April looks at me blankly. “I think this is a sister-in-law pep-talk moment. I’m going to, uh, go grab some non-tree-related ice cream.” She mouths good luck to Brielle and leaves us.
“Why don’t you come stay at our house for a few days?” Brielle suggests as she rubs my arms where they’re crossed on the middle of the table.
My head pops up. “No, I don’t want to hear Ford give me any more of his life wisdom, and your son, I love my nephew, but Connor is really turning into a little shit.” My head flops down.
“He is, isn’t he,” Brielle reflects with a fond smile on her face. “He’s going to be one of those hockey players with a bad reputation off the ice, I feel it in my bones. I’m already waiting for him to come home with a tattoo because he used a fake ID to get one.” She takes a sip of her tea, calm with her predicament.
The corner of my mouth stretches. “Sounds like something he would do.”
“I promise you that one day it will feel like the storm has moved on.”
I straighten my spine to sit up. “I was so happy. I’m not sure I’ll get that again.”
“You will. Besides, you’re talking as though you’ll never see or hear from Declan again. He’ll be in Lake Spark more than he won’t. Eventually you two will need to face one another to clear the air. But I still believe there is hope.”
“Why are you so optimistic?”
Brielle twists her lips and stifles her smile. “Just a feeling I have that will make sense one day, but right now, you should function with confidence and dress to kill. It drives guys crazy, and their brains begin to rewire to think properly. It’s like a button is pushed.”
I shrug a shoulder. “This is my first time out of the house other than the flower shop,” I admit.
“Then do something to change that routine.”
“You’re probably right, I can’t live in this cloud forever. Especially since I don’t know what timeline I’m working with, and I’m not sure biology would let me wait forever.”
Brielle smiles softly at me. “Would you wait forever?”
My lips purse together. “That’s a long time. But I know that it will be hard to match the last few months, and unless it’s Declan, then it won’t be the same.”
That I’m sure of.
* * *
Yanking up my strapless dress,I’m severely doubting my choice of attire. My strapless bra is giving me zero support, and the red on my lips feels a shade too dark. This is what I get for letting Charlotte dress me up.
Now I’m swaying my hips to Bonobo’s “Nightline” in a busy club in Chicago, all because I took Brielle’s advice to heart. At least I look and feel hot, I’ve noticed a few eyes land on me, but nobody is of interest because they’re not Declan.
“I’m sorry I haven’t made it out to Lake Spark lately,” Charlotte apologizes over the music as she dances. She’s in hot pink and hard to miss.
I wave her off. “It’s fine. I wanted to get out of Lake Spark, and last time I checked, the club scene is minimal there.”
“Someone needs to tap into that market, there must be a demand.”
My shoulders slant up to my ears. “Doubt it.”
“Come on, I’m dying of thirst.” She grabs my hand and guides me off the dancefloor to the bar.
“Two gin and tonics,” she calls out to the man behind the bar before turning her attention to me. “Doesn’t a small town mean you’re going to run into the man who shall not be named sooner rather than later?”
I bite my bottom lip. “Maybe. Then again, all he has to do is avoid Main Street and we’re safe for a while.”
Charlotte laughs. “Brent thinks Declan is hung up on you.”
My heart patters from the thought, and my head perks up. “Really?”
“Yep.” She smiles at the barman for delivering our drinks. “Declan even skipped the last party, if you know what I mean.” She lifts her brows.
“Oh?”
