“I don’t understand why you’d go back to someone who made you feel so terrible about yourself, even if he did show up with your favorite daisies and say how sorry he was. He should have to do all of that and then prove it for the next five years before you even think about taking him back.”
“I don’t want him back,” she said, shooting him a glare.
“Then why do you need a boyfriend?”
“Maybe I don’t want to be alone anymore,” she said, her tone laced with anger now. “Have you thought of that, Blaine? That sure, I can be smart and successful, but at the end of the day, I go home alone.”
Blaine didn’t know what to say next. She edged away from him, and he felt like the ocean now separated them. “I’m sorry,” he said.
“You just don’t get it, because you like being alone.”
“Is that what you think?”
“Why don’t you date?” She faced him then, her bright blue eyes full of challenge. There was still plenty of sunlight left to see everything on her face too. “You know it’s hard for women to get dates. They can’t really ask a man without coming off as desperate. And yet, you’re not asking anyone to go out with you. None of you Chappells do.”
“That’s just not true,” Blaine said, his own fire really getting stoked now. “Conrad and Duke have girlfriends. Spur does now too.” He looked down to her work boots and back to her face. “Are you saying you want one of us to ask you out? Who? I’ll talk to him.”
She rolled her eyes and faced the field again. “I don’t want to go out with one of your brothers.”
“Are you sure? Because it sounded like you did.”
“I don’t.” She practically bit the words out of her mouth.
Blaine sighed and looked out at the pasture too. He didn’t want to tell her everything, but maybe he’d carried it for long enough. “I don’t date, Tam, because I don’t want to get hurt again.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I broke off my engagement with Alex, because she was cheating on me.” There. He’d said it.
“She was not.” Tam sounded horrified, and when Blaine looked at her, he found her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. “Why would anyone do that?”
“Because she’s not a nice person?” He shrugged. “I’m over her. I am. I’m just maybe not ready to let someone new in yet.”
“I’m sorry, Blaine,” she said, linking her arm through his again and leaning her head against his shoulder. “I didn’t know.”
“Assumptions aren’t pleasant,” he said, repeating something his father had told him many times.
She nodded, and they fell into silence. Blaine had always been so comfortable with Tam, and he didn’t want to lose that. Deep down, he didn’t want her to date anyone, because if she fell in love and got married, they couldn’t be best friends anymore. He wouldn’t want his wife to be snuggled up with another man, talking about life and love and everything in between.
“I have an idea,” Tam said, and Blaine looked at her as she straightened.
“Oh, no,” he said, finding that mischievous glint in those baby blues. “I’ve seen that look before, and I almost got arrested when I went along with your idea.”
“Just hear me out,” she said, but she simply stood there and looked at him, not saying anything.