“Is that where you were injured?”
“Yup. Kind of a career-ending injury when you’re the center and the quarterback relies on you to snap the ball to him.”
I don’t say anything else. It feels like he has more to say so I just sit in silence until he feels comfortable.
“I couldn’t afford to stay in school after the accident, and my parents couldn’t help out, at least not enough to cover my surgery and rehab and pay for school. So I had to drop out. I came back here and the rest is history.”
“I’m sorry.” I know it’s not my fault, but I’m not sure what else to say in this situation. I can tell he’s still angry at what happened. Who knows where he’d be if he hadn’t been injured? He’d probably be living the good life playing in the NFL. The silence hangs heavy between us.
“You want to hear something funny?”
He looks over at me as he comes off his elbows and stands up. “Sure.”
“So, when I was little and I’d come over to your house to hang out with Trevor, you always scared me.”
I can’t help but grin, and I can a small one forming on his lips too.“Is that right?”
“Oh yeah. You were his older, cool brother who always had a different girl over like every week.”
“Ha!” He throws his head back with a loud bark. “It wasn’t a different girl every week, woman. Come on now!”
I can’t help but giggle. “Yes it was! I can distinctly remember this one time that you had Marsha Greggs, Felicity Troutwater, and Mel Preston over all within a month!” He just shakes his head and lets out a soft laugh to himself. “I remember because you would always go in the hot tub with them, and after some time, you’d get out and run to grab your guitar and serenade them.”
It’s dark out, but I swear I can see a blush start to form on his cheeks. “I—I’m sorry. I had no idea you were watching me.”
“Oh, I watched alright. That’s the first time I saw a girl’s boobs that weren’t my own and how I learned what French kissing is.”
“Lord have mercy,” he says against his hands as he rubs them over his face.
“It’s all good. Tt taught me valuable life lessons,” I say, playfully elbowing him.
He looks over at me and neither of us say anything. The moonlight bounces between us, and I swear I can see a spark, like he wants to tell me something or kiss me. I drop my eyes from his down to his lips, and he notices.
He stands up stiffly and shoves his hands in his pockets. “You ready to get back in there? I’m sure there are a few guys that are dying to get a chance to dance with you.”
He starts to walk away, but I reach out and grab the hook of his elbow. “Hey, wait. I actually came out here to tell you something.”
He turns back around to face me. “Yeah?”
I take in a long inhale before letting it slowly. “Okay, so this is going to sound crazy, but a few weeks ago, I came up with this crazy, harebrained plan to get Trevor to notice me or want me or something.” I can see his back instantly tense and his mouth set in a firm line.
“Just hear me out. I was thinking that if he thought I was seeing someone else that he’d get jealous, and it would propel him into action or something, like he’d finally see that he’s been in love with me—”
Before I can finish what I’m saying, he interrupts me harshly. “Are you fucking kidding me, Pearl?”
“No, wait let me ex—” Before I can say anything else, rage settles over his face.
“No, you wait. This stupid childhood crush has gone on long enough. It’s pathetic at this point! He’s in love with someone else, Pearl. Why can’t you accept that? He is trying to make it work with this woman, and you need to back off and learn some goddamn boundaries. If you really love him and care about him like you say, then you just need to accept the fact that he doesn’t want you, Pearl. He doesn’t love you!”
I stand there in pure shock as his words echo around me. I’ve never seen him this angry. Tears spring to my eyes as I try to register my emotions. I want to yell at him and tell him that I know all that already, but instead I stand there, motionless.
“Grow up, Pearl.” He shakes his head before turning and marching back toward the barn.
I don’t know how long I stand there before tears begin streaming down my cheeks. It’s not the words or the truth of them that hurts. It was the way he looked at me, like he was disgusted. I don’t know how the conversation got so convoluted. I had wanted to tell him that I didn’t feel that way anymore about Trevor, that I had realized all those things he just yelled at me on my own.
It’s only a matter of moments before my tears of sadness turn to tears of anger. How dare he? What gives him the right to parent me or tell me how to live my life? If he wasn’t such a rude prick, he would have heard what I have to say before cutting me off.
I wipe away the tears before marching back inside. I glance around but don’t see him anywhere.
“Hey, you okay?” Jade grabs my arm, alarmed, I’m sure, by my smeared mascara and tear-stained face.
“Yeah, I’m good. Have you seen Blake?” I ask, still looking around the room for him.
“I think he left? He walked through a little bit ago and went out the front door. What happened between you two? Do I need to say something to him?”
I nod and give her a soft smile. “No, it’s nothing. I’m going to take off. Not feeling that great, but I’ll call you tomorrow.” I give her hand a quick squeeze before heading out the door and jumping in my bug.
I make the quick drive up the mountains. As I pull into the cabin parking lot, I see Blake’s truck. I put my car in park, slam the door, and march my way to his cabin. It’s time Blake Winthrop gets a piece of my mind. I bang loudly until I hear his footsteps heading toward me, and he opens the door in nothing but a towel, dripping water all over the floor—a look of pure shock on his face and mine.
Ten
Blake
The moment the words left my mouth at the dance, I regretted them. I knew that wasn’t the way to handle the situation or to tell her how I felt about it. I reacted in anger. Anger that she wasn’t in love with me? Anger that Tracey just decided to reach out to me out of the blue and mess with my feelings again?
Whatever the reason, it didn’t make what I said right. It killed me to see the tears welling up in her eyes and the way her bottom lip trembled. She’s too beautiful and innocent for someone like me. I’m not gentle, and I sure as hell don’t know how to keep a woman happy.
I place my hands against the shower wall and let the hot water cascade down my neck and back, hopeful it will relieve some of the tension. I close my eyes and try to relax into the moment when I hear what sounds like someone pounding on my front door.
“Jesus. What now?” I grumble as I step out and wrap a towel around my waist. The pounding persists, growing louder and harder. I march toward the front door, pulling it open to see Pearl standing on my front porch. “What the hell are you doing here?”
She stares at me for a moment without speaking with her mouth hanging open before pushing her way past me with a look of determination on her face.