Chapter 7
CHAPTER 7
Valentina
“Maybe it’s not what you think.” Charlotte was sitting on my bed, glass of red wine in hand, watching me pack my things with those worried eyes of hers.
I threw my still-damp bathing suit into the suitcase, stuffing the memories of our day at the swimming hole into a deep, dark corner in my mind.
“You didn’t see that little boy, Char. He was the spitting image of Duke. There’s no way he’s not his kid.”
And there’s no way in hell I’m sticking around long enough to find out.
It was stupid getting involved with Duke in the first place. His whole life was here—an entire history I didn’t understand. And my life was in LA. It was as simple as that. He didn’t owe me explanations about his exes, or the fact that he had a kid I knew nothing about.
“I just think that it might be worth talking to him about it. Maybe running back to California all angry and broken isn’t the best way of going about things.”
Puta madre. I always hated it when she was right.
But that didn’t mean I had to listen to her.
“I didn’t fall for him. We fucked one time. And besides, what am I going to do, pick up my life and move to the middle of nowhere for a good lay?”
Charlotte winced, and I immediately felt like shit. I guess that’s kinda what she did. Only Luke and her are the real deal—totally in love and all that shit. Things never had the chance to get that far between Duke and me. Tossing the pair of jeans I’d been folding onto the growing pile in my suitcase, I joined her on the bed, placing my hand on hers.
“Look, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that. You and Luke are great. I’m just…I’m so embarrassed. I can’t believe I let myself get involved with Duke, even after you warned me about him. And oh my God, Char, I don’t know how you deal with the freaking gossip in this town. I swear they even turned off the music to eavesdrop on us the second his ex walked up to the bar.”
She laughed, shrugging and downing the last of her wine.
“You get used to it. Molly didn’t say anything about the music stopping, but she did mention that the whole town thinks the kid is Duke’s too.”
“You mean he didn’t even know about the kid?”
Charlotte shook her head. “Amber never said a word.”
Wow. That’s a hell of a lot to deal with.
“ Qué pinche culero ,” I muttered. I laid back on the bed with a huff, a tension headache already forming at the base of my skull. All I wanted was to be back in my apartment, soaking in the clawfoot tub I saved up for six months to splurge on, a thousand miles away from my problems.
Charlotte flopped down on the bed next to me, our heads sinking into the fluffy blue comforter.
“Are you sure you have to go back? I feel like you just got here.”
A familiar sting welled in the corners of my eyes. I’d been so wrapped up with Duke these past few days, I’d barely spent any time with my best friend. And now I was leaving because of him too? I hated the way he affected me so much, hated how his stupid, arrogant, beautiful face made everything feel so messy and complicated.
But I knew that if I stayed, it would only make things worse. Clearly, he wasn’t in a position to be seeing anyone new. Not if he had a kid he was just finding out about. There was only one thing left to do.
No matter how much it broke me to do it.
“You and Luke can always come to LA,” I said, rolling over onto my side.
Charlotte mirrored my position, propping her head up on her wrist.
“We were already talking about flying out to see you in the fall.”
That did me in. Tears fell freely down my cheeks, half out of love for my best friend and half out of heartbreak over Duke. I didn’t want to admit it, but I had fallen for him, whether I wanted to or not.
And that was why I knew I couldn’t stay. I had a great job at a successful law firm in California. My family was there. I had a lease on an apartment. In the real world, you didn’t just ride off into the sunset for some hot country guy. No matter how nice his biceps were.
But Charlotte was still frowning at me.
“I just think Duke is better off working it out with his ex. It looks like they have a lot to catch up on, and I don’t want to make him choose between a woman he hardly knows and the family he didn’t know he had.”
Charlotte nodded, tears welling up in her eyes as well. She pulled me in for a hug, rubbing my back like she always did when some pendejo broke my heart. She’d always been there for me, no matter what, and in that moment more than ever, I was grateful for my friend.
Her phone chimed, and when she checked it, a nervous smile spread across her face.
“So, don’t be mad, but Molly’s here. She’s the one driving you to the airport.”
Okay, scratch what I said about being grateful for her. I knew Molly was Duke’s younger sister, even if I hadn’t formally met her yet.
I sat up, a mixture of confusion and frustration brewing between my brows.
“Why Molly? I haven’t even met her yet.”
“I know, I know! But look, she was planning to drive into the city today, and once you booked your flight for this evening, it didn’t make sense to drive you out myself if she was already going.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Besides, she wanted to finally meet the woman with a mouth that could shut her big-mouthed brother up.”
I snorted, warmth spreading over my cheeks. Is that really what people have been saying about me?
“Ugh, fine, I’ll ride with the little sister. Is there anything I need to know before I meet her? Not that your warnings have done much good in the past.”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Molly’s an absolute sweetheart. She can just be a little…protective of her brothers sometimes. But it comes from a good place. She has a good heart.”
“Oh, great, so I’m about to spend the next hour in the car with someone who hates my guts.”
“Not necessarily. She just wants to meet you for herself.”
Twenty minutes, three more rounds of hugs, and a fresh batch of tears later, I was sitting shotgun in Molly’s pickup truck, desperately trying to think of something to talk about. The sky seemed to know how I was feeling, its normal perfect shade of blue quickly turning dark gray with huge, heavy-looking clouds moving right toward us. Fantastic.
“Looks like you guys have some crazy weather headed your way,” I said. Am I really resorting to talking about the weather? Fuck me.
“I bet you’re pretty happy to be on your way back to LA right about now,” Molly replied. Her voice was light and friendly, but I could smell a gossip from a mile away. She was testing me, trying to suss out how I felt about her brother. Game on . Bring it, baby.
“It’ll be nice to stop living out of a suitcase, but I enjoyed Shady Grove more than I expected to.”
“Oh?” Molly’s ears practically perked up, ready for me to spill something about Duke.
“Sure. The bar’s dirt cheap, the food is swimming in butter, and my best friend lives here. Plus, your brother showed me that swimming hole, and I can guarantee there’s nothing like that place in LA.”
She stiffened, her eyes growing wide.
“Duke took you to our spot? The place through the woods off the backroads?”
I nodded, studying her face as she processed the news. She didn’t look upset. It was more like she was surprised. Shocked, even.
“None of us have been back there since…” She trailed off, clearly lost in thought.
I was about to ask her what was wrong when a huge bolt of lightning struck way too close to us, immediately followed by the loudest crack of thunder I’d ever heard. Molly and I both yelped, the pickup swerving slightly before she corrected course. Heavy rain poured down on us out of nowhere, the wind aiming the drops directly at the windshield. Even on full blast, the wipers didn’t stand a chance, water totally obscured our line of sight. I definitely wasn’t in California anymore.
“We have to pull over,” Molly said, her voice straining over the downpour.
I groaned.
“But my flight leaves in an hour.”
“Trust me, that plane’s not going anywhere.”
Shit. She was probably right.
As if on cue, my phone chimed with the notification that all flights out of the local airport were cancelled. Leaning back into the headrest, I took a deep breath to try to calm down. Can’t just one thing go right on this pinche trip?!
We rolled to a stop on the side of the road, the only car on the highway for miles. While Molly frantically typed on her phone, I pressed my forehead to the cool glass of the window, watching lightning flash around us, the thunder shaking the whole car.
I guess Mother Nature doesn’t want me to leave either .