She guides me back outside, and we sit on the porch steps. I stare at the ranch stretching out before us—fields golden under the afternoon sun, horses grazing like nothing bad ever happens here. Everything looks peaceful, but inside I feel like I’m stitched together with the wrong thread.
Ava nudges me. “Talk to me.”
I pick at my thumbnail. “I like him.”
Her smile grows. “Yeah. I noticed.”
She doesn’t even need to ask who, and that’s how I know that this girl is my best friend.
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “It’s… more than like. More than I meant for it to be. And today he basically told me it was a mistake. All the times we’ve been together.”
“And how many times is that?” she asks, eyes narrowed at me.
“Don’t be mad,” I whisper.
“I won’t be mad,” she replies.
I don’t believe her, but I go ahead and admit it anyway. “Three times.”
Her jaw drops to the grass beneath our feet. “ELLA SHILOH MORGAN! HOW DARE YOU KEEP SUCH A SECRET FROM ME?!”
“I’m sorry, and stop yelling,” I plead.
She takes a few calming breaths before facing me again. “Okay, continue. Where does the conflict come in?”
“He said that we need to keep things professional now that he’s working here. That the family would never approve, and we should never cross that line again,” I explain, the words tasting like sand on my lips.
Ava’s face hardens. “He said that to you?!”
“Yes! He said it like he was doing me a favor,” I whisper. “Like he had to protect me from him. Like I couldn’t decide for myself.”
“And how does that make you feel?”
“Hurt,” I admit. “Embarrassed. Stupid for getting in too deep.”
Ava leans her head on my shoulder. “Ella, listen to me. You are not stupid, and you’re not embarrassing. Cole Dawson is a grown man with a mountain of baggage he hasn’t sorted out yet. That isn’t a reflection of your worth. It’s a reflection of his fear.”
I stare at the horizon. “I don’t want to give up, Ava.”
“You like him that much, huh?”
“I really, really do. Even after all that he said,” I admit.
“Then fight for him. Go after what your heart wants,” she encourages.
I blink at her. “Really?”
“Sweetheart, do you know how he looks at you? It’s like you’re the first good thing that’s happened to him in years. He just doesn’t know what to do with that feeling yet. And men like Cole? They don’t run because they don’t care. They run because they care too much.”
Something warm pushes against my ribs, easing the ache a little. “So what do I do?”
“You take your time,” Ava says, echoing my own plan. “Be his friend. Be yourself. Help him, be there for Aria. Show him you’re not going anywhere just because he panicked.”
I nod slowly. “I can do that.”
“You can,” she says confidently. “And I’ll be right here cheering you on.”
Before I can thank her, the patter of small feet approaches, and Aria practically skids to a stop in front of us.
