IDAHO.
Hailey sat in her car and stared at me through the open window.
“I don’t know what you’re doing here, but I’m waiting for John.”
“Fine.” The window began to rise and her white reverse lights flashed as she shifted into gear.
Shit. I glanced around again, not seeing John, and it hit me she was my ride. My only ride.
“Stop!” I jogged up to the car. “At least give me a ride to my truck.” I frowned and winced.
“Get in, Tom.” The window closed in my face.
I slammed the door behind me and slunk low in the seat. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“You’re welcome. And you really want to risk driving home after drinking and being in jail once tonight?”
“Fuck. You’re right,” I mumbled into my window. “Thank you. I owe you.”
“When I said friends, I didn’t expect it to extend to picking your sorry ass up from jail in the middle of the night, but that’s what friends do for friends.”
“Neither did I,” I snarled.
“This is exactly how I wanted to begin Valentine’s Day.”
“Oh, shit.” The night was getting better and better.
“Surprisingly, this isn’t my worst Valentine’s.”
“I’m such a jerk. I didn’t realize the date.” So much for being a lover and not a fighter.
“It’s no big deal. I swear. But let’s agree you’re a jerk.”
I nodded and texted John. We drove along in silence until we hit Penn Cove.
“Do you know Jesse King?” The conversation had to start somewhere.
“He’s my cousin.”
“He saved my ass tonight.”
“I know. He called me when you got hauled away. You’re lucky he was there from what I hear. Sounds like a real old-fashioned bar brawl.”
“It was insane. Men were throwing punches for no reason. I think a few pool cues got broken.”
“Who started it?”
I really didn’t want to tell her Kurt was involved.
“I didn’t throw the first punch, if you’re worried about me starting fights. In fact, I dodged a few before I was forced to defend myself.”
“Forced to defend yourself?”
I sighed and hit my head against the glass a couple of times.
“Tom?” Her hand reached over the console and lingered above my thigh for a few seconds before she pulled away. I grabbed it and held it in the neutral territory between us.
“Don’t be mad.”
“I get a call at midnight from my cousin saying a friend of mine is in jail for fighting in a bar, I think I passed mad around Greenbank.”
“Okay. But it wasn’t my fault.”
“Tom—”
I cut her off. “Listen, I didn’t start it, but I wasn’t going to let him get away with being an asshole either. He was talking shit about me. Fine. Whatever. But when he started saying shit about my family (and you, I thought), what did he expect me to do? Sit there and take it? No one says shit about people I care about in front of me and walks away smiling.”
“Who are you talking about?” Her eyes left the road and met mine for a second. Well, one of mine. I couldn’t see out of my right eye at all.
“Jesse didn’t tell you?”
“It was a short conversation. I hung up on him after he said Lori’s brother was in jail.”
“Kurt. It was Kurt.”
She growled and cursed, “That ass-sandwich. I’m going to kick his ass.”
“Ass-sandwich?” I laughed and raised my good eyebrow. “I’ve already done the ass-kicking part.”
“What was he saying?”
No way would I repeat his words. “It’s not important. It proved his lack of character. He doesn’t deserve you.”
“Please tell me.”
“Why? It won’t make anything better. I admit using my fists tonight was the wrong thing to do, but it’s done. I think I made my point clear. He better keep his thoughts to himself about the Donnelys.”
“I can’t believe he was talking shit about your family.”
“He’s pissed because we won’t sell to him. Like selling was ever an option. He may have gotten to the greedy cousins, but there’s no way we’d let land be developed by him.”
“He doesn’t like losing.” She sighed and squeezed my hand.
“Who does?” I wove my fingers with hers. I’d messed up with her in ways I would never forgive myself for, yet here she was, driving my sorry self home.
“Please make me a promise?”
“Anything.”
She started to laugh and caught herself. “Anything? Watch what you say, mister.”
At this moment I would give her anything she asked for. Anything to make amends. Anything to have a fresh start with her. Anything except . . .
“This doesn’t mean we’re good,” she whispered and put her hand on the steering wheel. “Please promise me you won’t let Kurt get to you again. He’s crazy and he’ll use anything he can to get what he wants. I think the land is part of some sick revenge plot against me for breaking up with him. Promise me you won’t be a pawn in his game.” Her voice sounded worried and earnest; honest fear frayed the edges of it.
“I promise,” I said to the window, resting my head against the cool glass. My eye throbbed and I needed to get ice on it soon.
Silently, I promised I would make this right. Whatever this was between us, making it right was my new goal.
When we arrived at my house, she put the car in park but didn’t turn off the engine. The clock on the dash said one-thirty.
“Is it too much if I apologize again?”
“For waking me up?”
“That, but so much more. I—”
“It’s late.” She stared out the windshield into the dark woods. Illuminated by the car’s lights, they appeared both ominous and magical.
“You’re beautiful,” I whispered, touching her cheek.
“Don’t. Just don’t.” Her eyes sparkled with tears.
“Hailey—”
“Please. Let me keep a small shred of dignity and let me walk away.”
I pulled her to me and encircled her with my arms. “I’m not meant to be a boyfriend,” I whispered into her hair. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
She sniffled.
Oh, shit. Was she crying?
She pushed away, and rubbed her face on her sleeve. “It’s fine. I guess I could use all the friends I can get right now.”
“If you don’t mind being friends with a known manwhore, and the potential gossip that comes with it, friends?” My smile brightened when her eyes crinkled in amusement.
“I suppose it might be worth the risk of promiscuous by association.”
“People will assume we’re having sex, just so you know.”
“No more of . . .” She pointed at our dust angel still untouched at the entrance to the shop.
Frowning, I scratched my chin. “I suppose. I’m open to a benefits plan.”
“I don’t doubt you are.”
I shrugged. “You’re the one who keeps attacking me.”
“I’m sure I can find some self-control.”
“Maybe see if you left it in the same place as your dignity.”
She flipped me off.
“Stop with the dimples, Donnely!”
I held up my hands and got out of the car. “It’s probably safer out here anyway.”
With a wink and a smirk, I backed toward the house. She flipped me the bird again and drove off with me waving and laughing from the porch.
What the hell was all that? Did I agree to not have sex with her anymore? Ever? Maybe I had a concussion as well as a black eye, because I would never agree to it if I were in my right frame of mind.