Chapter 27
CHAPTER 27
ROSE
D allas hasn’t spoken a word since we left the venue. And now I’m not only worried about what my mom has up her sleeve, but I’m also worried about Dallas ending things. Dropping me off and pretending like he was faking all along.
His feelings are real, and he hasn’t even tried to keep them a secret.
Bracing for the conversation to come, I think back to what Daphne said. As much as I want to be enough of a reason to bring him running, I’m willing to give him a subtle kick in the pants. A reminder of me. Because when he sees it, he’ll think of me and won’t be able to avoid his feelings.
While he stares through the windshield, I slip off one of my dangly earrings and drop it under my seat. No telling how long it will take him to find it, and if I’m wrong, I’ll ask about it, letting him know I dropped it after the wedding.
I hope Daphne is right.
He parks in front of my house and walks me to the door. But he doesn’t follow me inside.
I try to act like the earth hasn’t shifted. “You coming in?”
He stares at his boots. “No. I had fun tonight. Your brother is a great guy. Cara too. Well, she’s not a guy, but she’s great. I’m glad you have them in your corner.”
I cross my arms, hoping that will keep my emotions from spilling out. “They’re awesome.”
“I heard a rumor that you’re getting the store, so that’s good news. I guess this plan of yours worked like a charm.”
“Oh? I hadn’t heard. Dad said we’d talk about it first thing tomorrow.”
Dallas drags the tip of his boot along a mark on the porch. “But I guess this is it. The part where you tell people you broke up with me because I was too hard to get along with.”
“I’m not the one breaking up, Dallas. And I won’t lie about that. When they ask, I’ll say you ended things because you thought I was too young.” And stupid. I choose not to add the last part because I’m trying to play a few cards close to my chest. “And honestly, after everything, I assumed—wrongly—that we’d talk about things after the wedding. I’m not sure who said what to you or what flipped your switch, but there’s a reason. You just don’t want to talk about it. Fine. But I thought you were different.” Tears are threatening, but I won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how upset I am, so I step inside and close the door.
Then I sink to the floor in my gown and sob.
Poor Floofy is so confused, but he doesn’t complain when I wrap my arms around him and cry into his fur.
As far as bravery, this is the best I can do tonight. If Dallas can’t trust me enough to talk about whatever he was told, then we aren’t meant to be.
After a half hour, Floofy climbs out of my lap and runs to the kitchen. He runs back to me again and meows.
“Are you hungry, sweet boy?” I push off the floor.
And I hear boots on the porch. Is Dallas just now leaving?
His truck starts, and I peek out just in time to see him pull away.
I tap out a text to Daphne as I walk to the kitchen.
Me: He ended things at the door tonight.
Daphne: Well, crap. I’ll grab a tub of Blue Bell and head that way. I’ll get 2 tubs. And some marshmallow cream. And chocolate sauce. Anything else?
Me: You don’t need to come over.
Daphne: Phooey. What did you leave in his truck? Please tell me you left something.
Me: An earring.
Daphne: Perfect. See you in a half hour. Does kitty need treats? I don’t want him to be jealous.
Me: I have treats here. Thanks for coming.
After filling Floofy’s food bowl, I send another text. This one is to Tandy. It’s late, and she’s probably asleep, but I might not have the nerve to text her in the morning. I have to do it while I’m feeling brave.
Me: Tandy, would you have time to meet tomorrow? For lunch maybe?
I’m not sure if I should let her know in a text that Dallas and I are over. A response pops up right away.
Tandy: Yes. You tell me when and where.
Me: Thank you.
Tandy: He got scared, didn’t he?
Me: He made it clear that he’s done. Didn’t give a reason.
Tandy: Need anything tonight? Matthew and I have extra rooms if you don’t want to be in an empty house.
Me: I’m good. My friend is bringing ice cream.
Tandy: Eat up. I’ll see you tomorrow.
I’m in my jammies when Daphne arrives, and she is too.
“Did you shop like that?”
“Yeah. I snuck in right before closing. It was embarrassing, but this was an emergency. If I’d taken the time to change, I wouldn’t have made it to the store before they closed. Being without ice cream wasn’t an option.” She runs to the kitchen and sets the bags on the table, then opens her arms. “Come here.”
And now I’m sobbing again.
“You warned me this would happen, but I didn’t listen to you.”
She pulls back and cups my face. “I’m glad you didn’t listen. You know why?”
“Why?”
“Because it took having Dallas in your corner to find the real Rose, the one who’s willing to stand up for herself when needed. The one who sees her own value. I have tried my darnedest for years, and it only took that man six months. Less than that. I’m jealous, but that’s beside the point. He helped you become strong enough to watch him walk away. You’ll be okay. And you’ll still have me as your bestie.”
I pull Daphne in for another hug. “Okay. What flavors did you bring?”
“I know you love Rocky Road, so I grabbed that. And I also got a tub of The Great Divide. And I picked up a bag of Fritos to sprinkle on top for that sweet and salty thing.”
“You are one of a kind, Daphne. I’ve never met anyone who puts chips on their ice cream.”
“Fritos are better than chips. And I like what I like.” She unloads the bags while I get bowls and spoons.
Then snuggled in opposite corners of the sofa, I tell her all about the evening. By the time I’m ready for bed, I’ve polished off half a tub of Rocky Road.
“I need to sleep. I’m supposed to meet Dad early so we can talk about the new store.”
“How much do you want to wager that whatever he says will explain Dallas’s change of heart?”
“If he really cared for me, nothing would keep him away.”
Daphne wipes her eyes. “Let me know how things go, okay? With your dad and with Tandy.”
“I will. And if you want to stay here tonight, I won’t have to worry about you driving home.”
“Since I’m lactose intolerant and just downed a giant bowl of ice cream, driving home would be a horrible idea. I’ll stay.”
I get her a pillow and blanket. “Holler if you need anything.”
“Will do.” She stretches out and pulls the quilt up to her shoulders. “Try to get some sleep.”
Nodding, I turn and go down the hall, and Floofy follows. At least I won’t be alone in bed. I have my little friend to cuddle with.
I take twice as long doing my makeup than I do on a normal morning, but I don’t want to look like I spent the entire night in tears. I did sleep for a couple of hours. Dad’s car is outside the new store when I arrive.
Before getting out of the car, I flip down the mirror and give myself a peptalk. “You are brave. Whatever happens today does not mean the world is ending. You’ll figure it all out. There are other jobs.”
I should be excited about this meeting after what Dallas said about the rumor. But I’m not. My stomach feels like a bubbling caldron. After blowing out a cleansing breath, I paste on my best smile and walk inside.
“Sweetheart, hi. Are you okay?”
So much for all the extra time in front of the mirror. “Yeah. Daphne came over after the wedding, and we stayed up way too late. So tell me the plan for this place. What did you decide?”
Dad shoves his hands in his pockets. “Your mother and I love you very much.”
Any talk that opens with those words is probably going to go in a direction I won’t like. But I play along. “I know you do.”
“After a lot of thinking, I’ve decided it’s necessary to lay out a few boundaries. And I know you’ll be quick to blame your mother, but this was my idea, so please hear me out.”
“I’m listening.” I make sure my plastered smile hasn’t slipped.
“I don’t like Dallas. He’s a bad influence on you. And I know how much you want to run this location, and I want that for you, but you’ll need to break off your engagement to Dallas and stop seeing him before I’ll agree to letting you run this place.”
Worry had my stomach acids bubbling before. Now fury has them at a rolling boil. “So you want me to choose between working for the family business and Dallas?”
I’m done playing games. My parents don’t need to know that my engagement, which was never real to begin with, disintegrated last night.
Dad shifts his stance. “I wasn’t going to put it like that, but yes.”
I grab my keys and twist the store keys off the ring. “I quit. Here are the keys.”
“You’re choosing Dallas over your family?” The angry edge in Dad’s voice is one I haven’t heard before.
Shaking my head, I stop at the door. “No, Dad. I’m choosing me.”
“Dallas is the one putting all this nonsense in your head. If this is how you are going to behave, you can forget about getting help from us. And until you come to your senses, you aren’t invited to family dinners. We love you, but this is ridiculous.”
“Bye, Dad.” I push through the door, dart to my car, and back out before he has a chance to run after me. Not that he’ll even try to catch me.
Thankfully, Sweets is nearby. I could use a donut or five. And a giant cup of coffee. At least now I know why Dallas ended things. That rat.
The rumor he heard included the part about breaking up in order to get the store. How could he think the store was more important to me than he is?
But jobless, my broken heart is way down on my priority list.
I park in front and see the schedule. Sweets is closed on Mondays. Of course it is. And the barbecue place doesn’t open until eleven. What am I going to do with myself until then?
Ice cream is the answer.
I drive back to the house and serve myself a giant bowl. And I add a few Fritos to the top. This is the day to try new things.
I’m five bites into my snack when a text pops up.
Tandy: What if I bring food to your place, and we can talk there?
Me: Great idea. I’m here. Come whenever.
Tandy: I’ll be there in 15 min.
It’s not anywhere near lunchtime. I must give off desperate vibes even through text.
Fourteen minutes later, she’s knocking on the door.
Tandy sashays into the house. “I brought burgers.”
“What place sells burgers this early in the day?”
She grins. “Any place will if you tip them enough.” She peers into the bag. “Mustard or mayo?”
“Mayo.”
She hands me a wrapped burger. “Start talking. I’m guessing this isn’t a good news bad news sort of discussion.”
“It’s just a lot of bad news.”
“Lay it on me. I’m good at helping people solve problems.” She plops down beside me.
“You already know that Dallas dumped me last night. And this morning, I discovered why. My dad gave me an ultimatum: Dallas or my job.”
“Let me guess. Dallas got wind of that before you did.”
“I’m guessing. He’s still a coward for not talking to me.”
“I don’t disagree. But it was probably a bit too much déjà vu for him.”
I bite into my burger, and my stomach thanks me for the savory after indulging in too much ice cream. “I thought of that. But please don’t tell him that I walked away from the family business.”
“You quit?” Tandy drops her burger into her lap, and it topples to the floor. “Oh, crap. I’m so sorry.”
Purring loudly, Floofy helps himself.
“It’s fine. But don’t tell my landlady. And I’m sorry about your burger.”
“There are five more in the bag. I wasn’t sure if you were an emotional eater. I am.” She pats her hips. “But I guess that’s a bit obvious. I just eat for all emotions. Sad, happy, sleepy, angry. They all deserve a snack.”
I laugh and slap a hand over my mouth to keep from spewing bits of lettuce. Then the drained feeling overtakes me again. “I quit on the spot, and I’m pretty sure I got disowned. I just didn’t bother to mention to my dad that Dallas and I were no longer together. And I get that some parents use tough love. But it isn’t like Dallas is some rebel in a biker gang. He doesn’t have enough tattoos for that.”
Tandy slaps a hand over her heart. “I might cry. You really love my nephew.”
“You cannot breathe a word to him about my quitting.”
She crosses her heart, then runs a finger along her lips. “Won’t say a word to Dallas about it.”
“I have a question.” I finish off the burger.
Tandy unwraps another one. “Yeah?”
“Where is Dallas’s tattoo and what is it? I mean, I’m guessing it’s small because I’ve never seen it. It’s not on his chest or his back.”
“I didn’t know he had a tattoo. My advice is to keep searching.” She winks. “When the time is right.”
I’m afraid to wish for a happily-ever-after.
“Getting to the reason I wanted to meet. I know Dallas is covering the difference in rent. But can we work something out? I’ll move out if you need to rent to someone else. And I won’t be mad.”
“You will not move out, and there will be no rent of any sort until you are back on your feet.”
“You can’t?—”
Tandy wags a finger in my face. “Don’t tell me what I can’t do. I’ll do whatever the heck I please. And right now, it pleases me to have you here.”
Still holding my burger, I hug her. “You have no idea what this means to me.”
She holds on, rubbing my back. “I’m honored that you messaged me.” She dabs her eyes with a napkin. “Dallas is the only family I have. And I love him. But I also love the family I have that isn’t related by blood. I love Matthew, and thank the Lord, he isn’t a blood relation. What I’m trying to say is, family are the people who circle the wagons and help you when you need it. The people who love you no matter what. That’s family. And when you called me, that made us family.”
“I think I need another burger. And a job.”
“It’s not a permanent solution, but I do know of a local store that’s looking for help.”
“I wonder if they’ll hire me.”
“Matthew’s granddaughter-in-law is the owner. I’ll give her a call. How do you feel about lingerie?”
“It’s as pretty as flowers.”
“You’ll be perfect for the job.” She pats my arm. “I’ll arrange an interview.”
“Thank you so much, Tandy.”
“My absolute pleasure.”
I’m loving my newfound family. Floofy is too.