the rest of the e-mail list for any from my parents or Quinn, I read them all hastily. My mom expressed concern for my well-being, but she just wanted me to be safe and happy. She was sad I didn’t just come to our family home to get away, but she understood why that wasn’t the best idea. She urged me to check in with her as soon and as often as possible.
Quinn already knew I was leaving, so her message was short and sweet:
Go find what you’re looking for. And then bring some back for me.
I fired off a quick e-mail to them both:
Hi Mom & Quinn,
First off, I miss you both so much. Sorry for the combined e-mail, but I’d send you both the same thing anyway. Ha. So, I got a flat tire in Texas…or maybe it was Louisiana? I’m honestly not sure exactly where I am, but I wanted you guys to know that I’m okay. Better than okay, actually. This tiny town is charming, and I’m staying with a really nice family at their B&B. Can you believe there are no hotels here? Heck, there’s not much of anything here. I’ve never seen a town so small before (unless it was a set).
“Tatum?” I shouted toward the other end of the house where he had disappeared to.
“Yeah?” he shouted back.
“Where the heck am I?”
He made an odd sound that could have been a laugh, but I couldn’t be certain. “You’re in Hanford, Louisiana, named after Francis Hanford the third, the man who first settled on this land.”
“Really?” I asked.
“I’m dead serious, Princess.”
“Princess?” I shrieked.
“It suits you,” he yelled back, and my annoyance level suddenly raised significantly.
“It does not suit me. You don’t know anything about me,” I shouted before returning to my e-mail.
I’m back. Bet you didn’t even know I was gone, did you? Had to find out what this town is called. It’s called Hanford, Louisiana and it’s apparently named after its first resident. That’s sort of cool. Why does every other state seem to have so much more history than the one we live in?
Tatum says the tire will take a couple of days to get here, so I’ll be staying with his mom at the B&B until then. Don’t worry, she’s super nice, and I know you’ll both think I’m probably naive, but I trust her. My phone is still off, but I’ll get you the phone number here so you can call me anytime, okay? Don’t worry about me. Love you both so much. Thank you for letting me work through this. I appreciate your love and support. Mom, tell Dad and Stacey I miss and love them. Q, tell Ry I love him too. :)
Paige
She’s No Princess
Tatum
After Paige asked about my dad, I couldn’t shake the memory of him from my mind. Everyone in town already knew what happened, had lived through it with me and my mom, so I rarely had to relive the specifics of that day. But sitting here now, seeing it all again fresh in my mind, I wanted to hop in my truck, drive away, and never look back. Losing my dad had been the defining moment in my life; it had changed everything.
I stalked back to my house after yelling at Paige, part of me feeling like a jerk for being so mean to her, and the other part in so much pain I could barely stomach it. I took a quick shower and stalked into the kitchen, my hair still wet and dripping onto my shoulders. Determined to numb the misery, I poured myself a double shot of Tennessee whiskey. A knock on the door interrupted my plans.
I assumed it was Mama, but she rarely knocked. When I opened it, Paige stood there waiting for me to invite her in, but I was too busy staring at her hot little body to say anything. She watched me, her eyes wary before she spoke. “Your mom said I could use the computer, but I can come back tomorrow when you’re gone if you don’t want me around.”
She thought I didn’t want her here. Little did she know that I wanted her everywhere. As she turned to walk away, I grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her from leaving. I yanked her back toward me, resisting the urge to pull so hard she’d crash into my bare chest and press her body up against mine.