Page 21 of Oops I Fell For The Lumberjack Next Door

"If that's what you need."

"It is."

He picks up the flannel from the counter. Folds it over his arm. Walks to the side door. Stops.

"For what it's worth, the thing with Ryan in college? That's not what you think it was. I didn't try to break you up because I wanted to control your life. I did it because..." He stops. Swallows. "There's more to that story than you know."

"Don't." My voice breaks. I hold up my hand. "Please don't. I can't hear this right now."

He nods. Once. Opens the door. Tinsel is waiting in the yard, tail low, reading the room better than most humans.

"You know where I am if you need anything."

"I know."

The door closes behind him. Quiet. No slam. Briggs Holloway doesn't slam doors. He closes them carefully, the way he does everything, with deliberation and an infuriating respect for the structure of things.

I stand in my kitchen. Alone. The hose still running from his spigot through my window. The tap he arranged to fix. The counter where he kissed me yesterday morning while the coffee brewed. Princess Buttercup sitting on the windowsill, watching him walk through the trees, and for the first time since I arrived, she doesn't purr.

The silence is loud.

My phone buzzes.

Layla:

How's the mountain man situation? Still enemies to lovers or have we progressed to the good part?

I stare at the screen.

Me:

We progressed. And then I ruined it.

Layla:

What happened???

Me:

Daniel called. And I freaked out. And I accused Briggs of trying to fix me. And he said he was trying to love me. And I told him I needed space.

Layla:

Oh Margot.

Me:

I know.

Layla:

Was he trying to fix you? Or was he just being a good person?

I put the phone down. Pick it up. Put it down.

Me:

I don't know. That's the problem. I can't tell anymore. Every man I've ever trusted has either betrayed me or disappeared. Ryan cheated. Daniel checked out. And Briggs? Briggs ruined my relationship in college and now he's in my kitchen fixing my pipes and telling me he loves me and I don't know if I'm falling for the real thing or just repeating the worst mistake of my life for the third time.