Page 32 of Breaking Bristol
Sunday came around, and I was awake bright and early, excited to see Matthew again. Even though he’d seen me naked already, I took my time primping. I shaved, tweezed, lotioned, even painted my nails and curled my hair. After I slid my little black dress on, I did my makeup and strapped on my three-inch stilettos. And because I was nervous for some reason, I poured half a glass of wine to take the edge off while waiting for him.
And waited.
And waited some more.
Forgoing a glass this time, I hooked the bottle of wine around its neck and took a large swig, the acidity making my racing heart burn. I paced, glowering at the clock over and over. Every minute that ticked by was like a countdown to the inevitable despair of disappointment.
I slammed the bottle on the coffee table because my hands were clammy, and I was about to drop it. And then my eyes caught on the succulent that I’d managed to keep alive. A man didn’t bring a woman a plant unless he liked her, right? I mean, sure, men brought flowers for all sorts of reasons, but a plant? And not just any plant, but a plant he knew I liked without me even telling him.
He noticed. He took the initiative. A man didn’t do that unless he cared.
Matthew wouldn’t ditch me. He wouldn’t stand me up after what we shared. I wanted so badly to believe he wasn’t that kind of guy. Something must have happened, it had to have. I lowered myself onto the cushion and sat on my fidgety fingers. He deserved a chance to explain, and I’d give him that, but if he didn’t have a damn good reason like he was busy saving a life, then I’d never give him the chance to explain anything to me ever again because we would be done.
Matthew might have been the first guy I was with since Shane, but I’d learned the hard way not to be blinded by love. I was done giving men chances to make up for not only abhorrent behavior but also selfish, hurtful, and inconsiderate behavior. I deserved better than that. Every woman deserved to be with someone who treated them like gold, not specks of dirt they brushed aside and walked all over.
I truly believed Matthew was one of the good ones, so he’d get one shot to prove it to me. I hoped to God he’d prove me right.
CHAPTER 10
Bristol
“Good morning, Ms. Hart.”
“Morning, Dixie Mae.” I stood outside the main office, greeting the kids as they came in Monday morning. They seemed to have a little more energy than usual, which wasn’t a surprise seeing as they’d been cooped up for over a week.
Lucy came inside with her mom, and Cheyenne stopped next to me. “Have a good day, baby.”
“I will. Bye, Mom. Hi, Ms. Hart.”
“Good morning, Lucy.”
She found a friend and skipped away. Cheyenne smiled at me and waggled her eyebrows quizzically.
I tilted my head. “What?”
“Oh nothing.” She sighed, but her facial expression didn’t change.
“That grin’s not for nothing.”
“You’re right, it’s not.” She grabbed my hands and shook them as she jumped up and down like a teenage girl. “It’s just that Beck called me and asked me to get ahold of you to tell you that he was, and I quote, So fucking sorry he couldn’t make it last night, but there was a huge accident, and he just couldn’t leave.”
Air surged through my nose, and my heart flipped right side up. I knew it. I mean, I was mad… really mad, but I told myself that he wasn’t the kind of guy to stand me up, not after what we shared and not after he made it clear he wanted our relationship to move forward. I hoped for it because I liked him, a lot. But also because I refused to believe I was wrong about him, that my character judgment was still off after Shane.
“Shh. Quiet.” I looked around to make sure nobody could hear us and pulled her into my office, pressing my back against the closed door.
“You and Beck?” she whispered. I forgot that everyone else referred to him as Beck.
He said his name was Matthew to me, so that was what I called him. I assumed it was because he didn’t want me to know his last name so I wouldn’t look him up and find out what he did.
I pressed my lips together and nodded, and she soundlessly clapped her hands. “Y’all are perfect for each other. I don’t know why I didn’t think to set you up sooner. I mean, I’m so in love with Sutton that I can’t see straight, but Beck… he’s a catch.”
“Trust me, I know. He knew I was alone in the cabin because Lou and Heidi were on a cruise, and he was worried about me being isolated out there during the ice storm. It took him two hours to get to me because of the roads. We spent seventy-two hours straight together.”
“That’s amazing!” Her eyes widened. “But wait. How do y’all even know each other in the first place? He lives in Lawless.”
I gave my friend a quick version of the story, and she was swooning by the time I got to the part about him leaving our love nest to return to work. “But he didn’t show up last night, and I told myself it was because of an emergency, but I was so afraid he decided he didn’t want to be with me.”
“No way. You’re awesome. This is so great, and I’m so happy for both of y’all.”