New Hand by L.A. Witt

Author:L.A. Witt [Witt, L.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Published: 2017-11-05T16:00:00+00:00

Kicked back on Scott’s balcony, I closed my eyes and let the weed work its magic. This was the kind of high I remembered from my college days. Back when I couldn’t imagine anything more stressful than exams or term papers, and a few lungfuls of sour smoke was all I’d needed to relax.

Since moving to Bluewater Bay, the hours I’d spent smoking with Scott had been a reprieve from the crushing depression. They had worked much like a painkiller taking the edge off a nasty injury—I’d still been miserable, but it had been temporarily bearable.

Today, it was more like a huge portion of the weight on my shoulders was gone. Like I was floating. Like I was actually high the way I remembered from my more carefree days: my head light and my body languid.

And if I was honest with myself, some of that lightness had been there even before I’d taken my first drag. Every time I went anywhere near Jesse, a little more heaviness slid off. Not enough to make me think my grief would magically evaporate, but enough to give me hope that I wouldn’t feel like shit forever.

Across from me, Scott rubbed the bridge of his nose, his features still tight even though we were better than halfway through an exceptionally strong joint.

“You’re too stoned to be this stressed,” I said. “What’s wrong?”

He laughed halfheartedly and sat back. Staring up at the sky, he sighed. “Wedding planning. That’s what’s wrong.”

I grimaced. “Still?”

“It’s not until December,” he grumbled. “It’s going to be happening for a while.”

“Are you at least making headway?”

“Oh yeah. But it’s two steps forward and three steps back. You get two things locked down, deposits paid and all that, and three others fall through. You know how it goes.” Instantly, he winced. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” I smiled as I set the joint in the ashtray on the plastic table between us. “Yeah, I do know how it goes. It’s a goddamned circus.”

“It so is.” He closed his eyes again, but the tension lingered in his forehead. “This wedding shit is a nightmare.” He scowled harder. “I mean, the planning part. I’m looking forward to it and all, and I can’t wait until we’re married, but damn, I’d forgotten what a headache it was.”

“It’ll be worth it in the end.” Nostalgia crept in, reminding me of how frazzled Sean and I had been in the weeks leading up to our wedding. I’d never forget how I’d been tearing my hair out right up until the ceremony, and how the moment I’d laid eyes on him in that tailored tux, grinning with tears in his eyes, surrounded by all the people and decorations we’d spent months wrangling . . . it had been worth it. Every frustrating, expensive moment. I had no doubt Scott and Jeremy would feel the same way.

Scott gazed up at the trees. “It’s weird, you know? This is my second wedding, but the first legal one.” He smiled serenely, some of that tension fading from his expression.

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