Page 21 of The One Who Saw Her: Boone

Vivi looked around the store and leaned in like she was about to impart secrets of national security. "His pack is nuclear in nature."

"Oh, I know," Jo said as though she had prior knowledge of the answer to the Double Jeopardy question.

A flash of something close to jealousy shot through Vivi like a bolt of lightning. She blinked, shaking it off.

Stop it. You're being ridiculous.

But she couldn't deny it. That flash, however brief, had her heart racing—and a tiny, annoying part of her admitting it had something to do with the way he’d looked at her when he’d said “I got you.”

How absolutely silly was that?

"To clear things up," Jo said with a knowing grin, "I don't know, nor do I give a shit about Boone's dick. I just assumed it ran in the family."

"Right," Vivi said, remembering the way Eli had looked at Jo the other night. The question he'd asked her about being stood up at the altar. "Were you and Eli engaged?"

Jo snorted, the sound half-laugh, half-growl. "We barely survived the first year of dating without me threatening to duct-tape him to a fence post. Engaged is a strong word," she said—but it was a lie, and they both knew it.

It made Vivi wonder why she'd bother. Then again, Vivi lied all the time. Saying yes when the answer was really no was just as dishonest, and she'd been doing it her whole life.

She'd spent years twisting herself into pretzels when a churro felt more natural—smoothing over edges, agreeing to plans she didn't care about, all to keep the peace or avoid disappointing someone. And yet here she was in Bridlewood, facing a cowboy, his family, and a town full of people who had no idea who she really was—and for once she didn't want to hide behind a mask. She wanted to be honest. Messy and awkward and all of it, even if it scared her.

"I'm sorry it didn't work out," she said.

She could see Jo weighing which direction to take the conversation. Vivi was disappointed when she landed on: "Life's a bitch. I knew better."

A sharp tug pulled at Vivi's chest for a woman who'd clearly been handed more than her fair share of hard luck.

She knew that tired-to-the-bone feeling, the kind that came from knowing better and going along with something anyway. She'd learned it early—mostly from her dad.

He wasn't a bad man. He was a reasonable man, which somehow made it harder. Sensible choices, stable plans, a future she should have wanted. There'd been a dozen moments when she'd almost told him she wanted something different—something louder that was hers. But then he'd smile, proud and relieved, and she'd swallow the truth like it was the impolite thing at the table.

It never worked—pretending never did. And the worst part wasn't disappointing him; it was knowing she'd disappointed herself first.

Maybe that was what Jo meant. I knew better. Not anger. Just the shitty realization that she'd known better and done it anyway.

Maybe Bridlewood was her chance to stop being sensible. To finally be honest, even when it was awkward.

"That's bleak," Vivi said quietly.

"Bleak? Nah. Truth? Yes."

Before Vivi could come back with one of her sunshine epiphanies, there was a tap at the glass window. She whipped her head around to find two gray-haired biddies peering in.

Two gray-haired women stood on the other side, staring in like they'd paid admission.

One wore a floral dress with deep apron pockets and loafers that had clearly seen decades of errands and Sunday church. The other had on a buttoned-up cardigan and the kind of grin that came from years of hunting down and dolling out gossip. They looked to be somewhere north of seventy and not the least bit embarrassed about being caught spying.

In fact, the one in the floral dress waved. Vivi covered her face and groaned.

"Don't let them get to you," Jo said. "They're small-town busybodies. You blink, they write a novella. You sneeze, they act like you've declared war. And Boone's name intertwined with yours?" She shook her head. "That makes them very curious."

Vivi let out a nervous laugh, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Yeah, Boone's house isn't exactly inconspicuous."

"Oh, girl." Jo smirked. "Everyone's dying to know who's moved in with the ranch prince. And don't look at me like that. I've been here long enough to know you'll either fit right in or drive ‘em nuts. Either way, you're entertainment for the town. But hey,” she smacked a hand on Vivi's shoulder. "We'll make sure you survive. Maybe even look like a proper cowgirl while doing it."

Vivi nodded, then—wanting to get away from prying eyes—slipped into the dressing room. She pulled on a rugged pair of jeans and a flannel, grateful for Jo's guidance even when it came wrapped in sarcasm and elbow grease.

She'd just pulled a pink and white flannel over her head—because pink was power—when her phone buzzed. She fished it out of her purse and groaned at the caller ID.