I waited to feel something. Some spark that would tell me Thomas was my destiny. That Alaska was my destiny. But I knew it wasn’t. I choked on a cry, and he stopped kissing me.
“What? What? What happened.”
I just started crying. “I’m sorry, Thomas. I’m so sorry. I just can’t.”
He rubbed my arm and pulled me to him. Brushing his palm over the top of my head, he said, “It’s him, isn’t it?”
“I’m so sorry, Thomas. Maybe now I understand a little of how my sister felt. Like I don’t have a choice in who I love. That in not making any sense, it makes perfect sense.” I just kept repeating I was so sorry.
“Shhhh.” He pulled back and took my face in his hands. Then he laughed. “Good lord, you’ve got it bad.”
I groaned. “I don’t want it bad.”
He laughed and hugged me again. “I think it’s too late.”
I rested my forehead on his chest and whispered, “I’m so sorry.”
When we pulled apart, he asked if I wanted him to come in.
“No, I think I need to be alone.”
He leaned forward and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you on the mountain.”
“I’ll see you on the mountain.”
And just like that, we were back to being friends.
His truck tires crunched on the gravel drive as he left. The sound of the engine became faint and the silence of the night settled around me. To my surprise, relief replaced my confusion between the two men. I didn’t know what I was going to do about it, but I would start with an apology to Brett for my behavior.
When I was settled in bed, I sent him a text,I’msorry
What a mess I’d created. I was full of apologies tonight.
A text came back a second later.I’mlistening
Chapter 14
I groaned.
I don’t why I had the idea he would be magnanimous about this.
Where would I start?
While I was pondering the apology, he texted me,Can wefacetime?
I was so nervous. Instead of responding, I simply hit the video camera button. Feet into fire.
A moment later, his face appeared on my screen. In the background, it was dark. Lights twinkled in the glass behind him, reflections from the lamps in his house.
“Hello, gorgeous.”
I willed myself not to tear up. “Hello.”
“You seem sad.” He plopped down on a couch, his head resting on a cream cotton back.
I lay down on my side, holding the phone close to me, my right arm tucked under my head. “No. Maybe. Embarrassed.”
“Because you thought I had bribed Ryan to give you a job?”