“Hey,” he yelled over them, and both Tam and—Blaine’s heartbeat shot through his body like a cannon—Hayes looked at him. “What is going on here?”
Hayes grabbed onto the lapels of his jacket and pulled it forward, as if adjusting his clothes. He wore a frown on his face, and Tam didn’t look happy either.
“Nothing,” she said, stepping away from Hayes.
“I want an answer,” Hayes said.
“I don’t have to answer to you,” she said. “Now, I’m leaving, and I’d like you to leave my shop.”
“No,” Hayes said. He took several quick steps toward Blaine too, and it was almost like he and Tam were racing to see who could get to him first. “I want to know the truth.”
“The truth about what?” Blaine asked, shooting a glance at Tam. “How long has he been here?”
“Not long.”
“Half an hour,” Hayes said, shooting her a look.
Blaine’s blood turned cold, and it couldn’t quite move through his body the right way. “Thirty minutes, huh? You guys probably had such a great talk in that amount of time.” He folded his arms, hating that he’d taken so long to get ready. Tam hadn’t even looked up to his hat or down to his boots.
“Don’t,” Tam said.
“Don’t what?” Blaine asked. “A half an hour, Tam?” Jealousy snaked through him, striking at all of his organs. He knew exactly what this felt like, and exactly how long it would take the poison to infect his whole body. He knew exactly how long it took to recover from, and exactly how agonizing those years would be.
Even worse, because this was Tamara, his very best friend on the whole Earth, and he felt her slipping away from him with every breath he took. He wouldn’t have her to talk to after this ended. He wouldn’t have her to text in the middle of the night when he couldn’t sleep and his feelings of self-doubt crept in. He wouldn’t have her to call on for help around the ranch, and he wouldn’t have her to ride with when nothing else in the world made sense.
“I just want to know if your relationship is the real deal,” Hayes said.
“No,” Blaine said at the same time Tam said, “Of course it is.” Her voice echoed in the empty silence, and she looked at Blaine with pure shock on her face.
Blaine took a deep breath and looked at Hayes. Oh, how he disliked this man. Why was he even here? Did he think he could win Tam back if she admitted they’d started this fake relationship to fool him into thinking Tam was over him?
“When she heard you were coming back into town, she asked me to be her boyfriend. I wasn’t sure, because I don’t think she has a darn thing to prove to you.” He cleared his throat, his fists curling tightly at his sides. He couldn’t look at Tam, because she’d made a squeaking noise when he’d started talking.
“But she thought she did, and…certain things were said and done, and we started dating.”
Hayes kept the frown on his face as he looked from Blaine to Tam and back. “And now? it’s real or fake?”
Blaine shrugged, because he was pretty certain Tam was going to pummel him the moment they were alone, and he’d rather not take his heart out of his chest and give it straight to her to shatter. “We’re still working on the details,” he said.
“I hate you, Blaine Chappell,” Tam said, her voice deadly quiet. “And I hate you, Hayes Powell. Both of you get out of my shop.”
Blaine looked at her, the perfect rage on her face, her fists clenched at her sides, her eyes bright with unshed tears.
Tears.
His heart tore right in half. “Tam,” he started.
“Get out,” she said, taking a menacing step forward. “Now. Both of you. Go!” She looked wild and ferocious, and Blaine turned to open the door. His heart pounding in terror, he left the shop, Hayes right behind him.
“Don’t call me,” she said. “Either of you. Don’t stop by ever again. We’re done.” She punctuated her words with a loud slamming of the door that actually made Blaine cringe. He ignored Hayes as he walked to his truck.
He had no idea what he was doing. He existed outside his own mind, his own existence. He just knew he didn’t want to be there anymore. He was so tired of thinking about Tam, and what he should say to Tam, and what should happen next between him and Tam.
He normally wouldn’t have left her alone with Hayes, but tonight, he fired up his truck and backed out of the parking lot first.
He normally wouldn’t have left town without letting someone know where he was going, but that someone was Tam, and he couldn’t tell her.
As he put the town of Dreamsville in his rear-view mirror, Blaine had the distinct realization that he’d just lost everything. His girlfriend, his best friend, and his chance for a happy future.