Anything Goes on a Friday Night (14 page)

“Did you like Phil? He’s a good guy and in jail for nothing. He’s wrongly accused. I know so. God told me. He’s supposed to be in for life, but he’ll get out. I’m sure of it.”

I groaned and hit my head against the back of the seat. “Mom, change the subject.”

“I can’t. Because there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Oh dear God, please tell me you’re not giving that man money to get him out?” I looked at her.

“Not yet. But, Elena, I don’t know exactly how to tell you this…but we’re getting married.”

My mouth fell open, and Mom accelerated when the light turned green. I watched her mouth turn into a sappy smile, and she giggled a little.

I couldn’t respond. Could everyone in my life get any stupider? I shook my head and scoffed. This was insane! It was stupid and careless. I was done.
So done.
Was this the only reason she wanted to meet with me today? So she could tell me this? I appreciated her honesty, but come on!

“Mom, take me back to my car,” I demanded.

“Elena, please—”

“Take me back!” I screamed. “I need to process this and not around you! I swear, everyone I know is losing their minds!”

Mom’s shoulders slumped, and she turned the car around. The drive back to Fredericksburg was an hour long, and I knew it’d feel like ages by the time we got back. I pulled my earbuds from my purse and turned on some music. Anything to drown out the silence and tension between us.

Once I made it back home, I was exhausted. I wanted off this emotional rollercoaster that just wouldn’t stop. I sat in my car and stared at Nancy’s car. There was no way I’d go in and deal with her shit too. I sighed heavily and put my car in drive.

I turned up my music and cruised around town, letting the music take over my thoughts. Things were better for a moment until I saw Finn flash his headlights at me as he passed. I kept driving but noticed him do a U-turn and start following closely behind me. He kept flashing his headlights, so I pulled over into the Kerrville Tire Repair shop. I wasn’t going to stop, but Finn was insanely persistent, and he would’ve just followed me until I did.

I rolled down my window when he walked over. “Yes?”

“Whatcha’ doin’?” He leaned into my window, resting his hands on my car.

“Driving around. Just trying to clear my head.” I instantly regretted the last sentence.

“Is everything okay?”

When would it click with Finn that I didn’t like him questioning my emotions all the time? I looked at my hands and didn’t answer him. I just sat there, and all of the shit my mom had done today started waging war in my mind again.
Great.
I was doing okay until Mr. Curiosity butted in again.

I’m not going to cry.

I’m not going to…

Dammit. Dammit to hell.

My shoulders slumped, and my head rested gently on the steering wheel. Tears spilled from my eyes. I felt a hand on my back rubbing circles against it. I knew it belonged to Finn. I didn’t question it, and I sure as hell didn’t ask him to stop. I wouldn’t admit it, but I needed this.

When the tears stopped, embarrassment set in. I sat up straight, and Finn took his hand out of the car and placed in safely in his pocket. I ran my hands down my face, ridding it of tears. I looked at Finn, and a humorless laugh escaped me.

“I know you don’t understand why I want to be your friend, and honestly, I don’t either. But sometimes shit happens, and we just go with it. Trust me, Elena. Let me show you how truly amazing I am. I can be the best damn friend you’ve ever had.”

I chuckled and wiped my eyes again. “Maybe someday. Just not today. This isn’t preschool. You can’t just share a juice box with me and become instant friends. Just respect that I have so much going on and just need space.”

“I’ll respect it right now, but I make no promises for tomorrow or the day after that.”

“I need to go.” I rolled up my window and watched him get in his truck and leave.

Finn Kerr was a lunatic. A crazy, adorable, persistent lunatic.

I
WISHED I WASN’T ALONE
in the break room. If someone were in here, I could talk and distract myself instead of wallowing in all of the drama.

I wished I could say that things at my dad’s and Nancy’s had gotten better. Nope. They had actually gotten worse. They fought all the time, and I had come to the conclusion that Nancy was a raging lunatic. She’d be smiling one second and cutting up my dad’s work clothes with a pair of scissors, screaming at him for doing something dumb the next.

I was never at home when they were anymore. I gave up trying to play house with them. I’d stopped talking to Mom again after she asked me to be in her wedding at the jail chapel. Maybe that was a bitch move, but Mom had only known this guy for a couple of weeks, and he was in jail for life. I just couldn’t get past the stupid and pretend to be okay with it.

I hadn’t talked to my brother Kyle at all. I wanted him to call me, but I knew if I kept waiting for him to check on me, I’d be waiting forever. So I called him.

“Can you believe it?” I asked him after telling him the whole story about Dad, Nancy, and Mom and her new jailbird.

“Ellie, I just stopped caring. I knew about all of that. They have all been filling me in. Just let it go. Just forget about it.”

“Easy for you to say! You’re not here.”

“No, I’m not, and thank God. Leaving that hell-hole was the best decision I ever made. Anyway, Grandpa misses you. You need to come up here and see him soon if you can.”

“I know. I will try maybe over Christmas break or something. I’ll talk to Dad.”

“I gotta go. I work in twenty minutes,” he said, sounding bored with our conversation.

“Yeah… Okay.”

Kyle hung up without saying goodbye or anything. Maybe he was doing the same thing I was. I had decided to cut ties with everyone who linked me to Channing and Katie. It might not be fair, but so far, it had helped. Maybe the hurt from Kyle and Mom not getting along was easier for him to handle if he just cut us all out.

I went back to work after talking to Kyle. I was closing tonight, which meant I’d be here until 9:00, and it was only 6:30. I had plans to go out with Jane after to see a late movie.

I started ringing up groceries when I saw Finn and one of his friends walk in. I accidentally rang up the bread twice and cursed myself for getting distracted. I felt my cheeks heat up with embarrassment.

I looked at the elderly lady and smiled. “Sorry, ma’am. I’ll fix it.”

I went into the computer and voided the extra charge. I finished ringing up her groceries, and as she paid, I heard Finn’s voice. I looked to my right and saw him smiling at me in my checkout lane.

I called a bagboy over the intercom, and after I made sure the lady was being helped out to her car, I started ringing up Finn’s things. A pack of gum, a Coke, and a bag of ice. I bagged it for him and told him his total.

“When did you start working here?” he asked, handing me his money.

“Your change,” I said, not answering his question. I was still angry with him from the other night at Caroline’s house and still embarrassed for breaking down in front of him. He was so persistent in getting in my business when I had clearly told him to butt the hell out. It was sweet that he was trying so hard to be a part of my life, but I didn’t want him to be there right now.

“You’re avoiding my question. Why?”

“Why does your last name sound a lot like the town we live in? Some things just don’t have to be answered, Finn. My line is starting to get full. You need to leave.”

He raised a brow and had a humorous grin on his face. It infuriated me that he found this funny.

“I thought you were smarter than that, Elena. My great-great-great-grandparents founded this town and it’s common logic that they add ‘ville’ to the end of one’s last name when a town is named after someone. So, now that I answered your question, answer mine.”

“Bye, Finn.” I rolled my eyes.

“I’m going to get you to be friends with me, Elena Johnson. Just you wait and see. Challenge accepted.”

“Please, Finn. Stop. I’m at work, and this is embarrassing.”

His friend chuckled. “Come on. We’ll catch up with her later.”

“Please, don’t,” I said, narrowing my eyes at his friend.

“We’ll see.” Finn smiled, and he and his friend walked out of the store.

I apologized to the next person in line and kept working.

I GOT OUT TO
my car and had just put my purse and apron in the backseat when I heard a truck pull up beside me. I looked over my shoulder and saw Finn and the same friend from earlier.

“You’re relentless,” I mumbled. I grabbed my blue and white plaid shirt and put my arms in the sleeves. I adjusted the shirt onto my shoulders and then shut my door. I leaned against it, looking up at Finn in his truck with his window down.

“Get in.”

“What? No! I’m meeting Jane at her house. I need to leave. Do I need to spell this out for you? I’m not interested in being your—”

“I talked to Jane,” he said, interrupting me. “She was at the Stump for a little while. I told her I’d be picking you up.” His smile was so huge that I was sure his face would get stuck that way.

“There’s no way she’d believe that. She would’ve texted me.” I pulled my phone from my back pocket and chewed on my bottom lip when I saw that she did, in fact, text me.

Jane: You’re actually letting Finn pick you up? Wow. I’m down for more than just us at the movie. See you soon. :)

I looked up from my phone at a cheesing Finn. “I can still decline, ya’ know?”

“But do you want to?” He smiled knowingly.

Do you have to be so good looking?

I rubbed my forehead and sighed. As badly as I wanted to keep my friends to a minimum, Finn sure was wasting a lot of time trying to be friends with me. Maybe I should give this guy a chance. Being friends wouldn’t hurt. Jane seemed to think highly of him. Or maybe if I gave him a few hours of my time, he’d finally leave me alone because he’d see that I wasn’t really that fun to be around anyway.

I looked at him. “Fiiine. But this doesn’t mean I like you or even want to be friends with you. Consider this a trial period.” I climbed into the backseat of his truck and put on my seatbelt.

“I can do a trial run. But I have to warn you, I’m pretty amazing, and you’ll be sorry you weren’t friends with me sooner.”

I rolled my eyes. “So, what’s your friend’s name?” I asked, looking at his friend with the curly hair that was sticking out of his ball cap. He kind of reminded me of Dillon.

“Tryston Baker. He’s my Jane.”

I laughed. “Well, I’m glad you have a Jane. Janes are pretty amazing.”

Tryston turned in his seat to look at me. “How do you like it here so far?”

“It’s growing on me. It’s nice to meet you, Tryston.”

“Same to you.” Tryston turned back around in his seat and rolled his window down. He lit a cigarette.

Finn looked at me from his rearview mirror. “Do you smoke?” he asked.

“Only sometimes. Mainly when I drink.”