Sutton snorted. “You should tell her that.”
“I did.”
Some of the bravado left her. “You did what?”
“I told her to leave me the fuck alone. Now tell me what she said to you.”
She was quiet for long enough that I was sure when she did open her mouth again, it would be to tell me to fuck off, to not worry about it, to let it go.
But she surprised me by doing none of those things.
“She told me to stay away from you,” Sutton replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “Seemed pretty confident you’re ‘meant for each other.’” She hooked her fingers in air quotes around the words. “That’s a direct quote, by the way.”
God, that fucking woman. Doing her level best to ruin theonegood thing I had in my life—even if I didn’t quitehaveit.
Yet.
I hated what that confrontation had done to Sutton, how she’d withdrawn into herself and wouldn’t meet my eyes.
“Sutton, look at me.”
Though she didn’t move her body, she obliged, angling her head to face me.
“There isnothinghappening between me and Addie.”
“Does she know that?”
“I made it pretty clear tonight, yeah.”
“Then why…?” Her eyes grew wide as the question died on her lips, like she’d come to some sort of realization that scared the shit out of her.
“I don’t know what her deal is,” I said, trying to steer us away from a conversation I didn’t think either of us were ready to have. “But don’t worry about her, okay? She’ll never bother us again.”
Sutton merely nodded, looking a bit dazed. Then she seemed to shake herself out of it and got to her feet.
“I’m heading to bed.”
“Sure, of course.”
“You’re going to the game tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah. Did you want to maybe ride together?”
Why did asking that simple question feel like asking a girl out on a date for the first time? This wasnotmy first interaction with a woman, and going to the state championship game together wasnota date.
But this wasSutton, and Sutton wasn’t just any woman.
She wasthewoman.
“Yeah, that’d be great,” she said, offering me a weak smile before leaving the room.
And suddenly, I felt like I’d won the lottery.
All Idahohigh school football state championship games were played at Boise State’s stadium. I hadn’t been back to my alma mater inyears, and to be returning now with Sutton at my side was a bit of a mindfuck.
We arrived bright and early, pulling into the lot shortly after eight a.m. Because Dusk Valley was in 1A, the smallest division, they were playing in the very first game of the day at ten a.m. Larger divisions would follow until this evening and spill over into tomorrow.
Somehow, we were the first to reach the spot we’d planned to meet at, so Sutton and I went about getting the grill unloaded, the coolers filled, and tables and chairs sent up. Finn, Reagan, and West were bringing the tent we’d erected outside the barn yesterday, Mama was bringing some of the leftovers, and Aspen and Crew were on drink duty.
