Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
L oretta.
The name spun in a loop in Dallas’s brain before an image of his ex filled his mind’s eye.
Oh good grief. Why were they talking about Loretta?
“Uh…,” he started.
But Willow was shaking her head, looking even guiltier now than she had when he’d caught up with her in the woods. Which was saying something. His little sister’s demeanor had screamed culpability when he’d first found her.
He’d seen that flash of “busted” flicker across her face before she’d managed to hide it. He nearly called her out but didn’t want to get her all upset like he had last time. He was trying to play it cool, win the truth out of her in that affable way Brandon would be able to do.
It wasn’t his style, but it was worth a shot, right?
He knew not to bring up boyfriends or her dating life.
But he hadn’t expected to be talking about his failing romance.
Willow pulled back to peer up at him. “That’s what you were thinking about, right?”
He stared at her. What he’d been thinking about…?
Not exactly.
He swallowed hard and nodded. Yup. Sure. His longtime girlfriend was who he’d been thinking of while talking about honeymoons and cozy staycations.
It definitely hadn’t been Ronnie freakin’ Colbert.
With an apologetic wince, Willow walked away. Dallas stayed where he was and gave his head a little shake.
Had he actually been imagining a romantic escape with Ronnie?
Sure, she was hot. She’d always been pretty, and there was no denying that she’d only grown more exquisite in the years since they’d seen each other. But she was also Ronnie Colbert—Bailey’s friend and partner in crime.
He’d dumped frogs on her lap once upon a time. And she’d retaliated by sticking a snake in his fort.
A smile tugged at his lips as he followed Willow to the old cabin. Unlike Bailey, who just got mad, Ronnie had been so fun to mess with. She’d get that wild spark in her eyes, and he’d just know she’d come back at him giving as good as she got.
Except for the other day. He scrubbed the back of his neck as regret ate at him again. He’d only meant to joke around like old times, but it’d been clear from the start that she wasn’t her old self.
Sure, she’d gotten angry, but…it wasn’t the same.
He’d meant to tease out a spark, not poke a wounded animal. And that was what it had felt like. Maybe he should apologize.
But also…
Irritation swiftly replaced guilt as he recalled the way they’d parted.
Yeah, maybe not.
“How are things between you two anyway?” Willow called over her shoulder.
He blinked at her back.
His sister turned, studying him for a moment as if working out how safe this topic really was. “Have you seen Loretta lately? Or are we doing anything but talking about her?”
Heat surged up his neck, and he scratched his beard. Crap. She was still thinking his stewing silence was about Loretta.
“Uh…” He scrambled for something to say that wouldn’t have Willow hugging him again.
Not that he minded her hugs—she’d always been the most effusive of the siblings, and it was sweet. But he didn’t need her sympathy.
“She’s doing well.” He followed Willow into the ramshackle old shed. “She’s got a new boyfriend. Remember Darius Hayes from church?”
He nearly bumped into Willow when she stopped short inside the cold, damp cabin to stare at him. “She’s already with someone else?”
Dallas flinched. He loved his sister, but he did not love the horror on his behalf. He also didn’t love that she seemed to instantly have the same suspicions that he’d had when he’d found out.
“They’re coworkers, right? When did they…?”
He cleared his throat, avoiding her eyes. “Yeah, they got together pretty much right after Loretta broke up with me.”
There. He’d said it.
When he turned back, Willow was still gaping at him. He raised a pointed brow in her direction and she caught herself, clamping her mouth shut. “I’m so sorry, Dallas.”
“Don’t be.” He shrugged. “I’m fine. It’s for the best.”
It was the truth. But he could see she didn’t totally believe him.
Willow frowned, and Dallas turned his attention to the old bedframe and the empty crates that littered the floor. “We’ve got our work cut out for us.”
“But everyone thought you two would get married,” Willow murmured.
Annnd they were still talking about this.
He turned to give her a wry smile. “Everyone but Loretta.”
Willow looked like she might cry, her big eyes so round and glassy.
Ah shoot. He forced a bigger smile. “Look, it’s okay, Willow. I swear. I’m fine.”
“But you thought you were going to marry her!” Willow was way more upset about this than he’d been, and if there’d been any remaining doubts, they disappeared with that fact alone.
If it’d been true love—real love, the sort of lasting love his parents and grandparents had—wouldn’t he have been as devastated as Willow seemed to be on his behalf?
I bought a ring. He almost blurted it out. He wasn’t sure anyone knew how close he’d come to proposing, and that was probably for the best.
If Willow and his parents pitied him now, he could only imagine how they’d react if they knew he’d had to return an actual engagement ring.
“Willow, it’s fine,” he said, hoping that would end the conversation.
It did not.
He turned his attention to dismantling the rusty old frame, drowning out Willow’s worried rambling.
She was fretting about him, and that was lovely and all, but it was hard to get across why she didn’t need to be.
Finally, he turned to cut her off. “Willow. It’s okay.”
She fell silent, but her pitying stare was worse.
He sat back on his haunches and brushed grime off his shirt. If he’d known he was going to be doing manual labor, he would have dressed for the occasion.
A silence fell as he gathered his thoughts. “I don’t know how to say this without sounding like a jerk…”
Willow’s lips twitched. “When has that ever stopped you?”
He let out a huff of amusement. “Okay then.” He stood and crossed his arms. “I think Loretta and I…” He couldn’t hold Willow’s stare. “We kinda…fell into our relationship.” He winced. Man, this sounded worse when he said it aloud.
“What do you mean?”
He tipped his head from side to side. “You know how close our parents are, and everyone wanted us to get together…” Dallas closed his eyes, and for a moment he was back in time.
Fresh home from college—bright-eyed and ready to take on the world.
“I don’t think either of us had bad intentions.
We genuinely liked each other. It was…” He looked up at the cobweb-covered ceiling as he searched for the right word. “It was easy .”
His heart gave a sharp squeeze with that last word. Maybe if he was, as Brandon put it, “in touch with his emotions,” he’d be able to decipher it. But as it was, if forced to name it, he’d say it was something like regret.
Not that the relationship ended, but that he’d let it get as far as it had. That he hadn’t stopped to wonder if it was really what he wanted. What she wanted. If maybe they both deserved more.
“Easy doesn’t sound so bad,” Willow murmured. But then she pursed her lips. “But it doesn’t suit you.”
He choked on a laugh, and Willow smiled in turn. “No, it doesn’t, does it?”
She looked thoughtful. “You’ve always been someone who needs a challenge to thrive. You should be with someone who can stand up to you. Someone who makes you…feel passionate. Because you’re a passionate guy.”
An image of Ronnie flashed through his mind again, but he brushed it away as quickly as it arrived.
Willow still looked thoughtful, and he suspected she wasn’t thinking about him anymore.
He arched a brow. “And what about you? What do you need?”
She blinked, her eyes focusing and then going wide like she just remembered where she was and what they were talking about. Her cheeks flushed, but she shook her head. “No idea. Guess that’s why I’m single.”
He smiled. There was more there, but he couldn’t exactly pry now—not when he was trying to get her to stop talking about his love life.
She planted her hands on her hips with a nod, like she was coming to some big conclusion. “Yup. You’re right. It’s for the best that you two split.”
His lips twitched. “I’m so glad you approve.”
He looked around the room pointedly. “Now. Should we get to work?”