Friendship Blooms in Honey Grove

by Anne-Marie Meyer

  She wouldn’t.

  But that was okay. He loved Tiffany enough to let her go. To let her be happy.

  Her gaze turned stormy for a moment as she studied him. Then she pinched her lips together and nodded. “If you think that’s the right thing, then I’m game.”

  Jonathan wanted to shake his head. He wanted to tell her that it was actually the last thing he wanted. That the thought of helping her find another man made him sick. But he couldn’t. If he did tell her the things that were trying to surface inside of him, it would be a major mistake. Tiffany would never feel the same way about him. Ever.

  So he mustered a smile and nodded. “Yeah, why wouldn’t it be.”

  She held his gaze for a moment and then nodded as she pushed away from him. “I should get dressed. Stacy wants us downstairs at six. We’ve got dinner to grab and bars to hop.” She paused and then turned to look at him. “Thanks, Jonathan. You’re the best friend a girl could ask for.”

  Hoping to mask his wince, Jonathan just nodded. “Definitely. What are friends for?”

  Her expression stilled, and then she smiled. “While we’re out, we’ll have to get someone for you too,” she called over her shoulder as she made her way to her luggage. After she pulled out what looked like a black dress, she made her way into the bathroom and shut the door.

  Now alone, Jonathan stood and made his way over to the mirror. He stared at himself as he forced down the pit that had formed in his stomach. He was stupid to let things get this far. What did he think was going to happen? That Tiffany was going to rush into his arms and proclaim her feelings for him?

  He shook his head as he splashed some water on his face. He made his way over to his suitcase, where he pulled on his navy suit coat and threaded his belt through the loops on his pants. He sat down and slipped on his shoes then grabbed his wallet and keys. He wasn’t sure where they were going or if he’d need to drive.

  He stood and began pacing the floor of the hotel room. He needed to work off all of this pent-up energy that was causing his muscles to ache. If only he had someone to plow into, he’d feel better. That was one of the reasons he loved football so much. The physical input helped with his anxiety and stress.

  Keeping his head down, he studied the carpet below his feet. Despite his efforts to still his mind, the only thing that kept coming back to him was Tiffany. Her face, her lips, her soft skin. The fact that she knew everything about him and yet still stuck around.

  With her, it wasn’t like a first date. It was like the twentieth date. She knew him, and he knew her. There was no mystery or questions.

  Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard the bathroom door open, and he ran right into something. Out of instinct, he reached out to grab Tiffany as she stumbled and yelped.

  Realizing what he’d just done, he whipped his gaze up to see her wide eyes. She had pressed her hands to his chest and pushed back so she could study him.

  Without thinking, he pulled her closer to him until her body was pressed to his. There was this deep desire in his soul that begged him to bend forward and press his lips to hers. To show her in every way possible just how much his heart was pounding. That when he was with her, he wanted her. Body and soul.

  “Jonathan,” she breathed. “Are you okay?”

  Jonathan had to blink a few times to break the trance he was in. To push back against the feelings that were rising up inside of him. Suddenly realizing what he was doing, he cleared his throat and straightened. He pulled his arm back and put a foot of space between them.

  He nodded as he shot her a sheepish look. “Sorry. I’m just a bit…distracted, that’s all.”

  Tiffany adjusted her black dress, and Jonathan couldn’t help but run his gaze over the full length of her body. The dress hugged her curves and made his heart pound. The fire that had been lit in the depths of his body only burned hotter now.

  Great.

  And now he was off to a bar, where he was going to attempt to hook her up with another guy.

  Why had he agreed to this, again?

  Oh, right. Because he was trying to be a good friend.

  Tiffany adjusted her hair in the mirror and then turned to study him. “How do I look?” she asked as she turned her body for him to see every angle.

  He forced down the urge to wrap a towel around her and smiled. “You look amazing,” he said. The tone of his voice was deep and surprised even him. But he couldn’t help it. She looked amazing, and he wanted her to know.

  Her eyes were wide. “Thanks. You look great too. A lot of ladies are going to get their hearts broken tonight.”

  Jonathan nodded as he forced his body to calm down. Then he winked at her and shrugged. “Someone’s got to do it.”

  Tiffany’s expression tightened as she made her way over to her shoes. She sat down on the bed to slip them on, and Jonathan wondered if she did it because he’d caught her the last time she’d put them on.

  But then he felt like an idiot. Why would she care if he helped hold her steady? There was no way she had the same ridiculous feelings coursing through her as he did.

  Once she was finished, she grabbed her small purse and slipped it over her shoulder. She walked over to him and smiled. “Ready to go find our next love interests?”

  No.

  But instead of saying how he felt, he shrugged. “Oh yeah.”

  She nodded and made her way over to the door. He held the door open while she passed through to the hallway. He shut the door behind him and followed her to the elevator.

  A strange tension hung in the air around them as they waited for the elevator to open. Tiffany kept glancing over at him and smiling. But it wasn’t her natural, carefree smile. This one was tight.

  Jonathan furrowed his brow. He didn’t like that she felt uncomfortable, and he suspected that it had something to do with him. He was acting weird and Tiffany was sensing it. He was ruining their relationship, and, if he didn’t get his head on straight, the one girl he’d cared about his whole life would leave.

  If he wanted to maintain their relationship, he needed to get his head on straight.

  The doors to the elevator opened onto the lobby and everyone who was lingering there. Jonathan couldn’t help but watch Tiffany as she got off the elevator and made her way over to the group of girls that was waiting for her.

  Not sure what to do, Jonathan made his way over to Rob and the other groomsmen. He stood there awkwardly as the conversation flowed around him. He didn’t want to be standing here. He didn’t want to talk to these guys. All he wanted was to spend time with Tiffany.

  But it didn’t seem like that was going to happen for him.

  “Ready to go, man?” Rob asked as he reached out and clapped Jonathan on the shoulder.

  “Yep.”

  “Is it going to be okay for Tiffany to see you around other women?” Rob asked, giving him a knowing look and a wink.

  “I think she’ll survive. We agreed to take a break this weekend.” Just as the words left his lips, Jonathan wished he could take them back.

  Why was he even bringing that up? Tiffany may be okay with them breaking off their fake arrangement, but he wasn’t.

  “Wow! Nice. Then you do need a party.” Rob laughed as he shook Jonathan’s shoulder. “I can’t wait to see what the ladies at the bar do when they hear a single NFL player is in their midst.”

  Jonathan turned and shot Rob a smile. He hoped the guy would move the conversation forward. Just as he glanced at Rob, he noticed that Trent was leaning forward, a small smile on his lips.

  Trent’s gaze met Jonathan’s, and he raised his eyebrows as if to signify that he’d heard their entire conversation. Then he peeled off to talk to Jordan, another groomsman.

  Frustrated, Jonathan dropped his gaze as they walked through the sliding glass doors and out into the warm evening air. There was a huge stretch limo parked on the far end of the circle drive. Jonathan followed Rob over to it and slipped inside.

  Once the entire w
edding party was crammed into the limo, the driver shut the door and tapped the top as he walked to the driver’s side.

  Jonathan tried to keep his attention from slipping over to Tiffany, who was laughing at something Nick, another groomsman, had said. He tried to ignore the smiles that Trent was casting Tiffany’s way. And he was trying to ignore sensation that was rising up inside of him. One that made him want to punch every guy here.

  A small hand wrapped around his own, which were clenched in his lap. Startled, he glanced over to see Beatrice smiling up at him.

  “Everything okay?” she asked. Her eyes were wide as she studied him.

  Not sure what to do, Jonathan pulled his hand out from under hers and adjusted his suit coat. He hoped she’d think that was the reason he needed to break their contact.

  “Tiffany told us about your breakup,” she said.

  Instantly, Jonathan’s gaze flicked over to Tiffany. She was studying him, and when their eyes met, she dropped her gaze as her cheeks flushed.

  She told people they broke up? His stomach churned. Why would she do that? Then he felt like an idiot. Hadn’t he done the same?

  His emotions were a wreck as he wiped his palms on his pants and smiled back down at Beatrice. “It was an amicable split.”

  Beatrice just smiled. “Well, if you need anyone to talk to about it, I’m here. I’ve been told I’m a great listener.”

  An uneasy feeling rose up in Jonathan’s stomach, but he just nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Beatrice nudged him with her shoulder and then turned to address the bridesmaid that was sitting next to her. Not sure where to look, Jonathan just turned his gaze down to the floor and let out his breath.

  He tried to ignore the pain in his chest as he thought about Tiffany and the fact that she’d already moved on from him. He knew their relationship was fake, but for some reason, he’d allowed himself to think that she might have felt something more—like he had. But now that she was telling people they were done, he felt like a fool for hoping that she’d cared for him as more than a friend.

  He was an idiot to allow himself to get in so deep. What was he going to do now?

  Chapter Twelve

  The Lazy Bar was loud as Tiffany walked in later that evening. Things had gone somewhat well at dinner. Thankfully, Jonathan sat at a different table, so she’d been able to keep her thoughts somewhat focused on the conversation around their table.

  But now, at the bar, there was less structure, which meant the likelihood of Jonathan talking to other women was going to be that much greater. And if the feelings that rose up inside of her during Jonathan and Beatrice’s exchange in the limo was indicative of how she was going to react to seeing him with other girls, then this was going to be a crappy evening.

  Yay for her.

  Slipping onto a bar stool, she ordered a beer. The bartender grabbed a bottle and slid it over to her. She took a sip and studied the countertop. Maybe if she just stayed here with her head down, she could pretend that everything was okay.

  That her heart wasn’t breaking inside of her.

  “Everything okay?” Trent’s low voice drew her attention up.

  She glanced over at him and tried hard not to roll her eyes. She pinched her lips together and turned back to the counter. This was not the conversation she wanted to have, and Trent was certainly not the person she wanted to have it with.

  “I heard about your breakup,” Trent said, sitting down on the stool next to her.

  Her shoulders tensed at his closeness and his words. “Really? From whom?” She couldn’t help herself, she needed to know if Jonathan was talking about it.

  Trent waved down the bartender and order a round of shots. He glanced over at her with a small smile. “The loser who dumped you.”

  Tiffany’s stomach soured. He was already telling people they were done. Good. That had been the plan, and she hated that it bothered her so much. Grabbing her beer, she chugged it. When it was half gone, she set the bottle back down onto the counter and turned to him.

  Anger, hurt, and betrayal rose up inside of her. She knew it was ridiculous to feel that way, but she couldn’t help it. It was killing her that Jonathan was this okay with her calling things off. Why wasn’t he more upset?

  Suddenly, Trent’s hand fell on hers, and she jumped, whipping her gaze up to see him peering down at her. She furrowed her brow as she stared at him.

  “Wha—”

  “I was an idiot to let you go. I should have fought to keep you.”

  Confusion plagued her mind as she stared down at his hand and then back up at him. She wanted to process how she felt about this, but the only thing that was rushing through her mind was a bright neon sign telling her to run.

  “I dumped you. End of story.” She moved to pull her hand away, but Trent just held it tighter.

  “It was a mistake. All of it. I should have always been with you. Beatrice was just a placeholder.” He leaned closer, the smell of alcohol on his breath made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. “Why are you fighting it?”

  Tiffany attempted to pull her hand away again, but Trent wouldn’t relent. She glanced up at him to give him a piece of her mind, but before she could say anything, his arm was flung to the side, breaking his hold on her. She turned to see Cody, the bartender from earlier, his face contorted into a look of anger.

  “What…” Her brain was trying to catch up to what was going on.

  “If the lady wants to get away, you let her,” Cody said as he stepped forward.

  “What’s the matter with you?” Trent asked as he pushed away from the counter.

  Cody glanced from Tiffany to Trent. “She looked as if she wanted you to let her go. If a woman wants you to stop touching her, you stop touching her.”

  Trent smiled, a slow and sadistic grin. “I think we were just fine, right, Tiffany?”

  Tiffany stood next to Cody as she faced Trent. “I think you should go. We’re…done. Leave me alone.”

  Trent raised his eyebrows, and as he moved to approach her, Cody’s hand shot out and squeezed Trent’s shoulder. “She said you should go.”

  Trent glanced between them and then growled. “You’re making a mistake,” he said as he stomped off.

  Tiffany’s hands shook as she wrapped her arms around her chest and sat back on the stool. Cody joined her, sitting on Trent’s now vacant one.

  He glanced over at her and smiled. Not sure what to do, Tiffany let out a sigh. “Thanks for that,” she said.

  Cody shrugged. “I’ve been around my share of drunk men. I can spot a lady in distress a mile away.”

  Tiffany glanced over at him and nodded. “That’s an awesome superpower.”

  Cody put his fists on his hips and straightened. “Captain Lady Saver, at your service.”

  “Lady Saver?”

  Cody glanced down at her and then chuckled. “Yeah, kind of lame. It’s the best I could come up with on such short notice.”

  Tiffany twisted her bottle around on the counter. She liked Cody. Maybe she shouldn’t have written him off so fast. He did just come to her rescue. Maybe he was the perfect antidote to her feelings for Jonathan.

  So, putting on her best flirty smile, she turned to face him. “Are you following me, or do you just frequent all the bars in search of damsels in distress.”

  Cody’s bright blue eyes danced as he studied her. “You’d think since I’m around this stuff all the time, I’d be sick of it.”

  Tiffany nodded. “Yeah. Like for me, I answer phones at work. When I get home, the last thing I want to do is talk on one for fun.”

  Cody tapped the counter with his fingers. “Yeah. I’m not a huge drinker, so it doesn’t bother me much.” He waved down the bartender and ordered a Coke. “Besides, there are not a whole lot of places to meet eligible women,” he said as he took the glass that the bartender had set down. He glanced at her over the rim as he took a sip.

  “Eligible? Who said I was eligible?”
>
  Cody glanced around. “I’m just guessing from the lack of guys around you and the fact that Trent was creeping. But if you’re not…”

  Tiffany’s gaze found its way over to Jonathan, who was talking to a tall, very busty blonde. He was staring at her while she talked and flipped her hair over her shoulder. Sadness crept up inside of her as she dropped her gaze.

  Get over it, Tiffany. He’s moved on.

  When she glanced back at Cody, she gave him a smile. “Well, you are correct. I am recently single.”

  Cody raised his fist and pumped the air. “Looks like it’s my lucky night.”

  A song started up, and the crowds began to form on the dance floor. Cody stood and held out his hand. “Can I have this dance?”

  Tiffany hesitated, sneaking another peek over at Jonathan. Her gaze met his, and for a moment, he held it. She wanted to interpret his expression as one of sadness, but she couldn’t allow herself to hope. Instead, she pointed to Cody’s back and shot Jonathan a thumbs-up.

  He furrowed his brow as he pinched his lips and nodded. Even though she couldn’t hear him, Tiffany could tell that he was inviting the blonde bombshell to dance. The woman squealed and grabbed his hand, dragging him to the dance floor.

  Forcing her feelings to the darkest parts of her mind, Tiffany forced a smile and turned back to Cody, who had just extended his hand.

  “Shall we?” he asked.

  Tiffany nodded. She needed a distraction more than anything.

  Cody led her out onto the dance floor. After bringing her hand up, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close.

  Even though he was warm and inviting, it didn’t feel quite right. Not like when Jonathan had been fake dating her. Or when he’d wrapped his arms around her and made her feel like everything was right in the world. That, with him, she could conquer anything.

  Tiffany muffled a groan and mentally slapped herself. Was she serious? That’s what she was thinking about while in the arms of another man?

  Get a hold of yourself.

  Cody began to lead her around the dance floor to some upbeat pop song. She tried to keep step with him, but it was hard with all the bodies around them.