22. Lindee #2
I shrug, the anger in me starting to outweigh the hurt.
“Why not? All it would have taken was a quick Internet search. It’s not like the transfer of Tennessee Trouble to my siblings and me wasn’t news.
The article about it in Bourbon Today is framed in the lobby.
Pretty sure there is another copy in the archive.
I know Kyra posted about it on the ForU app. ”
“Yeah, because I’m so great with that app…” he mumbles.
“Good enough to find a Wink I won’t deny that.
But I did it for the right reasons. And yes, I realize that doing the wrong thing for the right reasons doesn’t make it right.
It doesn’t cancel out all the wrong. That doesn’t mean my heart wasn’t in this.
That it isn’t still in this. That I’m not standing here, ready to turn my entire life upside down to partner with you.
Because this—you and me—is all that matters now. ”
“There is no you and me.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do.”
Squaring up my shoulders, I hold my breath until my lungs hurt, crying out to give them relief, then let it all out at once. In a single, heavy sigh.
“Know what the worst part of all of this is?” I ask, turning to head back inside.
“That Mikayla was right. She told me that you were using me somehow and I needed to keep my distance. I didn’t listen.
I let myself believe that she was wrong.
She didn’t know you like I did. She didn’t understand that I thought I’d found the person who understood me and my quirks. ”
I was wrong. So, so wrong…
“Actually, I take that back. Mikayla being right isn’t the worst part.
It fucking sucks, and I’m sure I’m not going to hear the end of it.
But there is a worse part.” I close my eyes, trying to contain it all.
“The worst part of all of this was that I was falling for you. That I trusted you. That I thought…” I steady myself, willing every fiber in my being not to unravel. “Never mind…”
“You did find that person, Lindee. I am that person. You can trust me. And—”
“No, I didn’t. Because that person wouldn’t have lied to me. Wouldn’t have kept this from me. He would have told me so we could celebrate and do this together. But you didn’t think you could.”
I force myself to swallow, trying to remove the bitterness on my tongue. It’s no use.
Turning to head back inside, I swipe at my cheeks, drying them off. I need to find my siblings. I have no idea how I’m going to tell them.
More importantly, I need to go vote for my drink. Get Kyra working on rounding up votes and putting it out into the world. It’s bad enough that Mikayla was right about Brandt. I’m not also going to lose this award.
“Lindee, wait…” Brandt calls after me. “We’re not done—”
I heave open the door, the air-conditioned coolness swooshing around me, pausing long enough to throw a look back over my shoulder.
“Yes, we are, Brandt. So don’t follow me. There’s nothing left to say. And I wouldn’t believe you if you tried.”