This Much is True - Tia Louise Page 0,52
didn’t try to stop me.”
Or take me with him.
Tears were in my eyes as I pulled away from Fireside, leaving JR standing there, his lips a warm memory on my fingertips.
Tears streamed down my face as I drove as hard as I could to Half Moon Bay, stopping only for gas and to crash at motels along the way. I was through Atlanta when I found an envelope with five hundred dollars in cash tucked inside my coat and a note from JR. Pay me back when you can.
It made me start crying all over again.
I cried the whole way home. I wasn’t sobbing, but the tears wouldn’t stop streaming from my eyes. I couldn’t stop seeing his face when he looked at me and asked me how long I’d wait.
Now I’m utterly exhausted. “He was so cryptic. He didn’t tell me anything, only that he wouldn’t lie to me.”
She exhales deeply. “What are you going to do?”
I’ve thought about that question over the past three days. “Check on Dad. Try to get a job. Get on with my life.”
Inhale, exhale.
Take one step, then the next.
Keep walking until the pain is a ghost in the rearview mirror.
“We’re short-staffed at the Lodge. I could ask if they’d let you on in housekeeping. It’s not the greatest job, but the place is practically empty.”
“Yars!” Sitting up fast, I dive into a hug. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had! Could you?”
“I’m your very best friend, and of course I can. It’s like the Wild West these days, anything goes. I’ll vouch for you.”
Sitting beside her, I lean my head on her shoulder. “Do you think it’s because of my mom?”
“What?” She picks up the remote and starts cycling through Netflix.
“The reason I can’t seem to hold onto a guy?”
Slapping the remote beside her on the couch, she shifts to face me. “Nothing is wrong with you, Hope Eternal Hill. You dated a self-righteous zealot—”
“Scout said Wade was probably gay.”
Yarnell tilts her head to the side. “That actually makes sense. His parents were super religious and controlling, and he was doing his best to be exactly like them.”
“He was cute, though.”
Shaking her head, her stern tone returns. “You dated a self-righteous zealot who was possibly closeted, and now you’ve spent a week with an ex-con. How does any of that add up to something is wrong with you?”
I think about what she’s saying. “So the problem is my picker? JR is so hot, though. You should see him. Rough, angry, and that bod…”
I can’t help a shiver, remembering his lined torso, the tattoo on his chest. This much is true… He has the hottest body, and he has such a good heart behind that grumpy exterior.
“He’s good, Yars. I know he is.”
“Of course, you do!” Placing her hands on my arms, she gives me a little shake. “You’re a believer. You only see the best in people. It makes you the best kind of person, but it also makes you susceptible to the wrong kind of guy. That is not a flaw. You have to be more careful. Don’t let your hormones get the best of you.”
She scoots around again, putting her back against the sofa and retrieving the remote. I return to cuddle at her side, watching a collection of aspiring British bakers doing their best to roll cake.
Memories of JR and Jesse flood my mind, the way they hugged each other like they were making up for all those lost days. Not everybody gets a dad who’ll do anything for them, one who is so in love with you, he’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you’re happy. I have one. JR is one.
A hot tear hits my cheek, and I swallow the thickness in my throat. “He isn’t the wrong kind of guy.”
“How do you know?” Her voice is flat, disbelieving.
“I know.”
“I know you’re going to work with me in the morning, so get some sleep. Sonny will hire you on the spot if I tell him to.”
“Because you’re a boss bitch.”
“Yes, I am.” She leans down to give me a hug, and I hug her tight.
“Thanks, bitch.”
“Now let that shit go and don’t make me kick your ass.”
Warmth comforts the ache in my chest. “I won’t.”
The Half Moon Bay Lodge is like that resort in Dirty Dancing. The main hotel is in the center of the property with twenty-four rooms spreading out in two stories on each side. Then smaller cottages branch out into the hills.
Housekeeping is a