Can't

Travis buttered another slice of bread and handed it to Ashlee to put in the frying pan as she made grilled cheese sandwiches. The dining room was empty, as was the kitchen, except for the two of them. He still wasn’t thrilled about not being able to go to town, but this was better than nothing…especially since Ashlee could make him laugh and have fun anyway.

“Ahh!” The next slice slipped from his hand and landed butter-side down on the counter. He snatched it up quickly, and tried to act like nothing had happened, but it was useless. Looking at Ashlee wide-eyed, he bit his lip and tried to keep from laughing, and almost choked. He fixed the slice of bread and handed it to her along with a slice of cheese. “You didn’t see anything,” he teased sternly.

Garret had almost forgotten he wasn’t alone, and tensed as Nate came up to him. He didn’t face him though, and just looked at the coffee for a moment before accepting it. Blinking, he wiped his eye and took a sip of the warm drink, wishing it would somehow wash away his misery.

Finally shutting off the stereo, he wandered to the easy chair, and lowered himself to the floor to sit cross-legged. Nate’s words wandered his mind before he shook his head. “Naw… I don’t think so.” His response came softly as his eyes still refused to look up. He cradled the warm cup between his hands and breathed in the steam. “If she felt the same way I feel about her, she would have stayed. I know I need to let her go, I just…” He shrugged. “Can’t seem to.”

Laura, though still near the kitchen, could hear the quiet conversation, and her heart broke even more. She couldn’t imagine the hurt Garret was experiencing. It was no wonder he was struggling to adjust and function on a daily basis.

Garret took another sip of the coffee and sighed. He leaned his head back on the chair and lifted his eyes to the ceiling. “She was the whole reason I left…and now…I can’t seem to find a good enough reason to stay.”

“Hey, hey.” Hunter grinned as Ryan approached. “You betcha…I got a reputation to uphold, ya know.” He chuckled. “Actually I just wanna prove these jerks wrong about a few nasty rumors. But we’ll see.”

He slid off the hood and checked his watch. “The fun is gonna start soon…” He wandered around to the passenger door and opened it. “Wanna warm up the seat before we get on that starting line?”