Coldwater.
As the weeks after the incident stretched into months, Jennifer’s anger only festered. Paul and Tracie hung out all the time. While Jennifer never saw or heard anything that suggested their friendship had crossed a line into something else, Tracie’s possessiveness grew. She acted as if she owned Paul.
Jennifer never brought up the disloyalty with Tracie, never talked about it or cleared the air. She let the mess pulse there like an open wound. It bled and grew every time she saw them together—which Tracie seemed to make sure happened all the time—and never healed.
Even now, Jennifer watched Tracie hang all over Paul while their host, poor Ed, stood there pining for her. Jennifer knew what a man in love looked like. She’d seen it on Paul’s face often enough, and even now caught flashes from him aimed in her direction. She saw it when Ed stood close to Tracie and tried to engage her in conversation. Ed wanted Tracie. Having nine friends crowded around him, all talking and fighting for attention, didn’t change that fact.
Tracie was clueless. Jennifer added that flaw to the long list she’d mentally compiled on her former friend.
The one consolation was that Paul treated Tracie the same as he always had. He was protective and friendly. He never touched her or even winked at her.
“Jennifer? Your turn.” Ed held out his hand as he stood at the base of the ladder to the loft.
The crowd swelled around the piles of hay, and the din of laughter drowned out the music on the radio. Jennifer didn’t hesitate to take the risk despite the nerves jumping around in her belly. She climbed up the rickety steps, ignoring the creaks under her feet. She’d worn jeans and sneakers and left her hair unbound.
When she got to the top, she stared down from the rafters. She craved the wild freedom that would come with flying through the air but worried, with her recent bad luck, she’d miss the soft landing and go splat against the wooden floor.
Her gaze slipped to the right side and met Paul’s. He smiled, and her nerves vanished. She could let go and be fine.
The air blew past her and she fell—one second light and the next flopping into the crunchy hay. She squealed with delight. All fear disappeared. Now it was a matter of waiting her turn to try again.
They spent the afternoon playing in the barn and running through the cornfields like kids. They ate lunch on a blanket in the tall grass, then broke out the kayaks and explored the stream on the far side of the barn. The warm fall day called them outside and they stayed there. Even Tracie’s presence couldn’t ruin this one.
By three o’clock, Jennifer thought she would drop over. The sunshine and racing around stole her energy. When everyone returned to the barn for another round of hay jumping, she took a pass. She hovered by the door and took great pleasure in watching her friends dance and laugh.
Paul stepped up behind her. “Want to see something?”
The naughty tone made her laugh. “Now there’s a line.”
“True, but this is real and totally wholesome.”
“From you?”
“Amazing, isn’t it? But I can actually keep my mind off more interesting things now and then.”
It felt good to joke with him again. Their conversations had been so stilted and short since that night she saw him on the couch with another woman.
Jennifer glanced at Tracie, but she was too busy swinging from a rope hanging over the hay to notice the quiet conversation taking place right near her.
Jennifer forgot about Tracie the second after she saw her. “I’m game.”
With his hand on her elbow, Paul guided Jennifer to a flat area a few hundred feet from the barn. “Almost there.”
“Where?”
“Look.” He pointed at the dark, four-legged bundles climbing over each other and gnawing on the edge of the blanket. “Rott-weiler puppies.”
“Oh my god! They are adorable.” She fell to her knees and let the furry sweeties pounce on her. She massaged
As the weeks after the incident stretched into months, Jennifer’s anger only festered. Paul and Tracie hung out all the time. While Jennifer never saw or heard anything that suggested their friendship had crossed a line into something else, Tracie’s possessiveness grew. She acted as if she owned Paul.
Jennifer never brought up the disloyalty with Tracie, never talked about it or cleared the air. She let the mess pulse there like an open wound. It bled and grew every time she saw them together—which Tracie seemed to make sure happened all the time—and never healed.
Even now, Jennifer watched Tracie hang all over Paul while their host, poor Ed, stood there pining for her. Jennifer knew what a man in love looked like. She’d seen it on Paul’s face often enough, and even now caught flashes from him aimed in her direction. She saw it when Ed stood close to Tracie and tried to engage her in conversation. Ed wanted Tracie. Having nine friends crowded around him, all talking and fighting for attention, didn’t change that fact.
Tracie was clueless. Jennifer added that flaw to the long list she’d mentally compiled on her former friend.
The one consolation was that Paul treated Tracie the same as he always had. He was protective and friendly. He never touched her or even winked at her.
“Jennifer? Your turn.” Ed held out his hand as he stood at the base of the ladder to the loft.
The crowd swelled around the piles of hay, and the din of laughter drowned out the music on the radio. Jennifer didn’t hesitate to take the risk despite the nerves jumping around in her belly. She climbed up the rickety steps, ignoring the creaks under her feet. She’d worn jeans and sneakers and left her hair unbound.
When she got to the top, she stared down from the rafters. She craved the wild freedom that would come with flying through the air but worried, with her recent bad luck, she’d miss the soft landing and go splat against the wooden floor.
Her gaze slipped to the right side and met Paul’s. He smiled, and her nerves vanished. She could let go and be fine.
The air blew past her and she fell—one second light and the next flopping into the crunchy hay. She squealed with delight. All fear disappeared. Now it was a matter of waiting her turn to try again.
They spent the afternoon playing in the barn and running through the cornfields like kids. They ate lunch on a blanket in the tall grass, then broke out the kayaks and explored the stream on the far side of the barn. The warm fall day called them outside and they stayed there. Even Tracie’s presence couldn’t ruin this one.
By three o’clock, Jennifer thought she would drop over. The sunshine and racing around stole her energy. When everyone returned to the barn for another round of hay jumping, she took a pass. She hovered by the door and took great pleasure in watching her friends dance and laugh.
Paul stepped up behind her. “Want to see something?”
The naughty tone made her laugh. “Now there’s a line.”
“True, but this is real and totally wholesome.”
“From you?”
“Amazing, isn’t it? But I can actually keep my mind off more interesting things now and then.”
It felt good to joke with him again. Their conversations had been so stilted and short since that night she saw him on the couch with another woman.
Jennifer glanced at Tracie, but she was too busy swinging from a rope hanging over the hay to notice the quiet conversation taking place right near her.
Jennifer forgot about Tracie the second after she saw her. “I’m game.”
With his hand on her elbow, Paul guided Jennifer to a flat area a few hundred feet from the barn. “Almost there.”
“Where?”
“Look.” He pointed at the dark, four-legged bundles climbing over each other and gnawing on the edge of the blanket. “Rott-weiler puppies.”
“Oh my god! They are adorable.” She fell to her knees and let the furry sweeties pounce on her. She massaged
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