Right?
Right.
He’d given her no indication that he wouldn’t. Tripp had done more than enough to prove that he was interested. Maybe Hallie was right. Here was Wendy’s chance to tell Tripp how she felt.
Hallie gave her a little shove forward. “Go on. I’ll get our table.” They were now standing in front of the restaurant. And Tripp was ducking into the coffee shop down the street. If she hurried, Wendy would be able to catch him and talk to him. If nothing else, she could tell him that she wanted to see him later so they could have the talk.
She swallowed the lump in her throat as she shuffled forward. Hallie gave her another push. “Okay. Fine. I’m going.” Wendy said with a laugh. “I’ll be right back.”
Wendy hurried down the street repeating in her head over and over what she would tell Tripp. She wanted exclusivity. Strings. Everything he had to offer. Her legs felt weak and the way her heart hammered, she was surprised she wasn’t collapsing on the sidewalk.
Passing the shop windows, she caught sight of her reflection and straightened her shoulders. She could do this. In every romance novel she read, this was the moment when everything changed for the better. And she couldn’t wait to take hold of the reins and enjoy the ride.
Then she saw it. Just before she reached the glass door.
Her heart shattered because through the large windows, Tripp was caught up in an embrace that could only be described as romantic. The woman was nothing like Wendy. She had long, black hair, legs for days, and the largest eyes Wendy had ever seen. Her full lips pulled into a smile as she pulled away from Tripp and gestured for him to take a seat at the table where two coffees were waiting.
Wendy couldn’t move. It was like watching a trainwreck. And the only thing she could say was that this was all her fault. She’d told Tripp over and over that she didn’t want more. She’d pushed him away, teased him, taunted him. Of course he’d get tired of the way she treated him. Who wouldn’t?
How could she be such a fool? She’d allowed him to get past her defenses despite her better judgment. And she’d lost her chance.
Suddenly, she felt sick to her stomach. At least she’d seen him with someone else and she hadn’t made a fool of herself by asking him to settle. She couldn’t even be mad at him, because he wasn’t doing anything wrong. She’d given him the freedom to see other people, so why wouldn’t he take advantage of it?
Wendy darted down the sidewalk the way she’d come. Tears fell down her cheeks and by the time she got to the restaurant, she knew she wouldn’t be able to sit down and eat with Hallie. So she pulled out her phone and sent off a message, telling her friendshe’d need a raincheck. Then she shut off her phone and headed home.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Tripp stared at his phone,hating that he’d checked it for the third time in the last twenty minutes. He’d sent a text message to Wendy and normally she was quick to get back to him. Usually, he didn’t have to wait more than five minutes. Ten was pushing it.
“Everything okay?” Brent’s voice startled him and his head snapped up.
Shoving his phone back into his pocket, he nodded. “Yeah.”
“You sure about that?”
They were seated in their living room after a long day assigned to fence repair and irrigation tweaking. Normally the two of them were taking care of livestock management but Bo had assigned them elsewhere. Not being able to spend time with the horses had been disappointing and it only further cemented the fact that Tripp needed to officially choose the dentistry program he wanted to use.
“Earth to Tripp.”
He scowled at his brother who only laughed.
“I’m sorry, but you definitely don’t look okay.”
Yeah, well he was right. There was too much on Tripp’s mind. First, dealing with the fact that he was in love with a woman who seemed to be ignoring him… Okay, maybe she wasn’t. He was overreacting. She was probably busy. But that didn’t change the fact that she wasn’t ready for anything serious and it was really starting to mess with his head.
Add those concerns to the status of his future career and he hadn’t felt more unbalanced in his life. It really wasn’t fair.
“Fine, I’m not okay. Is that what you want to hear?” He flinched at the tone of his own voice. It wasn’t Brent’s fault that he had lost control of his life. Tripp had done this to himself and the worst part was that he didn’t know how to fix it. If he told Wendy how he felt, she’d probably run. Or avoid him completely.
“Bo is going to help pay for a certification in equine dentistry.”
Brent’s eyes widened slightly but he kept the rest of his expression schooled. “That’s… different.”
Tripp slumped back on the couch and dragged both hands through his hair as he stared up at the ceiling. This was one issue he had control over. He couldn’t control how Wendy would react to him. For that, he’d have to be patient. But right here, right now, he could work on changing his future in other ways.
“I didn’t know that was something you wanted.”
“Yeah, me neither.”
