”
“I just want him to call me so I can stop worrying for a couple more days.”
He laughed and squeezed her hand. “You bake when you’re worried. I have to say I’m a little conflicted.”
“Andrew!” She pulled her hand free so she could slap his arm. “You’re so bad.”
“Whatever gets me banana bread. I have no shame.”
She laced her fingers through his again, her gaze holding his. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. Even when you’re being a frozen, nervous wreck on the front porch at the butt crack of dawn and all I want to do is sleep.”
Rose almost dropped her tea when the phone rang. She’d slipped it into the pocket of her bathrobe and she was so bundled up, it took her two rings to fish it out. She glanced at the caller ID, then sagged in relief. “It’s Josh.”
“If he’s still at Liz’s, it’s only three in the morning out there.”
“Must be important, then,” she said, and answered it.
*
Katie looked at the big, old-fashioned clock on the wall and sighed. This day was dragging on, and the fact nobody in Whitford needed a haircut was just making it worse. Every tick of the clock seemed to echo in her head and the old radio on the shelf hadn’t worked in about twenty-five years. She probably should have gotten it fixed, but honestly her taste in music and her customers’ tastes in music were a couple generations removed. But she’d be willing to suffer even some golden oldies today if it made the time go by.
Of course, every day seemed to drag on since Josh had left, but some days were worse than others. Maybe it was worse because she’d been looking forward to hearing from him and he was a few days overdue to call. She’d known the time would come when the calls would come less frequently. As he made a new life for himself, there would be fewer emails and texts and, when the day came he found a woman he wanted to settle down with, they’d eventually just be old friends who exchanged Christmas cards.
Even worse, his wife—who Katie already hated—would be the one who did the cards and she’d have to suffer seeing Josh’s name written in some curly, cute handwriting. Probably with a picture of the happy couple and their fluffy little dog in reindeer antlers on the front.
Okay, she was losing it now.
Desperate for somebody to take her mind off Josh’s imaginary wife and dog, she pulled out her phone. School had just let out, so Hailey was no good. The library would be overrun with kids for at least an hour. She tried calling her mom, but there was no answer.
That surprised her, but it probably shouldn’t have. Rose had Andy now and she had better things to do than sit around and wait for her daughter to lose her mind and call to chat.
She’d probably get a Christmas card from them, too. All happy and in love, probably in front of the Northern Star’s Christmas tree…the one she’d unwrapped Josh under.
Rather than keep dwelling on Christmas cards that wouldn’t shove everybody’s joy in her face until nine months from now, or unwrapping Josh under the tree, she typed in a text message to her best friend.
Bored. Send me a picture of where you are now.