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“Scarlett Kincaid, that’s who.” Chuck tips his beer toward us and takes a swig, while mine spews from my mouth.
“Damn it, Tucker.” Scooter tosses me a rag to clean up the mess, but all I can do is stare at Chuck.
“Scarlett bought the acreage?” That’s impossible. She has no interest in living here. The Truman place is made for all of the things that I want in life, stuff that she made it clear she has no interest in.
Chuck nods. “Wrote a check and signed the papers today. It’s official.”
“What the hell is she going to do with three hundred acres?” I ask, trying to wrap my head around this new piece of information.
And why didn’t she tell me that she was buying it?
Maybe because she really is done with me. The thought is like a punch to the gut. And to think that I was about to uproot my family and my life to be near her.
“She talks like she’s going to build a big ol’ house.”
“Great.” I drain the rest of my beer and slam it down.
“Easy,” Scooter warns.
I give him an apologetic look and lower my head to my hands. The last thirteen years have been hard enough, thinking about her and missing her, knowing she wasn’t around. How am I supposed to live in the same town as her and not want to be with her? And what happens when she decides to start dating?
The thought alone has my blood pumping and causes a twitch to start up in my eye. I’m going to end up in prison for murder because that’s what I’ll do—I’ll kill any man who even tries to touch her.
I’ve gotta get out of here and go somewhere quiet where I can think about what I want to do. I pull my wallet out of my back pocket, toss a twenty on the bar top, and slide off the stool.
“Where are you going?” Dean asks.
“Home. I need to think.”
“I’ll drive you.”
“No need. I’m fine.”
Scooter doesn’t say a word, but one look at him, and I know that he knows how badly I’m hurting.
I drive home in a Scarlett-induced fog, every possible scenario of what she could be doing racing through my head. It’s well after three o’clock in the morning before I fall asleep, and I’m up again at the ass crack of dawn.
Chloe had a slumber party for Lizzie’s birthday, and I don’t have to pick her up until much later, so I move around the house doing busy work. I mow the lawn, clean the gutters, trim the bushes, and wash my car, all while keeping a close eye on Rick’s house, hoping for a glimpse of Scarlett.
I know she hasn’t left because her rental is still in the driveway, and I’m determined to be here when she comes outside. And when she does, I’m going to corner her and find out what in the world is going on. She can’t stay cooped up in Rick’s house all day.
I watch and wait and wait some more and an hour before I’m due to pick up Chloe, I dart in the house and take a quick shower. When I walk back outside, Scarlett’s car is gone.
“Son of a bitch.”
If I didn’t know better, I’d think that she was waiting for me to go inside before leaving.
“That’s it,” I mumble marching across the yard.
I bang on the door twice, and it flings open. Rick smiles at me.
“Where’s Scarlett?”
“Nice to see you, too, Tucker.”
“Sorry.” I drop my head and sigh. “Hello, Rick. You’re looking great. How’s life?”
“Not too shabby, thanks for asking.”
I nod. “Good to hear it. Where’s your daughter?”
“I imagine Lexi is with the kids. She’s probably at home if you need to talk to her.”
I stare at him blandly. “You know I’m not asking about Lexi.”
“Oh,” he says dramatically. “You mean Scarlett. She just left.”
“Where did she go?”
“Alfonzo’s.”
“The Italian restaurant? Who did she go there with?”
“Uhh…” Rick’s smile falters. “A friend. She went with a friend.”
“Scarlett doesn’t have any friends here.”
“She made a new one.”
He’s lying through his teeth. “Really? What’s her name?”
“Damn it, Tuck.” Rick drags a hand through his hair. “I can’t lie for shit. She’s at Alfonzo’s with Dawson Peterson.”
I flinch back. “Dawson Peterson?”
What the hell would she be doing with Dawson Peterson? Sure, he has lots of money and his own business, but—
“Wait. Are they on a date?” I’ll kill him with my bare hands if he so much as touches her.
“No, nothing like that.”
“Then, what is it?” I shake my head and step off his porch. “I can’t believe this. I can’t believe that I was ready to take a job in Nashville to be with her and here she is buying land, going on dates, and living her life as though our relationship didn’t just end.”
