Chapter 4
LILY
“That’s the fifth time you’ve checked your phone, Lils. Is there something you haven’t told me?”
Lily’s head snapped up, and she shot Jasmine a glare before glancing around to make sure none of their sisters had heard.
They had a decent-sized family, and the last thing she wanted was for any of their four other siblings to know she might be interested in someone.
There had been far too much drama surrounding relationships lately.
Jasmine and Lily were all too aware, since being in the know was their favorite pastime.
“Shh!” Lily hissed.
Jasmine’s eyes widened comically. “There is, isn’t there!”
Lily shook her head. “Maybe. Maybe not. We exchanged numbers, but he hasn’t messaged me.”
“When? At the country club?”
Lily nodded.
“Girl, it’s only been a couple days. Guys know better than to immediately accost you with messages or calls. They don’t want to appear desperate.” Jasmine scooted closer, her boots scuffling across the hay-covered floor of the barn. “You gonna tell me who it is?”
Lily chewed on her lip, then shook her head.
Jasmine gasped. “What? Why not? I’m the one who made you go to the club that night. I deserve to know.”
With a laugh, Lily shoved her phone into her pocket. “I’ll tell you the second something actually happens. I’m not going to get my hopes up if there’s nothing there yet.”
Her twin squinted at her. “That hardly seems fair. Swear to me I’ll be the first to know.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “Fine. I promise.”
Though she wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep that promise.
Jasmine was so completely different when it came to romance. She didn’t believe in the happy stuff, and Lily could already hear her picking apart any hope Lily had for something new to spark to life.
Reese, on the other hand, would likely be willing to cheer her on.
It was strange, the way that dynamic had turned out. They hadn’t been broken up all that long in the grand scheme of things, and yet she felt like she could tell him anything. Would he be disheartened to find out she’d found an interest in someone so soon?
They were planning to meet at the café where Jason worked. It was Reese’s way of making up for not being at the rodeo last week, and Lily was really looking forward to it. It felt like forever since they’d seen each other in person.
Their calls and text messages had started getting shorter lately. Less personal. She couldn’t explain it, but Reese seemed to be withdrawing from her in a way, and it made her sad.
“Earth to Lily. Come in.”
She blinked, and her eyes locked with Jasmine’s. “What?”
“Are you going to get your butt moving? Or am I going to be the one feeding the animals on my own this time?”
“It’s not like you haven’t left me hanging before,” Lily pointed out. “I’ve lost track of how many times I had to feed the pigs on my own. And the stuff they eat?” She pinched her nose and made a face.
Jasmine laughed. “True.” Then she sighed. “Okay, okay. I know you have something with your boyfriend who isn’t your boyfriend anymore. What was his name again?”
“Reese.”
“Yeah. Him.” She narrowed her eyes at Lily. “He’s not the one you’re hiding from me, is he?”
Lily snorted. “Not in a million years. At least not anymore. I don’t think either one of us sees a future with the other now.”
“Too bad the good ones are always so unavailable.”
“Yeah, too bad.”
Tempted to pull out her phone and check it even though she hadn’t gotten any notifications, Lily balled her hands into fists at her sides. “I’m going to head out. I’ll see you later?”
“Yeah, yeah. Just remember. You swore.”
Lily rolled her eyes and headed for her truck.
She plopped down into a chair at a table for two in the café. It was starting to get busy, and Reese would be arriving any minute.
It felt strange meeting him for lunch when they weren’t technically together. Their friendship had been pushed mostly to calls and messages, and sitting across from each other again felt a little like stepping into a room where someone had moved all the furniture.
Almost against her own will, Lily pulled out her phone to check her messages one more time. At least that was what she told herself.
Jasmine was right. Christopher didn’t seem like the kind of guy who wanted to appear desperate. He was the kind of guy who probably wanted to keep her on her toes.
She wasn’t even mad about that. Heck, she understood it. And being the hopeless romantic she was, she didn’t want to be the first one to reach out.
Maybe that was old-fashioned. Maybe it was silly. But Lily had always liked the idea of a man showing her he was interested without her having to chase him down first.
It didn’t hurt to make a guy prove they were interested, right?
The chair across from her screeched against the tiled floor, and a smiling Reese settled into it. “You’re a sight for sore eyes.”
She grinned right back. “And you look better than ever.”
Her gaze swept over him, from his honey-blond hair that brightened during the summer months to his warm hazel eyes.
He pulled his cowboy hat from his head and placed it on the table before running his hand through his mussed locks. “I wouldn’t say that.”
The way he said it, and the way his brief gaze scanned her face, tugged at her heart but not in the way it used to. It was disappointing that they couldn’t make things work. But their mutual understanding helped them through the hardship of it all.
“I’ve missed you, Lils.”
“You talk to me nearly every day.”
“Doesn’t change the fact that I still miss you.” His smile softened. “Miss us.”
She sighed. “Yeah, I understand what you mean. But we both agreed—”
“I know. It’s for the best. I can’t give you what you need, and I wouldn’t want to put you in the position to have to deal with my kind of schedule.”
The awkwardness of the conversation hung heavy in the air. She didn’t want to rehash what they could have been if circumstances had been different.
Lily blew out a heavy breath through pursed lips. “Anyway… you should try the sourdough grilled cheese. They make the bread fresh here every day.”
“Do they now?” Reese mused, one eyebrow lifting as he reached for the menu.
“They do. And I’d know because my cousin runs this place.”
Her friend glanced at her in surprise. “A lot has changed since I was here last.”
She nodded. “You’ve been gone a lot, and I don’t count the weekends you stop in to check on your property.” Lily leaned forward. “Did you hear they’re going to build us a church?”
Reese smiled. “’Bout time.”
“Right?”
Her phone lit up, and her hand moved toward it before she caught herself.
Reese leveled her with a look full of curiosity, amusement, and maybe a little disappointment. “Expecting to hear from someone?”
Lily blushed. She hadn’t been ready to tell Jasmine about Christopher. Telling her ex about a guy she’d just met seemed unreasonably cruel, so she probably wouldn’t tell Reese either.
He deserved honesty if they were going to stay friends. But she didn’t want to wave something fragile in front of him before she even knew what it was.
She chewed on her lower lip.
“That would be a yes.” Reese put the menu down. “So, tell me about him. How long has it been going on? Is he husband material?” He wagged his eyebrows teasingly. “He better not be stronger than me.”
She let out a laugh. “I don’t think anyone is as strong as you.”
Her eyes drifted toward his arms. He might be traveling a lot to sell farming equipment, but he was clearly keeping up on his workouts—probably so when he finally returned, he wouldn’t be out of shape. It wasn’t a secret he planned on diving back into farming the second he was ready.
Reese threw back his head with a laugh. “I knew you only liked me for my muscles.”
Her blush deepened. “Not true. But you have to admit it’s a nice little perk.”
This was what she liked so much about Reese. His ability to make her smile. He could put her in her place with the best of them, but he was generally just a good guy.
“So, are you going to tell me who this guy is? Or does it have to stay a secret…” He gave her a knowing look.
Her father wasn’t the easiest to get along with when it came to the men in his daughters’ lives. He was picky, and lately, everything in their family seemed to turn into a bigger situation than it needed to be.
“Yeah.” She released a sigh. “I’m keeping this one under wraps until I know how things will pan out. There’s been some chaotic stuff going on with my family, and I don’t want to make a thing of it before there’s actually a thing.”
Reese’s brows furrowed. “What’s the matter?”
“Oh, the usual stuff I’ve told you about. Nothing new. Just… drama.”
He nodded. “I’m sorry, Lils.”
“It’s fine.” She waved a dismissive hand. “Anyway, I guess this means you’re off the hook.”
“Hmm?” He was looking at his menu again, only glancing at her when she didn’t speak right away. “Why am I off the hook?”
“Well, now that I’ve found someone new, you can’t set me up with one of your friends.”
Understanding dawned on his face, and he smirked. “Lils, I’ll let you in on a little secret.” He leaned forward, his voice lowering. “I was never going to set you up with one of my friends. It’s against my personal code.”
Her eyes widened, and she laughed. “What? But you said.”
He shook his head. “First of all, it’s too messy. I don’t want any of my friends to know what I had and that I let it slip through my fingers.”
He reached over and tucked her hair behind her ear affectionately, the gesture familiar enough to ache but not enough to stir what it used to.
“Secondly,” he said, quieter now, “I had still hoped that…”
His sentence trailed off, but he didn’t have to finish it.
Before she’d met Christopher, she might have entertained the same kind of future. But there was a blatant difference between the way her heart reacted to Reese and the way she’d reacted to Christopher.
It was like night and day.
Electric. Heart-stopping. Thrilling.
Well, great.
What did it say about her that she’d moved on so quickly?
She’d had something good with Reese. It just… hadn’t been enough.
She offered him a small smile. “I know. And we both know that we probably make better friends than… more.”
He nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.”
Reese nodded toward her phone. “I hope he deserves you.”
Lily lifted a shoulder. “I guess we’ll see.”
They enjoyed their lunch, and she did her best to steer clear of checking her phone for the rest of the day.
She nearly gave in to sending Christopher a message just before bed when her phone buzzed. She fumbled with it, nearly dropping it on the floor before she managed to open the notification.
Then she squealed.
Christopher: Hey, angel.
Christopher: You don’t know how hard it was to wait this long.
Christopher: Can I call you? I need to hear your voice.
Lily bit down on her lower lip and sent him a text back. A few seconds later, her phone rang.
She lifted it to her ear and fell back onto her bed. “Hey, cowboy.”
“Hello, beautiful.”