One of These Days (Prairie Town Book 4)

by T. E. Ridener

  Gripping the edge of the sink, he stared at his reflection in the mirror with disappointment.

  “How could you do her like that, man?” He asked aloud, frowning. “She’s got a boyfriend. You idiot.”

  But it also sucked. Noah’s presence in her life caused a huge disturbance to his own; if Noah made her happy, did he even stand a chance at winning her heart?

  Her heart? He wondered as he turned the faucet on. Is that what I want, to win her heart?

  He already knew the answer to that, and he’d probably known it for a long time. Ags wasn’t like other women—he’d always liked that about her. She was different in the best of ways, and simply put: she was wonderful.

  Of course, he wanted to win her heart. He wanted something real and everlasting, something worth getting out of bed for. He wanted the white picket fence and the big backyard, enough kids to make a basketball team and the happily ever after his sisters had already found.

  He wanted her.

  “She’s got a boyfriend,” he muttered. “Game over, dude. You weren’t raised to be like this, Mack.”

  True. His parents had raised him as a perfect southern gentleman. He respected his elders, always held doors open for women, and never forgot to leave a tip for the server. It would have been nice, however, if they’d given him some advice on what to do in a situation like this.

  As he reached for the shaving cream on the counter, a knock on the door proved to be a great distraction from the inner turmoil his brain was currently producing.

  The bathrooms, just like the rest of Lydia’s house, were stupidly humungous. He had to turn the water off before jogging over to the door, because heaven forbid he waste more water than necessary—another habit instilled in him at a young age.

  He twisted the knob and pulled the door open. “Yeah?”

  “Hey, Jebby. We’re all set to leave first thing in the morning,” Lydia said, smiling from ear-to-ear. “Callum and I are calling it an early night tonight. I’d hate for him to fall asleep on the road tomorrow.”

  “Good call,” he replied, nodding. “Still planning to leave at seven, then?”

  “Seven’s the magical hour.” Her eyes shimmered as she smiled, her bottom lip trapped between her teeth momentarily. “Jeb, do you think this is a good idea?”

  “What, bringing your stepson to live with you? Of course, I think it’s a good idea, Lyds—do you?”

  “I do,”—she paused—“I think. He’s such a good boy, and Callum is so excited to have him here.” Sighing heavily, she leaned against the doorframe and hugged her arms around herself. “I guess I’m just a little scared.”

  “And that’s completely normal. This is a huge step for both of you. You’re becoming parents overnight, in a way. But this will be good, yeah?”

  “Yeah. It will. It has to be.” She reached a hand out to pat his arm. “So, are you and Ags going to be okay while we’re gone?”

  “What kind of question is that? Of course, we will be. I can cook, she can cook; we’ll survive.”

  She narrowed her eyes in his direction and he knew what that look meant: his sarcasm wasn’t appreciated at the moment.

  “Yes,”—he sighed dramatically—“we’ll be okay. What makes you think otherwise?”

  “Jebson.”

  And yet another look, one that meant she wasn’t up for any further shenanigans.

  He huffed and shrugged his shoulders. “We’ll be fine. We are fine. Everything’s good.”

  But she saw right through him, as per usual.

  “Sometimes I wonder if having you both under the same roof was a good idea,” she admitted. “I mean I did it that way because I was hoping you two would finally admit how you feel about one another. And now that Noah’s out of the picture, I was—”

  “Wait, what?” He threw a hand up in the air like a cop directing traffic. In this case, however, the only thing running that he was trying to stop was Lydia’s mouth. “Noah’s out of the picture? Since when?”

  “Since about four o’clock today?” She replied, seemingly unsure. “Ags took him out for coffee and that was that. She told him it was over.” Eyeing him closely, she groaned and pinched at the bridge of her nose. “You’re so confusing, Jeb. I thought you’d be happy to hear that they broke up. The look on your face says otherwise.”

  “What look?” He laughed, perhaps a little too happily. “I ain’t got no damn look on my face. This is news to me. I had no idea they broke up.”

  And that was the truth. He’d been avoiding Aggie ever since he got home from the cemetery. But now he felt like a complete jerk-face: she hadn’t even been there to avoid.

  “Well, they did.”

  An awkward silence fell around them as they stood there, him halfway out of the bathroom and her rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, in the hallway. It was like they’d suddenly run out of things to say—and God knew he had plenty to say.

  “Okay then,” she said suddenly, clapping her hands together. “I have to get to bed. Thanks for the chat, Jebby. I’m sorry I interrupted your...whatever you were doing in there.”

  “Just shaving, sis. It wasn’t anything too exciting.”

  “Shaving?” Her eyes widened.

  Dang, she acted as if he’d just confessed to killing somebody. What the heck?

  “Yes,” he answered cautiously. “That’s what one tends to do when they want to get rid of one of these.” Tugging at the short hairs on his chin, he chuckled.

  “You can’t do that!”

  “Why not?”

  “Because Ags really likes it.”

  “Says who?”

  “Says Ags.”

  Eyeing her, he quirked a brow. “You’re shitting me. She likes this pathetic peach fuzz thing I’ve got going on?”

  “Mhm. In fact, she was just telling me how much she wished you’d grow it out—just once. Maybe...you might consider it?”

  “She told you this after breaking up with Noah, or before?”

  “I can’t quite remember. It was at some point today, I swear.”

  “Uh huh.”

  “It’s true! I’m serious. She really likes it. And I think you should grow it out, too. You are way too baby-faced without facial hair.”

  “I am not baby-faced.”

  “Yes, you are.” Rolling her eyes, a light laugh escaped her. “Just leave it. For now. Please?”

  There was something thrilling about the thought of Ags liking facial hair, and if he was good at growing anything, it was a beard.

  Challenge accepted.

  “I’ve had stranger requests.”

  “So, you’ll consider it?” With that devious glint suddenly in her eyes, he knew exactly what his sister was up to.

  Again.

  “Yeah, Lyds. I’ll consider it,” he replied, rolling his eyes. “But only ‘cause I really didn’t feel like shaving anyhow.”

  “Whatever you say, baby brother.” She wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out at him. “Goodnight, Jeb.”

  “Night. Have a safe trip.”

  He watched as she disappeared down the hallway and then kicked the door shut with his foot.

  “Huh.” It was the only thing he could think to say as her words echoed in his mind. The dots began connecting and his heart started hammering.

  Ags was officially a single woman, and he knew what that meant.

  Quickly moving to the sink, he returned the shaving cream to the medicine cabinet and shut it, grinning at his reflection.

  “Game on.”

  —————

  Ags

  The day was nearly done and she’d yet to see Jeb.

  Lydia and Callum had left bright and early, and the house suddenly seemed so empty and quiet without them. She didn’t necessarily like quiet. In fact, she’d turned the radio up as loud as possible in an effort to liven the place up, but the echoes of pop tunes floating down the hallway helped nothing.

  She felt so alone, and she didn’t want to be alon
e.

  But what could she do to make him come out of hiding?

  Deciding that he probably wasn’t really hiding, and he was definitely doing Jeb stuff, she’d fallen asleep on the couch with a copy of Learn American Sign Language.

  Lydia had asked her to take a look at the book while they were gone, in hopes she would be able to have some communication with Byron when they returned.

  There was a copy for Jeb, too—he just didn’t know it yet.

  She woke up long after the sun had gone down, still strewn across the sofa with the open book resting face down against her stomach. Rubbing at her eyes, she released a soft yawn and wondered if Jeb had finally emerged from his room.

  Glancing towards the gigantic staircase, she contemplated going to check on him. But then what? What would she say if he decided to open the door?

  ‘I’m sorry my boyfriend called while we were fooling around’, would not suffice.

  She knew that had to be the reason behind his sudden disappearance—if he was truly avoiding her.

  And it still made her miss him an insane amount.

  “Ugh, this is stupid,” she mumbled, slumping back on the comfy sofa cushions and stretching. “Why must he make this more complicated than it has to be?”

  Her fingers brushed across the screen of her phone, which must have fallen behind her head during her nap. The temptation to call Lydia and talk about it was becoming far too great, but she couldn’t bother her friend right now. It was such a selfish thing to do, wasn’t it?

  Just woman up and go talk to him. If you want to talk to him, just do it.

  Gods, her life was getting complicated.

  Releasing a huff of frustration, she pushed herself up from the sofa and headed for the staircase—the one that deserved to be in a Hollywood movie.

  What will I even say to him? She wondered as she gripped the rail and began her ascent. What if he doesn’t open the door?

  Everything that had happened between them had been so magical, and she was afraid she had already ruined it. Continuing her relationship with Noah, no matter the circumstances behind it, had probably screwed up her chance at true happiness.

  But he doesn’t know why you were with Noah in the first place!

  True. Not even Lydia or Benji knew the truth about her sudden and spontaneous decision to get a boyfriend. That was something she and Noah had kept between the two of them, mostly for his sake.

  And that’s what I get for trying to help people.

  Noah had been a customer of hers for a few months, and like most customers, he talked about his problems and everything that made him miserable. Being the good person she was, and one without the ability to say no, she’d listened intently.

  He was a good guy, that Noah. He was smart and funny and kind.

  He was also gay.

  His father was a congressman and he often complained about the stresses of looking picture-perfect for the sake of his father’s image. The last thing a ‘good ole American’ needed was a gay son—those were Noah’s words.

  When she first heard about how his father felt about the matter, she’d been outraged and baffled. She didn’t understand how a father could say such things to his child, and to expect him to hide that part of himself, all for the sake of a vote.

  But, truly, she understood it all too well given what her own mother had put her through.

  “What a dick,” she’d said, kneading the tense muscles in his upper back. “Your father sounds like a real piece of work.”

  “I know,” he said, groaning softly. “But you learn to live with it, I guess. As long as I keep my business behind closed doors, there isn’t an issue.”

  “You shouldn’t have to keep it behind closed doors, Noah. Why hide who you are? How is that fair?”

  “It’s not fair, but like I said, you learn to live with it.”

  “I’d tell your father to suck my imaginary dick,” she’d mumbled.

  “That’s funny,” he’d replied, chuckling. “You’re a funny girl, Aggie...or, erm, do you prefer to be called Agnes today?”

  “Either or. Today is a coin toss.”

  “That’s neat, you know; the way you can be whatever you want. I admire that. I wish we could have met sooner.”

  “Oh, yeah? Why’s that?”

  “Because I feel like you understand me. You know what I’m dealing with.”

  And for whatever reason, he’d gotten to her and it somehow ended up her agreeing to help him keep his dad off his back.

  It had started innocently enough. She became his ‘beard’ and accompanied him to one of his father’s many social gatherings. She’d played the part of a sweet girlfriend perfectly—so much, in fact, that Noah’s father fawned over her the entire night.

  His mother had been nice enough, even if she was a little snobby. And his little sister, ugh, that kid was as a sweet as sugar.

  But it had been a mistake to let it escalate as far as it had. Even though they had only been ‘together’ for a few months, there had already been whispers of an engagement.

  The worst part was she almost wanted him propose to her.

  Almost.

  Thank the gods Jeb had impeccable timing.

  He saved me from making the biggest mistake of my life.

  It was true that they had a lot of history with one another, and though nothing had ever come of it before, she’d always hoped that perhaps one day it would change. She had often dreamt of the moment when he’d pull her into his arms and tell her how much he loved her, how much he wanted to be with her.

  It was all she had wanted since that night at Kelly’s on Christmas Eve.

  And then it became abundantly clear that he shared her feelings when they ended up beneath her sheets, discovering each other’s bodies for the first time. It was then, and only then, that she knew she had to drop the act with Noah.

  He deserved better than that. He deserved real love, true love, and to find the guy who would make him as happy as she knew Jeb could make her.

  But even with the relationship terminated, after everything that had happened yesterday, and the look on Jeb’s face when he realized it was Noah calling, could she win him back?

  There has to be a chance. I can’t give up now.

  Surely, he would understand if she told him the truth. Surely, they could give it another shot—a proper shot. Nothing would hold her back this time. There wouldn’t be any guilt of wronging Noah, and Jeb wouldn’t ever have a reason to pull away from her again.

  He has to give us another chance.

  She finally made it to his room, and that’s when her knees decided to buckle.

  This was a big deal. This...whatever it was...would make or break her, and she knew that. Jeb didn’t understand the power he held over her, and it was frightening to give someone such a hold on her heart.

  He better not break it, that voice muttered in her mind.

  Gods, he wouldn’t...would he?

  Sucking in a deep, calming breath, she lifted her fist and knocked.

  Once.

  Twice.

  Three times.

  She wasn’t even sure she was breathing as she waited for him to open the door. It was difficult to do anything when she knew her heart was on the line. What if he really didn’t want to talk to her, ever again?

  That was an unbearable thought.

  “Jeb? Are you busy?”

  An eternity seemed to pass her by while she stood there, nervous as all get out and trembling like a leaf. Her stomach was twisted into nervous knots—the kind that made a person feel like they were going to hurl.

  Thank goodness she hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast.

  Try again.

  So she did. Her fist hit the door a little harder this time, and she hoped he would understand her urgency.

  “Jeb? Please open the door. I...I really want to talk to you,” she said, resting her forehead against the cool wood. “Please?”

  No response.

 
There wasn’t even the slightest hint of movement on the other side of the door, and that was a huge disappointment.

  This is so dumb!

  She became agitated with herself as she stepped away from the door and glared at it, as if that would make a difference. I’m so dumb for messing this up.

  But still, she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. She’d been through a lot in her short time on earth, and she’d be damned if she let him slip through her fingers over something so stupid and juvenile.

  “Jeb.” Her voice boomed, which surprised her, and she knew there was no going back now. Her palm smacked against the door and she gathered every last ounce of courage she had. “Open this door, right now. I really need to talk to you.”

  But still, there was no response.

  He is ignoring you. He hates us. The voice said. He’s not worth it. We should move on.

  Gods, she hated that voice sometimes. She hated that maybe it was right—maybe Jeb really didn’t want anything to do with her anymore.

  Tears burned at her eyes and it felt like someone had stuck a hot poker down her throat as she leaned against the door, sniffling.

  “This isn’t fair,” she whispered. “Jeb, I’m so sorry. I know I messed up and I shouldn’t have kept what I had with Noah, when I could have had so much more with you. I’m sorry. Please...please just talk to me.”

  A full five minutes passed by—maybe longer—as she stood there, weeping. Nothing had ever felt so painful before, and the gods knew she’d felt her share of pain.

  Losing Jeb and the love he could have given her was just too much for her fragile heart.

  She was defeated.

  She had lost.

  “Okay,” she spoke after another minute of silence. “All right, I’m going to go. I’ll leave you alone, okay? I’ll...I’ll go stay with Benji and Laney until Lydia comes back, and then I’ll figure out where to go from there. I’m sorry if I hurt you,”—her voice weakened as a sob ripped past her lips—“This hurts me, too, you know.”

  Not that it matters. Nobody cares if you hurt.

  Walking away with the weight of the world on her shoulders, she returned to her room and began to pack.

  Her mind was racing, her heart pounding, and the walls she’d worked so hard to break down were rapidly rebuilding. How could she have been so foolish? What made her think she deserved to be with someone as wonderful as Jeb?