Tender (Book 1 - Complete)

Chapter 27 - Jamie

       

I never thought I'd be relieved to see my friends go, but relieved, I am. Not that I don't enjoy them, but I've just come to realize just how shallow they are. Well, apart from Clarice. As much as she irritates me with her drama, she's not so bad. Drew and Penny though? I could use a little time away from them. Drew's the type to be so involved in his own life that he doesn't even sense if other's are struggling. He's self-absorbed and he doesn't even know it. It's not intentional, he's just the kind of guy who's oblivious to the world around him. And then there's Penny, of course. There's been enough said about her.

As I wave my friends off, watching as they set out for some kind of epic adventure, a part of me aches. It's not that I want to join them; I just want to have some kind of adventure of my own. I need some excitement if I'm going to be stuck in Galena for the entire summer—if not longer.

It was nice of them to stop by and at least make it feel as though they wanted me to be going on this trip with them. They did all the necessary begging and pleading, but in the end, they all knew that my decision was final. Not like I had a say in it. With physical therapy taking place every week, I couldn't go even if I wanted to.

Heading back into the house, I snatch my car keys off the kitchen island and lock up the house before sending Lynn a text that I'm on my way. After our chat yesterday, I've been feeling a lightness in my chest. I unknowingly let go of my burdens when I finally said what I needed to say to her. It's like my own pride was holding me back from feeling free. Submitting to that nagging voice in my head and finally expressing myself to Lynn in a genuine way has opened up a whole new world for me.

I pull to a stop in front of her house fifteen minutes later and step out of my car. A wave of anxiety trickles through my bloodstream and I hesitate my steps for a moment as I try to decipher where the sudden nerves came from. Lynn doesn't make me nervous. I have no reason to feel tense as I make my way to her front door. And yet, I do.

Knocking a couple times, I carefully push the door open and yell out a greeting into the quiet house. I assume somebody's home since the door was unlocked. Besides, Lynn is fully aware that I'm on my way. She was the one who told me to come by around eleven. So, where is she now?

Stepping inside, I softly close the door behind me and then glance around the open room. I can hear the ticking of the clock in the kitchen, and turn my attention to the time to make sure I didn't read the numbers on my phone wrong. But nope, it's eleven o'clock on the dot.

"Hello?" I call out again, edging my way further into the house.

"Come in. Come in," I hear a voice holler from the hallway, and I'm positive it's not Lynn.

A moment later, her mom appears. She looks a bit flustered, like she might have been in the shower and my arrival forced her to rush.

"Sorry," she apologizes, her slight accent turning the R's into L's so that it sounds more like 'saa-lee'. "Lynn is grocery shopping for me, but should be back any time."

"Okay," I say. "That's fine."

"You want something to eat?" she asks, making her way to the kitchen. "Drink?"

"Oh, no," I decline. "I'm okay. Thank you."

She nods once, smiling, though I can see that she's not quite sure how to entertain me until Lynn arrives. So instead, she busy's herself by cutting up fruit and arranging it onto a plate. As she does this she questions me about my hobbies and family.

"My parents are divorced," I explain to her. "So it's just me and my mom now."

"No siblings?" she asks.