Page 30 of Unravel Me

Audrey

There was something so heartwarming about the way Rhett spoke about his hometown. Roseville was a rural town twenty-five miles east of the city, one that didn’t get much attention. But as we rolled through the two-lane main street under the setting sun, and people waved to us, I couldn’t help but smile. It felt like I just entered a Hallmark movie.

“So, this is where you grew up?” I murmured, looking out the window at a lit up gazebo in the middle of the town's park.

“Born and raised. It’s simple here, but it’s home.” I nod in response, though I don’t know how it feels to be sentimental about home. I left at eighteen and never looked back.

“It’s really charming. I’ve never spent any time out here. Other than the Bourbon Barrel, I guess,” I admit sheepishly.

“Well, I'm honored to be your guide. I actually live just a mile down this road.” He points ahead as we turn down a narrow road, lined with tall vegetation on one side. A farm of sorts.

“Here we are...” Rhett announces as the truck slows its roll. We turn left into a long, winding gravel driveway, lined with oak trees that spread their roots far into the green grass. Rhett cranks the window down, and I glance over at him, noticing his other arm draped lazily over the steering wheel. As the tree line ends, a small, white two-story house comes into view.

“Home, sweet home,” Rhett says wistfully, and I smile because it’s exactly as I pictured it when he said he lived in a farmhouse. The house was complete with a wraparound porch and aged tin roof. The expansive porch was full of mismatched items; a dining table with chippy blue paint and different sized chairs around it, and a rocking chair sat next to an antique looking bookcase with potted plants and herbs. I didn’t take him for a gardener. Though, he does keep surprising me. Then there was a collection of rocks piled on the steps, and a few tennis balls scattered. Probably Mabel’s.

We parked next to an enormous oak tree with a wooden swing hanging from it.

“We definitely aren’t in the city anymore,” I said, feeling like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.

Rhett lets out a hearty laugh, shaking his head in a way that makes my cheeks warm. “It needs a lot of work. The steps are loose, so be careful when you walk up. The second floor is completely gutted, but I bought it for the land, really. It’s peaceful out here. A man can think.”

When my shoes hit the grass, I draw in a deep breath, and it smells like I’m a million miles from home. A million miles from that restaurant. It feels like I stepped into someone else’s life. And I like it.

‘Someone else’s life’ was good to me.

“Okay, so chill right here. It’ll just be a few minutes, and I’ll be right back to show you the plan.” Rhett rubs his hands together, a coy grin on his face. Hesitation pulls at my stomach, as he gently takes the take-out bag of sushi from my hands.

“Show me what, exactly?”

“Don’t you worry about it. You’re gonna like it.” His self-assurance was both infuriating and appealing.

“And if I don’t?” I muse, hands on my hips.

“Then I’ll drive you home and you’ll never see me again.”

My body stiffens at that suggestion.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes, Audrey.” He winks and leaves me standing in his front yard as he walks around the corner of the house.

I don’t know what to do as I stand there in between the truck and the oak tree, so I walk to the tree swing and sit down gingerly, pushing my feet in the grass, swinging back and forth.

How did I get here?

The sky has turned a dark pink, with wispy clouds of purple woven through, and it looks like they sit right on the house’s tin roof. It’s breathtaking really, so I pull out my phone to snap a picture and send it to Penny. She replies immediately.

Penny: So pretty! But where are you? I need proof of life.

Audrey: I’m at Rhett’s house, dinner was a bust, but I’ll fill you in later. He is setting up a ‘surprise’ for me right now in the backyard.

Penny: Okay, so you’re either about to get fucked or murdered.

Audrey: Penny! You’re honestly the worst.

Penny: I know.

Audrey: Also, I’m not getting murdered OR going to sleep with him. This is just dinner that turned into something different. It’s a ‘friend date’.

Penny: Have you checked out his ass or pictured his lips on you? Because if you say yes, sorry to break it to you, it’s not a ‘friend date’. Whatever the hell that even is.