“You’ve called me, like, every other day! Just because we haven’t gone out in a few weeks doesn’t mean I’m avoiding you.”
Her green eyes narrowed, and Lacey squirmed under the weight of her gaze. “You are a terrible liar. Always have been. Now what the fuck is going on with you? I’ve tried to give you time and space to take care of your business like Galen asked me to, but this is getting out of control. Why haven’t you called him?” Cat tapped her manicured purple nails on the tabletop impatiently.
Lacey swallowed the knot lodged in her throat and strived for a normal tone. “I don’t even have his number.” She barked out a harsh laugh. “How telling is that? We weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend. It was a fling. A—”#p#分页标题#e#
“Bullshit. You’re crazy about him. And he’s damn sure crazy about you. He’s been a miserable prick since you dumped him. I promised I would mind my own business. I swore I wouldn’t get involved, but damn it, you two are screwing this all up.”
Lacey speared a hand through her red curls and tugged like she was ready to pull them out. “You ever watch a movie with a group of attractive teenagers on a camping trip in a remote area, and two of them walk off to drink beer and do dirty things to each other, and you know the ax murderer is going to come and hack them up, but you can’t say anything because they’re on the big screen? That’s what this is like. I know the ending to the story, and I know it could be different if you guys want it to be.”
“First off, he dumped me, and he sure didn’t look miserable on TV the other night when they interviewed him.”
“Don’t confuse how he behaves in an interview with real life. It’s his job to swagger in, show confidence, and talk enough smack to get his potential opponent to pay attention. You know that as well as I do. You let him go. A word would have stopped him, Lacey. Surely you know that. Hell, I only saw how he looked when he was packing to leave, and I knew that. He’s a wreck, and I know that because I go by his house every night to make sure he’s eating.”
Lacey’s mouth went dry, and her pulse careened out of control. “Because of me?”
“Why else? He won’t talk about it. Keeps telling me that he’s fine, but I’m not stupid.”
“So he didn’t actually say it, then?”
“No. But I know for sure.”
The hope that had sprung to life only a few seconds before died. “Cat, it could be a million things bothering him. His career is winding down; maybe he’s nervous about the fight or worried about what comes next.”
“Watching the two people I love most hurting each other like this is killing me. Please. Go talk to him. I know he wants—”
Lacey held up a hand and willed herself not to cry. “Stop. You don’t know. You want that to be the reason because it pushes all your romantic buttons to think about us pining away for each other after our wild week together and because you want to see us both happy. But I can’t do it, Cat. I can’t risk getting hurt again. Not right now.”
“When, then? What happened to no regrets, Lace? You were different in Puerto Rico. I thought it changed you, but now, weeks later, everything is the same. Same job you couldn’t care less about. Same relationship with The Admiral, same Lacey, afraid to live. Afraid to jump, in case she might fall.”
The words rained on Lacey like blows, and she sat back, stunned. Her first instinct was to walk away. Hide her head under a blanket and lick her wounds. But white-hot anger came and displaced the hurt. “You have a lot of nerve. I had to deal with my mother my whole life and had a father who was hardly ever there. You’ve got two wonderful parents who think the sun rises and sets with you. It’s a lot easier to jump when you know someone will be there to catch you if you fall, or at the very least be there with a bandage and a kiss. I never had that, so don’t talk to me about tough.” She snatched up Cat’s wineglass and took a gulp before slamming it back onto the table. “And I quit my job, so there. I have another week before my replacement starts.”
Cat’s face split into a grin. “Awesome. That’s what I want to see from you. Some fire. Fight. Stand up for who you want to be and what you want in your life. If that includes my brother, then you need to put on your big-girl pants and go get him.”
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The anger faded as quickly as it had come, and Lacey slumped in her chair. In spite of her methods, Cat was only trying to help. She met her friend’s gaze. “What if I go talk to him and he doesn’t want me?” she whispered. “Or what if he thinks he does and then later…what if my mother was right? What if I can’t hold a man like Galen?”