by Emma Woods
16
Ty drove me home and left me feeling upbeat, if a little bruised, with the promise to eat lunch together the next day if humanly possible. I waved him off just as my phone dinged. Looking down, I read the text message from Heather:
I think we all need some space. Take next week off.
My shoulders dropped and tears pooled instantly in my eyes. I’d known that Heather and Luke wouldn’t like the idea of my leaving, but it still hurt.
What was I going to do with a sudden week off? I wandered into the house and stood in the hall at a complete loss. Sure, there were always things I wanted to do but never found the time for. But cleaning out my closet and reading a book weren’t going to fill five whole days. At least I would have plenty of time to think through my decision about whether or not to take up Donna on her offer. I snapped my fingers as an idea came to me.
I dialed Donna and waited until she answered.
“It’s Rosemarie. Listen, I suddenly have a week off and I was thinking it might be helpful if I came and spent some more time at the studio. Do you think you’d have the time to show me how things are done, so we can both have a really clear picture of how this partnership would work?”
“I love it! That would be amazing!” Donna gushed.
We worked out the particulars, and I hung up feeling as though I’d been given a rare opportunity rather than being shunned.
Since Donna mostly worked with school-aged kids, I didn’t have to be at the studio until ten o’clock the next morning. I was able to eat breakfast and enjoy a luxurious cup of coffee. I had time to pray and write in my journal. By the time I got to the studio, I felt ready for whatever the day might bring.
I’d love to say that every minute was a dream come true. As I told Ty each night, there were parts I enjoyed a lot and parts that weren’t so fun. But Donna and I had plenty of time to talk. She shared a lot of the intimate details of her business, and we brainstormed some solutions. In fact, she liked one of my ideas about how to streamline billing so much that she asked my permission to put it into practice right away.
“It isn’t the ‘perfect’ place to work,” I explained to Ty over pizza on Wednesday night. “There are a lot of things that don’t work well and need to be redone. But I think I can actually help. And it’s really nice to be a partner instead of a subordinate.”
Ty wiped his fingers on a napkin and smiled a little. “As much as I hate not getting to see you at work, I do love the idea of you working somewhere that you’re appreciated. Luke has a lot of great qualities, but he isn’t always aware of what the people around him are feeling.”
“Are he and Heather doing okay?” I asked.
“They’re learning a lot,” he said cryptically. And then, no matter how much I pestered him, he refused to explain what he meant.
That Sunday I was nervous about having lunch with my family. In fact, I was more nervous than I’d been the previous week. I wasn’t sure what my brother and sister-in-law would say to me. Would they just ignore me? Or make more snide comments about my ability to own a dance studio?
I entered the house and was greeted by Abby with her usual enthusiasm, this time with Jake in tow. I swung the two of them around and Abby began telling me about every single thing she’d done all week. Jake just wanted to be snuggled, so I lifted him onto my hip, and he popped his thumb into his mouth contentedly.
That was why I didn’t notice when their parents stepped into the hall behind me. Luke said my name, and I jumped.
“Oh, hi! I didn’t hear you,” I apologized. Seeing them reminded me of all the hurt I’d felt this past week.
“Can we talk to you?” asked Heather.
I nodded and put Jake down, anxiety rising with each heartbeat. Oh golly, this could be rough.
“Abby, take Jakey into the kitchen to Grandma,” Heather instructed.
The little girl whined, but finally took her brother by the hand and stomped off.
“Can we go sit down in the living room?” Luke asked almost humbly.
So, we trouped in and found seats. I hugged a pillow to my lap and waited for the boot to drop.
Luke and Heather traded glances, and finally my brother sighed and said, “I think we owe you an apology, Rosemarie.”
That was the last thing I expected them to say. In all my days, I couldn’t remember Luke apologizing to me for anything.
“What do you mean?” I inquired.
“You do a lot on the ranch. A lot.” Luke shuffled his feet. “I don’t think either of us realized just how much you do. People have told us, but we weren’t listening.”
I didn’t know what to say. Luke was on the right track, but he still didn’t comprehend the fullness of how I’d been overlooked and taken for granted all throughout our relationship.
“Like the website,” Heather jumped in. “We couldn’t figure out how to update the calendar. Ty told us that you always do that. And we tried to write a job description to hire someone to replace you. We realized we wouldn’t ever expect someone we hired to do everything you do. We’d legally need to hire about four people with different skill sets in order to replace you.”
“I’m sorry to leave you hanging,” I piped up, sure this was what they wanted.
Luke shook his head, eyes sincere. “No, I’m really sorry, Rosemarie. I guess when you started, I thought that I was doing you a favor giving you a job and that you were just a temp. But after this week, I’m beginning to see that you’re like the ranch’s roll of duct tape.”
I snickered.
“No, it’s true,” my brother said with a grin. “Whatever needs fixing, you can do it. Of course, now that I see that, I have to brace myself for the fact that you might be leaving us.”
“I haven’t decided for certain,” I assured him.
Heather shook her head. “What you said about your dreams mattering too really hit us. We want to run the ranch, but you don’t have to want that. You can want to run a dance studio and we’ll be behind you all the way. I don’t know if it helps or not, but we officially hired a receptionist today. Rosa Harrington’s niece, Corinne. She’ll start in a couple of weeks.”
“And if you stay,” Luke chipped in, “I want you to have a formal title and a big raise. You don’t get paid anywhere near enough for what you do. But even if you go, we think you should be on the board of directors. You know the workings of the ranch better than almost anyone, and we need your perspective.”
Abby called for her mother and Heather excused herself. I sat and looked down at my hands and tried not to cry. This was what I’d always needed to hear my brother say. It meant so much to have him validate me in this way.
“Hey, I also need to apologize for being upset about you seeing Ty,” Luke said quietly. “I was being really selfish. I think the two of you could be really good for each other. I mean, you’ve known each other practically all your lives. Once I got thinking about it, I was surprised you didn’t date much sooner.”
“I had a crush on him since about the eighth grade,” I admitted, and then blushed deeply.
Luke’s eyes lit up. “Really? Wow. It’s cool that he moved back and you finally get a chance to be together.”
“Well, I owe you a debt of thanks for that. If you hadn’t hired him, I doubt he’d have returned to Birch Springs.”
“That’s true. I guess you can name your first child after me,” Luke teased uncharacteristically. He kicked the heel of his boot against the floor, arms stretched on the back of the couch. He gave a surreptitious look toward the kitchen and then said, “I think Ty might have had a bit of a crush on you, too. He never said anything to me directly, but now that I’m looking back, I think he would have asked you out if you weren’t my sister.”
I looked up, heart beginning to race. “Really? What do you remember?”
Luke leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. “He always wanted to go to your dance recitals when we were in high school. Whenever one was coming up, he’d ask if he
could stay over that weekend or come for supper. Then he’d act surprised when I said it was a recital night. Of course, we both know he’s a terrible actor.”
I smiled, delighted.
“I never told you this, but Ty was thinking about asking you to prom.”
“What?! I was a freshman when you were seniors.” I couldn’t believe it. Was Luke remembering right?
“Yeah, I know. Plus, you were my sister. He said he thought it would be nice if you weren’t left out like you were at that homecoming dance. I reminded him that freshmen rarely came to prom anyway, so you wouldn’t be left out. Then I said that I wouldn’t share a limo with my sister and her date. He dropped it, but then he went out with some other girl from church and had a terrible time.” Luke nodded sagely. “I’m pretty sure he wished he’d taken you.”
Since we were being so chummy, I whispered, “Did you ever meet his fianceé, Jenna?”
Luke gave a low whistle. “She was a piece of work.”
“What do you mean?”
“She had to have everything exactly her way. I couldn’t understand why Ty put up with it, but he did. She turned him into this completely different guy. I went to visit him in St. Paul once and we had a great time when it was just the two of us, but when Jenna was there, he was totally weird.”
“So, you think it was a good thing they split up?” I asked.
My brother nodded adamantly. “Definitely. We went clubbing to this super-ritzy place, and Ty got up and danced with Jenna. And he wasn’t bad at it! I think she made him take classes with her. I mean, if there’s one thing I could always count on, it was that I wasn’t the worst dancer in the room.”
I rolled my eyes. That wasn’t the sort of information I was digging for.
Mom called that lunch was ready. Luke reached over and squeezed my knee before heading into the dining room. I got up more slowly and followed him, my heart light.
17
Luke asked if I’d be able to keep working at the ranch for two weeks. I told him I would be there at least that long, and we parted on the best terms we’d been on for as long as I could remember. Ty drove me home, and I was bubbling over with the story of how things had gone with Luke and Heather.
“I’m so glad you worked things out,” he said when I finally paused for breath. “We had a few talks this week. I kept pointing out all the stuff you do, and he seemed genuinely shocked. I wasn’t the only one, either. Butch came in and mentioned how much you’d done in the stables. Tom asked if you’d be able to help with some of the classes. Heather tried to fill in, but she figured out pretty fast that she couldn’t keep up.”
I beamed. “Thanks for helping. I’m excited to be going back to work.”
“Are you any closer to making a decision about the studio?” Ty asked as he pulled to a stop in the Bumblebee House driveway.
As was becoming our usual pattern, he turned off the car without either of us getting out right away.
“I’m leaning toward taking up Donna’s offer, actually. I keep thinking about the studio and how much I would like to be more involved there. I like working at the ranch, but it doesn’t excite me anymore. Honestly, it never has. Like Luke said, I’m duct tape there; needed, but replaceable by someone who could do the job better. At the studio, I started out that way, but I can see how I could move into being an integral part. And it’s a part I want to take.”
Ty was looking at me intently, reading something I didn’t know I was communicating. “Do you want to come over for supper tomorrow night? I promise not to try and cook anything that doesn’t come pre-packaged. We could watch a really dorky old movie.”
“It’s a date,” I grinned.
For a moment, I thought he was going to lean forward and finally kiss me. But Ty just smiled, and the moment passed. I said good-bye and got out of the car. Why hadn’t he kissed me yet? Granted, we’d only been on one official date, but he’d told my family we were dating. Didn’t it make sense that we could do a little kissing?
I shrugged it off, though. Surely there would be plenty of time for that sort of thing later. It was probably wise that we not rush the physical stuff in the long run, I decided maturely.
It felt great to be back at work the next day. Heather actually asked me if it would be okay if I helped in the cafeteria. I agreed, and then spent the day running the cash register and bussing tables. Ty and Luke were at a lunch meeting away from the ranch, so I didn’t see him.
But by 5:30, I drove up to his apartment dressed in my favorite jeans and a sweatshirt. This time, I’d had no qualms about what to wear. I was carrying a plastic bag with two two-liters of root beer and juggling my purse, so it took me a minute to realize that there was a second flashy foreign car parked in his driveway.
I noticed that the car’s vanity plates read “JENNASBB” and my heart sank. Apparently, Ty’s ex-fianceé had decided to drive all the way across the country to see him. You didn’t do that for someone you didn’t want to be with any longer.
I knocked on the door tentatively. Should I just go? I really didn’t want to come face to face with Jenna. I had a horrible feeling that if Ty saw the two of us together, he’d easily pick her over me. And I was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt and had my hair in a messy bun. Of course.
The door opened and Ty stood on the other side, looking like he had no idea what was happening to him. The sound of a small dog yapping from inside the house filled the silence between us.
“Uh, hey, Rosie. So, my, um, ex-fianceé just showed up. I had no idea she was coming.” He spread his hands defensively. “Do you think it would be okay if we postponed supper, like, an hour or so?”
I handed him the bag and tried to sound as though this was a normal request and wasn’t making it hard for me to breathe. “Of course. I’ll just come back later.”
Ty looked enormously relieved. “Thanks a million!”
As the door swung back so he could extract himself from it, I caught a glimpse of her. Jenna was everything I’d expected and more. Not only was her hair perfectly coiffed in a fashion-forward style and her makeup flawless, but her low-cut top and skin-tight jeans showed off her curvy figure perfectly. She wore a smug “you’re not competition for me” look on her face, and I had to agree with her assessment. There was no way I could compete with that. Next to Ty’s expensive modern furniture, she seemed firmly entrenched.
I turned and slunk away, hands shoved in my hoodie’s front pocket. It was too late to go home and put on makeup and develop a better figure. I drove to the Birch Springs Beanery in search of caffeine and Matt’s comforting presence. Unfortunately, the place was packed with high school kids. Matt served me coffee but didn’t have time for more than a quick greeting.
The coffee turned out to be a mistake. By the time forty-five minutes had passed, I was a jittery mess. I decided I’d go back and just wait in my car until the requested hour was up. But once I’d parked, I couldn’t sit still. It was ten minutes early. Maybe if I walked really slowly and lurked at the door, I could eat up another five minutes?
So, I tried to take the drive as slowly as humanly possible. However, I still had nine minutes and thirty seconds left by the time I reached Ty’s door. It would be totally creepy if I was standing on his front step if one of them tried to exit, right?
I walked back onto the driveway to try and not seem like I’d arrive far earlier than I was supposed to. But as I turned to do a lap around Ty’s car, I caught sight of the two of them through the window. Ty was sitting on the couch and Jenna was curled up with her head on his shoulder. They were the very picture of a reconciled couple.
I stepped closer, thinking I might burst into tears or throw up any moment. It didn’t matter anymore if I acted like a total stalker. I almost pressed my nose against the glass and saw with dawning horror that Jenna was wearing her engagement ring.
Gasping for breath, I stepped backward as though bitten. Was there a logical explanation for this? Could there possibly be one? Maybe someone d
ied and Ty was consoling her, and she’d had to drive all the way to Wyoming because…. No. That didn’t work. Maybe she’d found out she had a few weeks to live and came to apologize and make amends and was wearing her ring because…. No, again.
And as I came to that realization, Jenna looked up at Ty and kissed him full on the mouth. I waited for several heartbeats, waiting for him to react, but he didn’t.
I didn’t wait to see what came next. I turned and ran to my car, fumbled with my keys, and then wrenched the door open and threw myself inside. I couldn’t get my key in the ignition and finally gave up and dropped my head to the steering wheel and sobbed. My heart was breaking. It hurt so much that I thought I was going to die.
After a few minutes, I became aware of the fact that they might come outside, and I couldn’t bear the thought of facing either of them right now. With desperation, I forced my key into place and drove home.
Everyone was still in the dining room, and I hurried upstairs as quietly as possible, where I climbed into a hot shower and let the tears keep falling. I turned my lights off and put on pajamas, and then went and sat on the floor in between my bed and the wall. For no particular reason, this spot felt soothing to me, and it would mean that no one would find me.
There was a text message from Ty. “Can we reschedule? Things are complicated. I might need to go back to St. Paul.”
And that was all the proof I needed. Ty was going to go back with Jenna. Whatever we had didn’t matter. Maybe I was just a loose thread from his past. Ty had taken me out on a date, and we’d seen what might have been, but that didn’t compare with what he could have with Jenna. Maybe he really did like me, but when Jenna had shown up, he’d realized she was far superior. My immature family problems were pathetic, and Ty was bored with me.