Read Online Dress Me in Wildflowers by Trish Milburn - Free Book Online
Authors: Trish Milburn
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She wanted to leave, and she wanted to leave now before the song ended and Tammie’s theory regarding Drew was tested. It wasn’t exactly running from the past, it was strategic avoidance of a situation she had no desire to confront. There was a difference, really. At least that’s what she told herself as she followed Tammie and Kurt toward the exit.
Farrin couldn’t banish the feeling that her past in the form of Drew was going to come running after her any minute. That was conceited, thinking she was so important that Drew would chase through a parking lot after her just for a dance. She shook her head and wondered if some sort of strange phenomena had ever occurred in Oak Valley — an asteroid strike, a visit by aliens, something along those lines — that would explain how she seemed to turn into a different person here, a younger, more insecure version she hadn’t been in years.
Well, this was the end of it. She was allowing these things to twist her mind and stomach. No longer. Already she was going through her to-do list for the next twenty-four hours. Work, sleep, speech, drive to airport, work on plane, take cab home, work some more. Hopefully, somewhere in all those segmented work sessions, her muse would deign to make an appearance. If she didn’t soon, Farrin was tempted to mentally fire her and put an ad in the Times. Wanted: one fabulously creative and prolific designer’s muse.
Farrin walked slower than Tammie and Kurt, but that was okay because she wasn’t in a talking mood. Plus, her heels were killing her feet. She wore heels all the time, but not these strappy little demons whose sole point of existence was to cause her to break both her ankles.
She scanned the lines of cars, everything from Buicks to Toyotas to Dodge Rams to minivans. One little Subaru wagon caught her eye. And then she saw the fall of white blond hair. Janie slumped half in, half out of her car. “Shit.”
“What is it?”
Farrin glanced at Tammie, who’d stopped and turned back toward her.
“Give me a minute, okay?”
“Did you forget something?”
Farrin shook her head. She looked back at Janie but still saw no movement. What if Janie had croaked right here in the parking lot? What a cap that would be to this less-than-stellar trip.
“Farrin?”
“Uh, no. Let me check on someone.”
As she neared Janie’s car, Farrin heard the click of Tammie’s heels and Kurt’s more solid footfalls behind her and waved for them to stay back without looking at them. They slowed but didn’t completely halt.
Farrin’s heart leapt into her throat when she reached the rear of Janie’s car. What if she really had died? She’d never seen a dead person before — outside of a funeral home that was. What did you do if you found a dead body?
She almost turned away and handed the task off to Kurt, but she pushed the disturbing images away. She opened her mouth to speak but started when Janie lifted her head, then yelped.
They stared at each other as the surprise ebbed away.
“Are you okay?” Farrin asked.
The sheen of sweat made Janie’s face shiny, but she rubbed her arms as if cold. Maybe Janie was coming down with the flu. And Farrin had breathed in all those germs. Great. She wondered if Janie would be the one who kept showing up in her life every few years just to make her miserable. Would she steal Farrin’s lover someday, turn her friends against her? Would Janie work at the hospital where Farrin ended up in her old age and mix up her meds, sending her to an early grave?
Janie licked her lips, which looked dry. “I’m a little sicker than I thought. I hoped if I rested for a bit, maybe the nausea would go away.” She closed her eyes for a moment, as if trying to stave off another wave. “No such luck.”
Farrin bit her tongue. She should really leave Janie to fend for herself, but damned if she didn’t look pitiful and totally spent. Her ashen face and watery eyes torpedoed the whole “paybacks are
Farrin couldn’t banish the feeling that her past in the form of Drew was going to come running after her any minute. That was conceited, thinking she was so important that Drew would chase through a parking lot after her just for a dance. She shook her head and wondered if some sort of strange phenomena had ever occurred in Oak Valley — an asteroid strike, a visit by aliens, something along those lines — that would explain how she seemed to turn into a different person here, a younger, more insecure version she hadn’t been in years.
Well, this was the end of it. She was allowing these things to twist her mind and stomach. No longer. Already she was going through her to-do list for the next twenty-four hours. Work, sleep, speech, drive to airport, work on plane, take cab home, work some more. Hopefully, somewhere in all those segmented work sessions, her muse would deign to make an appearance. If she didn’t soon, Farrin was tempted to mentally fire her and put an ad in the Times. Wanted: one fabulously creative and prolific designer’s muse.
Farrin walked slower than Tammie and Kurt, but that was okay because she wasn’t in a talking mood. Plus, her heels were killing her feet. She wore heels all the time, but not these strappy little demons whose sole point of existence was to cause her to break both her ankles.
She scanned the lines of cars, everything from Buicks to Toyotas to Dodge Rams to minivans. One little Subaru wagon caught her eye. And then she saw the fall of white blond hair. Janie slumped half in, half out of her car. “Shit.”
“What is it?”
Farrin glanced at Tammie, who’d stopped and turned back toward her.
“Give me a minute, okay?”
“Did you forget something?”
Farrin shook her head. She looked back at Janie but still saw no movement. What if Janie had croaked right here in the parking lot? What a cap that would be to this less-than-stellar trip.
“Farrin?”
“Uh, no. Let me check on someone.”
As she neared Janie’s car, Farrin heard the click of Tammie’s heels and Kurt’s more solid footfalls behind her and waved for them to stay back without looking at them. They slowed but didn’t completely halt.
Farrin’s heart leapt into her throat when she reached the rear of Janie’s car. What if she really had died? She’d never seen a dead person before — outside of a funeral home that was. What did you do if you found a dead body?
She almost turned away and handed the task off to Kurt, but she pushed the disturbing images away. She opened her mouth to speak but started when Janie lifted her head, then yelped.
They stared at each other as the surprise ebbed away.
“Are you okay?” Farrin asked.
The sheen of sweat made Janie’s face shiny, but she rubbed her arms as if cold. Maybe Janie was coming down with the flu. And Farrin had breathed in all those germs. Great. She wondered if Janie would be the one who kept showing up in her life every few years just to make her miserable. Would she steal Farrin’s lover someday, turn her friends against her? Would Janie work at the hospital where Farrin ended up in her old age and mix up her meds, sending her to an early grave?
Janie licked her lips, which looked dry. “I’m a little sicker than I thought. I hoped if I rested for a bit, maybe the nausea would go away.” She closed her eyes for a moment, as if trying to stave off another wave. “No such luck.”
Farrin bit her tongue. She should really leave Janie to fend for herself, but damned if she didn’t look pitiful and totally spent. Her ashen face and watery eyes torpedoed the whole “paybacks are
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