Wrecked and Yours
Page 18
The days went by, and life fell into a new routine. Archer slept in her bed every night. Doug and Susan called a few times a week to check on her, even though she insisted she was fine. Was she fine? She thought she was doing better. She’d been seeing a counselor and working through some things, specifically letting go of the feeling that she was always a disappointment to others. Her new mantra lately had been: People do what they want. We all make our own choices.
And that meant not chasing after Jason, as badly as she wanted to.
The days weren’t so quiet now. Miranda’s and Cassie’s friendship grew in new ways, now that Miranda curbed the mothering. Cassie was home in her old room at the house, so Leif was over a lot too. At the moment, they were at the movies. Leif wanted to treat Cassie to a special day after all she’d been through. Miranda tried not to worry about Cassie getting too tired. “People make their own choices,” she murmured.
Pulling her hair back into a ponytail, she grabbed a water bottle and whistled for Archer. “Let’s go outside, ol’ boy.”
Together, they wandered up the shore of the lake. Miranda wore shorts and the air was cool on her bare legs. The sky was covered in a blanket of clouds and the water reflected back the soft grey. Every now and then Miranda threw a stick out into the water for Archer to retrieve.
“Don’t shake by me, don’t shake by me,” she squealed each time he came back to shore, then promptly suffered a shower as Archer ignored her.
The lake lapped at the narrow strip of land at the base of the cliff. Miranda slipped off her sandals, carrying them with her fingers looped through the straps. With Archer leading the way, she splashed through to the other side.
And there it was, still as daunting as ever. The candle on the beach. Miranda walked over to the base and looked to the top. Tears came to her eyes. Jason. She missed him so much. He had been the strength she’d relied on during that climb. How many times had he been that in her life?
Still, he’d left her. Miranda thought about how he’d broken down, his eyes wild as he relived the memory of his mother’s death. She leaned against a boulder at the cliff’s base and stared out at the lake. Had the memory been too much for him? His expression was one of shame when he confessed to calling the police. Miranda realized he hadn’t made eye contact with her again after that. Just grabbed his keys and left.
The sky darkened and the wind became brisker. Miranda shivered and grabbed her shoes by the straps. She glanced up as the first raindrop landed on her arm, and started to jog through the soft sand.
She was about half way home when the sprinkling began in earnest. “Hurry, Archer!” she called, even though the dog was ahead of her. Relief filled her when she saw her house, the light warmly shining through the windows. She ran down the beach and then onto her lawn.
Archer waited with his tail wagging at the back door. She quickly unlocked it and slammed it behind her.
Just in time. The clouds unleashed a downpour, and the rain hammered off the wood decking. Miranda leaned against the door and laughed. “Close call, eh, Archer?” Grabbing a dish towel off the counter, she rubbed her face and hair dry. “Come here boy,” she called, and swiped it along Archer’s sides.
She flung the towel in the laundry basket and reached for her favorite blue mug. Filling it with water, she microwaved it and stuck in a chai teabag. Then she carried it out to the covered deck to curl up on the porch swing.
The noise was overwhelming outside as the rain pounded the ground and bounced off the lake. Thunder boomed in the distance. Miranda took a sip and rocked. Summer was nearly over, which meant the geese that lived on the lake would soon be flying south. At the moment, they were waddling out of the water, the little one following after the other up the bank.
Archer lifted his head interested.
“You leave them alone, ol’ dog,” Miranda murmured. “Want to go in for a treat?”
“I thought I told you not to feed my dog.”
Miranda gasped and turned on the swing. Jason stood on the porch steps, soaking wet with his backpack in his hand. His shaggy hair dripped down the hangdog look on his face.
“Hi,” he said, and gave the tiniest glimpse of his crooked grin.
“Hi, yourself.” Miranda’s heart galloped in her chest. She stood slowly, fighting the urge to run over and jump into his arms. “Um, are you here for a spell or just passing through?”
He dropped his bag on the porch. “I’ve got a long ways to go, Miranda. I’m broken, seriously a wreck. But if you let me, I want to let you in.” His face crumpled, but he pulled it back together. “You’re the only person I’ve ever wanted to let in. The only one. From the first time I saw you sitting in the field with the sun dancing off your hair, looking like an angel, I knew one day you’d save me. “
She covered her mouth and squeezed her eyes tight. Not going to cry, not going to do it. Her eyes betrayed her and tears leaked down her face. “Well, you don’t own the corner on the broken market. God knows, I’ve got my stuff, too. And it seems like our stuff plays into each other’s crap. But we can figure it out, I know we can.”
He grabbed her in his arms and pulled her in for a wet hug. Looking down at her face, his green eyes full of pain, he asked, “Give me another chance?”
She didn’t hesitate a second. “Yes, Jason. Again and again.” Her fingers ran through his hair, and she pulled him to her. He crushed his lips against hers, and his arms wrapped around her. Lifting her up, he spun her in a full circle, not breaking the kiss. She leaned back a fraction and whispered against his lips, “And again.”
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