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Thatch sped around the corner and took the left turn too fast.
“She’s there!” Kyra pointed up ahead of them to where Lyric’s car was parked along the curb in front of the clinic. Amos had his head out the window, tail wagging as though all was well.
Relief whooshed out of him. “She must’ve gotten held up at the clinic then.” Maybe there’d been some kind of emergency with one of her clients. He parked behind her, and both he and Kyra got out of the truck.
The front door opened, and Lyric hurried outside, a bag slung over her shoulder, but she stopped suddenly when she saw them.
“Hey.” The closer Thatch got to her, the more warily she looked at him. Something was definitely wrong. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Her voice sounded different—sharper—and he’d never seen that tight expression on her face.
“Why haven’t you called us back?” Kyra marched up to Lyric, seeming to disregard the obvious tension. “We’ve been worried about you. You’re really late for dinner.”
“Can you give Thatch and me a minute?” Lyric spoke to Kyra in that same harsh manner.
“Oh.” Kyra started to back away. “Sure. Yeah. Um, if you need me, I’ll just be in Thatch’s truck.”
While their friend walked away, Thatch waited for Lyric to take the lead on this conversation, although healready had a pretty good idea where it would lead. She was running from him.
“I’m sorry. I have to go,” she finally said, keeping her distance from him. “I forgot I have to teach in Jackson tonight. So I won’t be able to come to dinner.”
“Oh.” There was more she wasn’t saying. Her eyes wouldn’t meet his, and tension still gripped her face. “You’re sure nothing’s wrong?”
“I’m sure,” she almost snapped. “I said I was sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Why did she sound mad at him? “I’m just glad you’re all right.” He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so terrified. Not since his retirement anyway.
“Besides, it’s probably best that I don’t hang out with your family.” Now Lyric had a robotic tone, devoid of any emotion. “I mean, we don’t want to create any expectations about the future or anything. Things between us have moved a little too fast, and I think it’s best if we take a step back.” She didn’t give him a chance to speak. “I have to go. Maybe we can talk another time.”
Another time? No. Something had upset her. “What happened? I know something happened.” He stepped to her, studying her eyes, searching for the openness that had been there just the other night. “I don’t have any expectations, Lyric. I don’t want more than what you can give. But I care about you. Hell, I’m falling in love with you, and whatever has happened we can work through it together. I want to be here for you.”
“I don’t want you.” The words would’ve been more convincing if tears weren’t streaking her cheeks. “I can’t do this. So leave me alone, Thatch. Please. Just leave me alone.” She sidestepped him and got into her car, driving away before he could even turn around.
After a few stunned seconds, he got back into the truck, his head still clouded with shock.
“What in the world happened?” Kyra clicked in her seat belt. “Where’s she going?”
“To Jackson.” He just sat there letting the truck idle. “She said she has to teach at the spa, and she doesn’t know if she’ll be back tomorrow.” She’d also said she didn’t want him. Just like that, kicking him out of her life.
“She didn’t mention anything to me about teaching at the spa this week.” Kyra rolled down her window. “Usually, she tells me if they ask her to come. No, shealwaystells me. This is just off.”
“Tell me about it.” He slipped the truck into gear but drove slowly in the direction of the café. What was he supposed to tell his family? “She basically broke up with me.”
“Are you serious?” Kyra shook her head. “She was just telling me how much she liked you. How you’d changed everything for her. Something is not right.”
“Maybe she changed her mind.” Maybe the prospect of having dinner with his family had sent her running. Or maybe she’d never had deep feelings for him in the first place. “Our entire relationship was fake at first anyway. It was a lie.” He should’ve known things would end this way.
“What’re you talking about?” Kyra demanded. “You two are great together.”
He parked the truck outside the café and spilled the whole story to Lyric’s best friend. How he’d asked Lyric out at Christmas, and she’d turned him down; how she’d accidentally let her yoga class believe they were dating; how the cover made sense for him to keep his yoga sessions a secret.
“But you love her,” Kyra said when he’d finished. “And she loves you. I know she does. You can’t fake real love.”
“I wasn’t faking anything.” Forget trying to save face. He’d gone all-in with Lyric. He’d laid all his cards on the table. And it wasn’t enough. He wasn’t enough.
“She feels the same way you do.” His friend grunted in frustration. “Something happened. Something had to have happened.”
“I don’t know. Maybe this was all too much for her. My family coming and wanting to spend time with her.” In any case, Lyric had made up her mind, and he refused to force anything. He’d already told her that. He wouldn’t track her down and beg. She knew how he felt about her. That was all he could do. “We’d better get back inside.” Once again, he’d get to endure humiliation in front of his family. He shouldn’t have played up their relationship so much with his mom. He’d gotten her hopes up and had likely driven Lyric away in the process.
