to point out the many instances where my mom served as my sister’s press secretary. Anderson leaned against the counter, taking it all in.
“You’re quiet. What do you think of the Messer dynamic?” Derrick asked, making me cringe.
Anderson sighed, “I think your mom is very proud of her children. When you aren’t around, there’s a fairly good chance your mom holds you up in front of others. I also think when she understands the magnitude of what you are undertaking, she will sing your praises.”
“Don’t even count on it,” Derrick waved Anderson off as he took me into a big hug. “I’m glad you came home for the weekend. I’ve missed you. Sorry, I let the parents know you were here, but I knew you’d feel guilty by Tuesday if you didn’t see them.”
“Thank you. You’re right.” I stepped back into Anderson, who wrapped his arms around me.
Swear to everything holy and dear, please do not catch feelings for his guy.
“Oh shit. I meant to ask if you had replied to that guy you missed your date with.” Derrick grinned like he had matchmade the two of us, and we were preparing to walk down the aisles.
Anderson tensed, which released me from his hold. “What are you talking about?”
“Clearly, you are not open to rescheduling, but I think you should at least tell him you’re…” Derrick waved from me to Anderson and back. “I don’t know what this is, but he has been hitting you up to reschedule.”
“Both dates stood me up.” I grabbed Derrick’s phone to open the dating app and scanned the messages. “What the hell? I didn’t cancel anything. He’s insane.”
“What are you doing?” Derrick pointed to his phone.
“I’m telling him that he is insane, and I wouldn’t go out with him now for anything. No second chances after being stood up. Send!”
I looked over at Anderson as I returned the phone to Derrick. His arms were closed, and his expression was one I hadn’t seen before. My imagination played with the notion that I could affect this smart, insanely attractive, cocky guy by dating someone else. Interesting.
Derrick’s grin shifted to his putting-the-puzzle-pieces-together expression that he used when it was time to grade papers.
“What?”
My words fell away when I saw Derrick looking at Anderson. He flinched when I looked at him, whereas a confident, relaxed Anderson stood with his hands protectively across his body.
“What?”
“It’s getting late, and I have two yards to rake tomorrow.” Derrick pulled me into a hug, and I squeezed him like it was our last hug. “There’s going to be unimaginable highs and some really bumpy moments in this next chapter of your life. I’m going to be there through it all.”
Nodding into his shoulders, I fought to keep the tears from escaping. Derrick released me and kissed my cheek. How was I going to survive in New York City without my best friend? Do I want to?
Anderson followed Derrick out the backdoor. As I cleaned the glasses and wiped down the counters, my thoughts were not on how my new life in New York would turn out. Instead, my heart was processing leaving my home and everything that made me who I was.
“I deleted the message.” Anderson announced as he burst through the door. “The Russian Tea Room guy. It was wrong. I wanted to spend time with you, and I did a really fucked up thing.”
“What?” The words made little sense as they replayed in my head.
“I’m a complete and total asshole. Derrick was–”
“Wait! Why?” That night’s events flashed through my mind like the Viewmaster I had as a kid.
“Jurnee–”
The feelings of being stood up washed over me. “What’s wrong with you? Why would you do that to someone?”
He rubbed his hands over his face and linked his fingers together behind his head. “I messed up. When the message popped up, the only thought I had was: ‘I don’t want to share her attention’ and, almost without thinking, I deleted it.”
“Anderson, that is so far over the line that I can’t even process it.”
“I know.”
I left Anderson standing in the kitchen while I gathered the bedding I kept at the ready in my office’s closet. My normal practice of transforming the foldout couch into a soft sleeping oasis was replaced with the tossing of the blankets, sheets, and pillows onto the couch. At least he had the good sense to not push me into talking.
The mix of emotions wrestled through me as I laid alone in my bed. Nothing about this