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“Well, I told you that it was for selfish reasons. I was worried that you hadn’t signed the contract because of me. Obviously, I wanted you to come back. You earned that job, and sure, maybe a part of me was still holding out hope,” he said, holding his hands up to stop me from interrupting. “That’s on me. You made your feelings clear long before you left town. But that didn’t stop me from hoping something would change when we spent some time apart. And now I know that it did.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, as a slight breeze moved around us.
“That friend of yours, the one who came barreling into the kitchen tonight and made a scene,” he said, as he sighed.
“He’s hardly my friend at the moment.”
“Ruby, you don’t have to lie to me to protect my feelings. It actually makes sense why you don’t want to leave.”
“It has nothing to do with him.”
At least it doesn’t at the moment.
“Listen, the last thing I want to do is give you advice about another man. But that little scene back there was fueled by a whole lot of feelings. He was jealous and wounded; that much was easy to see.”
“He behaved like a jackass, which shouldn’t surprise me. He’s hotheaded and stubborn and—ridiculous. I can’t even believe that he just did that at my place of work.” I threw my hands in the air.
Dereck smiled, and I saw the empathy in his eyes. “It’s a bar, so it wasn’t that out of place. And sometimes your feelings are so strong that you can’t control them. I wish I could be that passionate when I needed to be.”
“I much prefer a more subdued approach,” I said, with a little chuckle, trying to shake off the heaviness of the evening.
“I don’t think that’s true.” His gaze locked with mine. “There’s something there, and we both know it. Hell, anyone with eyeballs could see that much. Don’t find a reason to run from it just because things got ugly. Find out why he reacted that way. I’ve never seen you look so wounded either, so obviously, there’s something deep here.”
“I can’t be with someone who flies off the handle at me when he has no idea what’s going on. Who does that?”
“Someone who loves a woman more than anything else and thinks he’s losing her,” he said.
“Well, that’s not how you show someone that you love them.”
“There’s no right or wrong way to show someone how you feel. The question is, do you feel the same way? That’s the key.” He looked away, and my chest squeezed. Because he’d actually professed his love to me in a mature, normal, caring way, and I’d rejected him.
“Dereck.” I shook my head and squeezed his hand. “I’m so sorry if I hurt you. I didn’t know that you were feeling that way. You caught me off guard when you told me.”
“Don’t ever apologize for being honest. I knew it was a long shot.” He smirked. “I’m okay, Ruby. I’ve started dating again, and I’ve met someone that I’ve been spending a little time with. She wanted me to come here, too, and get the closure that shethought I needed. I didn’t come here to guilt you or try to change your mind. I came here because I was afraid you were turning down the job because you were uncomfortable about working with me. We’re friends, and I care about you. But now I know there’s a much bigger reason that you didn’t take that job. And it actually makes me very happy. I feared you’d never let yourself have it. You deserve happiness, so don’t run from that.”
I moved forward and wrapped my arms around him. “Thank you. It means a lot that you came here.”
He hugged me tight before we both stepped back. “Are you going to be okay?”
“Of course. You know me. I’m always okay.”
“I’m always here for you if you need a friend.”
“Same. And I want to hear more about this new lady you’ve met. I’m happy for you. You should give her a chance, Dereck.” I jangled my keys and took another step back. “Let’s talk soon.”
“Looking forward to it.”
He waited until I got into my car, and I watched as he did the same, and he pulled out of the lot behind me. I drove a block toward my house and pulled over on the side of the road, put the car in park, and let it all out.
River thought that I’d been with Dereck the whole time. That I was… what? Sleeping with both of them? He thought I’d lied the whole time and basically accused me of being a complete asshole.
He is the asshole.
The tears started falling, and they didn’t stop, and an unrecognizable sob left my throat. My chest ached. My stomach was twisting.
And I’d never felt so alone.
Like I’d just lost my best friend and the man I loved all in one swoop.
