“Hmm,” he said, sweeping a hand toward the building and nodding that direction to encourage her inside the gym.
She didn’t take the hint. “You look awful. What’s wrong?”
He could only keep the I’m fine façade up for so long. He closed his tired eyes, and they wanted to stay shut. Except, he knew too well the crazy mental destruction lurking behind their closed depths. Dallas. Everything Dallas. The extraordinary man played the starring role of all his dreams. Skye stepped closer, her hand reaching for his arm to give a gentle comforting caress.
“You look exhausted. Are you sure you should be here?”
“Probably not.” He forced the lids back open. Not able to muster a smile, even to ease Skye’s worry.
“Does this have to do with Dallas?”
What a laughable question. Fuck yeah. And only had to do with Dallas.
Greer didn’t want to lie, yet he couldn’t tell the truth. Hiding was a bitch. He sealed his lips, not saying a single word. After a long, dramatic pregnant pause, he finally ducked his head, and started around her, heading toward the gym’s front doors.
“You know, Dallas looks just like you. We’re all worried about him,” Skye said from behind him.
“Who’s everyone?” Greer stopped short a few feet away, allowing himself this one inquiry. Maybe if Greer didn’t look at Skye, didn’t let her see how badly he wanted her to explain, then it wouldn’t count as breaking his oath of keeping silent for Dallas.
“So, it is him. What happened?” Back to being her energetic self, she bounded forward, rounding on him, getting right into his personal space.
“Skye, I can’t talk about it. I promised. Can we go work out?” He again tried to move around her toward the building, but she cut him off, stepping in front of him for a second time, blocking his getaway. One of her brows arched in challenge.
“Or we could go get a cup of coffee and talk. You look like you need a friend. He does too.” Her kind smile and encouraging nod had Greer shaking his head absolutely not.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
As if he hadn’t spoken, Skye started for his car. He watched her go. “Come on, Greer. You’re not in any condition to workout. Your head’s not right. You’ll hurt yourself.”
“But I’m paying you,” he reminded, meaning he should be dictating what was best for them right now. If he did lunges for the next hour, that was fine by him.
She tossed her hand out carelessly, without looking back, leaving him gaping at her. At his passenger side door, she made a more dramatic hand gesture, waving him over. “Come on. This is getting ridiculous. Coffee. We’re wasting talking time.”
“He doesn’t want anyone to know.”
Skye nodded toward the other side of the vehicle while she put a single finger to her lips and said, “Shh.” The metaphorical lead rope that the women in his life guided him around with tightened, pulling him in her direction. His desperate edge had him latching on to the idea of Skye being a close personal friend to Dallas. Maybe she had some insight that might help point him in the right direction.
Going against everything he knew was right, Greer started for the car, giving himself an internal lecture to keep his mouth shut. If Skye spoke, he’d listen, but he didn’t have to add to the narrative.
“I have an hour. Let’s go by Starbucks,” Skye said as she dropped down into the passenger seat before he ever opened his door.
Greer’s control had clearly fled. He debated this decision all the way to Starbucks. Neither spoke of the elephant riding along with them until they had made it through the drive-thru line. He parked and cut the engine.
Skye turned to face him, coffee in hand. “I suspected he was with you this weekend. Marisol said y’all had dinner together Saturday night.”
The gossip circle. Right. How had he not considered that? Marisol, Kailey, and Skye were so clever. Marisol’s observant eye would absolutely have picked up the undivided attention Greer had placed on Dallas. Greer jerked his head in her direction, thankfully the coffee had a lid to keep it from ending up in his lap.
“You didn’t tell her what you know, did you?”
Skye’s musical laugh mocked him, and he wasn’t sure why. “Tell her you’re over yourself about Dallas? Those were Marisol’s words, and she thinks Dallas is that way about you too. Apparently, there was lots of longing in y’all’s stolen stares. Again, her words.”
Damn. Maybe they couldn’t pull off being buddies out together having a good time. Greer had really thought they’d been low-key and discreet. He should point out Marisol had been wrong about him and Dallas, but he couldn’t find those words.
“He doesn’t want anyone to know, Skye. And he’s already broken off all contact with me. I don’t need anything else getting in my way.”