Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 112249 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 561(@200wpm)___ 449(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112249 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 561(@200wpm)___ 449(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
“You know,” Delaney said, taking one more look around what had once been Gracen’s favorite space, “it’s still gonna feel like yours.”
“You think?”
Delaney met Gracen’s gaze with a small, but sad, smile. “Just without you.”
Chapter 34
Early autumn rolled in practically overnight, and with it came chillier mornings and nights. Nothing severe. Nothing that a nice hoodie wouldn’t fix. By far, it was Gracen’s favorite time of year to watch the trees around her change colors. Their vibrancy made for a beautiful landscape no matter if she was jogging the boardwalk in town or just taking a drive.
“It’s almost the day,” Delaney said from the driver’s seat of her Jeep.
Gracen, only a little distracted by the fact she currently stood in the driveway of her own home, could only mumble, “Mmhmm, it is.”
Delaney laughed, but not unkindly. “I didn’t mean your party.”
At that comment, her gaze swung her friend’s way where Delaney stared back from her rolled down window. “I know that—I didn’t mean you were talking about me, either.”
Not everything was about her, after all.
Delaney drummed her fingers to the steering wheel and eyed the side of the two-storey farmhouse with light blue siding and dark colored stonework along the bottom. “We didn’t forget anything, right?”
Nope.
Everything she packed to move fit between their two vehicles, and only took a couple of trips. Delaney would keep most of the furniture the two had purchased together for their rental house, but Gracen had already put in an order at her favorite furnishing store to fill the many rooms in the farmhouse. Or at least to get a decent start on it. The delivery for her furniture was set for the middle of the next week as long as everything came in on time.
Fingers crossed.
Until then, she could make do with the fact she didn’t have a table and chairs for her dining room, or the sectional couches to lounge around on and not even her flatscreen TV had a proper place to sit.
The worst had been dismantling Gracen’s big bed frame and finding someone to haul it and the mattress and box spring, so they didn’t have to tie it down to the top of Delaney’s Jeep. The Jeep could do it, sure, but neither of the women wanted to do the heavy lifting.
Things worked out, eventually.
Sometimes, the universe did look out for her.
“Everything’s great,” Gracen said. “You can head out. I know you’re probably tired.”
It was like her reminder of how exhausting their Friday had been made Delaney yawn on cue. She looked sheepish about it but shrugged in the end.
“Yeah, I better get going, huh? I need a nap.”
“Call me later?” Gracen offered. “If you want.”
Delaney turned the key over in the Jeep, starting the engine. “I will.”
Despite her cheery tone, Gracen could still hear the lingering worry that Delaney tried to hide.
“Things are going to be okay,” Gracen said.
Delaney glanced her way again. “You think?”
“It’ll work out. It always does.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Leaning in the driver’s side window, Gracen wrapped her arms tight around Delaney’s neck and hugged. All their surroundings disappeared, and for a second, it was just Delaney and Gracen again. Best friends until the end. Them against the world. Well, it had certainly felt like that for a long time. Things were changing a bit now.
For the best.
Her friend grabbed back, squeezing just as hard and mumbling to Gracen, “Thanks. I love you, huh?”
Gracen pulled away with a sniffle and held onto the edge of the door for a second longer. “I love you, too. If you get the chance to talk to Bexley before the wedding on Sunday, tell her I said good luck.”
While everyone was distracted and enjoying the reception after the big wedding for Alora and Sonny, someone else would take their chance at starting a new life, as well. Bexley had the plan—as simple as it was—and she just needed to follow through. She wouldn’t take much, already had the two duffels of possessions and clothes packed that she planned to take, and if everything went right for her, no one would notice she was gone until it was too late.
Which was the point.
Bexley worried how her father and older brothers would react once they realized she was gone—so much so that she’d sworn Delaney and Gracen to secrecy about everything. Even her new apartment’s address in the city. Of course, they agreed.
“And remind her to fill her car with gas tonight,” Gracen added. “She shouldn’t even bother with that tomorrow, and certainly not on Sunday. You know?”
Delaney wiped at the new wetness under her eyes. “I will. I hope you know she wouldn’t have been as confident to do this had you not helped out as much as you did. It wouldn’t have been possible without—”
“You did it, too. Before her, I mean. You did it for yourself. She can do it, too. It’s got little to nothing to do with me.”