One Good Thing

by Millikin, Jennifer

  I laugh, following her lead and wiping off the backside of my shorts. “Never play Bullshit. You’re as bad as Lennon.”

  Curiosity flames in Addison’s eyes.

  Crap.

  I take Addison’s hand in mine and lead the way up the amphitheater steps, hoping she’ll let the comment slide.

  “Is it hard that she’s still your friend?”

  My hope vanishes.

  We start back onto the path, our pace slower now.

  “It’s… different. She has been my best friend since we were little kids, and I can’t cut that off. I don’t want to. But we’re in a weird place right now. Normally, if a person chooses someone else over you, the relationship is over. But when that person is your best friend? There is no over, not unless I want the friendship to be over also. We’re navigating something very confusing.”

  “Like on the roadmap of life, you’ve landed in a place where the lines are blurred and the paths are one amorphous blob,” she says knowingly.

  I squeeze her hand. Of course she knows exactly how I feel.

  She continues. “At this point, I’m certain the only way past it is to go through it.”

  “You’re very wise.”

  “Hard things will make you wise.”

  “Hard things give you the opportunity to become wise. You have to be intelligent enough to step back and see the lessons available to you.”

  Addison pokes my side. “Now you’re the wise one.”

  The walk out takes longer than the walk in, mostly because we stop three times to make out. I can’t help it. Addison tastes like sunshine and sugar. She has hair my fingers want to curl up in, and soft skin my hands are begging to touch.

  When has this ever happened to me? Never. I loved Lennon and had she chosen me that would’ve been it for me, but she was never new to me.

  Addison is a discovery, and each layer I peel away has me more hooked than the previous. Lonesome was a stop on my way to somewhere else, but now?

  I’m not so sure.

  * * *

  I’ve been looking around, finding some things I want to do in the area. None of them can be done without a vehicle, and I’m not going to keep borrowing Louisa’s Jeep. I want something of my own, and I think I’ve found it.

  To get it, I need to borrow the Jeep one more time. And for that, I need to go to the main house and ask Louisa. Which means maybe I’ll get a glimpse of Addison. And, if I’m lucky, maybe I can sneak a kiss.

  We said goodbye at my cabin without a touch. No kiss, no embrace, not even a high-five. Anybody could’ve seen us, and since we hadn’t discussed what we’re doing, what this thing between us even is, we parted without any physical contact.

  Such sweet sorrow.

  I open the back door and step into the main house, looking around for signs of Louisa or Addison. From a small hall that shoots off the main room, I hear the rumbling sounds of a washer or dryer. I’ll check there first before calling out for anybody or ringing the bell Louisa keeps on the table in the foyer.

  I know she’s the proprietor, and I’m technically a guest because I’m paying to stay here, but ringing a bell to get her attention bothers me. She’s a grandma. Addison’s grandma.

  As I approach the laundry room, I hear hushed voices. My mouth opens to let whoever it is know I’m there, but then I hear my name, and my mouth snaps closed.

  “It was just a walk in the woods, Grandma.”

  “You’re already lying to yourself, Addison. Don’t lie to me, too.”

  “Grandma,” Addison half-scolds, half-whines.

  “Brady doesn’t seem like the type to run around laying his lips on women for no reason.”

  “I know,” Addison concedes in a soft voice I have to strain to hear.

  “Are you ready to move on with your life?”

  “I’m here, aren’t I?”

  “Don’t sass me, Addison Louisa West.”

  Addison laughs.

  “I’ve been on this planet long enough to have learned something, and here’s what I know. Good things have something in common with bad things. They come whether you’re ready for them or not. You just have to be brave enough to grab on to them.”

  I’d like to say I feel guilty for listening in on their conversation, but I don’t.

  Backing up a few feet to the living room, I take a breath and call out for Louisa.

  She pokes her head through the doorway, tucking a strand of gray hair behind her ear as her gaze darts back into the room behind her.

  “Hey, Brady,” she says, straightening and walking closer. “What can I do for you?”

  Tucking my hands into my shorts pockets, I roll back onto my heels and ask, “Can I borrow your car? This will be the last time, I promise.”

  Addison’s head appears in the hall. “Why for the last time? Are you leaving?” Her voice is high-pitched, her eyebrows squishing together and her head flinching back a little, as if her concern has caused her physical pain.

  “No,” I assure her, one hand extending into the air between us.

  She steps all the way from the laundry room. Her eyebrows have returned to their normal position. “Good,” she says, her voice taking on a forcibly relaxed tone.

  “Would it upset you if I left?”

  Addison’s gaze flits between me and Louisa. There is laughter in Louisa’s eyes, and though I’m lacking the mirror that can affirm my suspicion, I’m certain my smile has turned into more of a smirk.

  “If you left, who would eat the products of my adventures in baking?”

  My mouth waters at the thought of those carrot cake muffins and butterscotch blondies. “Everyone, Addison. That’s why you’re going to win the competition and be the proud new owner of the bakery.”

  “That’s right,” Louisa adds, making a fist and pumping it into the air. “Brady, you can borrow my car if you stop at the store and grab strawberries. Addison’s making strawberry shortcake for me tomorrow.”

  Louisa shuffles from the room. As soon as she’s gone, Addison moves in closer. “For a second there I thought you were pulling the dine-and-dash version of a goodbye.”

  I grab her hip and pull her in closer. Her surprised inhale catches in her throat.

  “Never,” I growl. “There’s a truth I forgot to share with you earlier.”

  She tilts her head back, her tongue darting out to moisten her lips. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”

  I lean closer, so my lips brush her ear and her scent fills me. “I like you, too.”

  A slow smile takes over her face. “Those are words I like to hear.”

  “Here you go,” Louisa calls out. Was she perhaps doing what I’d done just a few moments ago? Maybe she’d heard our conversation and backed away.

  Addison steps back, her blue eyes holding excitement.

  I turn to Louisa, taking the keys from her outstretched hand. “I’ll make sure this gets back to you in one piece.”

  Louisa waves a hand. “It would be hard to hurt that beast.”

  With a wink at Louisa and a wave to Addison, I leave the house.

  * * *

  “Hey, man.” I toss the bag holding the requested strawberries into the passenger seat of the Jeep and turn, offering a hand to the guy approaching me. He looks to be in his mid-forties, and he’s wearing a short-sleeved plaid shirt and khaki cargo shorts. “I’m Brady Sterling. Nice to meet you.”

  “Ralph Henson. Nice to meet you too, Brady.” He shakes my hand with exuberance. “I have to say, I was surprised when you called. Haven’t had a single call about this truck in three weeks.”

  “I guess the timing was right,” I tell him, running my hand along the top edge of the truck’s tailgate.

  He looks over the vehicle. “She’s old, but she runs well.”

  “Does it have power steering?”

  Ralph gives me a look that’s part surprise, part embarrassment on my behalf for not automatically being able to tell just by looking. Like cooking, I lack a general knowledge o
f vehicles.

  “Uh, yeah, it does.” He nods as he speaks, doing a good job of covering up his surprise.

  “Would you mind if I did a quick test drive?” I crane my neck and look around the parking lot of the grocery store where we agreed to meet. “Just around the block?”

  Ralph pulls his keys from his pockets and works a single silver key with a black rubber cover from the key ring. “Here ya go,” he says, dropping it in my open palm.

  The test drive is quick, and everything seems to be in order. The truck runs well, and it doesn’t require an exorbitant amount of my energy to turn the wheel. I don’t need a smooth ride with top-of-the-line speakers, in-dash navigation, and a rear back-up camera. I just need something I don’t have to ask Louisa to borrow and can get me where I want to go. And, if she says yes, can get Addison out on a date with me.

  “It seems good,” I tell Ralph as I slow to a stop and hop out. “I need to run over to the bank and bring you the cash.”

  “Take your time,” he says, opening the passenger door and lowering the glovebox. “I’m just going to make sure this is cleared out. My buddy’s on his way to help out.”

  I rub my chin and try not to look confused. Help out how?

  Ralph must notice me flailing internally, because he explains. “You have two vehicles to drive back to that B&B you’re staying at, right? You can drive the Jeep, I’ll drive your new truck, and my buddy will follow. That way you don’t have to have someone bring you back here to get the second car.”

  “Right.” I nod slowly. What is my problem? Where has my brain gone? Perhaps my focus has been trained on a certain blonde baker…

  I set off across the parking lot to the bank on the corner. When I get back, there’s another man standing at the back of the truck talking to Ralph.

  Ralph spots me and waves. “Brady, this is my friend Paul.” He gestures to his friend as he turns around.

  I smile at the man I met in this same parking lot a few days ago. “Paul, how’s your dad?”

  Ralph looks between us. “You two know each other?”

  Paul nods. “This Good Samaritan helped out my dad when he was having one of his senior moments.”

  I hand Ralph the envelope with the money. “Happy to help.”

  “You staying here in town, Brady?” Paul asks.

  “I’m out at the Sweet Escape B&B.”

  Recognition lights up in Paul’s eyes. “Is that why Addison West was with you the other day?”

  My chest tightens. What does this guy want with Addison? I check his left hand. Married. “She and I were running errands for her grandma.”

  “Is she single? I have about four different friends who would love to know she’s back in town.”

  I gulp down the urge to lie. “She’s single,” I say, the truth slipping between gritted teeth.

  Paul cracks a smile and pats my shoulder. “Get in line, buddy. Addison West has had the guys in town tied in knots since she started showing up here every summer.”

  His non-threatening demeanor doesn’t do much to relax me. I’ve been in fierce competition recently and I’m not dying to enter into another one.

  Before I can say anything, he keeps going. “You must be staying for a while if you’re buying this hunk of metal.”

  I think back to earlier today, and the feel of Addison in my arms. “I don’t have a game plan. All I know is that I need to have the freedom to come and go when I want, and I don’t want to ask Addison’s grandma if I can borrow her car.”

  Both the guys laugh, then Ralph asks where I’m from.

  “Chicago. I was a lawyer there.” I say this directly to Paul, because I know he’s a lawyer too.

  “Didn’t suit you?”

  “I like the work. I just don’t like how much work there is to do. I don’t want to lift my head up from the desk one day and find life has passed me by.”

  A look comes onto Paul’s face, one that I recognize. It says, I’m stuck on a hamster wheel of my own making.

  “The missus tells me I work too much.” Paul sighs, looking down at his wedding band. “She’s right. I’m the only lawyer this town has though. Unless,” he draws out the ’s’ sound, his eyebrows lifted optimistically.

  My hands dart in front of me, palms out and agitating the air. “I’m not here for that.”

  Ralph whacks Paul on the back. “Quit trying to lure in the new guy. He came here to save old guys and take away other people’s shot at Addison West.” Ralph winks at me to let me know he’s joking. “I don’t even know who she is, but she must be something.”

  “You wouldn’t know her,” Paul informs him. “She was closer to my youngest brother’s age.” He looks at me. “I’m pretty sure she didn’t know who I was a couple days ago.”

  Ralph nods. “She came around long after my time chasing skirts. I was probably off serving the country when she was starting kindergarten.”

  This piques my interest. “You served? What branch?” I’m genuinely curious, plus it steers the topic of conversation away from Addison.

  Ralph straightens, his shoulders pulling back as if a puppet master has pulled his strings. “Marines,” he answers in a deep, proud voice.

  “Thank you for your service,” I tell him. Every chance I get I thank the men and women who serve our country. I didn’t choose to serve, and a part of me regrets it.

  Ralph accepts my gratitude with a single, solemn head nod.

  “I think,” Paul says, reaching out and resting a hand on my shoulder, “that we should take our new friend out for a beer sometime. I’d like to properly thank you for what you did for my dad.”

  Ralph looks down at his watch. “It’s just about drinking time right now.”

  “MaryAnn made some kind of complicated dinner.” Paul clears his throat and shuffles his feet. Under his breath, he says, “Something about the anniversary of our first kiss.”

  Ralph howls and Paul shoots him a death glare. When Ralph sees Paul’s dirty look, he shuts up.

  “Sorry, bud. I didn’t mean anything by it.” He shrugs. “Hell, if we’d celebrated the small things maybe Jaclyn and I wouldn’t have ended up on the wrong side of the divorce statistics.”

  My head’s spinning from all I’ve learned about these guys in the last two minutes. They certainly aren’t the stereotypical, keep it all on the inside type of guys. It’s kind of nice to be around. Finn’s my best friend and always will be, but getting him to talk about feelings is sometimes harder than pulling teeth. Lennon could always extract his emotions, though. Once again, here I am thinking maybe she knew what she was doing when she chose him after all.

  Ralph and Paul decide two nights from now works for them, and obviously it works for me. I don’t do anything at night except warm up my dinner in a microwave and stream a movie on my iPad until I fall asleep. The only exception was the one evening I spent with Addison at the beach.

  I hop in the Jeep, hoping this will be the last time I have to drive it. Ralph follows in my new-to-me truck, and Paul is behind him.

  We pull into the circular dirt drive at Sweet Escape and get out. Ralph hands me the truck key.

  “She’s all yours,” he says with a grin.

  I take the key and shove it in my pocket. Behind us, a door opens.

  “Brady, did you get the strawberries?” Addison steps out. Her hair is piled on the top of her head and a smear of what I’m guessing is flour decorates the front of her apron. She looks gorgeous.

  I walk over and hand her the bag. Her eyes dart from me to Ralph and Paul. She waves politely, then looks back to me and asks, “Are you throwing a party?”

  “Nope.” I back away and walk to the truck, laying my arm on the side of the bed. “This is my new truck.”

  Addison laughs. “The Jeep wasn’t cutting it?”

  “I don’t want to keep asking to use it.”

  Addison eyes me playfully. “Good, because I have some places I’d like to go and I hate driving that Jeep.” She grins, says good
bye to Paul and Ralph, and goes back inside, the bag of strawberries swinging.

  Ralph eyes Paul, then they burst into laughter.

  “What?” I ask.

  “You’re so wife’d,” Paul answers through his laughter.

  “What the hell is that?”

  “She has you picking up strawberries and taking her places,” Paul explains, grinning knowingly. “Wife’d.”

  I roll my eyes at the noun turned into a verb. “She’s just a friend, guys.” Technically, it’s true.

  “Sure, sure,” Ralph says, placating me. “We’ll see you in a couple days for that beer.” He and Paul get into Paul’s car and drive away.

  After I pull Louisa’s Jeep into the garage, I park the truck in a parking spot designated for guests and head for the main house to return Louisa’s keys.

  Knowing Addison is in there has my heart beating just a little faster than normal.

  A little too fast for someone who’s just a friend.

  16

  Addison

  I was two seconds away from canceling on Charlie, but now I’m glad I didn’t. Girl time was something I didn’t know I was missing until I arrived and met Charlie’s friends. They’re nice and funny, and the conversation that started out polite is deepening with the aid of a glass of wine. And getting raunchier too.

  My life doesn’t look anything like theirs right now, but I can follow along and appreciate the drama that comes with kids and a husband and all the trappings of domestic life.

  So far, I’ve decided that Amanda, the loudest of the bunch, is the de facto leader. Her voice is husky, and she has a sarcastic, sharp wit, which she gears mostly toward herself. To her friends, she’s supportive and funny.

  Samantha is less exuberant, and she seems happy to let Amanda have the spotlight. She’s a little crunchy too, based upon her recipe for a homemade stretch mark cream that she gave to Liz, who just had a baby three months ago and is probably going to be the first to bail because she looks exhausted.

  And, of course, there’s Charlie. She’s sipping a mocktail, something bubbly and pink the bartender put together for her. She smiles at me as she takes a drink, then squints her eyes, her forehead coming forward slightly. I can tell she’s asking if I’m doing okay in this group of women I hardly know, and I give a small nod, my eyes flicking over to the person who’s talking.