Page 134 of Unlikely to Stay
Griff whistled.“Ouch.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, if you get over her at least consider coming back for the rest of us.I don’t think anyone else will be able to handle all the old people in this town.One look at my meemaw’s boobs or Burt’s old man balls will have whoever they hire running for the hills.”
Brant didn’t even bother responding.No sense telling his friend he’d think about it when he knew getting over Colleen Chandler was never going to happen.
CC puther phone on speaker and pressed play on the message again.She’d played it to herself five times in the last few minutes.She’d probably play it to herself when she was a shriveled old maid watching Annie’s and Breckin’s grandchildren playing in her friends’ yards.
“Hey, Freckles.It’s me.Brant.The enormous jackass who didn’t tell you he was applying for jobs in the city.The ass who screwed up everything royally.The jerk face who should’ve discussed it with you before doinganything.Jerk.Idiot.Buffoon.Dummy.Insensitive Ass Wipe.”
This was where he paused in his name calling before picking back up…or maybe catching his breath.CC was pretty sure he said that last bit of name calling all at once.
“Okay, I can’t think of anything else to call myself.Just know I feel like all of them rolled up into one big, stinky turd.I wish you would call me.I ache to hear your voice.I feel empty without being able to listen to the cute little sighs you make in your sleep.I long to see your morning sleepy eyes and wild hair.I just miss you and I don’t think that will ever go away.Will you call me?Please?We can figure this out.Just give me a chance.I love you, Freckles.Always have, always will.Even more thanStranger Things.”
That was it.The first message he had left her.So much of her wanted to call him back and beg him to come home.Tell him how stupid she was for letting him walk out of her shop.Tell him she would never be the same without him and how she knew how many hours it had been since he had slept in her bed.But then she remembered Parkerwasn’this home.Oklahoma City was.He went to be with his mom and didn’t even tell CC he was thinking about doing it.
That was when all her resolve crumbled and every word she wanted to say to him slipped away.Because Brant had made his choice and it wasn’t her.He hadn’t even considered her in the equation.So instead of picking up her phone and calling him like she longed to do, she simply pressed play on her message again.