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Eloise made a face. “Right. I almost forgot about that.”
She peeked at her sister and let out a breath that simply wasn’t enough to quell what she was feeling inside. “The dumb thing is that I think I might be falling for Wade.”
“I knew it!”
Brielle rolled her eyes. “But it doesn’t matter.”
“Why not?”
“Because! Wade is great and all. He’s sweet—to me. And he’s obviously a hard worker. I adore how he’s been able to keep his family together.”
“Sure doesn’t seem like any of that matters,” Eloise said.
“It doesn’t matter because if he can’t control his anger, then where does that put us?”
Her sister was quiet. Brielle wasn’t sure if Eloise even knew about what had happened between Wade and Tad. She should probably keep it that way—until she knew where things were going to go between herself and Wade.
Brielle rolled back her shoulders and got to her feet. “If Shane had a criminal record, would that make you think twice about being with him?”
“Probably not.”
“What if he had a criminal past and you could see hints of the side of him that put him in jail?”
Eloise stiffened. Her eyes narrowed and she moved closer to Brielle. “Are you saying that Wade is doing stuff he shouldn’t?”
“What? Of course not,” Brielle stammered. “It’s just that… the other day he got in a fight with Tad.”
The degree to which Eloise relaxed probably should have bothered Brielle more than she wanted to admit. Her sister crossed her arms and seemed to be considering where their conversation had taken them. “I guess I’d want to know if he had a good reason.”
“Seriously?” Brielle nearly let her mouth drop open. She hadn’t been expecting this from Eloise, of all people. “I thought you didn’t approve of that kind of stuff.”
Eloise shrugged. “You and I both know that there have been some strange things happening since Madeline came back into Shane’s life. What if she’s part of this?”
“Now you’re just being ridiculous. Madeline had nothing to do with me getting married to Tad. We didn’t even know her ten years ago.”
“True. But if she knew about Tad, wouldn’t it be safe to assume that shecouldhave done something?”
Brielle shook her head sharply. “No. It wouldn’t make sense. Shane would have told you. And then you would have told me.”
“I guess you’re right on that.” Eloise tapped her chin with her finger. “Still, I would trust Wade over Tad any day. He has a lot more to lose if he was to get on your bad side. And definitely if he got on Dad’s bad side. Tad could leave here with nothing and end up the exact same as what he was when he came.”
“So you’re saying…”
“I’m saying you should dump Tad and give Wade a chance. But you won’t do that, and we both know it. So, if you’re going to let Tad stay for the rest of the month, you need to make sure you’re giving Wade a fighting chance. If he thinks that Tad needs to be put in his place, maybe you should ask him about it.”
Brielle sighed. “I guess you’re right.” As much as she hated that idea, she knew Eloise was right. She already had enough issues in her personal relationships. She didn’t need to add the uncertainty of Wade’s behavior. “My next date is with him.”
“Tonight?”
Shaking her head, Brielle only allowed herself to peek at Eloise. “I’m guessing him stopping by was so we could set it up. He’s not really someone who likes to say things over the phone or text messaging when face-to-face is an option.”
“Smart guy.”
Brielle nodded. She hadn’t thought about it before, but that was something she liked about Wade. There was no hiding who he was. He wasn’t the type of guy who hid behind a screen. What she saw was what she got.
Perhaps it was time to give him the same courtesy that he’d been giving her all this time.
* * *
