Oh God!
Her face flamed with embarrassment.
She needed to start acting like the adult she was and think about others. Cody would hate himself for cheating on a girlfriend. Kristi would be hurt and angry, too. And while Brooke didn’t think Kristi was Cody’s forever, she was who he’d chosen to be with right now.
Every time Brooke presented him with the choice to be with her, he didn’t take it.
Apparently, she couldn’t take a hint. Or an outright dismissal.
It ends now.
She needed to stop this merry-go-round before she hurt Cody and lost him.
She loved him. And if that was really true, then she needed to accept him as he was. Her friend.
The weight of that settled on her, heavy and sorrowful.
Things needed to change.
Sheneeded to change.
Time to be the grown-up, not just pretend she was.
Mindy Sue met her on the grass as Brooke approached their group of friends. “What’s wrong?” Mindy Sue studied her, concern in her eyes.
Brooke frowned and confessed. “I nearly screwed everything up with Cody.”
Mindy Sue shook her head. “It can’t be that bad. You two are so close.”
“I tried to kiss him, thinking we were having this amazing moment. But like always, it was all in my head, and he stepped away.”
Stormed away, you mean.
He kept the line between them firmly in place. He never scolded her. He acted like an adult. She was the child, always trying to take what she wanted without thinking of the consequences.
Mindy Sue wrapped her in a hug. “I’m sorry.” Mindy Sue knew all her secrets, including the one about how much she loved Cody and dreamed of a life with him here on the ranch.
You mean a fantasy.
One that would never come true.
“I made a fool of myself. Again. And it stops now.”
Mindy Sue hugged her and whispered, “Maybe it’s for the best. There are so many guys at school who would love to take you out. Guys who are…less complicated than dating Cody.”
Less complicated than her stepbrother, Mindy Sue meant.
Mindy Sue held her by the shoulders. “So many you’ve already turned down because you’re waiting for him.”
“Not anymore.” Because she was waiting for something that would never happen. Cody cared about her, but not that way. Never that way.
Oh how it hurt.
A tear slid down her cheek.
Mindy Sue saw it and wiped it away with her thumb. “You deserve someone who will love you back.”
She pressed her lips tight and blinked back the tears. She wouldn’t cry over him anymore. “You’re right. It’s time for a change. I think I need a back-to-school shopping spree. A new look to go with the new me. You in?”
