Chapter Thirty-Two
Emma
Wednesday
I got out of bed at the usual time, showered, and dressed like I was going to the ranch, even though I knew there was no way in hell I could be around Pete and Lacey after what I saw the other day. I didn’t know what would be worse: the two of them pretending like nothing was going on between them or them coming right out with what was happening and expecting me to be okay with it. I didn’t plan to stick around long enough to find out which they’d pick.
I understood that meant things between Pete and I were over and that I’d need to find another job as soon as I could. I had savings — Pete had paid me decent money. I didn’t like losing him or my place on the farm, though. I thought we’d had something special, or at least the beginnings of something special, but the way he was holding Lacey made it crystal clear to me that what I’d thought we had was only special to me. He was in love with Lacey and always had been. I didn’t need to be around that. I couldn’t.
I spent the day working on my own property for once. It was a fraction of what Pete had — even Daddy’s much smaller property made mine look tiny — but it felt good to take my mind off Lacey and Pete on that porch, hugging each other like they were the last two people on Earth. I tilled my tiny garden and planted a few different types of vegetables. I still helped Daddy with his garden, but I didn’t see why I couldn’t have one of my own, as well.
By the time the afternoon ended, I was as sweaty as I always got on the ranch. I went in for a shower in time to hear my phone start ringing. I froze, dreading another call from Pete. I didn’t want to talk to him ever again. He and Lacey could live long happy lives together for all I cared; I just wanted them to leave me the hell alone. But it wasn’t Pete. It was Jack.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Emma, how are you?” he asked. Just hearing his voice made me feel a little better. I hadn’t told anyone what I saw. I was sure I’d tell Kasey eventually, but it was just too painful right now.
“I’m good, Jack. How are you?”
“I can’t complain.”
“Are you in town?” I asked.
“I am, actually. I wanted to see if you were free for dinner tonight?”
I hadn’t planned to do much more tonight than wallow in a pool of self-pity, but getting out of the house would be healthier. And, I needed to eat. I agreed to meet him at our regular place in an hour.
I jumped in the shower, washing away the day’s hard work, and got dressed, not putting on anything special, just a sundress and some sandals, same as I’d wear around the house on the weekend if I didn’t have work to do. The diner wasn’t dressy, and Jack didn’t expect much. I didn’t even bother with drying my hair, just pulled it back into a ponytail and got on my way.
I drove into town and over to the diner, parking in one of the empty spaces. Jack was already there, sitting in our booth. I went over to join him, smiling just to see him waiting for me.
“Damn, did you jump right out of the shower?” he asked, grinning.
“I sure did,” I answered with a smile.
The waitress came to take our drink orders, but we knew what we wanted to eat, so we just ordered everything, Jack getting the meatloaf this time and me getting still getting the burger. You couldn’t go wrong with a classic.
“How’ve you been, Em?” he asked, aiming that boyish smile at me again.
I didn’t want to hold it in anymore. I trusted Kasey with everything, but she tended to get so dramatic. I just wanted to tell someone who wouldn’t take things further than I wanted them to go. I didn’t need tears and expletives. I just needed someone to listen.
“Pete and I are having some problems,” I said, sighing deeply. That wasn’t really the right way to describe it, but I couldn’t come right out with exactly what I wanted to say without easing into it.
Jack’s face clouded over, his smile dimming and dark eyes widening. “What’s going on?”
I looked down at my nails. They were short, trimmed, and bare. “There’s another woman who works on the ranch with us. Lacey.” I met his eyes again. Just thinking about all this was getting me angry, and it was easier to feel that way in front of Jack than it was to feel like I was going to burst into tears.
“They both told me they were like brother and sister. And, that’s how it looked to me too until the other day.” I described what I’d seen through the windshield of my car after I finished working for the day: Lacey in Pete’s arms, both of them swaying on the porch like it was the sweetest moment in the world. It burned me up just thinking about it.
I’d trusted Pete. I let him into my life and allowed him to meet Daddy and Kasey, and he went and did something like this. I wouldn’t mind if I never saw him again. I knew that wasn’t realistic in a town the size of Round Rock — and there was no way I was letting a man run me out of my own town — but at the very least, I could steer clear of him for a few days.
“I’m so sorry, Em,” Jack said. He reached across the table to take my hand, squeezing it. “Are you sure they’re together?”
“That’s what it looked like from where I was sitting. They obviously have feelings for each other.” I scrunched my face up to keep my burning eyes from tearing. “There’s nothing wrong with it if they do. I just wish Pete had let me know before I got mixed up with him.”
Before Jack could answer, the waitress came by with our drinks and let us know our food would be out shortly. I took a sip of my iced tea while Jack stirred his Coke.
“Just because they’re friends doesn’t mean they have feelings for each other,” he said finally.
I shrugged, not interested in arguing.
“Remember Amy Benson?” he asked.
I looked up at him. “The girl you were dating senior year?”
He nodded.
“Yeah, I remember her. She was nice, I guess. Y’all aren’t still dating are you?” I knew they’d gone off to school in Dallas together, but I hadn’t heard much from Jack since. I hadn’t thought about Amy in years.
“No, we broke up about a year after we moved.” He grinned and waved a hand like it didn’t matter much to him. “But I bet you never knew that Amy absolutely hated your goddamned guts.”
I frowned hard, my eyebrows pulling down sharply. “What? Why? Did I do something to her I don’t remember?” I couldn’t think why that girl would’ve hated me.
“She didn’t like how close we were. I told her all the same things you just said Pete and Lacey told you — that we were friends and more like brother and sister after growing up together for years.”
“Well, that was true!” Jack and I had never once had feelings for each other.
He nodded, smiling a little, his dark eyes shining. “I know it was. And that’s what I told her, but she was jealous anyway. It really started to eat at her.”
The waitress came by again, this time with our food, setting down Jack’s meatloaf and mashed potatoes and then my burger and fries.
“Remember that day we drove to Austin for that concert?” he asked.
I nodded, smiling before sticking a French fry into my mouth. That had been one hell of a day.
“Well, when I got home that night, Amy came over and was mad as hell. She accused me of picking you over her and said she was going to break up with me if I didn’t make some hard choices right then and there.”
He watched me for a moment, not even touching his food, which wasn’t like him. “I didn’t know what to say. I loved Amy, or I thought I did at the time. So, when she asked me to choose, I picked her. I knew you’d be there for me no matter what, but I was afraid to lose her.”
“Goddamn, Jack, I wish you would’ve told me.” That explained a lot about why we didn’t have much to do with each other after graduation.
“I’m only telling you now so you’ll talk to Pete about all this before you do anything else. Just get the story from his side. We never had feelings for each other and look what happened.” He stuck a fork in his meatloaf and scooped a big hunk into his mouth.
“Yeah, I know we didn’t,” I said with a sigh. But none of that changed what I’d seen the other day with my own eyes. I didn’t know how Pete could explain that away. He loved Lacey, and I’d been a fool to think otherwise.