Finally, he conceded. “Okay, I’ll honor your tragically obvious redirection tactic. For now.”
Hallie laughed in spite of her embarrassment.
“But quoting my jerk of a boss, we will circle back to this conversation.”
Not if she had anything to do with it. The only person who knew about her temporary lapse of reason was McKenzie, and Hallie had no doubt she’d keep the secret.
“Anyway, yes. Brad hung it up while I was in class a few days later.”
Her mouth twitched. “Weirdo.”
“We were always messing with each other. I got him back the next day by inverting his computer screen. It took him hours to figure out how to put it back.” His face scrunched as he let out an uncharacteristic giggle. The high-pitched sound was so at odds with his deep voice that Hallie’s heart stuttered at this brief moment of unguarded pleasure. “Ah man, I miss those days.”
Hallie retrieved the bowl of buttercream and carried it to the counter. “What happened to you guys? I remember you saying you don’t talk much anymore.”
“More like not at all.” He sat down at the kitchen table.
Hallie paused in her task of spooning buttercream into an empty piping bag. “You seemed to get along at Tyler’s wedding.”
“Oh, we’re on speaking terms.” He clasped his hands together, tapping his knuckles with his interconnected fingers. “We just … don’t anymore.”
“Why not?”
Christian puffed out his cheeks, held them, then exhaled a big breath. “Sabrina.”
“Your ex.”
He confirmed her statement with a single nod. “She hated Brad. And he wasn’t a fan of her either. When I told the guys about getting married, he didn’t hold back. Some of the things he said were pretty harsh. Of course, I took her side, and our friendship kind of … blew up after that.”
Christian pursed his lips around his teeth as though holding something back. Hallie stood frozen in her spot, torn betweenmaintaining her boundaries and giving him the physical comfort she yearned to provide.
“It wasn’t until my marriage ended that I realized he was spot on in his judgment.” He shook his head. “He’d only been trying to protect me.”
Abandoning the buttercream, she sat down in the chair next to his. “Brad has never been known for his tactful approaches.”
That pulled a dry chuckle from him. “Tell me about it. I’ve sometimes wondered why I never reached out to him like I did Tyler. We were all practically brothers. Maybe I was too embarrassed. Or ashamed it didn’t work out with her. I don’t know. My emotions were so raw back then. I guess I didn’t want him to say ‘I told you so.’”
Hallie dropped her hand on top of his where they rested in his lap. “My cousin can be really pig headed sometimes, but he rarely holds grudges, especially with people he cares about.”
“I’ve wanted to talk to him about it for a while. It just seems silly to bring it up after all this time.” He turned his palm up, weaving his fingers through hers.
A spark zipped up her arm, reminding her of the boundaries she’d just obliterated by taking his hand. “No, it’s not. You should talk to him. I’m sure you’ll feel better once you do.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
“Of course I am.”
He snorted. “Are you always this rational?”
Not lately, especially when it came to him. “There’s a solution to every problem if you look at it logically.”
“I don’t know if that’s true, but it’s a nice thought.”
Hallie placed her other hand on his thigh, leaning forward to look into his face. “I’m not saying the solution always comes easily.”
His gaze didn’t hold the same sadness she’d seen the night he’d told her about his divorce. Instead, he seemed thoughtful, as though pondering something he hadn’t thought of before.
He brought his other hand down to hers. Then, to Hallie’s surprise, lifted it to his lips, kissing the backs of her fingers.
