Thursday Nights (The Charistown Series) (21 page)

Wait. Did that just happen?

Early Saturday morning Janie was alone, packing up the personal items that were on Lyla’s list. How Lyla could find a new house and set up the move in under a week’s time amazed her. It had only been three days since she had requested Janie’s help in packing up “the important stuff,” yet it felt like weeks ago. Regardless, the boxes would all be packed in her car and taken to Lyla’s new house today. There were certain things Lyla trusted with nobody except for Janie, and it was a job she took seriously.

The windows were open, and the fresh autumn air filled the house. The cool breeze helped to alleviate the weight that was threatening to crush Janie’s chest as she looked around the small cottage. They had been so excited the day Lyla bought the house. They had walked around with bright eyes and high hopes. After so many false starts and not-quite-ready’s two years ago, Lyla had finally found a place that made her feel safe. This small house was like a treasure to Janie, giving her best friend a sense of home that she herself had not been able to give to her. With Lyla finally being settled, Janie allowed herself to start planting roots of her own.

Charistown was the perfect place to live. It had the small-town feel but with all of the amenities of a larger town. She’d found a job in a great school, and Lyla was able to write more. Yes, her dating-life sucked, but it seemed as if she found the losers in every town they lived in so she wasn’t going to hold her poor choices against where they lived. There was something special about this town, and this cottage, something that felt warm and healthy. Janie knew Lyla felt the need to leave it, but it was still weighing on Janie.

And she had yet to see the new house. She feared that it would be a small, dark place with the mood Lyla’d adopted. In the past, when Lyla went into a dark place she would live in one as well.
Not this time
, Janie thought to herself.
If her house is a dump I won’t even let the truck unload. I will just force her to find a new place. I am done letting her run.

The thought gave Janie a pause—she had never, ever stood up to Lyla’s fears like that before. Not even in her own head.

“Seriously, Janie, I see you in there.” Kyle was looking in the window, brows drawn in and mouth turned down. “Are you really going to pretend you don’t hear me?” When Janie looked at Kyle, he saw actual surprise on her face. “You really didn’t hear me knocking, did you?” he asked.

“No, Kyle, I didn’t. But frankly, I wouldn’t have opened the door had I known it was you anyway.” Janie pulled her hair back into a low ponytail and waited for him to leave.

“Look, Jane, I deserve that, I do,” Kyle started as he looked around the house through the window. “But I really need to talk to Lyla. Is she home?”

Janie glared at him, virtual daggers shooting out of her eyes. “Gee, do ya think? You are such an asshole, Kyle.”

“I know. I am an asshole and a shithead and a jerk—”

“I’m not going to stop you, so please keep going,” Janie spat as she opened the door for him to come in.

“I didn’t mean the things I said to Lyla. I…I was in a bad place…I’m still in a bad place. I just––”

“That’s just it,” Janie said, trying to reign in her anger. “Every sentence that comes out of your mouth starts with the word
I
. What you didn’t take the time to think about, and what you still haven’t noticed, is that it’s not all about
you
!” Janie crossed her arms over her chest. “Your words destroyed her. Look around, Kyle. She isn’t here! She isn’t coming back.” Janie pulled in a deep breath and turned away from a visibly shaken Kyle. “The movers are coming at two, and I have a lot to do. So if you don’t mind, get the hell out of here.”

Janie walked down the hallway and into the back bedroom, closing the door behind her. She heard his footfalls as he walked around the main room for a moment, and then the door closed. After a few minutes, Janie started to pack again.

“You knew that she was moving and you didn’t think to tell us?” Ryan growled at Ashley with more accusation than question in his tone. “You’re becoming more and more like
those two
every fucking day.”

Ashley slammed her hands on the table as Max watched the two of them argue.

“They’re like an old married couple,” he stage-whispered to Kyle, who had rushed to Ashley and Ryan’s house with the news of Lyla’s move.

“Good!” she snapped at the three overbearing men. “
Those two
, as you call them, have become the best girlfriends I have ever had. They have let me in and accepted me. They don’t ask too many questions, and they sure as hell don’t punish me when I don’t give answers. They trust me! And if you idiots think I’m gonna do anything to break their trust, then you guys are the ones with the problem.”

Ashley pushed her feet into her Converse and headed for the door. “By the way, Kyle, you ass, I wouldn’t have been hiding her move if you would have never opened your big fucking trap in the first place. Keep the blame where it belongs…with you!” Ashley slammed the door behind her and headed over to Clinton Street to help Lyla unpack her things in her new house.

Max couldn’t help smirking. “You two are the poster people for healthy communication.”

“Screw you, Max. How’s that relationship with Janie going? Does she know that you were married before and that you had your heart ripped out by your cheating whore of a wife? And that’s why you won’t give her more than a fuck and forget-about-ya?”

“Fuck you,” Max growled, barreling into Ryan and throwing him to the floor.

Each man got in one hard jab before Kyle pulled Max off Ryan. Wiping the blood from his lip, Ryan looked sadly at Max.

“Sorry, man. That was totally out of line. You know how things are with me and Ash…. I took it out on you, and I shouldn’t have. I get you, Max, I do. I’m sorry, buddy.”

“No, I lost my head, and then I lost my shit.” Max grabbed a paper towel to wipe at the blood coming out of his nose. “Apology accepted. I’m sorry I attacked you like that—”

“Enough of the girly apology shit. Everyone is sorry, including me,” Kyle interrupted. “Now let’s be men and drink beer.” Kyle pulled three beers out of the refrigerator and handed them to his friends.

Max looked ever at Ryan’s split lip and grimaced.
What the hell is wrong with me?

Overwhelmed, Janie just stared at the house in front of her. She rechecked the address Lyla had texted hours earlier with the one on the mailbox. Her eyes began to sting with tears, and her chest felt tight. This was not what she had been expecting. This was not a dark, gloomy hole. It was a large, bright-white house with black shutters. Janie looked at the rose bushes and the flagstone walkway and realized Lyla wasn’t hiding this time—she was starting over.

“Jane! You gonna stand out there like a freaky stalker all day, or are you gonna get your ass in here so I can show you around?”

Janie felt her chest expand as she took in Lyla’s smile, even though the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, she looked happy nonetheless.

Janie followed Lyla’s fake-it-till-you-make-it mentality again. “Coming, Ly!” she shouted from the street.

Lyla laughed. “That’s what he said,” she tossed over her shoulder. Both girls broke out into fits of giggles. “Come on, I’ll give you the tour.”

The house was perfect—freshly painted and well maintained. It was an old American Foursquare-style house nestled between other similar, but not exactly the same, homes. It was two-and-a-half stories with what must’ve once been four bedrooms. The master was spacious but not too big and had an en suite bathroom. The other two bedrooms were slightly smaller, but the previous owners must have used the fourth bedroom to make the other bedrooms larger.

One of the spares would be Lyla’s Ho-House, and the other would be a guest room—more than likely, Janie’s room away from home. The kitchen had been recently updated, too, and the dining room could easily fit the whole group for Sunday dinner. Janie noticed that there weren’t as many windows as there had been in the cottage, and she was certain that was intentional. Lyla needed to pull away somehow; this was how she would do it.

The girls sat cross-legged on the plush arearug that covered the hardwood floor in the large furnished family room, sipping on their coffee drinks.

“Ly, I love it!” Janie said, overwhelmed by emotion. “And I hate to ask…” She hesitated. “But where are you going to put your stuff from—”

The familiar look of pain quickly passed over Lyla’s face before she was able to bank it completely. “This place has a full basement. It’s creepy, just like the shit that’s gonna go down there.” Lyla answered the question in as few words as possible, but Janie heard everything she needed to hear.

The moving truck had already made its appearance, and the furniture was placed just so. Unpacking was in full swing as Pink’s new album blared from the MP3 speakers. By the time Lyla heard the bell and opened the door, Ashley was visibly frustrated.

“It’s about time! I thought Pink was actually in here giving a concert, and I wasn’t invited.” She winked and walked right into the house.

“Wow, Ly. Just wow. This is some amazing place…”

“Thank you.” Lyla’s mouth smiled, but something sad always lived in her eyes. “I really like it. It’s a really nice house.”

Janie stilled at Lyla’s comment. Would she ever come to see this beautiful place as more than just a house?
Oh, Lyla
, Janie thought,
what am I going to do with you?

“Janie, get out.” Lyla’s words were said with a serious tone, but her face was glowing with humor.

“That is so mean, Lyla.” Janie faked being wounded. “How can you be such a heartless wench?”

Ashley looked completely lost. Lyla laughed and reminded Ashley that Janie’s date with the teacher was that evening.

“Oh, right…seriously, Jane, Lyla’s right.” Ashley looked at Janie from head to toe and then said, “You may want to think about a long shower and some fresh clothes. Just sayin.’”

Janie looked in the newly hung mirror and winced. “Shit! I should just cancel. You need help unpacking, and clearly I need help…period.”

“Um, I’m standing right here.” Ashley snorted. “I think I can manage helping Lyla unpack. Go home and get ready. No canceling. Have fun!”

Janie shot a quick look at Lyla and she nodded. With quick hugs, Janie headed home.

If Owen saw me now, he would be the one cancelling
, she giggled to herself.