Chapter 27

Audrey

Thea stared at me, her eyes wide and her mouth open. She snapped it shut. “You had a crush on Dallas back in college?”

I felt my cheeks heat. With a sigh, I said, “Whatever. It was a long time ago.”

“Obviously, not that long ago if you still have a thing for him now,” she countered bluntly.

Julie glanced between us. “Who gives a damn if she had a thing for Dallas back in college?”

“I just can't believe you didn't tell me,” Thea said with a glare.

“Oh my God! I didn't tell you because he's your older brother. Plus, he’s ten years older than us. Back then, it seemed like a lot. Not so much now.”

“Okay, so let me get this straight. You're moping around, not because you caught your ex-fiancé screwing Alyssa, but because you started screwing my brother. Apparently, Dallas was your forever crush or something, and you still have a thing for him. Do I have it right?” Thea asked.

I glared at her, annoyed with how direct she was. “Could you calm the hell down? You’re making it into a huge thing.”

Julie shook her head with a laugh. “I think she's in shock. Apparently, she didn't notice Dallas was totally hot back then and half of her friends had a thing for him.”

“Oh, I didn't think he was hot, but I knew other girls thought he was. He’s my brother and you’re my best friend. Why didn't you just tell me?” Thea asked with a sigh.

Thea's long weekend had turned into five days. She’d taken the rest of the week off. She’d gotten pushy with me this morning at the house because she’d declared I was moping and depressed. Even though I hadn’t wanted to admit it, she was right. I’d finally broken down and told her what happened with Dallas. We were having an early dinner at Bay Bistro with Julie. I was downright relieved to have Julie there because she was obviously calmer than Thea about the whole thing.

“Your reaction now is why I never said anything before. Plus, it's not like it was gonna go anywhere back then. It’s not going anywhere now. I screwed up. I shouldn’t have let anything happen, but I did. Now I’m all messed up over him. I feel weird because I should be upset about Matthew, and I'm not. I mean, it sucked to catch him screwing Alyssa, but that’s about it. I just feel like an idiot for not catching onto him sooner.”

Thea held her empty wine glass aloft when she saw Sherry threading through the tables. Sherry reached our table and glanced to Thea. “I suppose you’d like some more wine.”

“Oh, I need more wine,” Thea declared.

Sherry arched a brow in question.

“Audrey has a thing for Dallas,” Thea announced with another aggrieved sigh.

Sherry put a hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes at Thea. “Tell me something I don't know, and what’s that face for?”

“Because he's my brother, Thea said.

“So? They’re both adults. They can do whatever they want. Let it go, girl,” Sherry countered.

Thea leaned back in her chair. “I know. I’m just getting used to the idea, okay?”

Sherry chuckled and glanced between us. “How about you ladies? More wine?” she asked.

When Julie and I nodded, Sherry glanced at the clock on the wall above the bar. “That's it. I'm calling Russ. He's gonna have to be your designated driver.”

Julie giggled. “Oh, he'll do it. I already warned him I might call for a ride. It'll be more fun if you call though.”

Sherry rolled her eyes, sliding her phone out of her pocket as she walked away. Julie managed to steer Thea away from her obsession over being offended that I hadn't told her about my crush on Dallas five years ago. Little did she know how bad it had been. I was glossing over it and making it sound like nothing more than a little college drooling over a hot older guy. How did I tell my best friend that I'd fallen head over heels in love with her brother? Giving in to the desire between us had sent my heart spiraling. I’d intellectually known Dallas didn’t want more than sex—hell, he’d made a point to say that was all we could have. Yet, my mind couldn’t ease the folly of my heart.

Julie chatted about her kids and steered the conversation onto local gossip and the usual curiosity about who was where in life now. At some point, Thea left to go to the restroom.

Julie glanced at me. “You’ve got it bad for Dallas, huh?” she asked softly.

Tears pressed hot at the back of my eyes, and I swallowed against the tightness in my throat. “I guess so. I should’ve known better. It’s just…”

I paused to gather myself, and she curled her hand over mine, giving it a squeeze.

“It's okay. We can’t always control who we fall for. I’ll remind you Russ is pretty damn sure Dallas has a thing for you. Russ thinks he has for years. I think you shouldn't give up.”

“Oh? Well, what the hell should I do?” I asked, frantically trying to beat back the hope that wanted to dance in circles in my heart.

“Maybe tell him how you feel. I think you're gonna have to push Dallas on this. That's just how he is. That doesn't mean he doesn't care, it's just not how he expresses himself. You forget I know him too.”

I stared at her, wrestling with hope, fighting my tears, and wishing my heart didn't ache so much. It had been four depressing days ever since Dallas left. I’d blocked his number from my phone when he tried to call me the first day after he left. I didn't need reminders of what I couldn't have.

Thea returned to the table and looked between us. “You look sad again.”

The tears I’d been holding at bay spilled over.

“Oh God. You really like him,” Thea said as she slipped into her chair and leaned her elbows on the table. “This isn't just a sex thing, is it?”

I shook my head, and grabbed a napkin off the table. I swiped at my tears and balled the napkin in my hand. “No, it's not just sex. I need to get a grip though.”

Julie looked over at Thea. “I think she should tell Dallas how she feels. What do you think? You're his sister.”

Thea was quiet for a beat. She appeared to have moved past her annoyance I hadn't told her about my crush. “Well, you and Dallas would be great together, actually,” she said softly. “Dallas has a heart of gold, and he takes care of everybody. I think it killed him what happened with our dad. We lost pretty much everything except the house. He stepped in and cleaned up the mess for everyone. Hell, he took care of everybody our dad screwed over. Ever since that happened, he just buried himself in work. He was different before. It’s like he just decided he wasn't gonna let anybody in after that. Julie’s right though. I think you should tell him how you feel. If anyone could get through to him, maybe it would be you.”

I stared at Thea and took a shaky breath, quickly blowing my nose. The idea of telling Dallas how I felt made me half-terrified because if he rejected me then, it would dwarf the hurt I’d felt so far because it would be final. Yet, the only way to get to the other side of my heartache was to face it head on. If there was a chance for us, this might be the only way to find out.

“All right, I don't know if I can, but I'll see if I can work up the nerve.”

“Well, don't waste time. He's grumpy as hell right now. I talked to him last night, and he sounds, well, he just doesn't sound good. Now I have a better idea why,” Thea said with a soft laugh. “Do you want me to talk to him? I already gave him a lecture on leaving you alone,” she asked.

I shook my head. “No. I need to do this.”

Sherry arrived with our fresh glasses of wine. Thea lifted hers in a toast.

“To you and Dallas. You can figure this one out. I just know it. You’ll get your crush, and maybe he’ll stop hiding in his job,” she said, her eyes glittering.