repeated the word. "Engaged?"
"To be married, of course." Smiling broadly,
Abby tucked her arm under Phillip's and snuggled closer to him,
linking her fingers with his and clutching his hand as if ready to
drag him off somewhere.
Brinn shuffled her feet, her nerves starting
to squirm. "That's nice," she muttered, not knowing what else to
say. It had been just her and Abby for so long. Her stomach
tightened and a sick feeling sank into her heart. This man, with
the blue eyes and golden hair, was going to take her friend away.
Brinn wanted to protest. She wanted Phillip to go away and leave
them alone and never come back. She didn't like him or the way he
was touching her friend. But Abby glowed with happiness.
Abby had lost her chubbiness and no longer
wore the thick glasses that made her brown eyes large and bug-like.
Her face was framed with shorter, wavier tresses that made her
appear older and more mature. She’d changed since last fall. She
wasn't the girl that Brinn remembered. Now, she was a lady—a woman
of the world who had seen things beyond the farm, beyond the
mountains.
"I should go." Brinn said, holding her tears
back so hard her throat ached. Helpless to stop the world from
changing around her, she bit down hard on her bottom lip to quell
the rising emotions. A blanket of hopelessness surrounded her, the
weight heavy on her shoulders as she turned to go. The flowers
dropped at her feet.
"Wait,” Abby called out. Brinn turned back,
staring at the scattered flowers on the ground. “Phillip is going
back to North Carolina next week. I'll have time to get together
with you then. I can tell you everything that's been happening
since I started school and you can catch me up on how things are
with you." Brinn glanced toward Phillip, trying to hide the hurt
and sadness festering inside.
Abby tried to ease the uncomfortable tension
in the air. "Phillip and I are going into town later. Maybe you
could come with us? You don't mind, do you, Darlin’?" She blinked
her eyes oddly at the young man who shifted uncomfortably but
didn't protest. He smiled weakly and nodded.
Brinn looked at Abby as if her friend had
just invited her to take a spaceship to the moon. Part of her
wanted to refuse immediately. But another part heard the invitation
in a new light. Kitty was busy with her cubs and hardly around much
anymore. Abby was embarking on a whole new journey without her, and
Brinn knew Mr. Hoffman would be ready to retire soon. The store was
becoming too much for him and he’d mentioned moving to Florida to
live with his sister.
Everyone was moving on without her. She felt
a sudden desperation to run away. But instead of wanting to run
into the mountains, for the first time, she wanted to run away from
them. She thought of Justin and the stories he told her about the
world, and a burst of courage bubbled to the surface, an
underground spring filling her with new hope. She looked down at
her tattered clothing. She couldn’t go looking like this. Her fists
remained clutched at her sides, her eyes focused on the ground, "I
don't think I can."
“ I know I’ve asked you to
come out of hiding a million times, but I really want you to
consider it, Brinn.” Abby picked up the flowers, straightened the
bunch and sniffed them. A sympathetic but determined smile spread
across her face. “We aren’t children anymore and it’s time for your
coming out. There is a whole wonderful world out there, and you are
missing it. And more importantly, the world is missing out on you.”
She crossed her arms, tucked the flowers under her elbow and put
her foot down hard. “I’m not hiding you anymore, and this time, I
won’t take no for an answer.”
Brinn looked down again at her boots and
grubby wardrobe, and scratched at the knotted nest on her head. "Do
you have clean clothes that I could wear?"
Taken aback and overcome with surprise and
pleasure, Abby wrapped Brinn in a warm embrace, the wilted flowers
still clutched in
"To be married, of course." Smiling broadly,
Abby tucked her arm under Phillip's and snuggled closer to him,
linking her fingers with his and clutching his hand as if ready to
drag him off somewhere.
Brinn shuffled her feet, her nerves starting
to squirm. "That's nice," she muttered, not knowing what else to
say. It had been just her and Abby for so long. Her stomach
tightened and a sick feeling sank into her heart. This man, with
the blue eyes and golden hair, was going to take her friend away.
Brinn wanted to protest. She wanted Phillip to go away and leave
them alone and never come back. She didn't like him or the way he
was touching her friend. But Abby glowed with happiness.
Abby had lost her chubbiness and no longer
wore the thick glasses that made her brown eyes large and bug-like.
Her face was framed with shorter, wavier tresses that made her
appear older and more mature. She’d changed since last fall. She
wasn't the girl that Brinn remembered. Now, she was a lady—a woman
of the world who had seen things beyond the farm, beyond the
mountains.
"I should go." Brinn said, holding her tears
back so hard her throat ached. Helpless to stop the world from
changing around her, she bit down hard on her bottom lip to quell
the rising emotions. A blanket of hopelessness surrounded her, the
weight heavy on her shoulders as she turned to go. The flowers
dropped at her feet.
"Wait,” Abby called out. Brinn turned back,
staring at the scattered flowers on the ground. “Phillip is going
back to North Carolina next week. I'll have time to get together
with you then. I can tell you everything that's been happening
since I started school and you can catch me up on how things are
with you." Brinn glanced toward Phillip, trying to hide the hurt
and sadness festering inside.
Abby tried to ease the uncomfortable tension
in the air. "Phillip and I are going into town later. Maybe you
could come with us? You don't mind, do you, Darlin’?" She blinked
her eyes oddly at the young man who shifted uncomfortably but
didn't protest. He smiled weakly and nodded.
Brinn looked at Abby as if her friend had
just invited her to take a spaceship to the moon. Part of her
wanted to refuse immediately. But another part heard the invitation
in a new light. Kitty was busy with her cubs and hardly around much
anymore. Abby was embarking on a whole new journey without her, and
Brinn knew Mr. Hoffman would be ready to retire soon. The store was
becoming too much for him and he’d mentioned moving to Florida to
live with his sister.
Everyone was moving on without her. She felt
a sudden desperation to run away. But instead of wanting to run
into the mountains, for the first time, she wanted to run away from
them. She thought of Justin and the stories he told her about the
world, and a burst of courage bubbled to the surface, an
underground spring filling her with new hope. She looked down at
her tattered clothing. She couldn’t go looking like this. Her fists
remained clutched at her sides, her eyes focused on the ground, "I
don't think I can."
“ I know I’ve asked you to
come out of hiding a million times, but I really want you to
consider it, Brinn.” Abby picked up the flowers, straightened the
bunch and sniffed them. A sympathetic but determined smile spread
across her face. “We aren’t children anymore and it’s time for your
coming out. There is a whole wonderful world out there, and you are
missing it. And more importantly, the world is missing out on you.”
She crossed her arms, tucked the flowers under her elbow and put
her foot down hard. “I’m not hiding you anymore, and this time, I
won’t take no for an answer.”
Brinn looked down again at her boots and
grubby wardrobe, and scratched at the knotted nest on her head. "Do
you have clean clothes that I could wear?"
Taken aback and overcome with surprise and
pleasure, Abby wrapped Brinn in a warm embrace, the wilted flowers
still clutched in
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