I’d told her she was making a mistake by trusting me.
Maybe one day she’d believe it.
21
PIPER
Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch
Jackie Anne:Vaginas, pads, tampons, menopause ...
Okay, now that all the men are gone, I really need to figure out a mechanic to work on my car. Any of you ladies have a rec on someone who WON’T screw me over?
Comments:
Jade Clark:Oh this is genius ... and I don’t. I drive out of town for my dad to look at it.
Kerry Winsor:Maybe I can actually be a help on this one. I have some serious DIRT on a guy two towns over. He owes me one, big time ... so he always gives me a good deal. I can threaten him and make sure he treats you right!
Jade Clark:I don’t know whether to be impressed or terrified by the things you do, Kerry.
Kerry Winsor:Choose to be impressed. I need a win today.
My head sankto the table. First, I discovered that I couldn’t touch Grace in the library, and now this?
Was I regressing? Was I messing things up?
I wasn’t sure why I’d reacted like that. I’d been writing and then I saw a hand and bolted.
FromTheo.
I couldn’t go back. I’d done so much work to get here.
Theo had handled it well, but I saw the shock on his face before he figured out what to do. It was so tempting to run and hide in my apartment. My thoughts were a dangerous mix of negative feelings and disappointment. I knew more than anything that I needed to try to untangle it all.
But I didn’t know where to start.
First, I needed to apologize to Theo. He was already in a bad mood and I’d just made it worse.
Waiting for the shop to close was like pulling teeth, especially because I couldn’t bring my focus back to my writing and Theo wouldn’t look at me.
I managed it by sheer will.
My bravery waned when he finally flipped the sign and closed the blinds. Usually, I would stand and walk right up to him, words dancing on the tip of my tongue.
This time, I had nothing.
Theo paused at the door and looked at the espresso machine that needed cleaning. Then he turned to me and walked over.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Not really. I can’t believe ... I thought I was better.”
“You don’t have to be.”
“But it’s you. I swear I feel safe with you. I don’t know why I did that.” My desperation bled into my voice.
“Piper ...” He trailed off, voice pinched. “Listen, I’m not surprised that I scared you. I wasn’t thinking, and I should’ve given you space.”
