Winnie

Afew days have passed since our day at the lake. During that time, I've thought of little else. I've been back and forth on trying to have a casual thing with Rhett and I don't see how I don't fall for him and get my heart broken. He's been in and out of his house a lot. It's not that I'm keeping track of him. It"s just hard not to when he lives right next door. I'm going to try and take my mind off of it though. Tonight I'm having Mare over for a wine night and trash tv. She's been working crazy hours at the hospital and I can tell there's more tension with another doctor, maybe I'll be able to get her to spill tonight.

It's beautiful out today. A little cooler than the last few. The season is starting to change and I can't wait for it. I brought home some things from the bakery to snack on tonight and I'm also making chicken fettuccine for dinner, because that's Mare's favorite dish and we like to carb load while watching other people derail their lives. I'm already in my most comfy pajamas when I hear her come in.

"Honey! I'm home!" she calls and I grin.

"In the kitchen! Right where I should be, sweetheart!" I reply and we both laugh.

"Is that amazing smell what I think it is?"

"It is," I confirm. "Because I'm the best friend anyone could ask for."

"You are the best friend anyone could ask for! I brought the wine. Should I open it now or?" I give the side eye. "Yep, opening now." She opens the two drawers she seems to always open before she gets to the one with the wine key. "So, how's it going with the new neighbor?" I filled her in on the night I gave Rhett a very accidental strip tease in my kitchen through a string of frantic voice messages.

"Um…fine I guess. I haven't seen much of him since Sunday."

"What was he doing Sunday?"

"We—went hiking…?" I focus on the sauce on the stove but I see her turn to face me.

"Hiking." She says the word like she's testing it. "You went hiking? Together?"

"Yeah. I went to his family's lunch, Mary invited me and then he asked me to go. I wasn't going to but he said I could bring my book and well…I've definitely had worse days." When I chance a look at her, she's shaking. "Mare?" I hear a snort. "What is so funny?"

"Winnie." She gasps out between the fit of laughter she's succumbed to.

"What?" I'm smiling now, too, because it feels weird not to join in at this point.

"He wasn't even here three days and you went hiking with him?" I laugh a little at that.

"Four days."

"Huh?"

"He was here for four days," I say with an eye roll and she loses it. "It's not that funny, Mare." She sobers a bit.

"I know, I know. It's just you told me after you went to see him at the hospital that you were done pining. You were going to move on. Then he comes back to town for all of five minutes and you've spent an afternoon with him?"

"When you say it like that I sound incredibly pathetic."

"No, Winnie. Not at all. You're just not really over him." I sigh.

"No I'm not. I don't know if I ever will be. Sunday was just proof of that."

"Oh, honey. So, what's the hold up?" I look at her.

"Don't look at me like that. You know what the hold up is."

"Why won't you believe what's so absurdly true, Win?" I let a long breath out.

"And what's that, Marigold?"

"You get to have a great love."

"I don't want to have a great love. A great love just means greater the heartbreak."

"Why are you so convinced you'll get your heart broken? What if it lasts?"

"It won't. Not for me. I'm difficult. I'm a lot."

"The right person wouldn't feel that way, Winnie. You haven't given him a chance to prove you wrong."

"It's too much of a risk." I spoon the pasta onto our plates and walk to the table where she sits with our wine. "Oh I almost forgot the garlic bread." I remove it from the oven and transfer it into a bowl. "So, how's it going at the hospital? Are you still having it out with the doctor from the radiology lab the other day?" Asking her about work is my attempt to deflect. I don't want to talk about this any more. I just want to have a fun night with Mare and let my issues fall to the side. I smile when it works and she launches into a story about stolen fridge yogurt and?—

"—and he had the audacity to tell me if I labeled my container more clearly then he would have known it was mine, but like he obviously knew it wasn't his!" She holds her wine glass in the air, moving it around while she talks and I'm waiting for it to slosh over the side as I laugh.

"Let me guess. You didn't take that well?" She flashes me a sassy grin.

"It's like you know me or something." She places her hand over her chest when she says this and I grin.

"So, what did you do?" She laughs.

"Nothing." She takes a sip of her drink then tilts her head and adds. "—yet." Laughter bursts out of me. Marigold is the life of the party to my wallflower tendencies. She's a head turner in every sense of the word. She's a lot like Colt in that way. That's probably why they butt heads so often. I've played referee to countless matches between them over the years and it doesn't seem to be slowing down.

"I thought about not clearly labeling a laxative brownie. Not clearly labeling expired cream that he uses for his coffee. I'm not sure which direction to take this."

"I'm sure you'll come up with something good."

"I always do." She winks. I take our plates to the kitchen and rinse them before putting them in the dishwasher. I listen to more of Mare's ideas on how to get back at Dr. Steals Your Food. I cackle when she introduces that nickname to the conversation. After cleaning up I make a plate of snacks and she grabs the wine so we can move into the living room. We have at least three episodes of The Bachelor to catch up on. I'm thrilled! Nights like this are such a great reset for me.

When all the roses have been handed out and the snacks are gone I look over and see my best friend sleeping soundly. Her long shifts are catching up to her. I cover her with a blanket and take our dishes to the sink. After condensing all the food and cleaning up I remember tomorrow is trash day. I gather all the trash from the rest of the house to take it out to the curb. I open the door in the kitchen that leads to my side yard and throw the bag into the bin. A thud startles me.My hand flies to my throatas I snap my head up. I look over to see my neighbor taking his trash out as well. I relax and let out my breath.

"You scared me, Rhett." He smiles and starts walking to the fence that separates our yards.

"Sorry about that." I walk towards him.

"I guess it's not your fault, I just haven't had a neighbor in awhile."

"Butterfly?"

"What? Butterfly?"

"Your tattoo coverup. Butterfly?" I smile.

"Nope. Not even close."

"I'll figure it out eventually." He's so cocky sometimes, I swear. "How was your night, honeybee?" He's called me honeybee since we were kids, telling me once that it's because I'm sweet like honey until I'm cornered but then I sting like a bee.

"It was good. Mare's asleep inside. We had a wine and trash tv night." He puts his hands on the black metal fence and leans onto them, closer to me. He's in a white tee and gray sweatpants with his feet bare. I cross my arms over my chest, remembering I'm in my pajamas.

"What show was it tonight?" he asks, his genuine curiosity is evident. I grin.

"The Bachelor." He grins back.

"Well go on then. Give me the highlights." I chuckle.

"Do you really want them? I always felt like it may have driven you crazy to listen to me recap everything." Rhett had always humored me and let me go on about my shows and books.

"If I'm being honest I've really missed hearing your recaps, I've missed hearing you in general." My chest warms and my heartbeat picks up. I tuck my hair behind my ear, trying to calm myself.

"Then you're in for a treat because I just watched three episodes." He smiles wide.

"I've got all night." Rhett's always made me feel important, like a priority. He wasn't always telling me with words, but he was constantly showing me with his actions. I have never doubted that when Rhett was with me, he wanted to be.

We spent hours outside, me recapping not only the last few hours of tv I watched but the years worth of books and shows that I never got a chance to tell him about. He gasped and looked shocked at all the right times, clapped for my monologues, and laughed with me when I remembered something especially ridiculous. When we said goodnight, I found myself wanting to stay with him. So now as I'm climbing into bed, smiling like an idiot, I'm hit again with how easy it would be to let myself fall in love with Rhett Holloway.