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“True. She’s already got you wrapped around her little finger.”
“Facts,” I reply. "You're really good with her," I say, looking at Matt.
"It's not difficult. She's so much like Sammy was when we first came to live here. It'd be hard not to love her."
"Yeah."
"So, family dinner date, huh?" Matt snickers.
"Kinda," I reply. "Look. I wanted to apologize to you. I know there is a lot I should have told you guys after Samantha left. I just wasn't in the right headspace for any of it."
"I get it. I understand why you guys didn't tell us about the wedding. You aren't the only one I'm upset with, you know." Matt huffs. "I'm so fucking mad at Samantha. I want to give her a piece of my mind, but I don't want to be the cause of her leaving again."
I think about that for a minute before I respond. "I don't want her to run away again either." I finally whisper.
A big smile spreads across Matt's face. "You still want her." He sings.
I can't help smiling at him. Matt's energy has always been contagious to an extent. He's one of my best friends and I know he was one of my biggest supporters.
"Brianna is back in town." Matt blurts.
"What?" I ask. "How do you know that?"
"She was at the memorial. She showed up after you took Dakota riding. I didn't talk to her. She tackled Samantha and then they left."
"Have you seen her since?" I ask him.
"Yeah. She's been around town."
Matt looks sad. I hate that look in his eyes. I know how he feels about Brianna. He'd have given anything to be with her when she left. But, Wayne got sick and needed our help. Brianna refused to wait for him. She broke my little brother's heart. Maybe more than Samantha broke mine.
I pat him on the back, "You should talk to her."
"There's nothing to say. We ended a while ago. She won't move back home and I have no intentions of leaving so, I guess it just wasn't meant to be."
"I'm sorry man. I really am. I know how much you love her."
"Yeah. A little like how I know how much you love Samantha. This grudge you're holding against her isn't going to do anything but make you both more miserable than you already are." When did my fun-loving friend start sounding smarter than the rest of us?
Chapter Thirteen
Samantha
It wasn’t difficult to convince me to allow Shane to join us for dinner. Hell, it took no convincing at all. When Dakota asked if her dad was coming, of course, I said yes. What else was I supposed to say? I can already see the questions forming in the minds of the people walking the sidewalk down the main street.
I ignore the looks and continue walking, Dakota between Shane and I. When we get to the diner, Darla welcomes us and shoves the waitress away. Sitting us in a small booth, she takes Dakota’s order first. Of course, that means that Dakota is eating mac n cheese and buttery garlic broccoli.
Even though I’d much prefer Dakota to eat something healthier, I know better than to argue with Darla watching. She doesn’t even need to take my order. She knows what I love. That’s a perk of growing up in a small town and visiting the diner every weekend.
She looks between Shane and Dakota a few times like her mind is missing something and she’s trying to put the pieces together. No one ever saw Shane and me together in public. Not unless we were with the guys. We couldn’t let anyone know about our relationship. I’m sure there have been whisperings all over town, though. Maybe Darla is trying to figure out how she missed it all those years ago.
“Alright. Give me a few minutes and I’ll bring your food.” Darla says walking away to give our food order to Henry.
Dakota colors in her little book Darla gave her to keep her occupied while we wait for our food to be prepared. She’s so engrossed in what she’s doing that she notices nothing else. Shane sits opposite me, and I can feel his eyes burn through me.
I take my eyes away from our daughter and swing them his way. He’s studying me closely. What is he looking for? The longer he stares, the more nervous I become. I squirm in my seat. Finally, when I feel as if I will come out of my skin, Darla interrupts his examination of me when she brings our drinks to the table.
Shane takes his eyes off me to thank her and smiles at her. She returns it momentarily. Once she has our drinks dropped on the table, she leaves again to grab the food Henry just put in the window.
