Dear Life(33)

Daisy: I don’t know much. What about meatloaf? Do you like meatloaf?

Carter: Love meatloaf.

Daisy: Oh yay! I can teach you how to make meatloaf. Want to come over Tuesday?

I hit the send button and then experience a weird sensation of panic, nerves, and dread. Oh goodness, did I just ask a boy to come over to my place? What if he thinks I’m trying to ask him out? Would he think that?

Heat creeps up the back of my neck to my ears, burning me up right there on the couch. What if he says no? I’m just trying to be friendly. I don’t want him to think I’m being clingy. Oh gosh, will he want to avoid me now at the meetings?

I feel like I’m going to cry out of shear panic.

My phone beeps with an incoming message. I’m too nervous to see what he says. My mind starts to wander in all the wrong places. Negative thoughts creep in, fear seeps through my pores, and all I want to do is cower under my craft table.

Knowing I have to look at his response, I squint at the screen.

Carter: Sure.

Sure. One simple word washes away the buildup of anxiety.

Sure.

Okay, maybe that wasn’t so bad. Scratch that. That was terrifying. At least the end result came out in my favor.

Hmm, now I have to decide what quilted vest I’ll wear on Tuesday.





HOLLYN


“No, I’m not going to hang out in the Cat Café like an old widow,” I say with an exaggerated breath while I look for a parking spot.

“You know we have find your friends, right? I can see you’re right next to Denver’s Cat Company.”

Dammit. I forgot we gave each other permission to know where we are at all times. Why did we do that? Seems like a pretty stupid idea now. Especially since Amanda is using it against me. So what if I want to have a drink and pet some cats on my day off. There’s nothing wrong with that.

“Stop spying on me. Don’t you have better things to do?”

“Not really.” She laughs. “I wanted to check in on you, see how you’re doing. Daisy mentioned you weren’t watching the game yesterday.”

“You know I don’t ever watch the games.”

“You used to,” Amanda counters.

“Don’t go there, Amanda. I’m not in the mood to get in a fight with you. I’m trying to find my Zen right now. I need kitties.”

“Fine,” she capitulates. “But tell me, are you liking this program so far? Do you think it’s helping?”

Finally finding a spot a few cars down from the building, I put my blinker on and start the process of parallel parking. I’m a genius at it, so I have no doubt that I can fit in the space I’m attempting right now.

“I don’t know if it’s helping just yet. We haven’t done much but talk, write letters, and try to let go of what’s been holding us back.”

“Are you comfortable there?”

“For the most part. Unfortunately, I was put in a group with my douchebag coworker, Carter. It’s obvious he doesn’t want to be in the program and is just trying to skate through, so it’s hard sharing deep, personal stuff with a guy who couldn’t care less. I have to see him nearly every day, so there is no separation from the pain.”

“Carter?” Amanda asks. “I think Daisy was texting him yesterday and giggling.”

“Daisy was texting Carter? Like back and forth?”

“It seemed like it.”

Carter texting Daisy? Now there is something I never thought I would see. Daisy and Carter couldn’t be any more opposite than fire and water. Just after getting to know Daisy briefly, it’s obvious she’s too sweet, way too innocent, and way too inexperienced to be a friend to Carter. Carter is your typical asshole with a vendetta against life. He’s never been someone you want to hold a conversation with and if he’s given the chance, he would rather ignore you than actually engage, unless it’s to pick a fight. He’s really good at picking fights, especially when it involves throwing fists.

“Daisy should stay away from him.”

“Really?” Amanda asks a little surprised. “She seemed to think he was a good guy.”

Spinning the steering wheel, I back into the spot perfectly and put my car in park. “I like your sister, Amanda. She’s na?ve but so full of hope and joy, which is infectious. She’s one of the bright sides of the program. Carter is not someone she should be around. He’s someone who can easily squash the sunshine out of her.”

“Really? It didn’t seem like that. She seemed happy when she was texting him.”

“I’m telling you, Amanda, he’s bad news. So not someone for Daisy.” I gather my purse off the passenger seat next to me, glance at my side mirror, and check for cars. When the coast is clear, I get out, lock up, and jog across the street to Denver’s Cat Company. “Listen, I’m at the Cat Company and I don’t want to be that person who walks in on their cell phone.” Hammering home my concern, I add, “I don’t want to hurt Daisy’s relationships, maybe I’m wrong about Carter, maybe he’s changing. I would be shocked if he was, but I just want you to know that she should be careful. That’s all. I’ve seen him in bad moods before and you don’t want Daisy near him when he’s like that.”

“Okay. I’ll be sure to warn her. Thanks, Hollyn.”