Page 79 of Worth the Fall
“I don’t know,” I admitted honestly. I’d gone over the things we’d said to each other at least a hundred times, and nothing stood out as any kind of deal-breaker.
“And you haven’t asked him. Great job.” She slow-clapped in the background, and I rolled my eyes.
“Fine. I suck at this. Happy?” I asked because I guessed I had been avoiding Thomas, too, in my own way. “Now, what do I do about dinner? Do I go?”
“Of course you go! If Matthew asked you, there has to be a reason, and I’m dying to know what it is. You go get yourself dressed all cute. You show up there and get your O’Grady brother, you lucky bitch. Then, you report back to me and tell me every single detail.”
When she put it that way, she made it sound easy. Like Thomas was some kind of goal I could accomplish with just a pretty top and a smile.
“All right. I need to get ready. Thank you,” I breathed into the phone, grateful for her insight and her honesty. She’d given me a lot to process.
“Anytime. And, Brooklyn?” She stopped me from ending the call.
“Yeah?”
“Just so you know...” She paused, like she was unsure if she should say whatever was about to come next. “I’ve heard that Eli’s doing all right.”
My chest tightened for only a split second. “What do you mean?”
“Apparently, some women like fixing broken things.”
I shook my head, still not understanding what she was getting at. “English, please.”
“He’s dating. He’s been on at least three dates that I’ve heard about since the saloon incident.” She let out a low whistle. “Are you okay? Does that make it better or worse? Should I not have told you?”
I blew out a soft breath. “I want him to be happy. I’m glad he’s dating. Maybe it will make him less angry at me.”
“I kind of thought the same thing.”
I always thought that when Eli moved on, I’d be magically cured of all my guilt and shame. Like him being with a new person would somehow be proof that I’d done the right thing, as if I needed more. But my feelings about it all really had nothing to do with Eli and everything to do with me.
“Go. And tell Thomas you want to ride him. Hard. Love you,” Lana said before ending the call.
I told her I loved her back, but she was already gone.
Matthew knocked onmy front door exactly one hour later. I’d changed from my comfortable leisurewear into some knockout jeans and a tight-fitted sweater. Now that fall had officially arrived and we were barreling into winter, the air was chilly in the evenings. No more shorts and tank tops until summer came back around.
Matthew’s eyes roved the length of my body, and even though I didn’t know him that well, I smacked his chest with my hand anyway.
“Stop looking at me like that.”
“He’s going to lose his mind,” he said, grinning, and I suddenly felt like this was a bad idea. “Come on. Stop second-guessing.” He waved, and I followed him down the stairs and into his lifted truck that was already ready to go.
Did every O’Grady have the ability to read minds, or was mine just easy for some reason?
“This thing is a monster,” I said as I attempted to hoist myself inside.
“Just like my—” he started, and I made a frowny face.
“Don’t finish that sentence,” I warned, but he only laughed as he stepped into the driver’s side with no effort at all.
“My skills on the ice, Brooklyn. It’s a monster, just like I am when I play hockey. That’s all I was gonna say.”
He lied so effortlessly, but even I had to admit that he was charming.
Little shit.
The gate to our complex swung open as we neared. Once there was enough clearance, Matthew stepped on the gas, and the truck made the most obnoxious sound. Everyone in Sugar Mountain must hear him coming from a mile away. I wondered how I never did when we were home, but when he lessened the pressure on the pedal, the roaring faded.