"No. I can't. Every time I think about what he said..." My throat tightens. "I let him in, Heather. I told him things I've never told anyone."
"And you slept with him."
"Yes. And the whole time, I kept telling myself to be careful, to protect my heart, because what if this didn't last? What if it was just the competition bringing us together? And then he confirmed my worst fears on camera for the entire world to see."
Heather squeezes my hand. "That's it. We're doing girls' night at Jumping Jacks. I'll text Julie. You go home, take a shower, put on something comfortable, and I’ll pick you up at six thirty."
"Heather, I don't think?—"
"No arguments. You're not sitting home alone crying over Wyatt Dalton. We're going to drink fruity cocktails, eat fried food, and remind you that you are amazing with or without him."
Despite everything, I manage a small smile. "Okay."
"Good. Now go. Admiral looks like he could use a walk anyway."
Two hours later, I'm at a high-top table at Jumping Jacks with Heather and Julie, nursing a pina colada and watching the waves roll onto the beach. The bar is busy but not packed, filled mostly with locals enjoying the warm evening and live music from the acoustic guitarist in the corner.
"So let me get this straight," Julie says after I've retold the whole story. "You admitted you're in love with him on camera, and then he turned around and said you're nothing to him?"
"Basically."
"What an asshole."
"Right?" I take a long sip of my drink. "After the interview, I went back to the brewery, grabbed Admiral, and left through the back entrance so I wouldn't have to see him."
"How many times has he called?" Heather asks.
I check my phone. "Ten times. And he's left eight voicemails."
"Have you listened to any of them?"
"No. I can't…" I trail off, feeling the tears threatening again.
Julie reaches across the table and squeezes my hand. "You know what? Wyatt Dalton is a big jerk. Even if he thought he was protecting you, he handled it completely wrong. You have every right to be hurt and angry."
"Thank you."
"But," Heather adds gently, "eventually you're going to have to talk to him. You two run businesses next door to each other and have a competition entry together. You can't avoid him forever."
"I can try."
"Merri—"
"I know, I know. But not today, okay? I need time to process this. To figure out what I want to say."
My phone buzzes again. Wyatt. I send it to voicemail and turn the phone facedown on the table.
"He's persistent," Julie observes.
"He's desperate," Heather corrects. "That's not the behavior of a man who thinks you're 'just Danny's little sister.' That's a man who knows he screwed up and is trying to fix it."
"Well, he can't fix it with phone calls." I finish my pina colada and signal the waitress for another. "He confirmed every fear Ihad about us. That it wasn't real and once the competition was over, he'd realize he doesn't actually want to be with me."
"Do you really believe that?" Julie asks softly.
I think about the past few weeks. The way Wyatt looked at me during the blind tasting. The way he kissed me in the cold storage room like he'd been waiting his whole life to do it. The way he held me in his bed, his arms wrapped around me like I was precious.
The way he told a reporter I was nothing to him.
