Breakaway
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this fic!
Chapter Thirty-Six
An early November on the beach was different than July or August. Even though it wasn't quite as warm as the summer or as populated, she was still fascinated by everything about it and studied it through the tinted lenses of her sunglasses. She didn't miss a piece of the breathtaking view. The roll of the waves as they met and crashed along the beach in a continuous cycle. The sun, floating high above, with its golden reflection shimmering along the very top of the water. The breeze, gentle and calming, blowing in from the water and stirring the sand. Grateful to be a part of the magnificent scene, Trixie flicked off her iPod, slipped off her ear buds, and tucked it into her backpack. She toed off her sandals and rolled up the edges of her faded green cargo pants, eager to feel the water on her feet. Dropping her backpack on the sand without a second thought on top of her blanket, she started forward to the edge of the water and giggled as the water sprayed her bare feet. She stood still, letting her toes sink into the gooey mud, and watched as the waves continued to come in and go out.
Thoughts came and went in tandem with the waves. She didn't pay any attention to the other people on the beach. It had been a fast semester, filled with tests, papers and projects, and her placement at the agency. Surprisingly, she had kept up with all of her assignments and hadn't fallen behind once. While her grades weren't the highest in any of her classes, they were more than acceptable and helped prove to her that she could succeed in school work, completely on her own, and without help from others.
Socially, she had turned into an introvert. Other than the few group projects she had to complete, she hadn't interacted much with the other students at the university. Living off campus set her apart. The few times she had attempted to eat on campus had proven to her that the meals she concocted of Ramen noodles or yogurt were much better. The only people she spent time with were Jocelyn and Heidi.
She bent down to retrieve a seashell. Half of a small scallop, with a break in the bottom corner. Trixie fingered the break and then tossed it back into the ocean. It floated on the top of the water before it slowly sank down. As it fell from sight, Trixie thought about her work at the agency. She was surprised by how much she enjoyed it. It had actually become the highlight of her fall semester. Even more surprising, she considered both Jocelyn and Heidi to be friends. The three ended up seeing each other outside of the workplace a lot. Trixie wasn't certain how it had come to be but, somehow, they had managed to create a work-out schedule where the three alternated between meeting at the gym or, at Trixie's request, running along the beach. They even hung out at different local spots from time-to-time, although Trixie was not the social butterfly that Heidi was. She hadn't overcome her wariness around Max, for reasons she couldn't understand, although he was always polite and friendly towards her. She couldn't shake the feeling that she couldn't completely trust him or that he was dangerous, for some odd, unknown reason. It hadn't seemed appropriate to share her beliefs with Jocelyn. After seeing Max and Jocelyn in a heated embrace through a crack in their office doorway, she had realized that her first instincts were right. They were definitely a couple, and quite a passionate one at that. They never declared their couplehood openly to anyone. Respecting their privacy, Trixie had never mentioned to anyone what she had seen.
As the water covered her bare toes and soaked the edges of her pants, Trixie's mind moved onto home. News from New York traveled to her at a quick rate of speed, through phone calls, texts and emails, and from all directions. Hardly a day went by that she didn't have a talk with someone. Smiling, Trixie could hear Bobby's voice wheedling in the background with his parents for a trip out to San Diego during her last phone call to her parents. It was extremely easy to stay in contact with most of the Bob-Whites. Her brothers and Dan were always eager to talk with her. She, Honey and Di made a habit of keeping Tuesday evenings free for a webcam talk, which was one of the highlights of her week. She was kept abreast on everyone's life except…Trixie's lips curled down as she thought about the lone Bob-White who no one ever talked about with her. Consequentially, it was the same person she never asked about. She hadn't heard one single shred of information about him since she had moved out to San Diego. Not a single, solitary thing. No one seemed to want to bring him up to her and she wasn't brave enough or collected enough to ask anyone about him. Her hands tapped nervously against her thighs. Thanksgiving was only a few weeks away, would be here before she knew it. The wind blew around her, teasing her curls and sending them in a dance around her face. She absently caught them and tucked them back behind her ear, anticipating what the holiday would be like. There were so many ways it could go. She would see him then.
With the dry sand sticking to her wet feet, she gradually returned to the faded blanket in red and black spread out on the beach and sat down. Taking a foot in her hand, she brushed off the sand and watched as it fell back to the beach. Then she reached for her backpack, prepared to start the latest reading assignment. She contemplated the too-thick textbook within and released a low groan of despair. While it had been her intention to actually read while she was at the beach, she quickly decided against it. Procrastination was her friend. "I can read it later," she muttered decisively, pleased with her choice. "Much later. That's what the night is for."
Satisfied, she pushed the book back inside without opening it up and then found her cell phone. Staring at the time, noting that it was almost eleven o'clock on a Saturday morning, which would put it at two o'clock back in New York, she started to scroll down the programmed numbers until she came to the one she wanted. Leaning back on her elbows, her bare feet crossed, she waited for the call to go through.
It was answered on the third ring by a breathless and excited Honey. "Trixie! It's you! Don't hang up. I'm here. Oh, no!" she practically yelled into the phone. She gasped as a stack of textbooks slipped off of her bed and landed with a loud thump on the floor.
Trixie flinched when she heard something hit the floor. "What was that?" she inquired curiously.
"Just a few books," Honey giggled into the phone, waving an aristocratic hand through the air. Her tasteful birthstone ring sparkled with the movement. "They toppled over when I got my cell." Scooping up the books, she placed them on their correct placement: her nearby desk. Her bright yellow highlighter landed next to them. Honey flopped down on her bed in her deserted dorm room, wanting to get comfortable for her chat with Trixie. Her eyes slid towards the window. The gloom of the gray November day didn't brighten her mood. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen the sun. It seemed that the clouds had taken up permanent residency in the sky. There was nothing quite as dreary as late fall in New York, she thought, disgruntled. The weather was never that uplifting or pleasant. Even worse, the bite of winter was right around the corner.
"This is a good time to call, right?" It was something they always asked each other, just in case the time frame didn't mesh the way they thought it should. Trixie waited with pursed lips, hoping that Honey would answer yes. It had been too long since they had talked. The weekly chat between the three of them on Tuesday evening had been quick, out of necessity. All three girls had reports to complete or an exam to study for. It hadn't been the best or most satisfying talk.
"Oh, yes!" Honey assured her, twirling a strand of honey-colored hair around her fingers and ignoring the mound of work she needed to finish. It wasn't going anywhere, she figured with a philosophical shrug. "You're giving me a much-needed break. If I have to read another paragraph in that tiny, horrible black-and-write print where I think the least amount of words the publisher wants to put on the page is at least a thousand or more, I think I'm going to scream."
"Tell me about it," Trixie responded dryly, understanding perfectly. She shoved her backpack off to the side and curled her legs underneath her, getting as comfortable as the sand would allow her to. Through tinted sunglasses she stared out over the horizon, following a bird as it glided gracefully through the air, in search of food, before it disappeared from her sight. "I came to the beach to read but I decided that calling you would be better."
"The beach," Honey sighed dreamily, a wistful look on her face. The gloomy New York November was starting to grate on her nerves. It only signaled the beginning of a long, endless winter. "That sounds heavenly, Trixie."
It was. Almost. Trixie didn't add that the only thing keeping her move out west from becoming 'heavenly' was the fact that she didn't have any of her friends and family with her. There were still times when she thought that she must have been crazy for instigating such a move in the first place. Anytime she started to reflect and wonder if she had been wrong, all of the events of the previous summer would came back at her, strongly, fiercely, and with an intensity she couldn't deny. It was a teasing and taunting timeline that reminded her why, exactly, she had chosen to leave Sleepyside. Even the time and distance hadn't managed to change her feelings on it. The hurt ran way too deep. "I got here about half an hour ago," Trixie said in a way to deflect her thoughts into a more positive direction. "It's an absolutely beautiful day here."
"It sounds lovely, much better than here. I'm stuck in my dorm room, attempting to read but getting more bored by the second. The weather here is chilly and getting chillier by the minute." She stared at her winter jacket hanging on a hook by her closet and sighed. It wouldn't be too much longer before she would have to bundle up in it every day. So far she had been able to get by with a sweater and a scarf but the weather was fast moving towards winter-like conditions. There was even the mention of a potential light snowfall towards the end of the seven-day forecast. Wonderful, she thought sarcastically.
"What have you been up to?" Trixie picked at the fringed edges of her blanket, scattering little bits of sand in all directions.
Honey giggled like a schoolgirl sharing confidences on the playground. Blushing, she mumbled, a beautiful smile adorning her face and a sparkle to her hazel eyes, "School, of course. It keeps me busy. But I've also spent a lot of time with your oldest brother, too."
Trixie rolled her eyes. There was nothing quite like having two best friends mooning after her brothers. It made her almost happy to be out of state. Almost. "You've loved every minute of it, I can tell."
Honey's next giggle of glee was her answer. Since Trixie never offered much about her life in San Diego other than the very barest of answers, she repeated the question, "Tell me, Trix. What have you been up to?"
"School, like you." Trixie blew a stray curl out of her face and was frustrated when the light breeze only blew it back in. Her hair was getting long enough for her to have to do something with it besides pulling it back with a headband. Ignoring it, she added, knowing that Honey wanted more, "And I spend a lot of time at the beach."
"How about your placement at that private detective agency?" Honey listened carefully, hoping to find out more than Trixie had shared with her.
"It's been a good place to be at. At first I was disappointed to be given the same placement I worked at over the summer but it turned out to be a positive choice for me. I already knew everyone there and the work that I was expected to do. I've had a lot of fun and learned a lot, too." Trixie didn't add that she felt blessed to have learned more about the inner workings of a true detective agency. It would help immensely when she opened her own. She would open her own up one day, even if her name was the only one on the business cards.
"Anything else?" Honey wondered aloud. "You have to do other things besides going to classes, your practicum and to the beach."
Trixie sighed a little. "Sometimes I hang out with a few friends from the agency," she admitted. It was irrational but she felt guilty for making new friends and enjoying spending time with them.
Honey understood how Trixie was feeling without her saying it. She felt the same way. She missed Trixie too much and almost felt like she was betraying her when she spent time with another friend, which was silly but couldn't be overlooked. "Good for you, Trixie. I think it's terrific that you're making new friends," she spoke encouragingly. Clearing her throat, she changed the subject. "Has anything exciting happened to you since you've been out there? Are you still a mystery magnet?"
"No, the move out here seems to have cured my penchant for mysteries," Trixie responded, laughing. There were a few minor events that had happened since her move, such as the robbery at the coffee shop, but she had chosen not to enlighten Honey or anyone else back home. It wasn't exactly a mystery. Neither was the criminal she had spotted down at the docks one day, whom she had remembered viewing in one of the files from the agency. She had followed him to a rundown house in a not-so-very-nice section of town that reminded her of Hawthorne Street and then had alerted the proper authorities. He had been arrested and she had been complemented for her quick thinking. Then there was the wallet she had found on the beach during one of her runs. It had taken some effort on her part but she had managed to track down the owner and returned it to him. Mysteries, certainly not. But they were a few incidents that had added a little bit of excitement to her life in San Diego.
Not wanting to share the incidents with Honey, she asked, hesitatingly, "Any roommate yet?" Trixie bit her lip nervously while she waited for Honey's answer. Since she had pulled out of NYU unexpectedly and close to the last minute, Honey had been left without a roommate in her dorm. It was one of the causes of a nagging guilt within Trixie. She couldn't get over the belief that she had let her best friend down.
"None," Honey responded cheerfully, without a wave of regret. She was the envy of many of the young women on her hall. Having her own room to herself was a luxury no one else in their dorm had. Staring over at the empty bed within her room, she admitted to herself that there was only one roommate she wanted. Unfortunately, her choice of a roommate was in another time zone. Purposefully keeping it light, she said, "It's been awful nice having a room to myself. I don't know what I'd do if I had to start sharing it with someone."
"You wouldn't have any trouble adjusting at all," Trixie laughed into the phone, recognizing Honey's tact and appreciating it. "You're much too nice, Honey Wheeler. You'd make anyone a wonderful roommate."
The words made her smile, a bittersweet one. Giving a delicate cough to cover up her emotional response, she changed the subject, "So, we only have a few weeks left until it's time for the Thanksgiving break. I'm looking forward to some time off. It'll be wonderful to see everyone in Sleepyside. When are you coming home?" Honey leaned forward, eager to hear Trixie's answer, and grabbed her planner off her desk. She flipped it open to the fourth week of the month and, with pen poised in the air, waiting for Trixie to share her plans.
Her tickets were sitting on her desk at her apartment, ready and waiting for her. Her parents had surprised her by mailing them out to her last week. "My plane leaves on Tuesday morning. Very early on Tuesday morning. I'm skipping my one class that to travel. We have a paper due that day but I'm going to turn it in early. My professor told me that he didn't mind if I did. He said all he's going to do is collect the papers and then send the class on their merry way," she answered with a laugh, looking forward to the holiday with mixed emotions. It was going to be a treat to get home, to see her family, her friends, and Sleepyside. But Jim…her stomach clenched at the thought. She couldn't figure out how he was going to react to her or how she should react to him.
Honey received the news with a sigh of envy. "Good for you. I'm stuck here until the end of my evening class on Tuesday. I can't skip it because our professor very nicely decided to give us an exam. He's not as nice as your professor, that's for certain. He warned us about not skipping the exam. If anyone skips out to go home early, they won't be able to make it up. It makes up a significant portion of our grade, too." She wrinkled her nose in disgust. The classroom had resounded with a loud, collective groan of disgruntlement and disappointment when their professor had made his announcement a week earlier.
"That sucks," Trixie declared emphatically.
"Yeah. It most certainly does." Honey ran a hand through her hair, smoothing it out. "Brian already said that he will wait for me to be finished with my exam. He's driving me home. We'll get into Sleepyside late, probably right around eleven o'clock."
"I'll probably beat you by a few hours if there aren't any travel complications." Trixie's plane would leave bright and early, well before the sun came up. Her father had insisted on picking her up at the airport. It was going to be amazing to see him again. He sounded as excited about her visit home as she did. "Dad will be waiting for me at the airport. He's driving me home."
Honey clasped her hands together. She circled the Tuesday before Thanksgiving on her planner in bright pink and write 'Trixie's home' in large, bold letter. Grinning, excited about the coming holiday, she exclaimed, "Thanksgiving is going to be so much fun! It's going to be wonderful to be back in Sleepyside, with you."
"What about Di? Does she have her plans set yet for Thanksgiving?" Trixie asked curiously, looking forward to hanging out with her two very best friends in the entire world. She enjoyed spending time with Jocelyn and Heidi but they were not Honey or Di. No one could replace either of them.
"We got together for a quick lunch yesterday," Honey answered. "She told me that she has the entire week off, the lucky duck. She has two projects to turn in but, as long as she gets them done ahead of time, she won't have to attend any of her classes during the week. Lucky, lucky Di," Honey murmured enviously. Deciding that she couldn't bemoan the fate that both Trixie and Di had nicer professors than she did, she hastily added, "Di and I have had a little trouble coordinating our schedules this semester even though she's in the same city as me for many get-togethers. We've been able to get together for our webcam conversations on Tuesdays but that's about it. Her and Mart's schedule are more compatible."
Raisin her eyebrows, Trixie snickered at the thought. "They probably did that on purpose," she said, straight-faced, and then burst into a round of laughter that Honey quickly joined in.
"I wouldn't put it past them," Honey answered with the same laugh. Hugging a heart-shaped pillow to her chest, she settled back and got even more comfortable. In a move the mirrored Trixie's earlier one, she took off her flats and dropped them on the dark blue carpet. Toes, painted a soft blush, wiggled against the soft light blue comforter. "When I see Mart, he usually has Di with him. I think they spend a lot of time together."
"I know that they do," Trixie replied with a roll of her eyes. "It's odd to catch Mart without her."
"Tell me about it. They're very happy together." Honey thought it was sweet. Two full-blooded Bob-Whites couples. Things would only be absolutely, positively perfect if there were three. Her smile fell off her face. Trixie and Jim should be well ensconced within their ranks. Shaking her head, she wondered why they couldn't be.
"How…um…" Trixie paused uncertainly, unable to ask the question the popped into her mind every single time she talked to one of her friends or brothers. She simply didn't have the courage to do it. The ocean breeze blew in. She ducked her head and brushed aside some of the sand from her blanket. A useless endeavor since the next breeze only deposited more by her side. Squeezing her eyes shut, hoping Honey didn't know what she really wanted to ask, Trixie asked, "Tell me. Is Mart doing well? He always seems fine when I talk to him but I know he wasn't the happiest with, well, with everything." Everything encompassed so much. She worried about Mart and how he was handling her choice to change to universities.
"He's starting to return to normal. Well, what's normal for Mart, anyway," Honey answered with a brave attempt at humor. Her laugh wasn't quite as happy this time. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself to say the name that she knew would cause great pain to Trixie, even after the significant amount of time that had passed by. "He actually talks to Jim when he sees him now. I mean, Mart really talks to him. I'm not certain what happened but one day, about two months ago, Jim and Mart were suddenly talking again. Neither of them told any of us what had happened between them. Their conversations weren't forced or uncomfortable or polite anymore. They even joke together around each other now. It's almost back to normal. I think Di has been a strong influence on him. She's who I think convinced Mart that it was okay to bury the hatchet with Jim." Honey's torrent of words came to a stop while she waited, breathless, for Trixie's reaction.
Trixie swallowed back an audible gasp at the mention of Jim's name. Her friends had always walked on egg shells with her. Every single one of them had steered the conversation into another direction any time it seemed like he was going to be brought up. When tears sparkled, making her eyes resembled wet sapphires, she resolutely closed them as tightly as she could. Relatively certain she had regained control of her voice and wouldn't embarrass herself in front of Honey, Trixie murmured raspily, "That's good. I'm glad. I never wanted anyone to be mad at Jim."
Honey chewed her pale pink lipstick off. While Mart was softening towards their other co-president, Peter Belden certainly wasn't. With her new status as Brian's girlfriend, he had shared certain information with her about his father's feelings for her brother. Brian firmly believed that it would be a long, long, long time before his father gave up his animosity towards the redhead, if ever. Peter firmly put the blame in Jim's corner. She didn't think Trixie needed to know that particular piece of information. At least, not unless she gleamed it from herself from the upcoming trip home. "Jim is doing well in his classes," Honey said softly into the phone. "In fact, I think he's getting the best grades he ever has in college."
Grimacing, Trixie stared out unseeingly over the water. The continuous motion of the waves normally soothed her but not right now. "Good for him," she mumbled lowly.
As she did every time they talked, she wondered if she should tell Trixie about Jim's change in career plans or not. It was a debate that had raged within her ever since Jim had shared it with her. Honey, along with the rest of the Bob-Whites, had made a collective decision not to interfere. The five of them firmly believed it wasn't their place to tell Trixie. It would only make Trixie feel guilty and would probably upset Jim. Jim, they had all agreed, was the logical one to tell her…if the two ever actually carried on a conversation again. He would need to inform her of his changes. But there was news she could share. Jim had only told the rest of them a week ago themselves. She had been stunned by his announcement, even more stunned by the fact that Mart had known about the possibility of it ahead of time. "Trixie, there's something I've got to tell you. Jim…well, he…um…he won't be home for Thanksgiving," she stammered out swiftly, staring up at the ceiling while she waited for Trixie's reaction. She counted to twenty-five before Trixie responded.
Astonished, Trixie sat up, at full attention and her back ram-rod straight. She had been dreading seeing him for the first time, especially with an interested and avid audience around to watch their every move, and even more so since she didn't know how to act around him. She had been the one to instigate the final cut, just as her mother had warned her, and she would have to face him again. They ran in the same beloved circles. "He won't be home?" she questioned, lowly, incredulously and stunned. "Jim won't be in Sleepyside? Where will he be?"
"He signed up for a special, out-of-state Habitat for Humanity project at the beginning of the semester and just found out at the beginning of the week that he was accepted as one of the volunteers." Honey's words tumbled out, fast and strong. "He'll be spending his vacation in Massachusetts. It's the hope of the group that they will be able to finish the house and have it ready for the family to move into by Saturday." She didn't share that Jim had appeared to be relieved to have a solid excuse not to spend Thanksgiving at home, in Sleepyside. He hadn't told their parents yet. She hoped they understood. They would be disappointed, as much as she was. Thanksgiving without Jim didn't make much sense to her. It didn't seem right.
She couldn't find a thing to say. Words were beyond her. Caught by surprise, Trixie imagined the upcoming holiday without him. It was practically inconceivable. And it would mean another span of time where they didn't talk or see each other. "That's…ah…good," Trixie finally settled on. She scooped up sand and let it fall back to the beach through her fingers. "He'll do a great job on the project, I'm sure," she added when it seemed as if Honey was waiting for a response
Frowning, Honey couldn't help but realize how stilted the conversation become once she had brought up Jim's name. Trixie wasn't ready to talk about him, that much was obvious. As much as it pained her to admit it, more time away from each other was going to be a good thing. Honey let the subject go reluctantly and introduced a new topic of conversation. "So, since most of us are going to be home in only a few short weeks, we're going to have to come up with a lot of activities to do over the break besides studying. I know your family always hosts the open house for Thanksgiving but we have to work in a few other, Bob-White-only things during the few days we're all off from school. It's been way too long since we've been together."
The thought of hanging out with her family and friends was amazing but she had to caution Honey, "We won't have much time. My plane leaves during mid-morning on Saturday. So, we'll have to make the most of the time we've got. A sleep-over would be great." Trixie got a mischievous glint to her eyes. "That is, if my two best friends can manage to find time to tear themselves away from my older brothers. I've known them all my life. I can't imagine what you and Di see in them," she announced dryly.
A beautiful rose bloomed across her cheeks. "Yes. Well. Hmm," Honey stammered out, still embarrassed anytime anyone teased her about her relationship with Brian even though they had been dating for over four solid months. She should be used to it by now, considering everyone within their group made a habit out of teasing them whenever the opportunity arose, but she wasn't. Much like Trixie, she did not like being in the limelight, especially when it involved her love life.
Trixie's laugh was reminiscent of her old one; happy, lively, and full of life. Graciously letting Honey off the hook, she brought up Brian. "How is my oldest brother doing, anyway? I haven't heard from him in since last week. I left a message on his cell two days ago but he still hasn't called me back. That's not like him. He usually calls me back right away."
Since she knew Brian's schedule as well as she knew her own, maybe even a little better, Honey answered swiftly, "Don't worry about him, Trix. He had a huge exam yesterday. It was very important. Studying for it wiped him out. I think he studied to two or three in the morning for the past couple of nights. Anyway, he went straight to his apartment after he finished it and took a long, well-deserved nap. I stopped by to see him for a few hours yesterday. He still looked exhausted and was working on correcting a paper that he has due at the end of the week. He mentioned that you had called him but he hadn't been able to find the time or energy to return your call. I'm certain he'll call you back soon." She didn't add that when she called his apartment a few minutes earlier, Jim had answered and told her that Brian had gone to the computer lab to print out the paper. It was remarkably awkward, the rift between the two. Honey hated being in the middle of it, as did the rest of the Bob-Whites.
"Tell him there's no hurry," Trixie remarked with a tiny smile on her face, imagining the pressure that rested on Brian's broad shoulders. It made her shiver. She couldn't imagine having to live with, let alone live up to, that type of pressure. He needed to maintain a certain GPA to keep his scholarship. She was immensely grateful her scholarship didn't have the same requirement. His relationship with Honey was the perfect balancing act; it helped him focus on something other than med school. "I'm in pretty good shape for the next few weeks so I'm probably more flexible than he is right now. I don't have anything due right now. My last round of exams will be the final ones on December and I don't have any papers or projects due until then, either. I'll be killing time here. You can let him know that I'm not going anywhere."
Come home. Come home. Come home to stay. The words were there, right at the edges of her lips, begging to come out. Honey wanted to say them badly but she didn't. She swallowed a sigh, wished that Trixie would simply move back home, but unfortunately realized the foolishness of her wish. It wouldn't happen, not without a major breakthrough between her and Jim. Judging from Jim's decision to pursue business law and his desire to stay out of Sleepyside for the important family holiday, she could tell that it wasn't going to happen anytime soon. "I'll be sure to pass along the message," Honey murmured quietly.
Trixie tipped her head to the side. Even through the distance between them, she could feel that Honey's mind was somewhere else, somewhere that wasn't as pleasant or comfortable as it should be. Without seeing her face, she couldn't guess what had changed Honey's mood. Wanting to get Honey back on track and more positive, she questioned, "What about you, Honey? Have you declared what you wanted to study yet?" She picked up a small stick and drew tiny circles in the sand, anticipation a positive answer.
"Oh! Trixie! I haven't told you yet. I'm sorry." Honey derailed her current train of thought. "I met with my advisor the other day. We planned out my courses for next semester. I'm seriously leaning towards occupational therapy," she answered immediately, the excitement about the career choice evident in her voice. "It sounds like the perfect job for me. Even better, NYU has a terrific program. I'd even be able to stay on and get my master's here instead of moving onto another graduate school, just like Brian is planning on doing."
It didn't register on Trixie that Jim wasn't added to the list of people planning on completing their next level of study at NYU. "Occupational therapy," she murmured under her breath, so quietly Honey didn't hear it.
Honey rushed on, excited about her choice. "Trixie, I'd get to help people, really help them. I'd be able to see the gains that they make. Plus I'd help them feel better. I love helping people. I've actually been thinking about it since I worked at Dr. Ferris' office this past summer. I met the OT there. She was great. All in all, it just sounds…"
"Perfectly perfect," Trixie's voice joined her friends. They shared a delighted giggle at the way they could still finish each other's thoughts. Trixie had to resolutely squash a small amount of jealousy at Honey's choice. How she wished that Honey hadn't changed her mind, that she still wanted to be a private detective, and was planning on opening an agency with her when they graduated. Shaking her head, Trixie admitted it was a hope that didn't have a chance of coming true. As much as it pained her to admit, she was learning to become used to the failure of many of her important wishes and dreams. "I'm excited for you, Honey. You'll be wonderful at it," she said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. She did mean it, from the bottom of her heart. Honey would be wonderful at any profession she picked. It was only Trixie's bad luck that it wasn't criminal justice.
Honey released a tiny breath she hadn't known she had been holding. She hadn't been able to predict how Trixie would react and had been nervous about telling her, needlessly so, she realized with a small giggle. "Thanks, Trix. You can't even know how much your support means to me. It means everything." About to expand on more, a small beep interrupted her, announcing that she had another call coming through. She stared at the number and groaned loudly. It was her mother. Regrettably, she couldn't put her off, not in good conscience. She had to accept the call which meant…"Oh, Trix, it's my mother. I hate to do it but I'm going to have to cut our call short," she said apologetically.
"No problem," Trixie assured her, digging her toes into the sand. "Don't worry. It'll be fine. We'll catch up later. Even better, we'll be seeing each other in a few weeks, too. Tell everyone I said 'hi!"
"Will do." Honey hurriedly said good-bye and then hung up.
With the dial tone resounding in her ear, Trixie flipped her phone closed. It fell, forgotten, to the blanket. Tipping her head back, she let the rays of the sun warm her face and closed her eyes. Honey's revelation ran like a mantra through her mind. Jim wouldn't be home for Thanksgiving. He would not be home. While it didn't seem right for him not to be in Sleepyside for the family holiday, she couldn't help but be relieved. Somehow, for some unknown reason, she had been given a reprieve from seeing him. She doubted it was on purpose but he had unknowingly given her more time to recover, to attempt to heal, before they saw each other again. Her first visit home since the summer would be Jim-less, as much as her leaving had been.
Her eyes snapped open, the tinted shades protecting them from the bright sunlight. That meant Christmas. She would see him for the first time then. She knew it, could practically feel it. The relief she felt evaporated like thin morning mist on a hot, humid day. Nervous anticipation began to build. An extra month would give her even more of a chance to build up a stronger façade, to not let him see how much she still hurt over their break-up. The short vacation in November would help, she realized with a curt nod. She would be able to wet her feet in her old life, would be able to gauge the others' reactions to her, and then she would fly back to San Diego and mentally ready herself for the month-long break in December. Slipping off her sunglasses, carelessly dangling them by the side, she imagined the holiday in her mind. Christmas. Sleepyside. And Jim. Drawing in a sharp breath, Trixie slowly let it out and stared unseeingly out over the Pacific Ocean. She couldn't imagine anything happening between now and then that could be as important as the approaching holiday home.