She slid off the suitcase and on to the floor, huffing out a breath. How did she answer that question?
Yes, her suitcase was packed. Yes, she’d taken two weeks of vacation. And yes, she was about to spend the majority of those two weeks driving cross-country—and maybe back—with one guy to go see another. Jamie’s idea, not hers.
His easy smile relaxed her, so she said, “Yeah. Sure.” Though at the moment she didn’t feel like she got anything at all.
“What about you?” she asked. “You still want to share your precious alone time with me?”
When she initially suggested he go, she’d meant for him to take a solo trip. Now it was a road trip for two.
Again—Jamie’s idea.
He took a tentative step forward, and when Brynn didn’t budge, he pulled her into a hug. They’d spoken in the past week, but today was the first time she’d seen him since last Sunday’s brunch. She’d thought they would avoid each other until it was time for him to get back behind the bar. Instead he’d strode over to the table with a pitcher of beer mimosa and a proposition—he’d go to Beer Fest, and she could ride shotgun, getting to L.A. in time to make it to Spencer’s book launch. Holly had answered yes for her before Brynn could even open her mouth, while Annie hadn’t said a word. So not like her. And because it felt like the olive branch they needed—without either of them having to discuss the reunion any further—Brynn had said yes. And as fast as her heart hammered at present, Jamie’s arms around her felt good—something right when she was afraid it had all gone wrong.
“It was my idea. Wasn’t it?”
She nodded.
“You need to see this thing through, B. I know you, and you’ll always wonder.” He cleared his throat. “And I need to spend a weekend with beer.”
They both laughed, the first time they’d done that together since the reunion.
He was right. She needed to see what was there between her and Spencer. Preferably sober and without an audience. But that didn’t change the tightness in her throat when she thought about her history with the whole Jamie and Spencer situation.
“I was going to take the trip anyway,” he said, grinning. “I just needed a kick in the ass to get me out the door. Now I’ll get us both out the door.” He never officially said he was doing it to make up for walking in on her, but Brynn knew that’s what this was. And she both loved him and wanted to smack him for feeling like he owed her. No matter how awful the reunion turned out to be, it was no one’s fault. She wanted things to be right between them, but their smooth and easy friendship had torn at the edges last week, creating a distance she hoped could be repaired with a cross-country trek in Jamie’s pickup truck.
She looked up at him, his blue eyes shadowed by the bill of his baseball cap. “I feel like I guilted you into this somehow, even though it was your idea,” Brynn admitted, and she waited for him to protest. He didn’t.
Jamie stood back, motioning between them.
“We need to fix this,” he said. “And you didn’t guilt me into anything. I need this trip, for a lot of reasons. Why can’t one of them be us?”
Brynn interrupted. “We’re fine, Jamie. I was drunk. And angry. But we’re okay.” She almost believed herself.
He smiled then, and she let the lightness of it fill her.
“Then getting you to the book launch in L.A. will just make us okayer. Won’t it? I’m going at this point—with or without you—so you can get your ass in the truck, or you can stay here contemplating your choices.” He adjusted the cap on his head.
She guessed he was right. Jamie wasn’t even going to charge her for gas since he was making the trip whether she tagged along or not. Financially, it made sense. The trip wasn’t in her budget to begin with. She’d pay him back, though. In installments or something. She wouldn’t take advantage of her friend, only the fortunate situation.
“B?” Jamie’s voice jolted her from her thoughts.
“Huh?”
“You ready to go?”
She took one last look at her bulging suitcase, then picked up the scarf from the edge of her bed and wrapped the featherlight fabric around her neck twice. She smoothed out her oversize sweater and nodded.
“Just need to throw on my boots and coat.”
“Go ahead,” he said. “I’ll grab this beast.” He nodded toward the suitcase, and she laughed.
“Thank you.” She hoped he could feel the warmth of her tone, that he knew how much she appreciated this gesture.
“Anything, SJ. You should know that by now.”