doesnât hug a crying woman in the State of Virginia, he can be hanged. Itâs still on the books,â she joked, causing Roslyn to laugh.
âSo then he likes to hug you more than death,â Roslyn said.
âWell, there is that. Weâre practically reconciled.â They laughed together as Lexi looked at the clock. âI need to go.â
âAre you going to be okay?â
âIâm going to go home and read a letter from my deceased uncle. Then Iâm going to pack for a weekend with a man who may or may not like me only slightly more than being hanged, and his helium-voiced, younger girlfriend. So Iâm going to have to say no. No, I donât think Iâm okay.â
âThe guidance counselor in me wants to offer some wise advice, but I have to say I canât come up with a damn thing.â
âI appreciate your honesty.â They were actually laughing as Lexi gathered her things and walked out of the school. Something she didnât think she would be capable of as she headed off to start the worldâs worst weekend. But she knew she had friends and family who loved her.
As soon as she walked in the door at home, she went to her room, picked up the envelope from Uncle Jimmy, and opened it. She had tried a couple of times since the lawyer gave it to her but hadnât been able to do it. Now she had no choice. Jimmy might have told her something about what he wanted her to have at the cabin. She had to read it.
Tears came at just the sight of his scratchy writing. She could barely read the words.
âBossy much?â she said as she wiped tears from her eyes. She folded the letter and tucked it into the book on her nightstand. A calm came over her as she packed. She was going to spend the weekend at a place that had always made her happy, with a man whoâd once loved her. It might not be the ideal situation now, but her heart was filled with memories of a better time, and she would always have that.
She wasnât surprised when Ian showed up to drive her to the cabin as she was heaving her suitcase out of the house.
After reading Jimmyâs words to her, sheâd kind of expected it.
âCan I drive you up to the cabin?â he asked, as if he had been properly scolded.
âYes. Thank you,â she said, as Jimmy had requested.
He took her bag and put it in the back with his own. He even held the door for her as she got in. She couldnât help but be grateful Meeghan wasnât in the car as she watched him climb in and start the SUV.
âIâm sorry if this isnât how you plannedââ
âThis is not how I planned anything, Lex. But this is the way weâre going to do it,â he interrupted her apology. âItâs a weekend. I owe Jimmy a hell of a lot more than a weekend.â She nodded in understanding.
It was only a weekend.
How bad could it be?
The cabin was about an hour from Roanoke, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Lexi had always loved this drive. Feeling the population dropping off, and the trees embracing her like an old friend. Her ears would pop with the change in pressure as they made the elevation.
She would hold Ianâs hand as they chatted or sang along with the radio. She would have a feeling of anticipation, knowing they would be having tons of sex, starting the minute they walked into the cabin.
It sure wasnât like that now. She gazed out the window, watching the hazy red buds on the trees flash by. The silence was crushing and they had only been on the road ten minutes.
âSo howâs work?â she finally asked to start up a conversation. She couldnât take the awkward silence anymore.
He glanced over at her before answering.
âItâs been good. I just updated the site for the guy who rents to me, and Iâm developing a Web site for the senator.â
âHmm. Iâve never had the overwhelming urge to visit a senatorâs Web site
âSo then he likes to hug you more than death,â Roslyn said.
âWell, there is that. Weâre practically reconciled.â They laughed together as Lexi looked at the clock. âI need to go.â
âAre you going to be okay?â
âIâm going to go home and read a letter from my deceased uncle. Then Iâm going to pack for a weekend with a man who may or may not like me only slightly more than being hanged, and his helium-voiced, younger girlfriend. So Iâm going to have to say no. No, I donât think Iâm okay.â
âThe guidance counselor in me wants to offer some wise advice, but I have to say I canât come up with a damn thing.â
âI appreciate your honesty.â They were actually laughing as Lexi gathered her things and walked out of the school. Something she didnât think she would be capable of as she headed off to start the worldâs worst weekend. But she knew she had friends and family who loved her.
As soon as she walked in the door at home, she went to her room, picked up the envelope from Uncle Jimmy, and opened it. She had tried a couple of times since the lawyer gave it to her but hadnât been able to do it. Now she had no choice. Jimmy might have told her something about what he wanted her to have at the cabin. She had to read it.
Tears came at just the sight of his scratchy writing. She could barely read the words.
âBossy much?â she said as she wiped tears from her eyes. She folded the letter and tucked it into the book on her nightstand. A calm came over her as she packed. She was going to spend the weekend at a place that had always made her happy, with a man whoâd once loved her. It might not be the ideal situation now, but her heart was filled with memories of a better time, and she would always have that.
She wasnât surprised when Ian showed up to drive her to the cabin as she was heaving her suitcase out of the house.
After reading Jimmyâs words to her, sheâd kind of expected it.
âCan I drive you up to the cabin?â he asked, as if he had been properly scolded.
âYes. Thank you,â she said, as Jimmy had requested.
He took her bag and put it in the back with his own. He even held the door for her as she got in. She couldnât help but be grateful Meeghan wasnât in the car as she watched him climb in and start the SUV.
âIâm sorry if this isnât how you plannedââ
âThis is not how I planned anything, Lex. But this is the way weâre going to do it,â he interrupted her apology. âItâs a weekend. I owe Jimmy a hell of a lot more than a weekend.â She nodded in understanding.
It was only a weekend.
How bad could it be?
The cabin was about an hour from Roanoke, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Lexi had always loved this drive. Feeling the population dropping off, and the trees embracing her like an old friend. Her ears would pop with the change in pressure as they made the elevation.
She would hold Ianâs hand as they chatted or sang along with the radio. She would have a feeling of anticipation, knowing they would be having tons of sex, starting the minute they walked into the cabin.
It sure wasnât like that now. She gazed out the window, watching the hazy red buds on the trees flash by. The silence was crushing and they had only been on the road ten minutes.
âSo howâs work?â she finally asked to start up a conversation. She couldnât take the awkward silence anymore.
He glanced over at her before answering.
âItâs been good. I just updated the site for the guy who rents to me, and Iâm developing a Web site for the senator.â
âHmm. Iâve never had the overwhelming urge to visit a senatorâs Web site
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