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“Of course, you can talk.” You can tell Sloane has a sister since she so easily made the transition from inquisitor to peacekeeper.
“To keep everyone out of our business Deacon and I came up with a diversion. He’d pick up girls in full view of everyone, and I’d call him with a reason that he couldn’t take her home.”
“You were his fake emergency?” Ally gapes.
“Why would you go to all that trouble?” Sloane asks.
“Um, do you guys not see what you’re doing right now?” I look at each of them in turn. “You’ve staged an intervention to try to convince me I’m making a mistake. Why wouldn’t I go to extreme lengths to avoid this?”
Although the secrecy was Deacon’s idea, I know this is why he suggested it, and in hindsight I think it worked in our favor. If the girls had tried to intervene before we found solid footing, we might not have reached this point.
“You shouldn’t have to go to extreme lengths to be with someone, Tiff. That’s my point.” Lennon’s voice has lost some of its heat, almost like she regrets her words despite feeling the need to say them. “And if you’re doing that, I can’t help thinking you’re making this into something it’s not.”
“Like what?” I cross my arms in front of my chest.
“A relationship instead of a fling.”
“That’s not what I saw,” Cora intervenes. “Like Becca said, he’s into her. He loves her.”
“If that’s true why hide it?” Ally asks.
“Tiff just explained that,” Cora says. “They knew people wouldn’t approve and they didn’t want the weight of the town's opinion to interfere.”
“Are you sure you aren’t just saying that because this is Cade’s cousin we’re talking about?” Ally asks gently. “I mean, I understand why you’d defend him, and I’m not saying he’s a bad guy, but as far as dating goes… Once upon a time Cade’s reputation with women was just as bad as Deacon’s, but one thing Cade never did was try to keep you a secret.”
“True, but I also didn’t grow up here, so no one felt a responsibility to look after me. Not the way everyone looks out for Tiff.” Cora offers me a remorseful smile. “Can you really blame them for wanting to explore their relationship outside the prying eyes of the entire town?”
“Speaking as someone who’s felt that scrutiny,” Becca volunteers, “I don’t.”
“Apples and oranges.” Ally waves a hand. “No offense.”
“How is Becca’s situation any different than mine?” I object. “Whether it’s who we date or how many people we’re dating, people still have opinions about how we’re living our life.”
Becca holds her fist up—a typical gesture for the woman breaking down glass ceilings in the male dominated biking world—and I lean forward to bump mine against hers, feeling a newfound kinship with her.
“Has anyone made you feel like they don’t approve of you dating both Blake and Jace?” Sloane puts a hand on Becca’s forearm.
“No. But they can’t hide the fact that they’re confused, and even though it’s not disapproval, it’s not approval either.”
“I wasn’t thinking about it that way. I’m sorry,” Ally tells Becca.
“It’s okay, but you just proved our point.” Becca draws an imaginary line between me and her. “People might not object to my situation, but I still feel their confusion. You guys are outright objecting to Tiff’s situation, exactly like she expected you to. Are you really surprised she took extreme measures to keep you out of her business?”
“We’re only concerned because we love you, Tiff,” Lennon says. “We don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“I know.” I breathe a heavy sigh. “It’s the same thing people have been telling me my whole life, and I know you genuinely think this is how you show me love. I just wish, for once, you guys would love me enough to trust I know what I’m doing.” I push my chair back and stand up.
“Where are you going?” Lennon calls.
“My shift started an hour ago. I should probably get started.”
Truth be told, work is the last thing I want to do right now, but I can’t listen to them anymore, and I’m too responsible to walk out and leave my coworkers shorthanded.
“Tiff, you don’t have to worry about your shift. I’ve got it covered,” Lennon says.
My pride tells me to decline the offer, but my heart tells me to accept. It’s feeling a little beat up, and just wants to curl up on the couch. So, I give her a curt nod and collect my things from the break room, leaving out the back so I don’t have to see their expressions of concern, empathy or even pity as I walk past.
Chapter 27
