Love Fast

It’s the first time I’ve been into Star Falls since I left the cabins and moved into my apartment. I haven’t had a day off since. Even though the Club runs a shuttle bus into Star Falls every half hour, it feels like a long way away.

And I know it will remind me of Byron.

There’s no escaping him. He’s in every brick of the building I live in. He’s in the diner, at Grizzly’s. There are memories of him everywhere.

A few of us get off the bus at the same time. We’re all starting to work shifts the closer we get to opening, and a few of us have a day off today. I recommended Galaxy Diner to a few of my co-workers, and some of the bar staff are going to check it out. I point them in the right direction as we get off the bus, and I head to the post office. Frank’s ring is in my pocket. I need to mail it back to him. I haven’t prepared a note or anything. I can’t think of what to say. But mailing the ring to him still leaves the issue of the trailer. I don’t know where to start with that. My mom has probably burned all my stuff by now, including the deed Frank gave me.

There’s no line at the post office. I explain I’m mailing jewelry, and the woman behind the counter, who seems to be wearing a dead yellow bird in her hair, tells me how to package and insure the ring.

I fill out Frank’s address on the padded envelope she hands me.

“Don’t forget to put your address on the top left-hand corner on the front.” She smiles at me like she’s being helpful. But it’s not helpful.

“Do I have to do that?” I ask. “Or can I just put down my name? I’d really prefer him not to know where I am.”

She offers me a sympathetic smile. “You don’t have to, but the postmark is going to give the town away. And there’s no hiding anything in this town.”

It’s probably fine. Frank won’t think twice about the postmark. He’ll be so happy to get the ring back, I’m sure he’ll just trash the packaging.

“You want the PO box?” she asks.

“It will be fine. I’ll just put my address.” It’s not like he’s going to get on a plane and try to change my mind. I humiliated him in front of his friends and family. Frank’s not a monster. He’s not going to send a hitman after me, either. And it’s not like I’m alone in the woods. I’m living among loads of people. Putting my address on this package is no big deal.

Before I can second-guess myself, I scribble out Frank’s address, my address, and stuff the Ziploc containing the ring into the mailer. I pay the bird lady and head out.

I exhale as I step out into the fresh Colorado air. I look up into the bright blue sky and smile. Sending back that ring feels powerful. I made that decision. Not out of fear—which is what drove me to bolt from the wedding—but because I don’t want to marry Frank. I never did. And he deserves the ring back.

I stuff my hands back into my pockets and head to the diner. As I pass by Snail Trail, I glance in, see Marge, and give her a wave. Her face brightens and she waves back.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt so at home somewhere, despite living in the trailer park my entire life.

I get to the diner and slide into the booth closest to the door, avoiding the one I sat in with Byron, even though the view of the mountain would be better from there.

Rachel comes over, and I order a hot chocolate and the waffles with fresh berries without thinking twice. The description on the menu reads, Because if it comes with fruit, it can’t be bad for you, right? I’m getting better at making my own decisions, though in fairness, waffles at the diner are an easy choice.

The door behind me opens, and I know without having to turn around that it’s Byron. I close my eyes. Will he come over? Say hi? I so desperately want him to slide in opposite me and make me laugh. Make me see myself the way he sees me—someone with potential. A woman who could be with a man like him.

He places an order for hot chocolate, turns, and sees me. Our eyes lock and energy jolts through my body like I’m touching a live wire.

“Hey,” I say.

His eyes search my face, like he’s looking for instructions on what he’s supposed to do now.

“You wanna join me?” The words are out of my mouth before I can think of the consequences. Do I want him so close by? And with staff from the Club in town, I don’t need people to see me chatting with the owner like we’re friends.

“I actually have to get to the vet to pick up Athena.”

My eyes widen. “She came back? When? Where’s she been?”

He grins at my tumble of words. “She’s been pretty secretive about her movements since we last saw her. Can’t get her to talk about it.” He smooths his palm over his stubble, and I close my eyes in a long blink, remembering what he feels like.

We grin at each other like the other person is chocolate and we’re desperate for a bite. I wonder how many people know this funny side of Byron.

Then the rest of his words register. “But she’s at the vet. Is she okay?”

“She’s fine,” he says. “I got her checked out, vaccinated, and microchipped.”

A smile tugs at the corners of my mouth. “You’re going to keep her?”

“I made a promise,” he says. “We’ll figure it out.”

I let his words seep in, staring at him as he stares at me.

Rachel calls Byron’s name for his hot chocolate, interrupting us.

He takes his cup and raises it. “Have a good day, Rosey.”

I watch him go and can’t ignore the ache in my chest. I want to burrow deep in his plaid shirt and snuggle into him. I want to kiss him for so long, the skin on my face gets chapped and raw. I want to share hot chocolate and listen to his stories of New York. I miss him.

Rachel interrupts my pity party by sliding a plate of hot waffles in front of me. “You going to be at this party Byron’s throwing?” she asks.

“What party?”

That’s when she tells me about the party for Star Falls residents at the Colorado Club. I glance out the window and see Byron heading into the vet. I can’t help but smile. Good for him. Byron’s stopped running. Slowly but surely, he’s finding his way back home. It must be a nice feeling to belong to a place like this.

“Oh,” I say. “I’m not really a resident anymore, I guess.”

“Haven’t you learned anything?” Rachel says, nodding in Byron’s direction. “Once you’re a resident of Star Falls, we’re not so quick to let you go.” She smiles at me. “I’m not sure whether I’ll go. I don’t want my boss to think I’m up there scouting for work. I did tell my niece in the next town she should think about applying. I hear the money’s good, right?”

“Yeah,” I say. “It’s decent money, and the shuttle makes it easy to get into town.”

“I told her about the bus. She’s going to apply today. I hope she gets it. Byron’s alright. He’s probably a good guy to work for.”

“He’s a really good guy,” I say. The best I’ve ever known.

As I’m digging into my waffles, my phone buzzes and Marion’s face appears on my screen. My heart lifts. It’s so good to see her.

I accept the call. “Hey, how’s it going?”

“I found a locker at the library where I can leave all the stuff about colleges, so I don’t have to risk someone finding it back home.”

“That’s great,” I say. “Did you see your old guidance counselor?”

“Yeah,” she says, sounding a little giddy. “I did. She says she’s happy to help me outside school hours. Can you believe it?”

“What else did she say?” I ask, thrilled that Marion has actually followed up on what we talked about. I can hear the excitement in her voice. “Does she think a scholarship is possible?”

“I have to apply. But she gave me things I can start doing to help with my application. It’s going to take a lot of work. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to do it without getting found out.”

I see her issue. Mom will be in her business. She knows what hours she works, which friends she hangs out with. “Could you say you picked up a few extra shifts at the salon?”

“She might talk to my boss, or wonder why I’m not bringing home more money.”

She’s right. Mom has a way of finding out everything. Looking back, it was like living in a prison. I don’t know why I stayed as long as I did. But I’m free now. I just want the same for Marion.

“What if you said you were doing some volunteering? You could say you were helping out at the library,” I suggest. “They say the easiest way to lie is to stay as close to the truth as possible.”

“You know what she’ll say,” Marion replies.

“Charity begins at home,” we both chant.

I sigh. “Can you say you’re hanging out with one of your friends?” She’ll be worried they’ll end up giving something away. “Or make up a friend. Someone new in town. There must be a way.”

“I could pretend I got a second job.”

“But she’d want some of your paycheck,” I say.noveldrama

“I could say I was saving up for something. Something for her. Maybe she’d give me a pass.”

I blow out a breath. “I don’t think she’ll buy it. She’d want to know what, and then she’d be working out how much it would cost. You’d end up having to buy her the damn thing out of what little money you have left at the end of the week.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Marion says. “But I have to complete the applications and the essays. There’s a lot of admin stuff I wasn’t really prepared for.”

“I know,” I say. There’s no way I’m letting my mom’s need to control Marion stop her getting to college. “Maybe say that some of your friends are going to Applegate Lake for an overnight camping trip in the summer, and you want to go but you need to buy supplies. A tent and stuff. So you get the second job to—wait! I got it.” I interrupt myself. “Ask if you can give her less of your paycheck at the end of every week, just until the summer. Tell her about the trip and how you can’t afford it unless she lets you keep more of your salary.”

“She might just kill me.”

“When she goes crazy, suggest you can get another job. But say you want to keep the money from the extra hours because you can’t fit many more in.”

There’s silence on the other end of the phone before Marion says, “She’ll think she’s so generous for not taking a cut, and she’ll be relieved she doesn’t have to give up any of my paycheck.”

“Exactly,” I say. “We’re beating her at her own game. Manipulating her to get what we want.”

“It could work. It’s worth a shot.” She squeals. “I knew you’d have a solution. You always figure everything out.”

Her words take me by surprise. I’ve never seen myself as a problem solver. If you listened to my mom, you’d think I was the root of most of the world’s problems. “Thanks, Marion.”

“I mean it. I miss you so much. Mom… she’s worse since the whole wedding thing. She’s constantly complaining.” Then she bursts out laughing. “And the other day she suggested Lydia date Frank.”

Her words are like a slap to my face. “You’re kidding. Lydia and Frank?”

“Don’t worry. I don’t think Frank has any interest in Lydia. But that’s her latest scheme.”

We’re all just pawns in Mom’s game of chess to secure her own future. I don’t know how I put up with it for as long as I did. I hope Lydia and Kitty find their way out. Or their way to me, like Marion has.

“How does Lydia feel about that?”

“She’s going along with it. What choice does she have? I think the first thing Mom wants to do is get her a job at the garage.”

Going along with it? My heart starts to ache at the thought of Lydia dating a man over twenty years older than her, just to keep Mom happy.

Lydia has a choice, just like I did. I only hope she realizes it before her wedding day.