Tangle (Dogwood Lane 2)

Mia makes a face, drops my phone into my lap, and sprints up the stairs. As her steps grow fainter, my heart squeezes.

When Dane proposed to Neely, he bought her Malone’s Farm outside town. They’ll be moving soon, starting their lives together. This makes me ridiculously happy for them, but after today’s events, it also makes me feel a little sad. It’s another chapter coming to a close.

“That’s one way to get homework done,” Dane says. He grabs the bag of trash by the door and takes it outside.

I get up from the table, grabbing my dishes and Mia’s, and take them to the sink. As I rinse the plates, Neely opens the refrigerator. Out comes a bottle of wine.

“Want some?” she asks me. “This is from a winery in New York. My friend Grace and I used to try to go there once a month. This one is our favorite. It’s super sweet.”

“Wine makes me sappy.” I put the plates in the dishwasher. “After the day I’ve had, I probably need to pass.”

She sets the bottle on the counter and frowns. “Dane told me about the library. I’m sorry, Haley.”

“Yeah, well, don’t be sorry for me.” I close the dishwasher and lean against it. “I just hope they don’t close the doors forever. If the library goes, it’ll feel like the heart of Dogwood Lane will be gone. Then what happens?”

“I don’t know.” She frowns. “What’s next for you?”

“I’m not sure,” I say.

Neely grabs a rag and wipes off the counter. “I feel your pain. There was a time not long ago when I wasn’t sure what was next for me. But I found it, and I’m proof that sometimes you have to let go of any preconceived ideas about what’s right for you and just let the universe take its course.”

“That’s true. I wish I would’ve finished a degree at some point. That would probably help.”

“There’s actually a big demand these days for jobs you don’t need a degree for. Everyone clamored for diplomas for so long that there’re shortages in a lot of areas.”

“I’m not laying bricks or something,” I say.

“Speaking of things getting laid,” Neely says coyly, “Dane told me about a guy on the site today.”

The twinkle in her eye grows as I shift my weight.

Trevor has been on my mind all evening. I’ve wondered more than a couple of times if I made the right decision by not going with him.

I’m curious if he got a room at the inn and what he had for his early dinner. What does a guy like that think about a boring night in Dogwood Lane?

I could’ve known all that had I gone with him, but I didn’t. And I’m glad I said no. As much as the curiosity is killing me, it feels good to have stuck to my guns—especially with a guy like him.

My cheeks flush. “What’s that have to do with me?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Neely teases. “Dane said you two seemed to hit it off.”

“I don’t know about that,” I say lightly. “I met him this morning, so by the time I saw him at the house, I guess you could say we established a rapport.”

“Which is . . .”

I laugh. “Which doesn’t lead to anyone getting laid.”

Dane comes in and makes a face. “Let’s not talk about you getting laid.”

He moves through the kitchen, kissing the top of Neely’s head as he helps clear the rest of the dinner dishes. They work quietly side by side, the respect and trust obvious between them.

That’s what I want more than anything in the world—more than any job or loaded bank account. I want the look on Neely’s face in this very moment. I want to know what that feels like, and not so much what getting dumped via text feels like.

“What are you thinking?” Neely asks, pouring herself a generous glass of wine.

“That dating is kind of like being in the Colosseum,” I say. “One minute, the crowd is chanting your victory. The next second, a lion is rushing from the gate, ready to rip your heart out.”

“You try too hard,” Dane chimes in. “You try to make these assholes happy and sacrifice your happiness in the process.”

“No one asked you,” I say, reaching for the bottle of wine. I pour myself a small glass as I shove Dane’s observation out of my head.

“For what it’s worth, even though I wasn’t asked,” Dane says, “I think Trevor is a decent enough guy.”

Neely whirls around with a gasp. “Did you just say he was nice? You never like people. Men, specifically.”

“He and I talked some today,” Dane says. “He’s smart and made solid decisions about the job. Seemed pretty nice, and his family is loaded.”

The back door opens, and Dane’s best friend, Penn Etling, strolls in. “Who is loaded?” He runs a hand across his dark hair, his sleeve of colorful tattoos flexing in the light. “Haley’s here. How’s my girl?”