34. Let Her Guard Down
34
LET HER GUARD DOWN
“ I s everything okay with Tori?” Raina asked when he got back to his office.
Hyde barely had time to sit down before Raina was there looking anxious.
“How did you know I was with Tori?” he asked.
“You ran out of here so fast. I was in Drake’s office and saw you jogging out. I might have thought nothing of it, but then Tori just texted that she had to tell me what a fool she’d been. I don’t know what that means, but she said she was going into a meeting now.”
He wasn’t going to think it was bad. Not with the way they’d ended their conversation.
“She’s good now,” he said. “I’ll let her fill you in. But it had to do with her mother.”
“Urgh,” Raina said. “Tori never puts her foot down. I’m not sure how she does it and I don’t lecture because it’s not my life.”
“Oh, she put her foot down,” he said, smiling. “Again, she can fill you in. But things are good. I think they are.”
“I’m glad she called you,” Raina said. “I hope you know how huge that was for her to do that.”
“I do,” he said. “I think it scared her some too, but she’s getting there.”
“Looks like you both are,” Raina said. “It’s nice to see.”
“Thanks,” he said. “I think. You know, I don’t like putting you in the middle.”
Raina walked over and shut the door. “Go ahead and do it. I won’t tell you anything I don’t think you should know. You know that.”
“I know I’m wearing her down,” he said. “I think she finally realizes that how she acts and feels about me isn’t just me bringing bad things out of her.”
“She doesn’t feel that way, Hyde. I’m telling you right now she doesn’t.”
“She told me that.”
“But you doubt it?” Raina asked.
“I might have weeks ago. Or even months ago, but not now. Especially since she reached out to me just now. I don’t think I’ve talked more with another woman than I have with her.”
“Tori is big about no secrets,” Raina said.
He frowned. “Does she think I’m lying to her about something?”
“No,” Raina said. “Not that I know of. I’m just saying that I think whatever happened with her parents and her father, she never got any answers so you always doubt everything. You wonder what secrets are in your life then.”
“I don’t know about that,” he said. “If it was me, I’d just think the guy was a coward and a dick for abandoning his wife and child.”
Raina snorted. “Cody said something along the same thing. But guys think differently. Tori is the strong one between her and her mother. You know that.”
“I think she’s the strong one between us too,” he said.
“No,” Raina said. “That’s where you’re wrong.”
“No way,” he said.
“Hyde. Open your eyes. This is between us. It’s why she is struggling so much. She’s never had anyone she could lean on. Ever. It’s very hard for her to let her guard down and I think when she’s around you she has such mixed emotions on what she should say and do.”
His head went back and forth. “I wouldn’t argue that. But I’m the same way. Well, I don’t struggle as much as she does. At least not now.”
“Which is why you are the stronger one and she isn’t used to that. She needs to put herself first and I think she’s finally doing it. But with that comes the cracks in her walls and she’s trying to figure out…does she mend them or let them go?”
“I think she let some go today,” he said, smiling.
“I can’t wait to hear about it. For what it’s worth, as crazy as your story is with her in the beginning, I’m not sure it’d work as well if it was any other way.”
“Why is that?” he asked.
“Because you wouldn’t have loved the Tori that was always in control of her emotions and wanted the world to see she had her shit together. No one has their life together all the time and no one will.”
“I think you’re right,” he said. “Maybe say those words to her too about me. I’m not so sure even with the Fierces helping things that they would have worked if we didn’t get to see the other side of each other.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Raina said, laughing. “They would have made sure you saw those sides of each other somehow. Not sure how, but they have this crazy way of doing things that have it all working out.”
Raina left after that and he picked up his phone and texted Tori to see how she was feeling.
His phone rang a minute later and he saw it was her. “I feel so much better. Thank you for being there for me.”
“Any time,” he said. “Even if you aren’t in this building, I can drive a mile away. I’ve got an in with the boss.”
She laughed. “I haven’t decided yet. And I might not get it either.”
Tori had finally told Jax that she wanted to officially interview and had on Monday.
“You know you’ve got an excellent shot at it,” he said. “Remember, he approached you for the position.”
“I know,” she said. “And though I’m trying not to doubt myself, I’m concerned people are going to think I got it once they find out that Jax’s sister is married to my best friend’s brother.”
“Don’t think that. You just met Jax. It’s not as if you knew him before regardless of the whole strings attaching relationships around us.”
“Lots of strings,” she said. “Like an idiot, I even told my mother I might be leaving and I probably jinxed myself.”
“Highly unlikely,” he said. He decided to let her know about Raina’s visit but he’d guard what was said. “You scared your best friend.”
“How is that?”
“She saw me go running out of the office with your text.”
Tori laughed. “I figured you did when you didn’t have a jacket on. Why did you do that?”
“Because you needed me. You never act like you need me. Maybe it felt good. I wanted you to know I’d always be there for you.”
“Thank you for that,” she said. “I felt like a fool after you left and then I told myself not to. I think I like knowing I could call you and you’d be there. I hope you know you can do the same.”
“I do,” he said. “I’m glad you felt that way. What are you going to tell Raina, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“She told you about me texting her about being a fool?” she asked.
“Maybe,” he said.
She laughed. “I hope you don’t think it had to do with you?”
“I told myself not to,” he said.
“Because we are beyond assuming things,” she said. “Good. It only has to do with you in that I’ve been a fool to think the way I’ve been for so long. I’m glad I’m not anymore. That I don’t have to do things alone.”
“I’m glad you’re not either. Now get to work. I don’t want to worry about either one of us getting fired.”
She laughed and hung up.
“No one is going to fire you.”
He looked at the doorway and saw Diane Fierce standing there. Good lord, people were everywhere listening in on his business.
“Oh, I don’t know about that. I think Grant would have done it if I acted here the way I did at my last job.”
Diane walked in and made herself comfortable. Not surprising since he was in and out of her house as a kid doing that too.
“Grant and I would have kicked your ass before he fired you, Hyde. We would have gotten you help and recognized what was going on and told you to stop blaming yourself. I hope you’re not still doing that.”
“I have my moments,” he said sincerely. “It’s not that easy to just wipe out things that happen in our lives when they shaped so much of it.”
“No one expects you to wipe them out, Hyde. But you need to recognize it for what it is and that you made whatever changes you needed to. You learned what not to do again.”
“I did that,” he said. “Glad to know everyone else is seeing it.”
“You should only care about one person seeing it,” Diane said, laughing.
“I do,” he said, smirking at her.
“And you’ll be bringing Tori to my house for Christmas Eve?” Diane asked.
“That is the plan. As long as we don’t get badgered too much.”
“Never,” Diane said, standing up.
“You don’t lie so well,” he said, grinning.
“Or I lie really well and I’m giving you a double bluff,” Diane said as she walked out of his office to his frown.
“What has you smiling so bright?” Grant asked his wife.
“I just confused Hyde. I love doing that to him as much as I do my own kids.”
“Do I even want to know what happened?”
“Just me giving some motherly advice. I’ve got to keep my hand in things because we know you guys aren’t holding up your end of the plan,” she said.
Her husband frowned. “What am I supposed to be doing? Hyde and Tori seem to be doing well. What did you hear otherwise?”
She didn’t want to admit she hadn’t heard much. “Just like yanking on your chain.”
“Always,” Grant said. “Is there a reason you’re here today?”
“I wanted to get an idea of how many plates of cookies I needed to order from Payton and for what businesses. I’m meeting with Roni in a little bit but hoped you and Garrett could just go over the list I’ve got so far.”
“Sure,” he said. “Why don’t you leave it with me? Garrett is meeting with some staff right now.”
She pulled it out of her purse. She should have just emailed it, but she was old school and liked to write things down on paper. “I’m going to visit with Raina.”
“You’re not going to get anything out of her,” Grant said. “I’ve tried a lot.”
“You’re not me,” she said, leaving her husband’s office to make her way to Raina’s.
Ryder stopped her first. “Raina is meeting with Drake and Hyde right now. You need to go bug someone else.”
“I just saw Hyde,” she said.
“Yep,” Ryder said. “I know. He told me. I guessed Raina was your next stop. Move along, Mom. Boy, you guys never give up.”
“And we never will,” she said, laughing.