Triple Dare (Sterling Shore 7)

I shove my palms against my eyes, letting the reality wash over me.

“And broke up with her via text,” Maverick reminds me, driving that dagger a little deeper into my heart. “Like a punk bitch.”

I didn’t have the balls to see her or hear her. I really am a punk bitch.

“Where the hell is Jax?” Kode asks, relieving me from Maverick’s scrutiny. “I can’t believe he hasn’t busted up in here asking what we’re doing yet.”

“He’s in Hawaii. He sent an email,” Dane says idly. “He’s been gone for a while. Should be back soon.”

Chitchat starts up like my life isn’t still spiraling. After a long, useless spell of meaningless conversation, Maverick stands.

“Time to man up. Got any ideas?” he asks.

Ruby is going to be so pissed.

“I’ve got one really bad one, but it’s my best shot of getting her to forgive me so soon.”

“It can’t be too bad. You didn’t say anything nasty, did you?” Dale asks.

I shake my head, thankful for that. “No. I just left her there and broke up with a text, like Maverick said.”

“That’s easy to recover from,” Kode says dismissively. “If Tria forgave me for being a complete dumbass, Ruby can forgive you. It was a seriously messed up situation, and Ruby will understand that.”

Maverick tightens his lips, holding back whatever he wants to say, as I stand up.

“What are the odds she’ll listen this soon?” I ask, wincing at the hopefulness in my tone.

She’s not going to make this easy. Not that I deserve easy. The only thing I do is fuck everything up when it comes to her.

“I talked to her earlier,” Maverick announces. “It’s not going to be easy, but she was watching porn. That has to mean something, right?”

Kode bursts out laughing as my eyebrow cocks up. “Porn?”

He shrugs. “Yeah. Fucking twisted porn, too.”

As he elaborates, describing the scene he walked in on, a slow smile creeps to my face.

“That wasn’t porn,” I say, chuckling.

“What the hell was it?”

Ruby was watching a fucking chick flick. Maybe I do have a shot at fixing this sooner than later. It’ll be better than having to wait another five years.

CHAPTER 39

RUBY

Just as I get home from work, Krysta comes out of her bedroom. Why I wore heels today, I don’t know. I’m sure as hell glad to get out of them though.

“Want to watch a movie?” she asks hopefully.

I force a smile, nodding. “Sure. Pick something out.”

She’s kept me distracted, and I’ve managed to hold myself together in front of her. It’s only nighttime that everything truly sets in.

I try calling Bo again, only getting her voicemail once more. Why hasn’t she been answering?

Rain has called me all week. So has Tria. Even Brin has called. I don’t feel like talking to any of them. I want my second best friend, and I have no idea why she’s not answering.

Someone knocks, and I look over at Krysta.

“I ordered pizza for tonight,” she says while sitting down. She’s been in her pajamas all week, only changing when going for her doctor visits.

Frowning, I turn to answer the door, but my breath freezes in my lungs when I see who’s standing just outside.

I should have checked the window first.

“Hey,” he says softly, looking at me with those sad, vulnerable eyes.

It hurts a lot worse than I thought it would. Maverick warned me, and I still didn’t prepare myself.

Clearing my throat and struggling to keep from bursting into tears, I shuffle my feet nervously.

“How are you?” I manage to ask, even though it sounds rasp.

We’ve been friends for so long that it’s impossible not to worry about him right now. It’s a lot to take in for him, just like it is for Krysta.

“I’ve been better.”

He pulls his hand out from behind his back, and I look at the bouquet of red roses as he hands them to me. I don’t take them, though.

“What are you doing, Corbin?” I ask him weakly.

“Apologizing for being a punk bitch.”

He smiles at me, but my chest feels so heavy. It almost feels like an anvil is sitting on it, pressing down, making each breath so hard to take that it’s painful.

I continue to stare, and he sighs as he lowers the bouquet.

“I screwed up, Ruby. I’m a fuck-up when it comes to you. I shouldn’t have sent that stupid text or drove off and left you like I did.”

Tears fill my eyes, and I look over my shoulder to see Krysta staring hard. She’s been trying to figure out how to speak to Corbin all week, and this is definitely a moment of vulnerability for her. She doesn’t need to see him here for all the wrong reasons.

Stepping outside, I force him to move back as I shut the door behind me.

“You think it’s as simple as coming over and apologizing?” I ask incredulously, blinking back my tears.