My tongue slid over my dry lips. Tripp’s eyes immediately landed on my mouth. I’d give anything to feel those lips on my skin.
Closing my eyes, I dropped my head and cursed. Christ above, Harley Carbajal. Knock it off and stow the dirty thoughts. He’s made it very clear he’s not interested, and he’s dating someone.
“I’m sorry if I made you feel like I didn’t want to be here.”
I held up my hands to stop him. “You don’t have to apologize. My emotions are just all over the place right now because of Doc’s brother, and I don’t know which end is up and which is down.”
He reached for my hand again but I pulled them both back and rested them in my lap.
Clearing his throat, he said, “I am seeing Mallory, yes. But we’re not…I mean, we are… It’s sort of…”
“Here are those two waters and a coffee. Are we getting food?” Lilly seemed annoyed. She looked at me with sympathy and at Tripp with frustration.
Before I could answer, Tripp did.
“Yes. I’ll take the special.”
Lilly faced me. “And for you, Harley?”
I wasn’t even sure what the special was, but I ordered it as well. “I’ll take the same.”
Scooping up the menus, Lilly gave me a wink. “Two specials it is.”
Watching her walk away, I wanted to call out to her. Ask her to sit down and join us. The thought of being alone with Tripp suddenly scared me to death.
“Do you even know what the special is, Lee?”
His pet name for me sounded so good. My eyes met his. I shook my head.
“I didn’t think so.”
He gave me a smile that melted my heart and had it breaking even more. Just when I was positive it couldn’t possibly break anymore, it kept proving me wrong.
“Doc’s brother came back into the picture claiming he has stakes in the clinic. Is that all you know?”
“Yes. I’ve been putting off talking to him and his lawyer for weeks now. I’m afraid my time is up. We’re meeting in the courthouse tomorrow at eleven AM.”
Tripp pulled out his phone, and I guessed he was pulling up his calendar.
“I’m free, so I can attend. I’ll get everything from Pete first thing in the morning and go over what he has. Once we meet with them we’ll be able to find out what in the hell is going on with the clinic, and you can go back to doing what you love.”
Tears formed in my eyes. “Th-thank you, Tripp.”
“Don’t cry. God, Harley, please don’t cry. You know how much it kills me to see you cry.”
Wiping the tears from my cheeks, I looked down at my folded hands. “I’m sorry. It’s just…I thought things would be so different when I moved back here. Honestly, I don’t know what I was expecting or even thinking. Nothing has worked out like I thought it would and a part of me wonders if I should give him the clinic and just slip away.”
“Look at me.”
His voice was strong and commanding. Like it was when we were together. Memories flooded my mind all at once and I couldn’t have stopped the tears even if I tried. I knew people were staring at us. The gossips were probably typing out their text messages and snapping their clandestine pics now.
Harley is crying. Tripp’s told her to leave town. Oh, Harley’s now on the floor in a fetal position sobbing like an idiot. Click, click, click.
“I’m sorry for the way things worked out. But we can’t change the past.”
I swiped the tears away again and took a shaky breath. “We can’t,” I said. My voice shaking.
“But we were best friends at one time, Harley, and I don’t want to lose your friendship.”
A sick feeling settled in my stomach. Friends. He wanted to be friends.
Forcing a smile, I replied, “I don’t want to lose that either. Our friendship.”
His sweet, gentle smile should have made me feel better, but all it did was serve as a reminder of the terrible mistake I had made.
I’m an idiot. How could I ever think he would take me back after the pain I caused him?
“We’re going to figure this out, Harley. I swear to you. Once we meet with Gerald and his lawyers tomorrow and see exactly what proof they have of his claim, we’ll get this taken care of.”
Lilly walked over with two plates of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and fried okra. “Two specials. Anything else I can get y’all?”
Her eyes met mine. She could tell I had been crying. I could see the sympathy in her eyes.
“No thank you,” I said with a smile.
For years Lilly would hardly speak to me because of what I did to Tripp. I was pretty sure Waylynn had told her mother, Melanie, the truth and Melanie had spread it over town like wildfire. Probably like wildfire on the gossip text. I no longer got stares of anger, now they were looks of pity. The silly girl who lied to Tripp thinking she was doing the right thing only to have him ignore her for years…