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“I’m going to grab us another round.” Sterling slides out of the booth and makes his way to the crowded bar.
“You good?” Orrin asks.
I shake my head. “No. But I will be.”
“Have you talked to her?” Declan asks.
“No.”
“Do you plan on it?” Orrin asks, draining the rest of his beer.
“Yeah. I need to tell her, or I’ll always wonder.”
“Look.” Declan leans in close over the table from his side of the booth. “I don’t know exactly what’s going on with you and Palmer. I know that the last few months you’ve been busier than normal, but you also seemed happy. Almost content. Then there was last weekend. We all know that something happened. We don’t know what, and we know that you’ll tell us when you’re ready.” He pauses, taking the time to finish off his beer. “Look, I’m not the advice-giver in the family. That’s Dad. However, I do know what it’s like to live with regrets.” His eyes flash with pain, and my heart squeezes for my brother and my niece and the loss they endured. “Do what you have to do to have none. If that’s telling Palmer you want to be with her, and she shoots you down, so be it. Don’t be left wondering.”
I nod. “Yeah. It’s… more than I want to get into here. But I’ll fill you all in soon. I should have told her that night, standing there in Mom and Dad’s kitchen, but I let my anger get the best of me. I’d already decided I was going to lay it all out for her and see where it took us. You’re right,” I tell him. “Even if she’s not interested, at least I’ll know I did what I could.”
“Jade said she’s been pretty quiet. Ramsey too.”
I nod. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say to that. That I hate the thought of her hurting? That I want to leave here and go to her place and beg her to talk to me? Do I tell him that I would walk through hot coals for her if she asked me to?
“Here we go.” Sterling passes each of us a beer. “Look.” He turns to me as he slides into the booth beside me. “I don’t know if I should tell you this. I don’t know what happened, but just know that something did. I also know that if it were me, I would want to know.”
“Spit it out,” I tell him.
“Palmer’s here.”
“What?” I sit up straighter in the booth and crane my head to scan the dimly lit room.
“It’s girls’ night. That’s what I assume since she’s with Jade, Piper, and Ramsey.”
I look across the table at Orrin and glare at him. “What? I knew it was girls' night, but they’re supposed to be in Harris. Ramsey and Jade wanted to go to the food trucks. I don’t know why they’re here.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. “Wait, she sent me a message twenty minutes ago.” He reads the message and then turns the screen for me to see.
Jade:Hey, babe. Change of plans. No food trucks. I don’t know the details, but Palmer refused to go. We decided to just drive around for a while and listen to music. We’re headed back to Willow River now to eat at the Tavern. Love you. I'll text you when I’m headed to your place.
“Tone down the glare, little brother,” Orrin says, sliding his phone back into his pocket after replying to Jade. “I didn’t know they were going to be here.”
“You said you wanted to talk to her,” Declan reminds me.
“Not here,” I grit out.
“Fine. Go say hi. Ask her to get together later, tomorrow, or whenever. Just acknowledge her.”
Twisting the top off my beer, I take a deep pull and think about my options. The one thing that keeps sticking out in my mind is that I want to see her. It’s a deep-rooted need, and even if I don’t get to talk to her tonight, and even if it takes me some time to convince her to talk to me, I can lay my eyes on her. I can see those beautiful green eyes.
“Where are they?” I ask Sterling.
“Sitting at the back corner table by the restrooms. It was just the four of them when I spotted them. I don’t think they noticed me.”
I nod, take another pull from my beer, and tap Sterling on the thigh. “Let me out.”
“You need backup?” Orrin asks.
“No. I’m just going to say hi, or just… lay my eyes on her,” I tell them. I do not really care if they think I’m a pussy.
The three of them nod. “We’re here if you need us.”
I knock my knuckles against the table and head for the bathrooms. I decide to actually use the bathroom before I go talk to her. It’s a stall tactic, but I don’t care. I need just a few more minutes. I take the time to splash some water on my face and pat it dry before squaring my shoulders and heading back out.
