That was a week ago.
She turned and went back into the empty house, and she immediately missed her siblings. She had no idea what in the world she was going to do by herself this weekend. If nothing else, the barn was going to get a good cleaning.
She sighed and glanced over at her phone. He hadn't called her. The only message she'd gotten from him since she told him she wanted a break was two days old.
I'm fine. Home in California safe. Don't worry about me.
That was it. It broke her heart that he knew she'd be worried. She'd tried to call him, but the first time it went straight to voicemail. She was too much of a chicken to try again.
Besides, she knew it was what needed to happen. They needed a clean break to keep from coming back together. They needed this. The kids needed this. It was the right thing to do.
But, oh, did it hurt.
It hurt so much more than she was expecting. The first few days had been rough, but it was the silence that was driving her mad. She kept thinking the pain would start to vanish, that she would want him less now that he was gone, but it was only getting worse.
She had thought that pushing him away would prevent the pain of losing him. Instead, it had made the pain of losing him real. She didn't hurt before, but she did now.
Laura was an idiot, and she knew it.
She sighed and looked around the house. It was so quiet and empty without the kids jumping up and down. She didn't know what to do with herself. Dinner was on her own tonight. She went to the fridge, and nothing looked appetizing. She looked over at the empty table and felt an immense loneliness crash down on her.
It was the last thing in the world that she wanted to feel. She didn't want to be by herself. If she were alone with her thoughts, she would end up changing her mind about what she'd done. She'd call him again. She'd have to deal with the pain.
She thought about going to the barn, but there wouldn't be any humans there. It was a Friday night, and all the ranch hands would be home. The camp kids weren't coming until next week, so she'd be just as alone there as she was here. Besides, she didn't want to have to shower again.
So, she decided to go to Sandy's. Elena was probably working since she always seemed to be working. It only took a couple of minutes to hop in the car and make the short drive to the restaurant.
The evening air was cooling quickly, and the sound of crickets filled the air. Everything smelled like pine needles as she walked across the full parking lot and into the restaurant. It was a busy night with plenty of locals and even more visitors enjoying the mountain evening.
Laura walked in and headed straight for the bar. She found an open seat and snagged it, checking around to see if she could find Elena.
“What can I get you?” the bartender asked. It wasn't Elena. It was a young guy with dark hair and matching dark eyes. She didn't recognize him, but he was probably just new for the summer.
“Is Elena here tonight?” Laura asked, trying not to sound too desperate.
“Sorry. She called in sick,” the guy told her.
“Oh. Um, let me think about what to drink. Thanks.” Laura smiled at him, and he turned and went on to the next customer.
Laura chewed the inside of her cheek. She wasn't sure she wanted to stay in the crowded restaurant without Elena. Despite the room being crowded, she'd never felt more alone. But, if she went home, she knew she'd just spend the evening moping around and crying.
“Can I buy you a drink?” A man slid into the chair next to her. He was fairly good looking with shaggy blond hair and an easy smile. “It looks like you could use one.”
“You really don't have to,” she replied. The last thing she wanted was another guy who expected her to give something she wasn't ready to give.
The guy held up his hands. “No obligations,” he promised. He leaned in. “I just don't want to drink by myself. Please?”
Laura hesitated. She was so lonely tonight that she was tempted. “I don't know.”
“Look, I just broke up with my boyfriend,” the guy admitted. “We were supposed to have this romantic cabin thing, so I drove all the way up here to meet him. And he broke up with me and is spending our time in that romantic cabin with another guy.”
“Ouch.” Laura winced. That sounded like a way worse breakup than hers.
The guy shrugged. “So, I need a drink. You look like you need one, too,” he said. “And now you know you don't have to worry about me hitting on you.”
She couldn't help but smile a little bit. The guy was charming. “Okay. One drink,” she agreed.
“My name's Chad,” the guy introduced himself, holding out his hand. She shook it and smiled.