The beginning of this chapter with Earl, was the part planned for the previous chapter that didn't work out where it was at. Enjoy!
She didn't know when it happened over the last month and a half. She fell into the little routine comfortably really. After her shifts instead of heading home or to find a friend to talk to, she found herself heading to the Rammer Jammer to have one glass of wine after work and have little chats with Wade when he could afford to stop for a minute. Tonight was no different. Even if they did have this weird tension between them. They had yet to talk about the kiss they shared in her office. Not without trying. If one brought it up, the other would deflect. They needed to talk about the kiss and what it meant for them. Zoe found she was scared of the outcome. Not because she feared that Wade wouldn't want to date her, it was the opposite actually. Afraid he would break her in ways no one else would ever be able too.
"Hey there pretty doctor." Earl's voice got her to freeze mid step looking around to see where he happened to be at. Hearing his low chuckle come from above she glanced up to see him standing at the edge. Her heart rate spiking greatly in panic seeing him standing there with no care in the world.
"Earl, what are you doing up there?" She questioned, pulling her phone from her purse, hitting Wade's name, pressing her phone to her ear, listening to both the ringing and Earl talking. Urging Wade to answer his phone under her breath.
"Felt like a walk, felt like jumping," he shrugged. "That my boy your talkin' to?" He questioned just as Wade answered his phone.
"Is something wrong Zoe?" He asked, walking to the back. Zoe never called his cell while he was at work. For her to do so now could only mean an emergency.
"Hey, uh, Earls on the roof of the hardware store..." She told him, looking up at Earl. Taking notice of the small crowd gathering around. "He said he's gonna jump. I don't know what to do," she explained in a rush.
"I'll be there in a few minutes," he sighed, having a very huge gut feeling that his dad was saying empty threats. He did it in the city, nothing this extreme; he only wanted one thing, and this was a sure-fire way to get his attention.
"Please hurry," she pleaded, hanging up. "Wade is on his way," she called up to him. Without much thought to it, she went around back and went up to the roof. "You're really not going to jump, are you?" She asked softly as not to startle him. "If you really don't like Bluebell, you can always go back to the city," she told him, chewing on her bottom lip.
"It isn't the town," he shrugged, turning to look at her. "I like it here. It feels freeing, like I've got no demons hanging over me," he explained, sticking his hands in his pockets.
"Then why do you want to jump?" She questioned, confusion coloring her face. "If you're happy why end your life?" She couldn't make heads or tails of what was going through his head.
"Don't worry your pretty little head about that," he smiled at her. "My boy understands, dontcha?" Earl questioned, looking behind Zoe to where Wade was walking closer to them.
"Come on, Earl," Wade said fully walking up behind Zoe. "Time to go down," he said, stepping closer to his father. "You're not gonna jump," he sighed, giving Zoe an embarrassed smile.
"No?" Earl questioned, moving even closer to the ledge. "Here I go!" He warned.
"No! Damn it, Earl, come with me!" Wade exclaimed, getting fed up with his dad's little game. "How much have you had to drink?" He questioned seeing his dad having a hard time standing still, swaying in every direction. Afraid a gust of wind would come along and blow him right off the roof.
"I won't go. I'm not gonna do it," Earl stubbornly told his youngest son. "I don't need to answer that," he huffed out.
"Now, come on. Look at the doc here," he said motioning to a frightened Zoe. "She's about to pee her pants. Come with me before you hurt yourself," he pleaded.
"Only if you do it," Earl countered with.
"No," Wade told him determined as ever to get his dad off the roof without being forced to do anything he didn't want to do. Earl raised an eyebrow, one foot coming off the ledge of the building.
"Please, Wade just do what he wants. I don't want to see his brain scattered around town," she pleaded with him, earning a chuckle from Earl.
"I'd listen to the pretty doctor," Earl smirked.
"Moon River, wider than a mile, I'm crossing you," he started to sing, "In style, Someday, Oh, dream maker, You heartbreaker," he sang, his cheeks heating up feeling Zoe's gaze on him.
"Wherever you're going, I'm going your way," Earl sang joining his son in song.
"Okay, okay. Hey, Dad. It's time to get you home," Wade said, helping his dad down. He instructed his dad to stay put so he could help Zoe down. He went to speak, Zoe cutting him off.
"Get him home. You can explain later if you want. Just know that you don't have too," she told him with a soft smile. He smiled, turning back to his dad.
"Let's go. Dad." She heard him say.
Having plenty of excitement for the night, she headed home, not needing that glass of wine.
She felt like a creepy stalker constantly watching the gate house to see when Wade returned home. She shook her head yelling at herself for acting like he was out on a date with some girl when really he was taking his dad home making sure he stayed there. She tried to stay busy, but everything was clean, her dirty clothes taken care of, a note to wash them tomorrow before going into work.
The knock on the door startling her dearly, having sat on her bed, to start reading a book she has meant to get around to for the past half a year.
"Wade," she said pulling the door open. "I really wasn't expecting you tonight. Your dad doing okay?" She asked, stepping aside to let him enter her place.
"He's better. It's actually been a while since he has pulled a stunt like that," he said shaking his head. "He means no harm. He came into some cash and spent it all on liquor," he sighed. "I have yet to meet a person that thinks straight while drunk."
"Setbacks happen," she told him, words failing her. "No one can up and quit something, not after all these years. It is a disease after all."
"I know," he sighed. "I wanted to let you know that Earl is home safe and sound. I've got to get back to work," he told her walking to the door. Zoe following behind him. "Thanks for calling me."
"Of course I would call you, Wade," she told him. "I've got your back. Thank you for letting me know about your dad," she told him. He gave her a smile and ducked out the door.
The opportunity to say something about their shared kiss flew out the window. She promised herself that the next opportunity that sprung up, she would take it and force Wade to discuss their kiss. She was ready to take a leap if he was, her fear be damned. She wouldn't let it keep holding her back. She couldn't afford for her fear to hold her back any longer.
Her last thoughts were about Wade before she drifted off to sleep.
With a morning off the last thing she wanted to deal with was being woken up while she wished to be asleep. Keeping her eyes shut using her hand, she searched for her phone on the bedside table.
"This best be important; I was sleeping," she grumbled into her phone, pulling her blanket over her head.
"Are divorce papers important enough for you sleeping beauty?" Lemon snipped into the phone, her annoyance over everything ringing out.
"I'll be right there," Zoe said, sitting up quickly, her blanket tossed to the side. In her rush, she paid no mind to what she put on, not caring in the slightest if she looked a hot mess. Her friend needed her; nothing else much mattered to her.
To her surprise, Wade stood on the other side of the door; hand poised ready to knock. "Hey, Doc," he smiled.
"Wade," she smiled. "Can we pick this up later? Annabeth needs me." She didn't want it to seem like she was blowing him off. She did promise AB she would be there for her through this time in her life.
"Sure. I've got the day off. Come find me," he told her heading to catch up with Lavon. He wanted to wrinkle out the tension that revolved around them over their shared kiss. He thought it might mean something more than a mistake. Maybe he was wrong.
"I will. I should be done by lunch. If not, I will let you know," she called after him.
"No rush, doc. Make sure AB is okay," he called over his shoulder.
"I thought if I told him about our baby, he would reconsider," AB sniffled, her head resting on Lemon's shoulder. "He laughed telling me that it wouldn't work, that he doesn't love me, and he would still be going through with the divorce, which I got the papers for today," she explained for Zoe's benefit.
"Oh Annabeth," Zoe said, leaning her head on her friend's shoulder, wrapping her arms around AB. "You told him the truth, if he doesn't want to believe it that is on him, and he deserves no part in raising this baby of yours."
"Let him deny it; we know the truth, and you will find someone to love you and this little one more than Jake ever did," Lemon said in soothing voice, her hand resting on AB's stomach.
"Maybe," AB sighed. "Still doesn't make it any easier."
"No it doesn't," Zoe agreed.
"You guys didn't have to come over," AB tried, sitting up and removing herself from her friends. "I'll be fine," she weakly smiled, convincing no one.
"Yes we did. We told you that we would be here for you every single step of the way," Lemon told her, getting up.
"We will always be here for you Annabeth," Zoe told her.
"Thank you, really. But I just want to be left alone. I will call if I need anything," AB told them, going to her room, leaving her friends in her living room.
"Weddings don't plan themselves," Lemon said, walking to the door, Zoe following behind. "Sorry about Hank. George didn't tell me until they were standing in my living room. He didn't create any more damage did he?"
"Some of it can be fixed, and the rest will take time. I will do my best to be civil to give you the wedding of your dreams. Just don't be surprised if I duck out of the reception once my duties are done for the night," Zoe told her.
"I wouldn't blame you. I can tell you now that he is bringing a date."
"I figured as much," she said, already knowing the person in question. Getting through her friend's wedding was starting to prove more difficult than she had thought. "I've got to do some damage control," she said, heading in the opposite direction that Lemon needed to be.
The walk back to her place gave her the chance to think of what she could say to Wade regarding their kiss, regarding where they stood in terms of being more than friends. She tried to think of what to say, if only she could stop thinking about Hank and Gigi invading in her little bubble, she created for herself since leaving them both behind. Every thought of Wade turned into another one about Hank.
The music that wafted through the air brought her to the gate house instead of the carriage house, Wade sitting outside, his focus on the placement of his fingers trying to get the right chord to come out.
"Beautiful," she spoke softly, joining him on the porch, sitting in the only other available chair. "I'm ready for that talk. I just don't think you are going to like the outcome," she told him.
"Why is that, doc?" He asked. "Do you regret it?" He asked harshly. She quickly shook her head. "Then why?"
"Because Hank knows how to do a number on me. I want to move past him and what he did, and I don't think jumping into something is the best way to do that. I like you Wade, more than I should, but I am not at a place to be more than friends with you. I thought I was, but I was wrong. I haven't let myself move past him, let myself fully heal. I kept myself busy, so I wouldn't have to face the problems he created. I need you to understand and respect that," she pleaded with him. She couldn't put herself out there again. Not so soon. It may have been over half a year but the pain it stayed inside her. Moving past her relationship with Hank was proving to be more difficult with each passing day when she learnt something new about why he was with her for.
"I do understand and I do respect it. I want all of you Zoe. And you need to understand that I don't exactly do girlfriends. That if we even did this that it will be a learning curve for me," he told her. He wanted to feel hurt by the way she thought he would be like Hank; he could see it in her eyes without her saying anything. He wanted to assure her that he wouldn't hurt her, but with his track record of one-night stands, he couldn't do that. Right now, he would be her friend and prove to her that way he wasn't going anywhere. That she could trust him. "We can help each other as friendship grows."
"I would like that, so friends it is," she told him. "Now this song you were playing, care to share it," she smiled.
"Since you asked so nicely," he laughed. "I can teach you to play," he smiled.
"Another time. Now play," she smiled sweetly. Wade laughed, getting his fingers placed in the right spot. Explaining the song isn't finished, and it is a work in progress. Zoe didn't mind.