I glance around. She’s right. This isn’t the time or the place.
“I’ll follow you to the farm,” I say without thinking. “I want to make sure you get home safely.”
Her expression tightens. “Actually… I think I’m gonna stay in the loft tonight.”
That catches me off guard. “You sure?” I ask, gritting my teeth to keep from saying more.
She shrugs. “I just think… I don’t really want to go back there tonight.”
There’s something fragile in the way she says it, and I can’t help but feel like she’s trying to put distance between us.
I nod slowly. “All right. Can I walk you upstairs?”
She studies my face. I’m not sure if she’s surprised I left it at that or if she’s trying to find the words to let me down easy.
“Yeah. You don’t have to leave, at least not right away,” she adds quietly. “I just need—”
“You don’t have to explain. If you want to stay at the loft, stay there.”
Her body relaxes, just a fraction.
“I don’t want to talk about everything right now,” she says.
“That’s fine.”
I step toward her, closing the distance between us. “We don’t need to talk right now.”
She swallows. “Are you mad at me?”
“Not even a little.” I shake my head. “I just don’t want you to think you have to disappear to deal with things.”
That seems to get through to her.
“I’m not going to disappear,” she says.
“I’m not going anywhere either.” My voice softens.
I let the silence sit instead of filling it.
She nods slowly.
“Okay,” she says. “You can walk me up.”
Chapter Nineteen
Brinley
Cooper follows me like he said he would. He’s not close enough to crowd me, but not far enough to pretend he isn’t there either.
I can feel him anyway.
The tension that rolls off him in waves as we step outside and head for the loft is heavy but contained, like he’s holding something back with both hands. He doesn’t rush me or say a word, and that almost makes it worse.
My keys shake in my hand when I unlock the door.
I step inside and flick on the light. The space feels unfamiliar and small after being away for a few days. This place never really felt like mine. If anything, it was somewhere to sleep more than a place to live.
I drop my purse by the door and turn to face him.
