Tangle (Dogwood Lane 2)

“So you’re done at the house?” I ask. My throat is parched, making the words sound like they’re said over sandpaper.

Trevor nods. “Yeah. They finished over the weekend.”

“What’s this mean for you?”

I really want to know what it means for me. For him and me. For us. If there’s an ‘us,’ and God, I hope there is.

He picks up a pen and twiddles it between two fingers. “I’m not sure. We probably need to talk about it.”

“Probably so.”

The air stales between us, the energy that typically barrels from him to me, and vice versa, gone. In its place is a stiff, delicate situation that neither of us seems to want to deal with.

“Haley . . .” He scratches his head. “This is really complicated.”

“Is it? Because it doesn’t seem like it has to be from here.”

He sets the pen down. “What do you suggest we do? You live three hours away from me. Your family is here. My family and my job are there.”

I shrug. “I don’t know. I only know people make things work that they want to work.”

He looks at me warily. It sends a pang of panic over me, and I grab on to the desk to keep from marching around the corner and kissing him. Because kissing him won’t help. Not in the long run.

A card that says “Love Is Forever” hangs on the rack just over Trevor’s shoulder. It’s surrounded by a handful of other cards with various sayings, but it’s the one that sticks out to me. Probably because that’s the problem—love isn’t “forever” to Trevor Kelly.

Can I deal with that? Am I willing to?

“Maybe you’re right,” he says finally. He strolls to a display and picks up a little potted bamboo plant. He checks the price and sets it on the counter next to a twenty. “I want to buy this for you.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Can you hush and ring me up so I can get out of here before Penn forgets he’s meeting me?” He laughs.

I get his total, then his change, and hand him a receipt. “Here you go, sir.”

“Thank you.” He stuffs the bills in his pocket. “May this little plant bring you good fortune.”

I hope so.

He checks his phone. I watch his brow furrow and his jaw set. I try to memorize every line in his face. Just in case.

“You’re staring again.” He grins as he catches me off-guard. “What are you thinking?”

I walk around the desk and stand in front of him. “Can I ask a favor of you? Before you go back to the city?”

His eyes darken. “Sure.”

“Dane is having a party at his new house. It’s a pre-housewarming party so Mia feels more comfortable when they actually move in.” I suck in a hasty breath. “And I’d like you to come with me. As my plus-one.”

I think he’s going to say no. I see it on his face. As I start to tell him not to worry about it, he surprises me by smiling.

“You know what? Yeah. I’ll go. I’d love to,” he says. “Lorene has a group of coon hunters coming in this week, so I’m going to have to get out of town at some point soon. But I’d love to go with you. You can count on it.”

I nod, afraid to say anything because I don’t know what words will come out of my mouth. Either a “Thanks for coming with me,” or a sob that his answer gave me more questions and no answers.

He kisses my forehead, and I don’t know how to take that. If I overthought it, I might conclude it was an apology kiss.

No, I’m not ready for that. Not yet.

Trevor

“Just got word you wrapped everything up down there.” Jake’s chair squeaks in the background. “How’s it feel?”

“I don’t know, but it sounds like you need a new fucking chair.”

The sound stops. Jake blows out a breath. “Okay. I’ll bite. What’s wrong?”

I roll-stop through the intersection by the post office before remembering I’m supposed to talk to Penn at the café. I check my mirrors and then blow a U-turn in the middle of the road.

“Wow,” Jake says. “This must be good.”

“There’s nothing good about any of this, jackass.”

“Easy there, little brother. What’s going on?”

“You know,” I say, “I liked it better when I didn’t have a conscience. When I didn’t give a shit whether a woman liked me or not. When I’d sleep with someone one weekend and maybe never talk to her again.”

“Okay. Haley. Continue.”

I blow out a breath and slide the truck into the café’s parking lot. But I don’t get out. Instead, I think of having her next to me in the hotel room. Because that’s going to fucking help everything.

“For the record, you were not that way,” Jake says. “You’ve always had a conscience, just never been in love. And now you are, if I’m guessing.”