We were on our way to our girlsโ weekend.
The men had gone north to Grand Marais, so we went south. Some bed- and-breakfast Gabby had booked.
Gabby was driving, and Jessica was in the passenger seat. I was sitting in the back of the black Escalade like the kid. Jessica was the grumpy dad and Gabby was the perky mom.
Gabby had a cheerleader thing about her. She was thirty-four, blond, and stood only five feet tall. She was a pediatrician. Of the three of us she was the only one who was in a happy relationship. Philip was totally devoted to her.
Gabby turned to Jessica from behind the wheel. โYouโre sure Marcus didnโt care that you didnโt go? Itโs his birthday.โ
โThe man hasnโt touched me in six years,โ Jessica said, her tone bored. โHe barely remembers I exist. I donโt think he cares where I do it.โ
Gabby looked in the rearview mirror at me. โSo Jessica told me what happened. Neil isย suchย a jerk. I had no idea. Seriously, why didnโt you tell us sooner?โ
I blew a breath through my nose.
These were my friends. I spent more time with them than I spent with Bri, mostly because of the couples thing. We vacationed together and worked together and lived on the same street. But I couldnโt talk to them about everything, like I did with Bri.
Gabby was a little gossipy and could be a tiny bit shallow. Jessica was moody and tended to be negative.
I loved them, but I saw them for what they were.
โIt was hard to explain,โ I said, shutting down the discussion. Gabby already knew everything Iโd told Jessica.
Gabby gave me a mischievous smile. โSo this guy youโre seeingโฆโ This was another thing I couldnโt discuss with them.
Iโd kept my relationship with Daniel as close to my chest as humanly possible. I gave them no details other than he lived far away. But I knew their interrogation was coming. We had a whole weekend.
โIโve only seen him twice,โ I said dismissively. โYeah, but whatโs he like?โ
I shrugged, looking out the window. โI donโt know. Heโs nice.โ โWhat does he do?โ
โUh, heโs in property management,โ I said vaguely.
โIs the sex good?โ She glanced at me in the rearview, and her eyes sparkled.
Goodย didnโt brush the surface of how amazing the sex was. But if I told her the truth, sheโd want more details.
I shrugged again. โItโs okay, I guess.โ
โThereโs an antibiotic-resistant strain of chlamydia going around,โ Jessica said flatly.
Gabby made anย ewwwwwย noise. โIโm using protection,โ I said.
โWhen do we get to meet him?โ Gabby asked. โItโs seriously just a hookup thing.โ
It wasnโt.
Well, not entirely. I guess technically if it was just a hookup thing, we wouldnโt talk like we had last night. The time had gone by so fast, I didnโt even notice how late it had gotten, and Iโd only hung up with him because Neil came home, and I saw the light flick on in the office.
Iย reallyย liked talking to Daniel. It was easy, and he made me laugh.
Surprisingly enough, we had more in common than I thought.
Gabby made a left into a gas station. โI need to use the restroom. Anyone want coffee?โ
Jessica got unbuckled. โIโll go.โ
My phone started to vibrate. Bri was calling. โIโll wait in the car,โ I said, answering it. โHey.โ
โI just got stood up. Again,โ she said. โDo you think theyโre showing up, seeing me, and then bailing? Or are they not coming at all? I canโt decide if Iโd rather be so hideous Iโm causing them to flee, or so boring they literally forgot we had a date.โ
โYouโre not boring or hideous,โ I said, watching Gabby and Jessica go into the gas station. โItโs their loss.โ
โIs it? Because I feel like contouring my cheekbones on my day off is sort of my loss. Do you want to meet for dinner? So my outfit isnโt a total waste?โ
โI canโt,โ I said. โIโm doing that weekend thing with Gabby and Jessica.โ She groaned. โCrap. I forgot about that.โ
โWhy donโt you come down? If the place is booked, we can share my bed.โ
She scoffed. โUh, pass. Thereโs only so much of Gabbyโs complaining and Jessicaโs eye rolling I can take. Itโs fine. Iโll just go see Benny or something.โ
โHow is he?โ I asked. Her little brother was having some pretty serious health issues.
โItโs starting to affect his kidney function.โ
My lips curved down. Benny was only twenty-sixโyounger than Daniel, and Daniel was a baby. Too young to be this sick.
Bennyโs deteriorating health was hitting Bri pretty hard. It was like she felt she needed to fix it because she was the doctor in the family, which was totally unfair.
โThis isnโt your fault, Bri.โ
Benny had excellent care, and his condition was progressing anyway.
Sometimes medicine was like that. There was only so much you could do. โSo whatโs up with the guy?โ she asked, changing the subject.
I shrugged. โNot much. I talked to him last night.โ โOh yeah? Phone sex stuff?โ
โNo. Just talked. Nothing serious. I left him on read for like a week. I was so overwhelmed with the whole Neil squatting in my basement thing I kept forgetting to call him back.โ
โAre you going down there again?โ โEventually. Maybe next weekend?โ
โOkay. Well, just remember not to name his penis. Once you name it, you get attached.โ
I laughed. Gabby and Jessica were coming out of the gas station. โI gotta go,โ I said, still cracking up.
โAll right, call me later.โ
The girls got in the SUV, and Gabby turned back onto the road. We drove for thirty minutes, Gabby and Jessica talking about the new hot pool guy everyone was hiring and some Butter Braid fund-raiser Gabbyโs kids
were in. I wasnโt really paying attention. I had one earphone in listening to audiobook samples Daniel had recommended.
โUgh, gas station coffee is so gross,โ Gabby said, dropping her cup into the drink holder. โI donโt even know why I bother.โ
Jessica sighed loudly. โMaybe you can get something better when we get there. So where exactly are we going again?โ
โOh, my God, you guys are gonnaย loveย this place I found,โ Gabby said, making a right near a cornfield. โItโs on the Root River. They have this epic bike trail. It used to be a railroad track and they paved it. We can rent bikes in town. Kayaks too.โ
I pulled out my earbud and leaned over to look out the windshield. โThe Root River? I thought we were going to Red Wing.โ
โWe were. Iโd already booked a different place, but I canceled it for this one when it popped up. Itโs this small town, itโs super cute. Grant County. Itโs this bed-and-breakfast Iโve had my eye on. I got an email saying it was opening for the spring.โ
โWhat town?โ Jessica asked. โWakan.โ
Wait.ย WHAT?
My heart started to pound.
โWakan?โ I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. โAre you sure?โ โUh, yeah.โ Gabby laughed.
โNot Wabasha? Or Winona?โ
โIs something wrong with Wakan?โ Jessica asked, bored.
โNo. I donโt know, never been there,โ I said, my voice a touch too high. Danielโs bed-and-breakfast wasnโt open. He closed it in the off-season,
so I didnโt have to worry about ending up there. But if I was in Wakan, chances were good Iโd run into at least one person who recognized me from
that first night, and I wasnโt ready to tell Gabby and Jessica about Daniel. I wasnโt ready for these worlds to collide. Not yet. Maybe never.
I knew unequivocally that if Gabby and Jessica met Daniel, it would get back to Neil. Jessica could keep it from Marcus. They didnโt talk. But Gabby would tell Philip, and Philip would absolutely tell Neilโespecially if the story was the dramatic one I was sure Gabby would give him about my โboyfriendโ being a tattooed twenty-eight-year-old who lived above a garage in a town with more corn than people.
Neil would make it a joke. They all would. And I didnโt want Daniel to be a joke. I didnโt want it to be anything. I just wanted to have fun and enjoy him and not think about my friendsโ opinions on it or have Neil laugh and make it an example of how far Iโd fallen since him. He couldnโt have this. None of them could. Daniel was mine and I wanted him to stay only mine, because what we had was good and it was making me happy and it wouldnโt survive the scrutiny.
And that was really itโit wouldnโt survive the scrutiny.
It wouldnโt hold up under their inspection. My friends wouldnโt approve. And this hadnโt really mattered too much to me, since Iโd never imagined that theyโd ever be in a position to.
We drove down a winding road that I now recognized as the final leg into downtown. โWhere in Wakan?โ I asked, trying to sound casual.
โItโs called the Grant House,โ Gabby said.
Panic ripped through me. I felt like I was going to hyperventilate. No.
No no no no. This couldnโt be happening.
I looked at Gabbyโs navigation. We were less than three minutes away. I started frantically texting him.
Me:ย Iโll be there in two minutes. Please act like you donโt know me. Iโm sorry.
When the car crunched down the gravel drive, I strained my neck peering out the window to see if Daniel was outside. I didnโt see him. My text said Delivered but not Read.
My mouth was dry.
โWeโre here!โ Gabby sang, putting the car in park.
Jessica looked up at the house through the windshield. โCute.โ โRight?โ Gabby turned off the engine and got out.
They went around to the trunk to get their bags, but I didnโt get out. I was pretending to look for something in my purse, stalling for as long as possible, praying for a text from Daniel letting me know heโd gotten my message.
โUmmโฆare you coming?โ Gabby called a moment later. They were both standing with their luggage in front of the steps.
I poked my head out the window. โI dropped my earbud. Just go ahead.
Iโll be there in a second.โ Daniel still hadnโt texted.