AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Hale’s skin had gone from pale to pink. “I think you are gorgeous. Whatever you think I meant by that I didn’t. I didn’t.”
“You always say what you mean,” she replied. “That’s one thing I did learn about you. Good-bye, guys. I hope we can be friendly if we see each other again.”
“He didn’t mean it like that,” Van insisted. He knew exactly why Hale had said what he’d said. “He thought I needed convincing, and he’s learned that sometimes he’s gotta shift my point of view. It wasn’t about your body. God, Elisa, I think you’re the single most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
“That’s a nice thing to say. You two have a good day,” she said before firmly closing the door between them.
“What the hell just happened?” Hale asked.
“Well, I think you said something that made her worry she’s not pretty enough. I don’t think women like the phrase it’s not so bad when it comes to their various body parts.” Gene turned the corner. He was an elderly man with a friendly face and a balding head. He carried a box of what had to contain the cinnamon rolls he always offered guests in the lobby along with fresh coffee. He picked them up from Stella’s, where Hale would no longer be taking Elisa for breakfast. “I thought you two would be smoother. You’ve been together for a long time. You should know how to handle a woman.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.” The angry expression on Hale’s face had been replaced with pure confusion. “I think she’s beautiful. How do I make her understand?”
“Maybe some flowers,” Gene offered. “I think Teeny’s got some pretty roses in.”
He didn’t think flowers were going to solve this problem.
Hale stared at the door. “No. I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t take them from me.” He turned away and started for the SUV they shared. “We should go.”
“I think you should talk to her.” He hated the defeated look on Hale’s face.
“You heard her. She said she didn’t want to be pushed into something she didn’t want, and it appears that she doesn’t want me now.” He stood at the passenger side door. “Drop me off at the cabin. I won’t need the car today.”
This was not what he’d wanted. How had it gone so fucking wrong so fucking fast? But he recognized the blank look on Hale’s face. It was how he dealt with rejection. He closed himself off. He would brood for days or weeks.
He’d fucked this up, and he had no idea how to fix it.
It was the longest ride home.
* * * *
She hated this feeling. Vulnerable. Fragile.
Figuring out Van was leaving hadn’t broken her. It was okay that he hadn’t enjoyed the night before the way she had. Or that he needed time to think. She kind of did, too, because it had been more intense than she’d expected, and it hadn’t been all about the sex. The real deep intimacy had come from sleeping between them, from feeling warm and adored.
Like so many things in life, that feeling had been false.
She sat in the booth at Stella’s and wondered if she would ever try again.
This was not how she’d thought her morning would go.
She’d thought she would be here with both of them, enjoying the morning and refueling after a night of physical activity. She’d thought she would walk around the festival with them, spend the next few weeks seeing if anything could come out of it.
Now she was right back to thinking she should go home.
Was it home? Had it ever been home? Or had it always been the place where she slept and waited for something better to happen? Something that never seemed to come along.
“Hi, honey. I’m so glad to see you here.” Cassidy stood at the end of the booth. She wore denim overalls and a big puffy jacket. “I was going to come looking for you.”
She would have to look for her since neither Cassidy nor her father carried a cell phone because…there were a lot of reasons. Still, it was nice to see a friendly face. “Here I am. Are you here for breakfast?”
Cassidy slipped out of her coat and slid into the booth across from her. “I came into town to run a couple of errands and to see if I could convince you to come to dinner tonight. I’ve got some stew in the slow cooker and found some old picture albums I’d like to share with you. If you’re not busy.”
She wasn’t busy. She was here for a reason, and it hadn’t been to hook up with two ridiculously hot guys.
Who’d seemed to like her. Hale hadn’t hesitated when she’d gotten naked. There had been no momentary horror in his eyes. Had he hidden it that well? She wouldn’t have thought he could.
