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Only one good thing had come out of the way they ended things. They were still amicable. She sent the occasional text message—mostly funny memes or pictures of current projects. Mostly, he ignored them.
And then there was Brianne. She hung around a lot more often than she used to. He couldn’t tell if she did so because she didn’t have anyone else to spend time with, or if she simply felt bad for him and wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to do something stupid like drunk dial their friend.
Today, she’d pulled him out of the house to head to town, insisting that they get a treat at the bakery. But the second they exited the building, she wandered off to talk to a cowboy across the street.
Simon watched with veiled fascination as Brianne flirted with a guy he didn’t recognize. She’d reach out and touch his arm, laughing. The guy seemed to enjoy it. Normally, this was when Simon would long for that sort of connection with someone.
Before Katrina, he’d longed to have that connection withanyone. Now, all he felt was numb. He didn’t need anyone anymore.
He took a bite of his ice cream and wandered to a bench where he could wait for Brianne to finish her flirting. Eventually, she’d either get the guy’s number or she’d grow tired of the cat-and-mouse game. Then she’d come tell him all about it.
As long as she didn’t talk to him about Katrina, he was fine with her company.
Within minutes, she settled down beside him and sighed. “They just don’t make them like they used to.”
He grunted and she nudged him.
“Hey, I’m talking to you.”
Simon glanced in her direction. “Yeah,” he said noncommittally. “They don’t make us like they used to.”
Brianne laughed. “See? You get it. What happened to cowboys bending over backward to win their lady’s hearts?”
“Their ladies decide to move away.”
She frowned but didn’t comment. He shouldn’t have said anything. Now she’d be in a sour mood, too.
“When are you going to just talk about it.”
He stiffened.
“Because you know you can, right? Just because I’m her friend too doesn’t mean you can’t talk about it. I think what she did was really stupid.”
“Brianne, don’t.”
“Seriously,” she continued as if she didn’t hear him. “She made the biggest mistake of her life. No one is going to love her the way you do.”
“I mean it, Brianne. Knock it off.”
“If she doesn’t wise up, you’re not going to be here?—”
“I’m not talking about this with you.” Simon shot to his feet and strode in the direction of his truck. So much for a nice afternoon out.
CHAPTERNINETEEN
For the firsttime in Katrina’s life, she didn’t know what she was doing.
She’d taken the job because that was what she expected of herself. Now, she was sitting in a beautiful corner office of a building that rose over the Salt Lake valley, and for some reason, the whole world felt gray.
It wasn’t that beautiful dove gray color that everyone demanded she used in her designs—though that was getting old, too. This gray was that dirty dishwater gray that made her whole world feel muddled like there was a fog surrounding her.
Food was bland and so was everything else.
Katrina stared at her computer screen, hating the way her current design was coming together. She couldn’t put her finger on just what was wrong. Had she lost her spark? Where was that magic she couldn’t seem to contain within herself?
A sigh burst from her chest, and she pushed away from her desk. Grabbing a stress ball that the company had given her when she arrived, she squeezed it several times as she wandered through her office.
The first few days had been great. It had been a whirlwind of getting settled not only in her office but in her small apartment. Everywhere she looked, she saw buildings. There was no escaping the sounds of the city. At first, she’d welcomed the hum and constant noise. It had felt like returning home to a familiar friend.
