Sweet Little Lies

Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

I take a deep breath, my heart pounding in my chest as I step forward, placing myself between Zach and Tucker. “Zach,” I say, my voice trembling slightly as I swallow hard, my mouth suddenly dry. “What are you doing here?”

Zach shifts his weight from one foot to the other, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He scans the vandalized bakery before his eyes meet mine. “My cousin Jake works for the police department. He said there was a break-in on Main Street at the bakery. I came to see if you needed any help.”

I glance back at Tucker, who stands behind me, his arms crossed over his chest, jaw clenched, and eyes flashing with anger. The heat of his gaze is almost palpable.

“We don’t need your help,” Tucker says, his voice low and dangerous, each word dripping with barely contained rage.

Zach raises an eyebrow, his eyes sweeping over the destruction that surrounds us. “Are you sure?” he asks, his tone laced with concern. “It’s a mess in here.”

“I’ve already taken care of it, but thanks, man,” he says, his words clipped.

I turn back to Zach, my hands clasped tightly in front of me. “Zach, thank you for coming,” I say, keeping my voice steady. “Tucker’s got a team on the way that’s going to clean everything out by morning.”

Zach takes a step closer to me, his eyes searching mine as he lowers his voice. “Do you know who did this?”

“No,” I say quickly, cutting him off before he can press further. I avert my eyes, not wanting to delve into the details of the break-in, especially not with Zach.

Zach nods slowly. “Okay, I get it. But Reese, if you need anything, just call me, all right?” He reaches out as if to touch my arm, but thinks better of it, letting his hand fall back to his side.

“She won’t be calling you, Zach. I don’t know what your game is, but you need to back off,” Tucker growls, taking another step forward, his fists clenched at his sides. “Reese is my fiancée, and I don’t need you sniffing around here like some lovesick puppy.”

I take a deep breath, trying to find the right words to defuse the situation, but my mind is spinning. I open my mouth to defend Zach and explain he’s just a friend, but Tucker is striding toward him with his shoulders squared for fight. Zach’s eyes flash with anger, his own posture stiffening in response

“Listen, Tucker, you need to chill out. We’re just friends, okay? The only time we ever see each other is when we’re working on the gala.”

Tucker’s eyes narrow, his brow furrowing in confusion and suspicion. He turns to me, his face intense and questioning. “What do you mean, working on the gala?”

My stomach rumbles, and I suddenly feel the need to throw up. A wave of nausea washes over me. Oh no. This is not the way I had planned on telling Tucker about Zach and the gala.

I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself as I look Tucker in the eyes. “Zach was the one who got me the job at the gala. We had a couple of meetings to go over the pastries,” I say, my voice trembling slightly.

Tucker’s expression hardens, his jaw clenching as he takes a few steps back. He turns to face me, his eyes flashing with a mixture of hurt and anger. “You were working with him,” he says, pointing accusingly at Zach, his voice rising with each word, “and you didn’t tell me about it?”

I can see Tucker’s cheeks flush, the color rising in his face as his anger builds.

I’m in trouble.

My mind spins, desperately trying to think of a way to get Zach out of the shop before the situation escalates further. I take a few steps toward Zach, giving him a pointed look, silently pleading for him to understand.

“Zach, I’ll have Bernie call you tomorrow and let you know about the gala delivery. But everything is safely locked in the cooler, so we’re all good to go,” I say, my words rushed and clipped. “Thank you for coming, but I think you should go.”

Zach nods, his expression a mix of concern and understanding. He takes a step back, his hands still raised in a gesture of surrender. “I’m glad everything is okay, Reese. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” he says, his voice calm and measured.

He turns to Tucker, giving him a tense nod, then walks out the door.

The moment he’s gone, I feel the weight of Tucker’s gaze on me. The vandalized bakery suddenly feels claustrophobic, the walls closing in around us. I take a deep breath, steeling myself for the inevitable confrontation, knowing that the truth about Zach and the gala can no longer be avoided.

Tucker rounds on me, his eyes blazing. “When were you going to tell me that you’ve been working with Zach on the gala? When were you going to let me know that you’ve been sneaking around behind my back with your ex-boyfriend!?”

It’s as though I’ve been slapped, my cheeks burning with shame and indignation. “I haven’t been sneaking around!” I protest, my voice cracking with tears. “Zach is just a friend, Tucker. He’s been helping me with the gala, that’s all. There’s nothing going on between us.”

But even as the words leave my lips, I know they’re not entirely accurate. Because the truth is, you always leave a piece of yourself with someone you’ve dated. It’s like an invisible thread connecting you to your past. And with Zach, that connection runs deeper. We shared not just emotions, but physical intimacy. It’s a bond that lingers, even after the relationship is over.

I glance at Tucker, seeing the tightness around his eyes. He understands this unspoken reality too.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, the words feeling woefully inadequate. “I should have told you about Zach, about the gala. I never meant to hurt you, Tucker. I swear it.”

“But you did hurt me, Reese. You lied to me, made me feel like an idiot. How am I supposed to trust you after this?”

Tears begin to well up in my eyes, hot and stinging. “I know. I know I messed up. But please, Tucker, you have to believe me. There’s nothing going on between me and Zach. He’s just a friend, someone who’s been helping me with the gala. That’s all.”

“And what about the messages, huh? The vandalism? You think that’s just a coincidence?”

“What do you mean is it just a coincidence?

Tucker raises both eyebrows at me, waiting for the puzzle pieces to come together. He couldn’t mean…

“You think Zach did this?”

“It kind of makes sense, doesn’t it? He obviously doesn’t want us to be together. And so he’s doing everything he can to stop the wedding.”

I shake my head. “No way. If he didn’t want me to marry you, he would just tell me. And he hasn’t told me that. It’s quite the opposite. Zach is my friend and he’s happy for me.”

“You’re being na?ve, Reese.”

I shift my weight, feeling like I’m grasping at straws. “I don’t know who’s doing this, Tucker, but I swear to you it has nothing to do with Zach. He wouldn’t do anything like that.”

He looks at me then, his eyes dark. “I want to believe you, Reese. God knows I do. But right now, I don’t know what to think. I don’t know who to trust.”

I nod, feeling the gravitas of his words like a physical blow. “I understand. And I know I have a lot to make up for. But please, Tucker, don’t give up on me. Don’t give up on us.” I take a step closer to him, placing my hand on his arm. “I love you, and I’ll do whatever it takes to earn back your trust.”

He sighs. “I love you too, Reese. But right now, I think I just need some space.”

I swallow hard, feeling like my heart is breaking in two.

“Okay,” I whisper, my voice barely audible over the pounding of my own heart. “I understand.”

“My guys will be here in a few minutes. Take my car and go home. We’ll talk in the morning.”

I open my mouth to protest, but before I can utter a sound, Tucker slaps the keys into my hand, the metal biting into my skin. The magnitude of everything unspoken between us hangs in the air. Even if we did start hashing it out right now, I have no idea what I would say. So, with my head bowed, I stumble out the broken front door.