Archer's Voice (A Sign of Love Novel)(88)

I nodded. "The summer was beautiful, but the fall is–" My phone chimed, cutting me off. I frowned. Who could that be? Maybe Avery? The only other people who ever texted me were sitting in the car.
I picked my phone up and looked at the text from an unknown number. I frowned, clicking on it. It said:

Is it too soon to start missing you? Archer

My eyes widened and I pulled back from the phone, surprise taking over. I sucked in a breath. Archer? How in the world?
I looked up to the front passenger seat where Natalie was sitting. "Archer's texting me!" I said. "How is Archer texting me?"
Natalie just smiled a knowing smile. I gaped. "Oh my God! Did you get him a cell phone?"
Natalie shook her head, smiling and pointed next to her to Jordan in the driver's seat. He looked in the rearview mirror at me sheepishly.
"You got Archer a cell phone?" I whispered, tears springing into my eyes.
"Whoa, whoa. Don't get all emotional. It's just a cell phone. How else are you guys gonna communicate while you're gone? I'm surprised you didn't think of it yourself."
Tears were sliding down my cheeks now, and I choked out a little laugh, shaking my head. "You're… I can't…" I sputtered, looking back over at Natalie who was crying and laughing now, too, swiping the tears off of her cheeks.
"Isn't he?" she asked.
I nodded, a new flood of tears falling out of my eyes as I laughed and wiped them off my cheeks. We were a mess–both of us laughing and crying.
I looked at Jordan in the rearview mirror, and he rubbed a fist into one eye, cringing slightly and saying, "Something in my eye there. Okay, stop all the blubbering. You two are embarrassing. And text him back already. He's waiting, I'm sure."
"What'd he say when you brought it to him?" I asked, my eyes wide.
Jordan shrugged and glanced in the rearview mirror at me. "He looked at me like he was wondering what my ulterior motives were. But I just showed him how to use it and left." He shrugged again like it was no big deal.
"I love you Jordan Scott," I said, leaning forward and kissing him lightly on his cheek.
"I know you do," he said, grinning at me in the mirror again. "And getting laid by hot blondes puts me in a generous mood so there you go."
I laughed, sniffling and bringing my phone up again.

Me: I hope not because I started missing you before I even left. We're about twenty minutes outside of town. What are you doing?

I waited about a minute before his next message came through.

Archer: Reading. It just started raining outside. Hopefully you're moving away from it.

Me: I think so. Skies look clear ahead. Wish I was cuddled up with you. What are you reading?

Archer: Wish you were too. But what you're doing is important. I'm reading Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. Have you read it?

Me: No. Is it good?

Archer: Yeah. Well, no. It's well written, but it's probably one of the most depressing books of all time.

Me: Lol. So you've read it before? Why read it again if it's depressing? What's it about?

Archer: What's lol?

I paused and smiled, realizing this was Archer's very first time texting. Of course he didn't know what lol meant.

Me: Laugh out loud. Text lingo.

Archer: Oh, okay. I'm not sure why I picked this book up today. My uncle seemed to like it. It's about a miserable man in a loveless marriage who falls in love with his wife's cousin and they try to commit suicide to be together, but only end up broken and paralyzed and still miserable.

Me: Oh God! That's… that's awful! Put the depressing book down, Archer Hale!

Archer: Lol.

I laughed out loud for real when I saw his reply. "Keep it down back there," Natalie grumped, keeping her eyes closed, but smiling slightly as she turned her head on her seat back. My phone dinged softly again, indicating another text from Archer.

Archer: No, really, it's about isolation and a girl who represents happiness for a man who's never had any. I guess I can relate to some of the themes.

I swallowed heavily, my heart squeezing for the man I loved.

Me: I love you, Archer.

Archer: I love you too, Bree.

Me: Pulling into a gas station. Text you in a bit.

Archer: Okay.


**********


Me: What's on your happy list?

Archer: What's a happy list?

Me: Just a short list of a few, simple things that make you happy.

My phone remained quiet for a few minutes before it finally dinged.