And she was crying again.
“I’ve got this,” he said firmly. Shaking Mason’s hand, he added, “Take care of her and I’ll…I’ll deal with Court.”
“Thanks, man.”
With a quick kiss on Scarlett’s cheek, Dean made his way across the room and out to the large entryway while trying to find Courtney. He hadn’t seen her leave, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t stopped to talk to anyone on her way out.
“You leaving too?” Hunter asked when he spotted him in the foyer.
“Uh, yeah. Have you seen Courtney?”
“I think I saw her go out the back door. How come?”
Dean quickly relayed the situation before excusing himself and walking back through the house. With no other choice, he stepped outside and headed down the to the yard. Several people were still milling around and he scanned the property to try to figure out where she went.
A lone figure on the pier caught his eye.
Courtney.
Her shoulders were hunched and shaking and he knew she was crying. With a muttered curse, he started walking across the yard and down the pier. When he got to her side, he stood there and looked out at the Sound like she was.
“You want to talk about it?” he quietly asked.
“Not particularly.”
Her words were spoken so softly he could barely hear her. Turning his head to look at her, he wasn’t sure what to say.
“I don’t need a babysitter, Dean,” she said after a minute. “You don’t have to stand here and watch over me. I’m not a kid anymore.”
Like I haven’t noticed…
He laughed softly. “Yeah, I got that, Court, but you know you’re not in any condition to drive, so…” And he braced himself for the fight that was sure to come. “Scarlett’s just worried about you. You know that. So why don’t you let me drive you home and we’ll get Kyle or Hunter to bring your car to you, okay?”
She looked up at him and his mouth went dry. It wasn’t the first time he noticed how beautiful Courtney was–it was something that hit him years ago–but it was the first time he was seeing the vulnerability in her. For once, she wasn’t the sassy, confident girl she presented to the world.
And he had no idea how to react.
“I wasn’t going to drive. I know better than that.” She gently swiped her hand over her cheek to wipe away the tears and he wished he had a handkerchief or something to offer her. “I’m more upset because she didn’t need to humiliate me like that in front of everyone. Hell, she could have just offered to let me drive home with her, but instead, she practically shouts it out for everyone that I’ve had four glasses of wine!”
A small laugh escaped and she shot him an angry glare.
“Okay, yeah, that was wrong of her, but you know Scarlett’s all over the place right now. We’ve talked about this. So maybe she could have handled it different, but…let’s be honest, Court, you’re possibly making a bigger deal out of it than it was too.”
And then he held his breath and waited for her to argue with him.
But she didn’t.
“Everything’s changing,” she said, her gaze turning back to the water. “There’s a part of me that knows it’s all for the better–Scarlett’s happy, the baby will be here before we all know it, and she’s found this amazing love with Mason.” She paused. “Then there’s me. I’m unemployed, my parents are off chasing ghosts and turning our home into an Airbnb which leaves me homeless come Monday morning, and I’m moving to a city where I literally know no one.” She shook her head. “I didn’t mean to ruin her night.”
Unable to help himself, Dean put his arm around her and hugged her.
And she instantly stiffened beside him.
Trying not to focus on that, he did his best to encourage her. “I know things all seem bleak right now, but you have to believe it’s going to get better. I’ve been hearing you tell everyone how you much you hate living in a small town so…here’s your big chance to find someplace that’s a better fit for you. And…you know you’ll always have a place here. Even if it’s not with your folks, Scarlett would always welcome you home whenever you want.”
“I know that…”
“But…?”
“But…it’s not the same. Everyone’s moving forward and I’m just…I’m not. This whole job thing is making me crazy. I mean why did I have to lose my job now?”
“To be fair, Dr. Curtis was like a hundred years old. He didn’t exactly instill confidence when you went in for a cleaning.”
She chuckled. “First of all, he’s only seventy-five, but yeah, he did look a lot older.” She sighed. “I just wish he would have sold the practice rather than just closing his doors. He’s been my family dentist since I was a kid–and everyone else’s dentist here in town! How could he just leave like that? It’s like he didn’t even care about all the patients who now have to scramble to find a new dentist or his employees who need to search for new jobs!”
“I’m sure you’re not going to have any problem finding a new job,” he said, hoping he sounded optimistic. “I thought dental hygienists were always in big demand.”
“Not in small towns,” she murmured, stepping out of his embrace. Turning around, she faced him, and Dean noticed she didn’t look quite as sad as she had a moment ago. “It’s just another sucky aspect of my life! I was the youngest hygienist in the office–everyone else had been with him since forever! Most of them are retiring! And so here I am with no job and no prospects and I have to move across the state and hope I find something!”
“So…wait,” he said, holding up a hand to her. “Why are you moving if you don’t have a job yet? Shouldn’t you find the job first and then move?”
“There are a lot of jobs in the Raleigh area so I figured it would be a safe place to start. I’m going to stay at one of those extended-stay hotels while I job hunt and then I’ll find an apartment. It’s not ideal but with my parents renting out the house to strangers, I had to get creative with what I’m doing.”
“Wow, Court, I had no idea. I’m really sorry.”
She shrugged. “Yeah, well…this is my life. Nothing goes my way and no one wants me, so…” She gasped before covering her mouth and turning her back on him.
No one wants her? What the…? Wait, did she mean her folks or did she mean…?
For some stupid reason, he needed clarification–knew he’d go crazy if he didn’t know specifically what she was talking about.
Stepping around her so he was facing her, he asked, “What do you mean no one wants you? That’s crazy! Your parents are just doing their own thing right now. They probably thought it wouldn’t be a big deal to you.”
Groaning loudly, Courtney spun around and started to walk away. “I’m going to call an Uber. I…I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He didn’t let her go even three steps before he was in front of her again. “Hey, what’s going on? What did I say?”
Her big green eyes stared up at him and he swore she was going to start crying again, but then…something changed. Her expression went from sad to neutral to something he couldn’t quite define.