Page 89 of Penalty Kick

“I think you need to call Dana.”

* * *

The towering plate of cheese fries sliding down the bar in her direction was the largest that Talia had ever seen. It was piled high with three types of cheese that was still sizzling on the plate and so much bacon she couldn’t help but wonder if there was any left in the kitchen. The appetizer smelled incredible, making her stomach rumble despite her lack of desire to eat anything.

Maybe I’m not an eat your feelings kind of gal after all…

“You know, this is actually my first one of these,” Axel commented, leaning on the bar across from her. His dark red hair was tousled in a way that reminded her of that guy on the show about the time traveler in the Scottish Highlands. It was a wonder that he wasn’t beating the women off with a stick. Then again, maybe he was and she just didn’t know it. “At least my first one for an actual achy, breaky heart.”

Talia glared at him. The status of her heart was not the concern of anyone in this bar right now.

“I didn’t order this,” she said. All she had ordered was the cider sitting almost untouched in front of her. That said, the plate in front of her continued to sizzle, calling her name. Talia snuck a fry, nibbling at it as she continued to glare at Axel.

“That was me,” Heather said. Sliding onto the stool next to Talia, she added a tray of wings to the offering before Talia. “You have the look.”

“I do not.”

“You do,” Heather insisted. “Trust me, I know what it looks like. I’ve been through enough of them with Felicity and Sax. Even one or two with Link.”

“One or two of what with me?” Link asked, magically appearing out of nowhere.

“The look.”

“I’ve never had a look,” Link countered.

“Your third year at Juilliard. You came home for the holidays in pieces, because that pretty little math major from Columbia dumped you for some basketball player.” Heather’s tone was even and light, but there was still an undertone of ‘I told you so.’ Talia bit back a laugh—Heather was seriously who she wanted to be when she grew up. “Sutton? Was that her name?”

Link mumbled something under his breath, head hanging low as he made a quick exit. Heather loved all her Sour Patch Kids, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to put them in their place when needed. A true southern belle though, she did it with a gentleness that was, in a word, incomparable.

“So, like I was saying, you have the look. Crashing into the stool going, ‘if anyone asks, I’m not here,’ was also a bit of a red flag.”

Shit…

“I’m fine.”

Talia shrugged, trying to be nonchalant, grabbing a chunk of the cheesy goodness in front of her and shoving it in her mouth. At least if her mouth was full, she wouldn’t have to talk. Because talking was the last thing she wanted to do right now. She wanted to sit and stew in this mess of feelings she didn’t understand.

The mix of anger and hurt coursing through her right now was so intense, she wasn’t sure she was ever going to feel anything else again. In such a short time it had taken over every part of her. Her whole world shattered in no time flat.

She had barely slept last night, tossing and turning, her mind replaying the whole thing over and over again. Gunnar’s reaction to finding her and Dash together. The look on Frisky von Horne’s face as she handed over the photos. The photos themselves. It was like a bad dream, one where you kept trying to wake yourself up, wanting it to end, but couldn’t. Talia wanted to believe that at any moment she would wake up to find herself tangled in her sheets, heart racing, forehead damp, but none of the heartbreak real.

But it was real. So very real.

“You’re not, and that’s okay. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want. Link is a sit and brood kind of guy. Sax rambles, taking you on twists and turns until you have no idea where you are or how you got there. And Felicity…” Heather let out a sigh.

“I rant and rave, and well, I’ve been known to throw things,” Felicity admitted, appearing on Talia’s other side with a large plate that she guessed housed the hot artichoke dip that Felicity loved so much. “I had the guys in the kitchen toss some of that Local Legend-Dairy cheddar you love on those fries. But don’t pass on the dip; it’s seriously a salve to all wounds.”

Talia nodded, unsure of what to say and not sure of what else to do. She appreciated these two women more than she could say and loved that they were willing to let her process this however she wanted. Trouble was, she didn’t know where to begin.

“It’s not that I don’t want to talk, it’s just that I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how I feel,” she offered up, grabbing more fries. Dipping one in the artichoke dip, she let the medley of flavors settle on her tongue, enjoying every second. Felicity was right, this thing was a salve. “I’m angry. I’m sad. I’m in disbelief. It’s all just too much.”

“All very valid things,” Heather said.

“Then why can’t I make it all make sense? And why can’t I make it stop?”

Talia leaned forward, resting her head on the bar. All she wanted was to not hurt like this. Was that really so much to ask?

“Because when it comes to love, nothing is easy, and it rarely makes sense.”