"What are you going to do?" Vivian asked her cousin. She had thought it was sweet of him to do something like that, she just didn't know what it meant for either one of them. Secretly or maybe it wasn't so secret that she wanted her cousin to move back and be with Wade. From where she was standing on the outside, she could see that Zoe wasn't as happy as she once was and seeing her now after a few days back home where she belonged that happiness that had eluded Zoe was starting to come back to her. She didn't think that the city of New York was the right place for Zoe. Not that she would ever stand in the way of her cousin.
After Wade dropped her off back at home, with her dad at work, she headed off to see Vivian and little Harley, like she planned. With it just being Vivian at home, she quickly broke down and told her cousin about her morning with Wade. She needed insight on the whole thing. She had thought about going to Lemon and AB, but she didn't know how much they knew, and she didn't want it to be spread around Bluebell if no one knew anything about it. And they may be her friends once more, but she didn't want to put them in the middle of something, even if they wanted to be there. She felt better going to her cousin with her little dilemma.
"I don't know. What am I supposed to do, Viv?" Zoe asked, sighing into her cup of tea. "I can't sell the house; I can't live there with Joel, not like this. Above all else it would be unfair to let the house sit there unused." What was one to do with a house that an ex-love had bought you? This was a new one for her.
"What about renting it out, until you decided what to do with the place?" Vivian suggested. She had never heard of something like this happening in real life. Movies were made of things like this; she didn't for a second think something like that would happen, least of all to anyone she knew.
"I don't know," Zoe huffed. "Why now? Why couldn't he have done this sooner?" Part of her felt like she knew the answer to that question, if she wouldn't have waited so long before coming home things would have been different. Not that she should have put her dreams on hold for anyone, though she did agree that she should have done things differently. Once she thought things were to broken to be fixed but maybe just maybe she had enough time to fix things, if she chose to do so.
"I can't answer that, Zoe. However, he's right; you need to figure out what's best for you. Have you even talked to Joel since being here?"
Zoe shook her head at her cousin's question. "I tried calling him but his voicemail was full. I messaged him but nothing. Everything was so much simpler before coming back here." As far as she knew she hadn't made him mad, they were okay when she left. She had chalked it up to him being busy with his book, that he had lost track of the world around him. She trusted him, so he had no reason to think he was up to anything other than working on his book. No one had gotten ahold of her, telling her he was in jail or in the hospital. Or worse.
"I wish I could tell you what you wanted to hear, Zoe. However, that isn't fair to anyone. You need to figure it out. Maybe once you get back to the city you'll find your answer. But, whatever you do, don't rush into anything," Vivian warned her.
"I won't. This is something I really need to think through, in every way possible." She would have time on her flight back.
"Zoe," little Harley yelled, jumping on Zoe's lap, his arms wrapping around her tightly, effectively ending their conversation. "I've missed you," he whispered in her ear.
"I missed you too buddy," Zoe replied, hugging him just as tight.
She really wasn't going to stay away from her family this long ever again!
Her afternoon was filled with games and laughter. Her only tears were from laughing so hard. She had no time to think about Wade, Joel or even her house. It was a break she was thankful for.
"I promise you, I'll be back soon," she told Harley, having apples and peanut butter together.
"You best," he told her. "Mom misses you," he shrugged.
"I miss her too," she replied. "But I miss you the most," she whispered, even though it was just the two of them in the kitchen.
"You will be here for my birthday this year, right?"
"I wouldn't miss it for the world, buddy," she assured him. "Anything you want?" She questioned. He shook his head. "There has to be something," she prodded him.
"A whole list of things, actually," Vivian stated joining the two of them.
"You don't have to get me anything, Zoe. You coming will be enough," he replied with a shrug.
"I will be here, Harley; I promise, pinky promise," she said, holding her pinky out to him.
"Pinky promises are kinda lame," he replied, hooking his pinky with hers. "But I will humor you," he laughed.
Zoe laughed hugging him, saying her good-byes. She assured Vivian that she would think about her dilemma before making any rash decisions. This wasn't something she could rush into without a lot of thinking on her part. She wasn't going to be take anything that happened this weekend lightly.
"Dad, I've got a question for you," Zoe said, entering her father's office, except he wasn't there. With a frown, she headed to Brick's office. "Have you seen my dad?"
"House call," he informed her. "Do you have a minute, Zoe?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing," she replied, sitting down.
"I'm sorry," they both said making each other laugh.
"Go ahead," he offered her, with a soft chuckle.
"I'm sorry," she told him. "I didn't think that I had hurt you like I had done my friends. You are like a second father to me, so it makes sense that I hurt you in such a way. For that I am truly sorry, Brick. I wish I knew what I could do to make it up to you, but I don't think there is anything; I believe that from here on out, we rebuild what I had stupidly broken," she explained, feeling nervous for his reply.
"I would like that, Zoe. I am sorry that I acted in such a way towards you. We can't fix the past; we can only move on from it, and I agree with you; we rebuild our relationship back to what it once was, there is a chance that this time it can be better," he smiled.
"I think so too," she replied getting up. "I'll let you get back to work."
"Zoe," he called after her, making her stop before she left his office. "For the record, the office that your father had been so adamant about getting ready for you, well it is yours if you ever decide that Bluebell is where your heart is at. We have done nothing to the office; it is ready when you are," he informed her.
"Thank you," she smiled, slipping from his office. "Don't you have anything better to do than stalk me?" She asked seriously, seeing the man outside the practice.
"At first I had to make sure you didn't up and leave us fine folk of Bluebell," he smirked, his arm going around her shoulder. "Now it's so you don't leave without saying bye to this ruggedly handsome face," he teased.
"That second option sounds better and better everyday," she replied. "Hey do you know anything about Benny's house?" She questioned. If Wade didn't tell anyone of his plan, she didn't want to say anything so this was the safest way.
"Just that his oldest daughter got it, but she sold it for cheap like two or three months after you left for school, why? You thinking about buying the house so you can move back here?" He asked skeptically.
"That would be the dream, wouldn't it?" She questioned with a teasing tone. "But I'm not in the market for a house at this point in time, nor will I be moving back, not until I figured things out," she sighed.
"Figure what out? Tell Jesse and he'll make it all real easy for you," he smirked.
"Zoe thinks Jesse has spent too much time talking to Lavon Hayes," she joked. "I need to think through things on my own, but thanks for the offer; I know where to find you, if I need you," she assured him. "It was good to see you again, Jesse," she smiled, hugging him.
"You'll be here for the wedding, right?" He asked, holding onto her longer than necessary. If he could get Zoe to his brother's wedding than one of them if not both of them will see that Wade was making the biggest mistake of his life and that Zoe was letting him do that. Sometimes it wasn't easier to let things go, letting things go could ruin a life or two.
"I promise; I'll be back, even if it is against my judgment, and I would rather be anywhere else," she promised him, the key burning through her pocket, marking her flesh. She didn't think she had it in her to stop a wedding, if that was what she chose to do.
"If not, I will come after you," he warned. "It was a pleasure to see you in the flesh," he smirked, letting her go. "Remember I'm only a call away if you need anything," he reminded her, walking off.
"I thought we could have dinner at Fancies," Harley told his daughter when she walked into the house.
"I would like that, let me change," she suggested, already on her way upstairs.
The walk to Fancies was a quick one spent in silence, enjoying the company of having the other back in their lives for a little longer. Father and daughter wanting to hold onto the moment as long as possible.
"You have enjoyed your stay being home, haven't you?" Harley asked, after they had ordered their food, and the waiter had brought them their drinks.
"So much so that I will be back next month," she smiled hesitantly.
"Why are you torturing yourself by going to his wedding, Zoe?" Her father asked her. He was curious; he hadn't had the need to ever go to an ex's wedding.
"To officially move on from this, I haven't healed from the Wade shaped hole that was left and this will help do it."
"What if it doesn't, sweetie?" He had to make sure that she was making the right choice. That there was more that could happen again by going. "Are you sure that this is what want? Things don't always go the way you think they will."
"I know, but I want this, and I will accept whatever happens by going, but this is something that I need to do for me; I have to be certain. You understand that, don't you?"
"I get it and I do hope you find whatever it is you are looking for," he assured her. "Now let's talk about the holidays; I enjoyed my time in that city of yours, but I would like you to come here this time around," he hinted at her.
"I have missed Planksgiving; no one in New York gets it. Coming home for Christmas would be delightful. Joel will like it as well," she smiled. "Might even give him some inspiration for a new book once he finishes the one he is working on." It was the perfect plan in her head. She could convince Joel to come with her, that would be the easy part, after all he did want to come with her this time.
"That would be nice, sweetie," Harley smiled. He was happy that he was getting his daughter back. He didn't like her being so far away where he wasn't there to protect her in the way a father should. He liked that she had her independence, and she could fight for what she wanted, he still didn't like it.