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“No. No, I think it’s great for you. In fact, I don’t think there’s anyone else who deserves it more than you,” she argued.
I took in a deep breath and let it out. “I’ve never had that. I don’t know what to do with it. I just wanted to come here, do my own thing, and find a way to be happy by myself. I can’t let the sweet things he’s doing cloud my judgment.”
More silence came through the line. I was happy to sit with it for a bit, because I had a feeling that if I spoke again so soon, I’d break down into tears.
“I hate to tell you this, but I wouldn’t be your best friend if I didn’t tell you the truth. I’m sorry, Dakota, but that is a horrible plan you have.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Yes, it is,” she insisted. “You are not meant to be alone for the rest of your life. There is nobody in this world that wants a family more than you. I get what happened with your parents. I do. And I understand how Tom being a total dickhead would only reinforce this notion you have that you don’t deserve to have a family, but it’s not the case. You are going to find happiness, and you’re going to get the family you’ve always wanted.”
I wanted to believe that.
More than anything else in the world, I wanted my best friend to be right about that.
But I wasn’t sure I was brave enough to take that chance again.
I couldn’t have my heart broken one more time.
The only good thing about the whole situation was that Jack didn’t seem interested in pursuing anything beyond having a friendly relationship with me.
That was both good and bad.
Because on the one hand, I had no interest in having another romantic relationship. On the other hand, I didn’t think I could handle having a platonic one with him, either.
There was too much that he’d done that was so much the opposite of what I’d come to expect from Tom. I’d be comparing them at every turn. And I couldn’t trust that I wouldn’t find myself wanting to act on that.
“I love that you want that for me, but I just don’t think—”
That was all I could get out before Waverly cut me off. “It’s going to happen,” she insisted. “There isn’t a doubt in my mind. I realize how much your heart is hurting now, and I get that it’s all so fresh in your mind. But don’t write this guy off completely. There’s nothing wrong with talking to him and getting to know him. What’s the worst that could happen?”
“A lot.”
“Like what?” she scoffed. “Do you think he might actually turn out to be a better guy than you already think he is? Because if that’s the case, it’s not a very good excuse.”
I closed my eyes and groaned. “This is so frustrating.”
“It shouldn’t be,” Waverly replied through her laughter. “Tell me more about him. What does this guy look like? Maybe there’s something there that’ll help me convince you to steer clear.”
If everything I’d already told her hadn’t done that, telling her how he looked wasn’t going to do it.
So, when I went on and did just that, I wasn’t surprised when she indicated she had nothing to say that would help me stick to my guns about steering clear of him.
Realizing I wasn’t going to get what I needed from her and was going to have to rely on myself, I ordered, “Tell me what’s going on there. I need a distraction for a bit.”
With that, Waverly entertained my demands.
It worked perfectly as long as we were on the phone. But the minute we disconnected our call from one another, I glanced out my window in the direction of Jack’s cabin, and I was right back to square one.
SIX
Jack
“What are those?”
I wasn’t typically one to play games, but this was a moment that necessitated it. At the question my brother had asked, I didn’t actually need clarification about what he was referring to.
If it wasn’t already for the fact that there was only one new thing in my cabin for him to ask me about, it would have been the fact that he was staring right at it that gave it away.
