Hallie wiped at her face with the heels of her hands and a small smile stole across her face. “I have a better idea.”
CHAPTER TWO
“I feel bad, man.”
“What did she expect, though? It’s not like you’re the type to settle down.”
Jacob pulled off his gear and nodded as he put it aside. “I know. But still. We’re friends.”
Tate gave Jacob a smirk before exchanging a look with his twin. “You sure about that?”
“Yes,” Jacob huffed. “We’ve been friends for at least eight years, if not more. That year I saved up enough money to buy a place on the mountain? That was the year we met. But then I found out she had a huge crazy family.”
Jason chuckled quietly under his breath, drawing Jacob’s attention but when he didn’t say something he continued.
“I mean, there have been a few times when I considered…”
Both Dennison men paused what they were doing in the locker room. They’d competed tonight and both had done well. Jasonhad placed. But now, they were staring at him like his hair had caught on fire.
“You did?” Tate finally asked.
“Considered what?” Jason added.
Jacob shrugged. “She’s attractive. She’s funny. I like that she can hold her own when we’re all hanging out together. Before I realized how close her family was, I thought…” He shrugged again, not knowing why he was admitting to any of this. “You know how it is,” he finally muttered. “Neither one of you went into this professionally in the same way I have. You rarely travel. You compete at the amateur level so you can stay local. You care about your family and taking care of them. Living life on the road isn’t conducive for someone like her.”
The twins nodded in understanding, and it felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest. They could see what he was getting at. Hallie was raised in a large family. That support system was important especially for women. Those who traveled? They didn’t care if they set down roots anywhere. They could live on the road their whole lives and be fulfilled.
“Besides,” he added, “I like my job way too much. I might not sit behind a desk for fifty hours a week, but I’m still a workaholic. I have goals. Dreams. I’m not going to let myself get distracted by a girl or anything else.”
“How’s that going, by the way?” Tate asked. “Last I heard, you were in the running for the finals this year in Vegas.”
Jacob nodded. “Yeah.”
“Two years in a row. That’s impressive.”
“Thanks,” he grunted out. “It’s a lot of work, but I think this year I might have a clear shot.”
His friends nodded. Then Jason spoke. He was the quiet one but when he gave advice or said something, it was usually gold. “I think you did the right thing. Letting her down easy. Even if there were some latent feelings for her, it’s best to draw that line before it gets too blurry.”
“Yeah,” Jacob mused. “Exactly. I just hope that this doesn’t make things weird between us. She said she’d come tonight and I haven’t seen her.”
Tate frowned. “She wasn’t sitting by my sisters. Lately she’s been hanging out a lot with Faith. They’ve gotten pretty close.”
Disappointment clogged Jacob’s throat. It wasn’t like he was competing tonight, but still. She’d told him she’d be here, and he’d gotten used to seeing her smiling face. Did that make him the bad guy? That he wanted her around but refused to offer her the one thing she wanted?
Nah. He was in his rights to clearly define the parameters of his friendship with her. And if she wanted to make it weird, they’d work through it. Because they were friends.
The second he followed the twins out of the locker rooms, they were all accosted by three excitable women. Brent followed behind the girls. Wren, Lydia and Faith Dennison corralled around their twin brothers with praise and congratulations. Brent nodded at Jacob and he nodded back.
Was Brent more reserved than usual? Had he heard about what had happened with his cousin? This was the problem with big families. Nothing could be kept secret. Jacob half-wondered if he’d have to steer clear of Sagebrush for a while.
Movement down the hallway caught his attention, and he shifted his gaze to see a familiar blonde, but that wasn’t what caught his attention. There was a definite difference to her hair. It was shorter, and there was a streak of… blue in her hair.
Blue?
What did she do?
He took a step in her direction, but Brent waved him off with a subtle shake of his head.
