Too Far 02 - Never Too Far

really didn’t need any beer and the girls… I just wasn’t ready for that.
    “We’ll have to leave town. Maybe head to Destin?”
    I threw my car keys at him. “Sure, lead the way.”
    The doorbell rang stopping both of us. The last time I’d had an unexpected guest it hadn’t ended well. It very likely could be the cops coming to arrest me for bashing Cain’s face in. Oddly enough, I didn’t care. I was numb.
    “I’ll get it,” Grant said, glancing at me with a concerned frown. He was thinking the same thing.
    I sat back down on the sofa and propped my feet up on the coffee table in front of me. My mom hated it when I put my feet on this table. She’d bought it during one of her international shopping trips and had it shipped back here. I felt a sudden pang of guilt for not calling her but I pushed it away. My entire life I’d made that woman happy and taken care of Nan. I wasn’t doing that anymore. I was done. With all her shit.
    “Jace, what’s up? We were just headed out. You want to come with?” Grant said stepping back and letting Jace walk into the house. I didn’t get up. I wanted him to leave. Seeing Jace reminded me of Bethy who then reminded me of Blaire. Jace needed to leave.
    “Uh, no, I uh… I needed to talk to you about something,” Jace said, shuffling his feet and stuffing his hands in his pockets. He looked ready to bolt out the door.
    “Okay,” I replied.
    “Today might not be the best time to talk to him, man,” Grant said, stepping in front of Jace and focusing on me. “We were gonna head out. Let’s go. Jace can bare his soul later.”
    Now I was curious. “I’m not a loose cannon, Grant. Sit down. Let him talk.”
    Grant let out a sigh and shook his head. “Fine. You wanna tell him this shit now, then tell him.”
    Jaceglanced over at Grant nervously then he looked back at me. He walked over and sat down on the chair furthest from me. I watched as he tucked his hair behind his ear and wondered what he had to say that was such a big deal.
    “Bethy and I are getting kinda serious,” he started. I already knew this. I didn’t care. I felt the pain crack open my chest and I clenched my fists.I had to concentrate on forcing air into my lungs. Bethy had been Blaire’s friend. She’d know how Blaire was. “And uh… well Bethy’s rent went up and that place was shitty anyway. I didn’t feel safe with her staying there. So, I talked to Woods and he said that his dad had a two bedroom condo available if I wanted to rent that. I uh, got it for her and paid the deposit and everything. But when I took her to see it she got pissed. Big time pissed. She didn’t want me to pay her rent. She said it made her feel cheap.” He sighed and the apologetic look in his eyes still made no sense. I didn’t care about his fight with Bethy.
    “It’s twice as much… or, at least, Bethy thinks it is twice as much as her last place. It is actually four times as much as her last place. I swore Woods to secrecy. I’m paying the other portion without her knowing. Anyway. She, uh… she… took off to Alabama today. She loves the condo. She wants to live on the club property and on the beach. But the only person she would even consider having as a roommate is… Blaire.”
    I stood up. I couldn’t sit.
    “Whoa man… sit down.” Grant jumped up and I waved him off.
    “I’m not mad. I just need to breathe,” I said, staring out the glass doors at the waves crashing against the shore. Bethy had gone to get Blaire. My heart was racing. Would she come?
    “I know the two of you had a bad end. I asked her not to but she got real mad and I don’t like to upset her. She said she missed Blaire and that Blaire needed someone. She, uh, also talked to Woods about giving Blaire back her job if she can get Blaire to come back.”
    Blaire.Coming back…
    She wouldn’t come back. She hated me. She hated Nan. She hated my mom. She hated her father. She wouldn’t come back here… but God, I wanted her to. I turned my head and looked at Jace.
    “She won’t come back,” I said. The pain in my voice was undeniable. I didn’t care about hiding it. Not anymore.
    Jace shrugged.
    “She may have had enough time to deal with things. What if she does come back? What will you do?” Grant asked me.
    What would I do?
    I’d beg.

Blaire

    Bethy pulled Jace’s car into the parking lot of the Dairy K. I noticed Callie’s little blue Volkswagen and decided against getting out of the car. I’d