A rush slid through Lottie’s body but thudded back down into her stomach. “My mom said I’m a target for narcissists. That it’s like I have a bullseye on my back and they zero in on me. How do I know I’m not just letting that happen again? I mean, I thought it was too good to be true that David could love me. Why should I believe that Grant isn’t the same?”
“Don’t make me pull this Jeep over, Charlotte Stephens!” Beth shot Lottie a glare. “Grant is nothing like the douche. He backed off and gave you your space when David slithered back into it. He’s always put your needs first. Narcissist don’t do that. You can’t let David interfere in your life anymore. Don’t put up walls for anyone but David.”
Opposing emotions swirled through Lottie the whole trip home. She was nervous about seeing Grant yet extremely excited at the same time. She flipped down the passenger side visor and checked in the mirror for the inevitable pimples that emerged every time she travelled by airplane. Should she act like she was surprised to see him there or admit she was expecting him? Would she need to apologize for pushing him aside for David? Did she want him to think he was staying in Altus to give their relationship a try or immediately make sure he knew she was staying for Beth?
Lottie leaned her head on the window and stared out at the cars they passed, wondering if the lives of the people inside were as fucked up as hers.
***
Lottie’s heart thumped in her chest as she waited in the doorway for Beth to arrive. Pickles danced around on the leash anxiously. He must have been feeding on her energy. She couldn’t calm herself down. Every inch of her skin seemed to be emitting a cold, invisible sweat. She must’ve sniffed her armpits at least a dozen times, reapplying deodorant occasionally just to be sure she didn’t stink.
She glanced into the hall mirror again. How did her breath smell? Wait, was that a booger? No. But a long, protruding nose hair, yes. Where did that come from? It had to have been growing for weeks to get that long. Sure, it was blonde; maybe that’s why she’d never noticed it. Oh, goodness, there was a whole forest of blonde nose hairs growing.
Lottie raced into the bathroom, pulling Pickles along with her. “Sorry, boy,” she apologized after jerking on the leash a little too hard as she reached into the medicine cabinet to fish out the little cuticle scissors. Pressing her nose back, she clipped the hairs. “I’m so disgusting. I can’t believe I almost went like this.”
A honk from the driveway blared out. Lottie dropped the scissors in the sink. “C’mon, boy, Aunt Beth is here.” She raced to the front door, taking one more look in the hall mirror, sucking in a deep breath, and walked through the door, trying to look like a normal human being and not a nervous tween who was about to be asked to her first school dance.
Scooping Pickles up, she helped him into the back seat of Beth’s Jeep and climbed in, buckling up and trying to stifle the smile that refused to leave her face.
Beth winked. “Ready?”
Lottie nodded, and they took off for the reservoir. There was no sign of his truck when they arrived. Lottie tried not to let the sinking in the pit of her stomach consume her. She looked at the clock. They had arrived a little earlier than they normally did.
“Welp, shall we?” Beth climbed out of the Jeep.
Lottie pressed her lips into a smile and nodded. She lifted Pickles out of the Jeep. As they began their walk around the reservoir, Lottie couldn’t help looking all around to see if Grant had arrived yet.
“Don’t worry, he’ll be here,” Beth said, patting Lottie on the shoulder.
“What? I’m not—”
“You’re turning around every five steps. You don’t have to pretend with me.”
“I’m really nervous. I feel so stupid for ditching him for David. How can I apologize for that?”
“I don’t think he’s coming for apologies, Lottie. Just relax.”
Lottie nodded, took in a deep breath, and let it out as they continued their walk.
As they rounded the corner, Pickles suddenly darted off, the leash slipping right out of Lottie’s hands. She turned to chase him and ran into Grant, who was walking her way. He had a dog with him, who Pickles was sniffing and circling.
“Grant, hey.” Lottie stumbled as she untangled Pickles's leash from the one Grant was holding. “Sorry about that.”
Grant smiled as he watched Lottie smooth her hair back and straighten her shirt.
“Who is this?” Lottie motioned to the Border collie.
“This is Freya. I just adopted her. We were wondering if you wouldn’t mind us joining you on your walk.”
Beth had walked up to them during the shuffle. She gave Lottie a side hug. “Hey, Lottie, I think I’m gonna get going if you don’t mind. I’m feeling a little sick to my stomach. Pregnancy, you know. Grant, do you mind driving Lottie home?”
“I’d be happy to. I hope you feel better.” He smiled at Beth.
“I’m sure I just need to lie down for a bit. See you guys later.” Beth blew Lottie a kiss before heading off toward her Jeep.
Lottie’s heart pounded.
“Shall we?” Grant asked as he motioned to the trail.
Lottie nodded and walked slowly on.
“I was surprised when you weren’t at school the last day. I’m sorry things have been hard for you.” Grant paused. Lottie got the feeling that he wanted to ask about David but didn’t want to intrude.
Lottie tucked a loose hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry, Grant.”
“For what?”
“I’m sorry that I stayed with David instead of going out with you that night. I should’ve told him to get lost. He was just using me, as always. Anyway, I got my divorce papers. I wrote him forty letters, and I got divorce papers in return.”
Lottie stopped walking and turned to Grant. “The thing is I thought about you the whole time. I knew I was making the wrong choice, and I did it anyway. I’m messed up. I don’t even know why you still want to be my friend.” Lottie’s eyes burned and filled with tears.
“I want to be more than your friend, Lottie. We all make choices we regret or else I wouldn’t have dated Tiffany. Sometimes we do the things we think we should do or we do things to make other people happy. But I want to be happy, and I know the thing that will make me happy is being with you. I know it’s selfish of me to ask you to stay in Altus, but I hope you’ll stay. I’d really like to spend more time with you.”
Tears spilled down Lottie’s cheeks. Grant leaned in close to her. Their lips were almost touching when Lottie’s arm jerked, pulling her away. They looked over to see Pickles doing his best to hump Freya, who was two times his height. Freya stood there looking bewildered, as though she didn’t understand what it was he was trying to do.
Lottie blushed, embarrassed that her dog was trying to hump his. “Pickles, stop that.” She tugged on the leash. She covered her face as Pickles continued to hump Freya’s leg.
Grant watched her, a smile spreading across his face as she fumbled and tripped over her words. He pulled her in close to him. “I guess you have to stay now. We can’t possibly separate Romeo and Juliet here.”
“No, we can’t separate them.” Lottie smiled and placed her hand on Grant’s face.
He pulled her close to him, kissing her. She parted her lips, letting his tongue find its way to hers. As they kissed, Lottie realized she didn’t need to make any more decisions about her future; she could feel it. She was home.
The End
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my supportive husband and children for giving me the time to work on my stories and also for the inspiration.
Thank you to my parents, my brother, and my sister-in-law for all your support.
Thank you to one of my first readers and incredibly supportive friend, Billie H. You always inspire me to keep working and to believe in my writing.
Thank you to my friend and editor, Christina Kaye, for the time you took polishing my manuscript and patiently answering all my questions.
Thank you to Limitless Publishing. I appreciate the chance you’ve given me immensely.
About The Author
K. Alice Compeau is an Air Force veteran and military spouse.
She discovered her love for writing in elementary school and has been doing it ever since. Her third-grade writing journal is still one of her prized possessions.
When she’s not wrapped up in her imagination, she loves going for walks and listening to music. She also loves spending time with her husband, three children, and three rescue dogs.
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https://www.instagram.com/kalicecompeau/
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