Tangle

by Locke, Adriana

“I didn’t.” He sets me on my feet. “I saw these on the counter at Dad’s. Meredith was going to go before we organized the party, so she said maybe it would be nice to take you. And I agreed.”

  “I . . .” I squeal. “I can’t believe I get to go. And you’re coming with me. This is a dream.”

  He smiles smugly and taps me on the ass. “Then get in the shower so we aren’t late. I heard the lines take forever.”

  I bounce on the balls of my feet, already anticipating the things awaiting me today. I start to dart out of the bedroom, but pause. “Hey, Trevor?”

  “Yes, pretty girl?”

  “Thank you.”

  I swear he blushes.

  “You’re very welcome.”

  Trevor

  The convention center is packed. I’m not sure if there are more people or flowers cramming the room, or which I like less.

  Various vendors are set up, most of them wedding-related, and Haley has to stop at every one. She gushes with the other women while I hang back with the occasional husband or boyfriend and talk about the weather and football like those topics will get our man cards back.

  “Oh, Trevor,” Haley gushes. “See this one? It’s an anthurium.”

  “It’s great.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Meredith had these in the kitchen last night. Don’t you remember?”

  “Of course.”

  “You do not.” She shakes her head. “They represent hospitality and happiness. Must be why your dad’s place felt so welcoming.”

  “I thought it was the bourbon, but whatever you say.”

  She bumps my shoulder as we meander to the next booth. “You know what, Thief?”

  “What’s that?”

  “I think you like Meredith more than you let on.”

  “Meh.” When she looks at me, I shrug. “It’s not like I hate her. I’m just skeptical of her motivations.” I watch Haley pick up another flower, a purple one this time, and think of my dad’s wife. “Men do stupid shit when they fall in love. If Jake and I don’t have his back, who will?”

  She doesn’t answer as she turns to the attendant at the table. I watch her banter with the man, his face lighting up at her questions.

  The place might be packed, but everyone here is happy. Maybe Haley’s right and there is something about flowers that brings out people’s good sides. She turns to look at me over her shoulder. The smile on her face is so big, I have to hope some of it isn’t just from the flowers, but from me.

  “Do you know what this one is?” she asks, waving a flower at me. “I know you don’t, so I’m going to tell you. It’s a delphinium. And it’s known for fun.” She plunks the flower back in the container. “You need to be more delphinium-esque.”

  “You weren’t complaining about how fun I was about six hours ago.”

  She shoots me a look. “That’s not what I mean. I wasn’t complaining about that.”

  “Good. Because I was there, all three times, and I vividly remember you yelling so loud about how amazing I am that the front desk called our room.”

  She blushes the color of a gerbera daisy in front of us. I lift it.

  “I know this one. A daisy. My mom always had them around when we were little. No clue what it means, though.”

  “Good job,” she says, taking the flower from me. “This one is red, so it means . . .” She puts it down and starts toward the next stall.

  “What’s it mean?”

  She stops. “That you’re unconsciously in love.” She nibbles on her bottom lip. “So that’s bogus, right?” Quickly, too quickly, she swipes a weird-looking flower. “This one is more accurate for right now.”

  “So it means something like you’ve been somewhere for four hours and it’s time to go?” I offer.

  “It’s a bird of paradise, and it means something exciting is going to happen.” She holds her hands to her sides. “I’m starting at the shop in two days.”

  “If today is any indication, you’re going to do great.”

  “I hope so. I’ve been reading everything I can get my hands on about flowers so I’m prepared.” She gives the flower back to the attendant. Looking around the room, she sighs. “Doesn’t this just make you happy? Surrounded by all this beauty?”

  I didn’t have to come here for that. I’ve spent the last twenty-four hours by your side, and I had you in my bed.

  “Sure,” I say as we take off walking again.

  We move along the last wall quietly, stopping to inspect random flowers or to talk to suppliers about interesting props. I stay in the background and watch a side of Haley I haven’t seen before.

  She looks like what I feel like in my office. When I’m surrounded by numbers, I feel at home. Comfortable. I know I can piece them together and have them make sense. They speak my language of logic and facts. Flowers do that for her.

  Here, she’s confident. Authoritative. In her element. Watching her move about this world, one I know nothing about, is the biggest turn-on.

  “Not that you aren’t a barrel of fun,” she says, handing me a piece of a sample cookie, “but I bet Meredith would’ve loved it here.”

  I take a bite of the cookie. “You liked her, didn’t you?”

  “She has a greenhouse,” Haley deadpans.

  I laugh. “A greenhouse I fucked you in.”

  I’m rewarded with a flush of her cheeks.

  “She also has an entire collection of Van Gogh paintings of flowers,” Haley says. “What do you have to say to that?”

  “He cut his ear off, you know.”

  “So?”

  “So nothing. I was just pointing that out.”

  She stretches her arms over her head and yawns. Her T-shirt rises just high enough to show a sliver of skin above the waistband of her jeans. She looks like a commercial for cereal or pajamas—one of those ads where they pick the prettiest woman they can find so other women want to buy their product. That’s her. The epitome of perfection.

  My chest tightens like I’ve been hit in the stomach.

  “I’m ready to go if you are,” she says.

  My spirits sink as I look at the clock. By the time we get out of Nashville and to Dogwood Lane, it will be almost four hours. That means it’ll be four hours until I take her home. And not much longer until I return to Nashville without her.

  “Let’s check out that line of photographers first,” I say.

  “Really?” Her eyes sparkle.

  “I mean, unless you don’t want to.”

  “No, I totally want to. I just thought I was boring you to death.”

  I wrap my arm around her waist as we turn around. “I don’t think it’s possible for you to bore me to death.”

  And that’s a scary thought.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  HALEY

  Neely hands me a glass to put away.

  “We should be able to move in a week or so,” Neely says. “The bathrooms at the new house get tubs and showers this week, and then it’s just picking off little things.”

  I set the glass in the cabinet. “I can’t believe you guys won’t be living in this house anymore.”

  Neely frowns. “I know. And I kind of feel bad about it because Dane bought the new house for me, but you all have the attachment to this one. You have memories here.”

  “Yeah, but it’ll be good for Mia to grow up out there and for you to start fresh in a new place as a family. Maybe you guys can get some horses. Or cows. I’ve always wanted a cow.”

  “Why?” Neely laughs.

  I shrug. “They’re just so pretty.”

  She shakes her head and fills the now-emptied dishwasher.

  I swipe my phone from my pocket and check it. It’s been really quiet since Trevor dropped me off at my house this afternoon. He walked me in, kissed the crap out of me, and then told me he was going to try to talk his girlfriend Lorene into renting him a room for a couple more days.

  A couple more days. That’s it. The house will be done, Branson and Meredith
will be moving in, and life will go back to normal for Trevor in Nashville.

  “How was Nashville?” Neely asks.

  I sit at the island and watch her work. “Nashville was amazing. We went to Trevor’s dad’s party, and I met his brother and stepmom, Meredith. And then he surprised me with tickets to a floral show this morning.”

  “Wow. That sounds like a lot of fun.”

  “It was.”

  “How fun?” she pokes.

  We exchange a knowing grin.

  “Yeah, well, that’s . . . that,” I say.

  “What’s that mean?”

  What does it mean? I don’t know. It means I’m going to have to hope I can be the big girl I know I am when he leaves town. And I’m going to need to be strong when he forgets about me when he goes back to his other life with women like Liz.

  “It means we had amazing sex and now I’m not sure what will happen,” I say matter-of-factly.

  The warmth I feel in Dane’s house is . . . lacking somehow. I spent so much of the last almost decade within these walls—with lots of laughter and silliness—and tonight it feels chilly. Or is that just me?

  For the last twenty-four hours, I’ve been surrounded by all things Trevor, and it’s been wonderful. Now? Now I feel a little empty, and it’s weird without him by my side. But it’s probably good I get used to it, because his days in Dogwood Lane are numbered. I know it. It’s a fact. And it’s so sad.

  “I guess I’m just not sure what happens when he goes home,” I admit. “He’s staying at the inn for a couple more days, but then he’ll have to go back to Nashville.”

  “You could try a long-distance relationship. It’s not that far, and it’ll give you some time to test things out.” She shuts the dishwasher and starts it. “Have you not talked to him about it?”

  I shake my head. “No. It all happened kind of suddenly, I guess. And he has a thing about women being clingy. I’d die before I let him think I was chasing after him like most women do.”

  Neely laughs. “I like this new you.”

  “Yeah, well, hopefully she knows a few things the old me didn’t.”

  “Who knows what?” Dane jogs down the stairs. “If you want to know something, you can ask me. I know just about everything.”

  “Oh, my God,” Neely says, making a face. “You’re spending way too much time with Penn.”

  I laugh, getting off the stool. “How much time do you guys have left out there?”

  Dane opens the refrigerator and pulls out a bottle of water. “I could be done tomorrow. But realistically, probably two more days. Branson has a bunch of interior people coming and a landscape crew, I think, but those have nothing to do with me.”

  My heart sinks. “I figured that.”

  I pick at my cuticles as I wonder what Meredith will do to this house. Will it be as modern as her home in Nashville? Will she build a greenhouse here? Or will she go with something more subdued?

  I’ll likely never know.

  “How’d things go with you and Trevor?” Dane asks.

  “Good. He’s a good guy. You’d really like their family. And from what I heard, you’re kind of a rock star down there.”

  He points to himself with a raised brow as he takes a drink.

  I laugh. “Yeah, you. I heard they’re talking about what good carpenters you guys are. Well, you and Matt. I didn’t hear much about Penn.”

  “Because I don’t let Penn around when they call.”

  “Smart move,” I say.

  The room grows quiet. I should get up and go home, get prepared for my first day at the flower shop, but I don’t want to move.

  Maybe I just don’t want to be alone.

  A light bulb goes off in my head. I don’t want to be alone. How many bad decisions, bad relationships, have I been in because I don’t want to be alone?

  It’s a crazy idea, one I can’t wrap my head around, but one I know is true. Being by myself always feels like a failure. Not having someone to share things with makes victories and stories a little less sweet.

  Maybe that was true before, but it’s not now. I can be alone. I like me.

  I’m not withering in panic that he’s leaving. I had a blast of a weekend, knowing it wouldn’t be more than a fake date. And even now, I’m not devastated, knowing he’s leaving. I’m dealing. And I’m doing fine.

  I smile to myself as Neely nudges Dane out of the way.

  “Did you decide on my idea?” she asks him.

  Dane nods. “I like it. I think it’ll help Mia adjust.”

  My jaw drops. “Oh, my God. Are you finally having a baby?”

  Neely spins around and practically dies laughing. “Finally? Haley, we’ve not been together that long. And, may I point out, we aren’t even married.”

  “You don’t have to be married to have a baby.”

  She rolls her eyes. “No. You don’t. But I’d like to be, okay?”

  “Fine. You aren’t technically married, even though it feels like it. So are you pregnant?”

  “No,” she says, leaning forward, “I’m not.” She goes back to wiping a bit of spilled milk in the fridge. “Why do you always go to pregnancy?”

  “Because I think it’s the most romantic thing in the world,” I coo. “It’s two people that are madly in love, committing to bringing their bodies together to create a whole new life—think about that!—that will walk the world forever. It’s the ultimate way of telling someone you love them.”

  Dane blinks. “You’ve really thought this out, haven’t you?”

  “I have a lot of time on my hands.” I twist a strand of hair around my finger. “What were you talking about, anyway? What’s helping Mia adjust to what?”

  Neely closes the refrigerator. “We want to have a party at the new house before we move in. Just so Mia has some memories there with people she loves. And I think it’ll help her be excited when the day comes to pack her stuff and sleep in a new room.”

  “Bring Trevor,” Dane says. “I’d like to see him outside of work.”

  “I’ll try.” I fidget in my seat, wondering if he’ll still be here then to invite. I hate this. I liked it so much better when I knew he’d be around.

  Dane furrows a brow. “Nashville sucked?”

  Neely giggles. “I think you should leave out the word ‘suck,’ love.”

  I roll my eyes. “Anyway,” I say, redirecting the conversation to things that won’t remind me of being laid out on a table, “I’m not sure how long he’ll be in town. Once the house is done, he won’t have a reason to stay.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not,” Dane says.

  His hopeful attitude annoys me. “Maybe not. What would possibly keep him here? It’s not like Kelly Construction has a line of projects waiting to be tackled. And even if they did, Trevor is the CFO. His job is in an office, crunching numbers.”

  “It is?” Neely asks.

  “Yeah.”

  “Then why is he here?”

  “Basically to build a poodle spa and make sure the house is perfect,” I say, not wanting to get into it.

  “The poodle spa is pretty amazing,” Dane says. “There’s a grooming table and a hot-tub thing for them to get bathed in. And everything is monogrammed for Buffy and Muffy.”

  Neely laughs. “You’re kidding me.”

  “Afraid not.” Dane grabs a cookie out of a jar and takes a bite. “In my next life, I want to be one of those dogs. But with a better name. Like Tuffy.”

  “Hey,” Neely says, looking at her watch, “I need to go get Mia from Keyarah and Madison’s house. I told Susan I’d bring the girls here for the night so she and her husband can have a date night.”

  They banter back and forth. I check my phone again. The home screen is blank. Again.

  “You can always bring them to me,” I offer. “I have nothing going on.”

  “You aren’t seeing Trevor?” Dane asks.

  “Apparently not.” I swipe my phone like it has offended me and shove it in my pocket.r />
  “Wanna talk about it?”

  “Nope.” I sink onto the stool again and let my irritation settle. “He doesn’t owe me anything. We had a nice weekend. He’ll go home. If I get upset about that, then I’m the jerk.”

  The door opens. Then closes. Then a knock sounds through the room.

  The three of us exchange a look before Dane walks around Neely and twists the doorknob. In walks Penn.

  “I knocked,” he says immediately.

  “Good boy, Penn,” Neely says, patting him on the head. “Do you want a cookie?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “I was kidding.” She grabs her keys off the hook and blows Dane a kiss. “Be back in a little bit.”

  “Love you,” Dane calls after her.

  “Love you, babe.”

  The door closes as Penn walks to the cookie jar. He retrieves a large sugar cookie.

  “Help yourself,” Dane mutters.

  “She offered it,” he says.

  “She was kidding,” Dane says.

  Penn shrugs, taking a bite of his cookie. “So what’s happening over here?”

  “Not much,” I say. “I’m just getting ready to leave too.”

  Penn turns to face me. For the first time in the years I’ve known him, he doesn’t smile. Or laugh. Or have something quick-witted on his tongue. He simply cocks his head a bit to the side. “Okay.”

  “Okay, what?” I ask.

  “Why are you leaving?”

  “So I can go home and get ready for bed. I just got back in town this afternoon, and I’m tired.”

  He chomps down on his cookie. “You went with Trevor last night, right?”

  I nod.

  “How’d that go?”

  “Fine.”

  “Went pretty shitty if you’re answering it with ‘fine,’” he notes.

  I blow out an irritated breath. “It went fine, Penn. It was nice. We had fun.”

  “Did you have sex?”

  “I’m not answering that.” I pick up my purse and head for the door. “Good night, Dane.”

  I don’t know what transpires behind me, but I hear a lot of whispering. By the time I’m at the door, Dane is by my side.

  “Hey,” he says, stopping me.

  “Yeah?”

  “Don’t let him get to you.”

  “Penn? Or Trevor?” I ask.