Tripp startled. “Hmm?”
She didn’t miss a beat as she motioned toward Hallie. “I don’t get the feeling that Jacob is interested. But you’re his friend. What do you think?”
He studied Jacob. His friend wasn’t a big talker when it came to women. Neither was Brent for that matter. Maybe that was why Tripp’s relationships were targeted when they couldn’t come up with anything to joke about on a given day. He sighed. “Dunno.”
“Well, you’re no help,” she snarked good naturedly.
“Honestly, he doesn’t date much. He works a lot. Your guess is as good as mine but if I had to guess, I’d say she has a shot.”
“Really?” She turned her attention to her friend and a small smile teased at her lips. “That’s good.”
“Yeah,” he mused. “It is.”
Their eyes clashed with each other’s once more. He didn’t know what prompted him to speak up in that moment, beyond the fact that all Wendy had to do was look at him and he was putty in her hands.
“I don’t do serious relationships…”
She snorted. “Yeah, I know?—”
“I don’t do serious relationshipsbecause…” he smirked at her, “I’m a coward.”
Wendy stiffened at his confession. Slowly, she locked her gaze with his. She didn’t have to utter a single word. He could read her reactions plain as day in her eyes. She was surprised he’d said such a thing. But there was also a sliver of sympathy. They were two of a kind. She might not have been the one to admit to her own fears, but she had them.
And her fears didn’t just rest with relationships. Wendy was struggling with fears when it came to following her dreams, too.
He blew out a breath and chuckled as if that would be enough to ease the current pressure in his chest. “It didn’t used to be this way. Sure, I wanted to have fun, but then a few broken hearts later…” Tripp shrugged as he dragged his eyes from Wendy and stared into the flames of the bonfire. “I think I got it in my head that love wasn’t in the cards for me. I was always a placeholder.”
Her hand landed on his forearm. “You’re not a placeholder, Tripp.”
His smile was taut. It didn’t feel natural. “It’s fine. I coped the best ways I could.”
“By dating. A lot.”
A laugh rumbled through him against his will. “That’s putting it nicely, I guess.”
She grinned.
They stood in comfortable silence for a few minutes with only the sounds of the crackling fire and the boisterous laughter ofthose surrounding them. Then Wendy glanced at him again. “I think I can understand where you’re coming from. Relationships are scary.”
“Yeah. Theycanbe. But so are a lot of other things in life.”
“True.” She tilted her head and her smile seemed more relaxed. “Like chasing after a certification in equine dentistry.”
That had him laughing again. “Or writing a book.”
A knowing look passed between them.
Life was too short to fear the unknown, and yet that was where they were.
When the fire started to die down, Tripp offered to take Wendy home. She accepted. The electrical current that strung them together still hummed in the air, but it wasn’t as chaotic.
At least that was what Tripp thought until they reached her front door. She held her keys in her hand, but she hesitated before heading inside. Her eyes drifted over his face, lingering on his lips. Then without warning, she hopped up on her toes, kissed him passionately, then pulled away. “This wasn’t a date,” she reminded him.
Tripp was still in a daze, but he nodded. “Of course not.”
She smiled and in an instant, she was hidden behind her apartment door.
He dragged a hand down his face and chuckled as he shook his head. She was definitely going to be the end of him.
