String Beans (The Girls of Beachmont #2) (17 page)

When I stopped moving, I faced him and pushed down
the part of me that was fighting to speak and tell him that I felt something
too.

“I don’t know how you’ve missed it, but I think
you two owe it to yourselves to see if there’s something there.”

Wyatt stood up and walked over to me, placing his
hands on my arms. He bent slightly so we were forced to look into each other’s
eyes and remained quiet for a moment.

“I thought we’d finally made some progress,” he
said and I closed my eyes, fighting back the threat of tears.

More than you know.

“Was I wrong? I guess I thought you were letting
me in.”

You snuck in when I wasn’t looking. I don’t want you with her or with
anyone else.

I opened my eyes and smiled sadly. “Wyatt…”

“Don’t say it,” he said, dropping his hands from
me.

“I don’t want you to miss out on someone who could
be good for you.”

“
You
could be good for me. Hell, if you’d just get out of your head long enough to
see it.”

“It wouldn’t be fair for me to lead you on and I
just need to sort myself out.”

“How much time do you need? A week? A month? A
year? How long do you need to before you stop pushing me away?”

“It’s not like that.”

“You can stop. It’s all bullshit anyway. You and I
both know it. You’re so busy hiding behind what went wrong in your life and
making excuses that you’re missing out on what could be
right
.”

“You don’t know me enough to say that I’m right
for you.”

“Well, are we, or are we not, friends?” he asked,
sneering when he said the last word. “Because according to you, we’re at least
that.”

“Of course we are.”

“Then I think it’s safe to say that you’re wrong,
because I do know you. I know that you love music…”

“Only because I told you that.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t tell me that it kills you
not to write anymore. I can see it every time you watch someone perform at the
coffee shop. And I see the way you look at me, and then I see the fear that
follows. You want more, but you’re afraid of it.”

“Do you hear yourself?” I argued as believably as
I could.

“Am I wrong?”

“Yes! You’re so completely wrong, because you
don’t know me. I won’t let you.”

The hurt that flashed in his eyes was
unmistakable, and I’d done that to him. I’d hurt him with my words, but I
couldn’t take them back. They were already out there.

“Wyatt, I love you. I do,” I said, and I meant it.
I loved him and Dallas and Callie as if I’d always known them. “You’re an
amazing—”

“Don’t say it,” he pleaded.

“—friend,” I finished. “I’m so lucky to have
all of you. You have all helped me through a really bad time and I don’t think
I can ever repay you. I just want you to be happy.”

I felt the familiar burn of tears, but I
controlled my breathing and fought against them. I’d started the conversation
and I planned to see it through.

“All right,” he said. He walked toward the door
and stopped near the kitchen, looking back at me. “Just so you know, I wasn’t
in any rush.”

His words stung deep in my chest. I’m not sure
what I expected from Wyatt, but his hurt, anger, disappointment—whatever
that was—was not it. I wanted to shake him, to make him listen to me, but
he was right: I was hiding behind a book of clichés with nothing to say that he
wanted to hear, and I couldn’t take it back.

So I let him go.

Dani called me that night to check on me, and
despite the ache in the pit of my stomach, I was fine. At least that’s what I
tried to tell myself. I knew that Wyatt would be irritated with me for a while,
but I was certain we’d be able to maintain our friendship.

I planned to avoid the coffee shop for a few days,
just to let all the weirdness blow over. But there was another reason…Emma. I
didn’t want to see her and listen to her gush about what might be going on
between them. Before I knew it, a few days turned into a week, and a week
became two.

It was a Thursday morning, and I was running late
for work. Mr. Bateman had to be in court early, and even though he’d told me I
could have the morning off, I figured I’d find some busy work in the office to
keep me occupied.

I was about to leave my apartment when Dallas
walked in and grabbed my hand, taking me to the couch.

“I was just leaving.”

“I need a favor,” he said as soon as we sat down.

“You okay?”

“I met a guy.” He smiled.

Jolie darted out of her room and joined us on the
couch. Her hair was dripping water down her shoulders and she hugged the towel
against her.

“Who is he?” she asked.

“Okay, well, I don’t really know. I was at Mood
Swings the other night with some friends and he was bartending.”

“You have friends other than us?” Jolie gasped
dramatically.

“Ignore her,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Did you at
least talk to him?”

“You do know me, right?”

“I do,” I answered. “So you talked to him, and then
what happened?”

“I told him I’d be back because my friends were
waiting on me. But when I went back, he was gone. The other bartender said that
he got some phone call and had to leave.”

“So what’s the favor?”

“Are you two busy tonight?”

“Not if you need us,” I answered. “What’s up?”

“He wants to go back there and see if he can find
the guy,” Jolie answered for him, smiling and nodding. “And yes, we’ll be
there.”

“Great. I’ll check to see if Callie’s up for it,”
he said as he stood up. “I’ll see you two later.”

As quickly as he appeared, he was gone, leaving me
with Jolie. I started to stand to leave when she grabbed my hand and pulled me
back down.

“You okay?” I asked.

“I’m good. It’s you I’m worried about.”

“I’m fine,” I said. “Running late, but fine.”

“When are you going to face Wyatt?”

“Jo, we’re not going to do this right now. I need
to get to the office, and everything is fine with Wyatt.”

“And when was the last time you saw him?”

Every day.

But I wasn’t about to admit that out loud.

“I’ve just been really busy,” I said, walking to
the counter to grab my keys.

“If you say so.”

“It’s not that big a deal,” I huffed.

“The hell it’s not. You like the guy and you do
the
nice
thing and
give
him away?”

“He wasn’t mine to give away, Jo. We’re friends.
And Emma asked me to talk to him, so I did. The rest was on him.”

Still holding her towel up, she walked over to
where I stood and hugged me. She pressed my head to her shoulder and patted my
head.

“What are you doing?” I asked with a laugh.

She pulled away and made a mocking sad face.
“Clearly this is all harder for you than I thought.”

“You’re such a shit.” I smirked.

“I’m serious,” she answered. “I don’t get you.
With Will, I get it: he fucked up. And okay, maybe you needed time, but Wyatt
is sexy, he’s sweet, he actually likes you…”

“Thanks for that,” I said dryly.

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do. And now I’m really late. I need to
get to work. Can we table this…or, rather, not talk about it at all?”

I started to walk out the door and realized I’d
forgotten to look out the peephole before stepping out into the hallway. She
had no idea the steps I’d taken to avoid the guy I’d only recently realized I
really liked. A lot.

Jolie grabbed the door and called my name before I
shut it, so I turned to face her.

“What?” I asked, feigning annoyance.

“Oh. Nothing,” she looked past me and smiled as
she shut the door. “Hi, Wyatt. Bye, Wyatt.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before
facing him. I plastered a smile on my face and spun around.

“Hey, Earp,” I said a little too cheerily. “Where
have you been?”

“Could ask you the same thing.” He smiled. “You
haven’t been by the shop lately.”

I started to walk down the hall and he followed.

“Yeah, it’s been really crazy at work.”

“I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”

“Oh?” I stopped moving and turned to face him.

“You doing okay?”

“Yeah.” I smiled so wide it hurt my cheeks, and
probably looked incredibly creepy. “You? How’s it going with Emma?”

My stomach churned at the question and I wanted to
take it back. But I’d always had a problem with keeping my mouth shut.

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

I started walking, and again, he followed. “Can we
talk later? I’m running so late. Dallas came by earlier and asked me and Jo to
go out with him tonight, and made me leave later than normal.”

“You’re going with him tonight? Help him snag the
bartender, huh?” He laughed.

“Yeah, I hear that’s the mission.”

And just like that, things were easy and normal
with Wyatt. That was something I really admired about him.

“Then I guess we’ll see you there.”

“Oh yeah?” I asked, swallowing hard. “I’m glad
that it’s working out.”

“It’s…”

“I’m sorry,” I interrupted. “I really have to go.
But I’ll see you tonight.”

I hurried down the stairs until I was out of the
building. I don’t think I’d ever made it to the office so quickly. It’s funny
how motivating avoidance is. It wasn’t until I unlocked the door and set my
things on my desk that I allowed myself to process the past fifteen minutes.

And then I spent the rest of the afternoon
dreading the evening, knowing I’d see Wyatt
with
Emma.

***

“How much do you love me?” Jolie asked when I
walked into our apartment. She was grinning from ear to ear and I could see she
had some news to share.

“Depends… Are you going to trick me into talking
to Wyatt again?” I muttered.

“Better! I’m going to help you forget about him
for the weekend.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re calling in sick tomorrow. I’ve taken the
day off, and we are going on a road trip.”

“Oh yeah? Where to?”

“Vegas, baby!”

“Vegas? Why Vegas? You know I love you, but I’m
not marrying you,” I laughed.

“I think we both need this break. You need to get
away from here and have some fun. It’s been a crazy year for you.”

“And what’s your excuse?”

“I don’t need an excuse. I love Vegas and free
booze.”

“Okay, works for me,” I said, walking down the
hall to my bedroom. I could hear her footsteps behind me, and of course she
followed me into my room. I was changing and she’d made herself comfortable on
my bed.

It was still early and I figured we’d get
something to eat before meeting up with Callie and Dallas to go out.

“How was your chat with Wyatt?” she asked.

“Awkward. Thanks for that, by the way.”

“So?”

“What?” I asked.

“Do you still have feelings for him?”

“Jeez, Jo, you’ve got some nerve, you know.”

“I know.” She smiled proudly. “It’s what you love
about me.”

“Yeah. I think I love you in spite of it.”

“You still didn’t answer my question.”

“And?”

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “You. Wyatt. Do
you still like him?”

“He’s sweet, and funny, and nice…”

“And sexy. Don’t forget sexy.”

“Point is, I didn’t want to admit that I felt
anything. And when I did, I was already pawning him off on someone else. So to
answer your question—yes. But timing is a bitch and I have to move on.”

“Yeah. Timing. That’s the bitch here.”

“Are you implying that
I’m
the bitch?” I scoffed before flashing a smile.

“Yes. But you already know that. My point is, you
brought this on yourself.”

“I know…you’re right,” I admitted regretfully.

“Don’t be mad at me, but I have to say something
else.”

“When has the potential for my being angry with
you stopped you from saying whatever the hell you want?” I huffed.

“Good point.” She sat up and crossed her arms. “I
think we’ve covered that I think you were wrong in letting Wyatt go, right?”

“Yep.”

“Okay, well as nice as Emma is, she’s not right
for him.”

I was taking off my blouse to hang it up when I
paused. The damn thing felt like it was tangled around my neck and I couldn’t
figure a way out. I struggled clumsily for a second before getting loose and
pulling on a T-shirt.

“Yeah. I’ve seen them together,” she answered my
unasked question. “It was just once, but it wasn’t natural. I think he’s only
with her because you suggested it. Which makes no sense to me.”

“You saw them,” I repeated. I turned around and
finished changing my clothes, trying to not let the disappointment of her
admission cut me. I put on a pair of jeans and sat next to her on the bed.

“Yeah. I think those two are better off as friends
or coworkers or whatever. But a couple, they are not.”

“Maybe not, but that’s for them to figure out.
Hell, I’m still waiting for my divorce to be finalized.”

Jolie looked at me with wide eyes and open mouth
and I cringed at my words. My parents were still the only ones who knew that
I’d moved forward with filing. I didn’t intend to keep silent about it so long,
especially from Jolie, but there it was.

“You filed for a divorce?” she asked. “And you
didn’t tell me?”

“It wasn’t a secret, really, but I wasn’t running
around shouting it from the rooftops.”

She looked away, the shock still registering on
her face, and l felt like the worst person ever.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

“Are you kidding me?” she asked with a beaming
smile. “This is the best news I’ve heard all day! Do you know what this means?”

“That I’m getting divorced,” I reminded her.

“No. It means that you’re moving on.” She wrapped
her arms around me and squeezed tightly. “I’m so proud of you, Vi. I’ve been
worried about you and your inability to let go, when that’s what you’ve been
doing all along.”

I returned the hug and found myself surprised when
she pulled away and swatted at my arm.

“Ouch,” I groaned and rubbed the spot she’d hit.

“
Ouch
, my
ass.” She pointed her finger at me and glared. “You deserve harder than that.”

“Look, don’t go telling everyone. I’m not trying
to make a big deal about this.”

“Vegas is getting better and better by the
second.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, I didn’t tell you the best part.”

“And that would be?”

“Tabor got us a corner suite at the Aria and Dani
is meeting us there!”

“Are you kidding me? Wait…this isn’t a
bachelorette party is it?” I asked.

“No. At least not that I know of,” she answered.

“What about Millie?”

“Dani said she hasn’t been feeling well, but
she’ll try to meet us for a girls’ weekend another time.”

“Okay, I need to let Mr. Bateman know that I won’t
be in tomorrow.” I got up and looked for my phone to call him.

Since I’d gotten so much done while he was in
court, he was more than happy to give me the day off. Jolie was right: I needed
to get away for a few days, and the timing was perfect.

“I’m all set,” I said and placed my phone down.

“Well, not just yet. We still need to pack…and we
promised Dallas that we’d be his
wingchicks
tonight.”

“Yeah…I’m not sure I can do that,” I said. “Wyatt
said
they’d
see me there tonight.”

“So?”

“Helping Emma land the guy I’m into was stupid—granted—but
having to hang out with them all night and see it thrown in my face is humiliating.”