“Yeah, guess I am.” He paused, and she didn’t know what else to say. “If I’m going to get involved with a woman, she needs to know me. To have my back, unconditionally. I thought you did, but at the first test, you believed the worst of me. Blaming those doubts on your own insecurities doesn’t change what happened. So let’s part ways without a lot of drama, okay?”
“Can we at least part as friends?” She hated the weak sound of her voice, but in the moment, pride took a back seat to desperation.
He tipped his head, and a faint hint of his grin pulled at the left corner of his mouth. “Sure, Nik. You take care.”
No hug. No kiss. He just opened the door and walked away.
Chapter Ten
Once upon a time, Andy had loved New Year’s Eve. Rowdy parties and lusty tourists had ensured he could end one year and begin another with a bang.
Last year he’d still been on probation, so he’d skipped the festivities. At that time, he’d presumed that this year would be different. He supposed tonight was different because it’d be his last New Year’s party in Sterling Canyon. That could help explain his odd mood.
Still, he’d do his best to make it memorable, especially because his sister had been moping around since he’d mentioned moving.
“You look preoccupied.” Emma linked arms with him as they entered the bar. “I suppose you’ve got a lot of loose ends to tie up before you take off.”
“You could say that.” The only significant loose end involved transferring his ownership of the house to Grey. If he were being honest, the fact that he’d been second-guessing his last conversation with Nikki for forty-eight hours might also have been worth addressing.
“We’ll miss you.” Emma tugged him tighter to her side. “I wish you’d reconsider. Come back to work for me while you get the remodel thing off the ground. You have people here who love you. Do you really think you’ll be happier in a town full of strangers?”
“Has Avery recruited you to guilt me into sticking around?” he teased.
“Nope. It’s straight from the heart.” Emma smiled. “Is it working?”
He held up his hand—thumb and forefinger separated by an inch. “A little.”
“That’s better than nothing.”
Trip had wandered ahead and cleared some space at the bar for their troop. Andy found himself squeezed in the middle, with Trip, Kelsey, Emma, and Wyatt on one side, and his sister and Grey on his other.
He made eye contact with Nikki, who was hanging out directly across the bar with her sister, Amy.
Smuggler’s Notch had always been “the spot” for New Year’s—particularly after its hip renovation a few years back—but seeing Nik there still stopped him cold for a second.
He glimpsed her peekaboo cutout sweater, sparkly earrings, and, judging by how exceedingly tall she looked amid that crowd, spiky shoes—none of which were Nik’s preferred style. Clearly, Amy had dressed her up for the night. He almost felt sorry for Nikki because he knew those clothes probably made her feel more self-conscious, not less.
It bugged him that she didn’t know her own worth. That her self-esteem had weakened to the point that she hadn’t believed he really cared about her. Given time, he would’ve been able to change that for her. Not now, though. He quickly turned his attention away from her and her snug clothes.
His sister elbowed his side. “That was rude.”
“What?”
“You didn’t even smile or wave.” She took the beer Grey handed her. “Why are you giving Nikki the cold shoulder after she offered you your job back? Why trash that friendship?”
Friendship. He’d thought they’d been more than friends, actually—not that his sister or anyone else knew about that.
“She believed Millie,” he said, a sour taste filling his mouth like it did anytime he remembered that fact. He turned fully around so that his back would be toward Nik and leaned against the bar.
“I get why you’d be pissed at Millie, but can you blame Nikki for thinking it possible you wanted to resume that old relationship? You’re a single guy and haven’t exactly been an altar boy when it comes to clients. Then that woman shows up making accusations that can’t be summarily dismissed, especially given Nikki’s job. I think you’re overreacting.”
“She doubted me even after I denied it.” He scowled.
“She apologized.” Kelsey batted his arm. “People make mistakes, Andy. You’ve needed a second chance. Doesn’t Nikki deserve one, too? In the greater scheme of things, she’s been a good friend.”
A good friend. Neither Kelsey nor anyone else knew the full scope of his relationship with Nik, which was why they couldn’t understand his reaction.
“How about we change the subject before we ruin the night?” Andy asked. He didn’t particularly want to think about Kelsey’s point. Certainly not here and now.
“Good idea,” Trip piped up. “Although Amy’s going to burn a hole in the back of your head.”
Andy barely resisted the urge to look over his shoulder. Had Nikki told her sister about them?
“I know that look.” Kelsey smirked. “That’s got scorned woman written all over it. When did you hook up with Amy Steele?”
Trip whistled and patted his shoulder. “Not bad, Andy.”
That crack earned Trip an elbow to the ribs from his wife.
“I didn’t hook up with Amy.” Andy rolled his eyes.
“You did something to her,” Kelsey said, her face lit with the typical glee she felt when sniffing out gossip. “Ooh, it’s getting good. Nikki’s gripping her sister’s arm. I think Amy wants to have words with you. Quick, tell us what’s going on.”
Kelsey and the rest of the group all focused directly on him, awaiting the story. He closed his eyes and swigged his beer, wishing he’d stayed at home tonight. But he was leaving town soon, so he had little to lose by fessing up now.
“Nik and I were . . . exploring something together.” He hoped his casual shrug fooled them into thinking he wasn’t upset about the fact it didn’t work out. “Then Millie happened.”
“Ooohhhh.” Kelsey’s feline smile appeared. “Now I see.”
“See what?” he asked.
Trip interrupted again, pulling Kelsey close. “Princess, if you want to put someone on the hot seat, take me home and we’ll make it fun. But let’s leave Andy alone.”
That elicited a few chuckles, which Andy used to change the subject. “How about a round of kamikazes?”
Emma smiled, letting him off the hook by going along with the shift in conversation. “A toast to new beginnings.”
“Wherever they might lead.” Andy nodded and ordered the round.
Avery rested her head on his shoulder, and he felt a moment of regret. She wanted him to stay, and even he had trouble picturing a life without seeing her every day.
While the bartender lined up their shots—and a seltzer for Avery—Kelsey leaned closer. “Don’t look now, but Billy Benton is hitting on Nikki and Amy.”
Andy’s grip tightened around his shot glass. Of course Kelsey noticed.
“Just what I thought. You still like Nikki, but she hurt your pride. What is it with you guys and pride? Love is more important than pride.” She tugged on his hair. “Don’t be stupid, Andy.”
“Okay, that’s it. I didn’t come out for a coffee klatch.” Trip stepped away from the bar. “Grey, Wyatt, Andy, let’s hit the pool tables for a bit and let the ladies gossip.”
“Sounds good.” Grey kissed Avery on the cheek. “See you in a bit.”
As they walked away, Andy murmured to Trip, “Thank you.”
Trip slapped his shoulder. “Having been the target of those ladies’ speculation for some time, I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.”
When they passed by the other end of the bar to get to the pool tables, Andy managed to refrain from pulling Billy away from the Steele sisters. Nik might not be exactly the woman Andy had hoped she was, but she was too smart to be charmed by that guy.
In truth, Andy no longer had the right to begrudge her getting involved with Billy or anyone else. One thing the burning in his gut confirmed, however, was that getting out of town would make it easier to live with that reality.
#
Nikki wanted to cry, and not only because her feet hurt. Andy had waltzed past her and Amy without a word.
Amy must’ve noticed her stiff upper lip about to falter, so her sister turned to Billy and lightly touched his arm. “Could you please go see if you can find us seats at one of the booths?”
In the face of her sweet-as-pie smile, Billy nearly tripped over himself in the race to accept his mission. Once he’d gone on the hunt, Amy whirled on her. “Nikki, explain to me again why you’re letting Andy go without a fight?”
“He made his feelings clear. I’m not going to beg.” She might beg for a bar stool, though, to get off her feet.
“Who said anything about begging?” Amy’s pretty blond brows pinched together. “If I were you, I’d march right over and tell him he’s an idiot.”
“You would not. You’d never tell anyone they were an idiot.” Nikki had to smile at her little sister’s bravado. Amy was about as aggressive as Lizzy Bennet’s sister Jane.