Tilly tensed. “How did you know about that?”
“I think Brayden told Gunner, who told Juan, who told everybody.”
Tilly laughed. She gave Elise a quick rundown of events that had happened while she was away, including the kiss from Brayden.
“So sparks?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“I can tell.”
“How?” Tilly demanded.
Elise hesitated. “Your whole body blushed.”
“Oh my gosh! That is so embarrassing.” If Tilly’s face wasn’t already buried in the massage table’s face rest, she would have hidden behind her hands.
“No, it’s not. It was sweet.” Elise was a trained massage and physical therapist. She looked at almost naked bodies all day long and saw them more like a Chinese puzzle that she wanted to solve than anything else. She claimed a person’s muscles would talk to her.
Tilly was a believer. She’d had many massages from different professionals, but Elise’s were like magic.
“It’s good to hear you laugh again, though. It’s been a while.”
“I know. I’m sorry I’ve been such a drag.”
“You had a right to be a drag.” Her hands stilled on Tilly’s slower back and then started again. “Brayden was the same way, you know. He didn’t laugh, didn’t smile.”
Tilly adjusted her cheeks against the pillow. He’d smiled at her in the hallway yesterday. A real smile. And he’d teased her—just like he used to. “He missed baseball.”
“He missed you. And you missed him, admit it.”
“I do. But it’s not like it was.”
“So you two are back together?” The hopeful lilt in Elise’s voice wasn’t lost on Tilly. The three couples had been peas in a pod since Clover started dating Dustin. Now it was awkward, though no one pointed fingers.
“No. We haven’t even spoken about what happened.”
“Why not?” The pressure increased, and Tilly could understand what Elise meant about muscles talking. Elise’s muscles were saying she was ticked off.
“Because I’m not sure what to think. I love him just as much as I did five weeks ago. I just don’t know where we go from here. He had some valid points about us not being together. I guess I need to figure out what I want.”
“Okay, then. Figure it out.”
Tilly laughed. “I’m working on it.”
After the massage, Tilly stopped for groceries and then headed home. One positive about not having Brayden in her pantry was that she spent a lot less money on food. A negative was that she ate alone most nights. She blew out a breath as she pulled into their neighborhood.
She slowed down when she passed Brayden’s, mostly because Natalie the Nurse was on his doorstep. Maverik waved her inside, and she all but pranced through the door.
Maverik’s eyes landed on Tilly. She gunned her Jeep and bounced into her driveway, slamming to a stop before she crashed through the garage door.
Maverik was at the back door of her car in a blink, pulling out groceries and tucking them into his arm. “Hey, baby girl.”
Tilly melted. “Hey, Mav.” Between the two of them, they managed to carry the groceries inside in one trip. Yep, a lot less food. “Do you want a Dr. Pepper?” She kept them in her fridge for him. Even when he was out of town, she had one in there just in case of a Maverik surprise visit.
“You know I do.”
She handed it to him with a smile, and he settled in at the bar. He popped the top and took a drink, letting out a sigh that would rival any commercial actor with a soda. She smiled at his antics as she put cereal boxes in the cupboard.
