AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She gave a sharp nod, though her heartbeat thundered at the dreaded prospect of having to discuss Dean with her ex.
And of course, Blaine’s silent side-glare prodded for more, so she resigned herself to giving him something. “Thomas took a swing at him with a glass bottle, and things didn’t play out well for the kid after that.”
He laughed, groaning and clutching at his side again. “I never thought I’d see the day someone finally beat those bratty Chadleys at their own game.”
She nodded again. “The guy even gave Thomas a motivational talk on changing his ways.”
Blaine let out a high and impressed whistle. “All the interesting stuff happens when I’m not in town. I’ll have to buy the new guy a drink when I finally bust free of this hospital bed.”
“At this rate, you’ll have to get in line.” Muscles she didn’t know she’d been holding, relaxed. For the first time in this exchange, she felt she could truly breathe. “You’re old news and he’s taken over as Harlow’s new hero. Everyone’s fallen in love with him.”
Blaine shot out another laugh and then slapped his hand over his ribcage. “Ahh, Jesus. You’re no good for my health, woman!” He jutted his chin at her. “And what about you, anyway? Are you in love with the new hero too?”
She reeled back a little, shaking her head. “Hardly. You know I’m not that easy to impress.”
He pressed a knuckle to his lips, as if to stem off more laughter—her flippant comment heavy and uncomfortable in the air, like wearing a thick blanket on a hot day. She was hard to impress. The last person within miles ever to fall “in love.” Which meant when she did, starting over was even more difficult.
Sure, she liked Dean. But love? Not if she could help it.
She frowned down at her hands in her lap, her fingers locked together in a rigid knot, her throat tight around an insidious emotion she refused to name or analyze.
“Sarah, with everything that’s happened, we haven’t had much chance to talk.” Blaine’s soft tone churned at her insides.
“There’s nothing to talk about.” She unlocked her hands and struck her attention back to him in a false show that everything was just peachy.
“And we’re still friends?” The quick dart of his gaze said her answer did still mean something to him. “Right?”
And the fact that he did still seem to care, meant that despite the weight taking up space in her tummy, the light smile she offered was a genuine one. “You know we are.”
“And you’re okay? You got someone to talk to?” The sympathy in his tone, his question, though well-meaning enough, stirred the bile in her stomach, lending a heavy sick feeling.
He’d seen her in her weaker moments, and still, she resented his pity.
Anyone’s pity.
Pity abraded against everything she’d fought all these years to keep.
Not build, keep.
Nothing in her life had grown over the years. She’d spent the better part of a decade just trying to hold things together. Not to lose more than she already had.
Her throat muscles pulled tighter, her thoughts switching to Blaine’s question about whether she had anyone to talk to—now that he wasn’t really an option for her anymore—or at least, not while their breakup was still so fresh. Not while he still lay in a hospital bed.
So, she couldn’t decide which was worse, the truth or a lie. She did have someone. Dean. He’d helped her to talk more than anyone had in so long. She even liked talking to him. That fact alone made her want to clam up once more. To revert to safer and more desolate waters.
Who was Dean to her, anyway? A casual fling. Someone she would step away from should she find herself investing more than she wanted…
But maybe I already have…
The weight in her tummy sank even deeper, the churning building in aggression. She turned her mind to Blaine and their longstanding past, none of which made her want to invite him into her present. Not because she held a grudge but because she wouldn’t even know where to begin.
The unpredicted one-night stand. No way could she tell him about that. Her knee-jerk decision that night would come across as a desperate post-breakup rebound move. Maybe it was. Yet another reason to keep recent events private.
“Like I said, I’ll manage. You don’t need to worry about me.” She stood and patted his knee, the good-humored gesture designed to erase his worries.
His pinched and unwavering stare said he wasn’t convinced. “Promise you’ll tell me if whatever’s happening in that head of yours gets too much.”
She stilled for a beat or two longer than appropriate before she shook off her surprise at his astute observation. “I’m a big girl. Just concentrate on getting better, okay?”
She was a jerk for withholding the truth but leaned in to land a gentle kiss to his brow, before turning to leave, anyway. Still, he grabbed her wrist, halting her exit. “Emilia and I are thankful for all you’ve done for us. You know that, right? Don’t you be a stranger.”
She angled back to him and ruffled his already messy hair. “I understand perfectly, Mr. Callahan. You can count on seeing me again sometime soon.”
