He’s stopped by every single day since last Saturday night. Every other time he’s come over, I’ve been safely hidden away in the upstairs bedroom, but of course he catches me outside today.Shit.
I try to make a beeline for the back door, but he’s already running around the corner of the house, breathing heavily and with worry in his eyes. “Briar? Oh my God, I’ve been so fucking worried about you!” He tries to come up and hug me, but I take a step back and give him an uncertain once-over. Between Hailey’s warning, his bloody hoodie, and what Roman told me, I don’t trust him one bit.
Every time I’ve swung by the grocery store this week, Hailey has either been on her break or taking a sick day. Her coworkers seem to be covering for her, and it’s fucking weird. I just need to make sure that she’s all right.
Grahm looks like he’s lost sleep. He’s not the flirty farm boy from last week. He has a few cuts on his left cheek that would suggest that he’s been in a fistfight.
“I’m fine,” I say under my breath.
He takes in my posture and moves back a little to give me space. “I’m so sorry about the party last weekend. I lost track of time, and by the time I finished talking to Hailey, I couldn’t find you. I shouldn’t have left you alone. Did Roman hurt you?”
Grahm sounds like he’s been worrying about me, but I honestly don’t know who to trust anymore. Not after the stunt he pulled.
His eyes catch on the bruising around my temple, and he visibly pales. “I’m going to fucking kill him!” Grahm shouts and starts stomping back to his pickup.
I panic and run out in front of him with my hands raised to calm him. “It wasn’t him. I’m fine, honestly. I just got lost and tripped and smacked my head.” I hate how well I lie. I hate that I know each one will come back and reap what they sow even more. But it works. He lets his muscles relax, and his expression softens.
“Briar, I feel terrible. It’s my fault.”
It totally is.I firm my lips.
“The last I saw of you, you were getting in that fucker’s car for the race. I about drove to Murray’s house and made him get his sheriff’s uniform on to find you that night.” He lets out a breath of relief.
Then why didn’t you?I arch a brow. “Oh?”
“I mean, I drove by after the party and saw your lights on, so I figured you were okay. And when you ignored me, I thoughtyou just needed some space.” I give him a pointed look. “Listen, I’m not good at this kind of thing. But are we okay? I still want to help with the farm and make up for my behavior.” He gives me a hopeful smile. Damn his sparkling eyes. It also helps that he did actually show up every day, even when I ignored him. It shows that he’s at least devoted to helping me sell the farm.
But what about Hailey?
“Your hoodie was covered in…oil or something dark. What exactly happened between you and Hailey?” I have no proof that he did anything at all. So I don’t want to jump to conclusions.
“I didn’t want to say anything, but we sort of hooked up. I took my hoodie off and some asshole must have dropped it in the dirt or something. Who cares if it’s stained? I’m just glad you’re okay.” His answer seems honest enough and he has guilt in his eyes, admitting to hooking up with Hailey, which is what I originally suspected.
I cross my arms and roll my eyes. “Fine. But I’m still pissed at you.”
His eyes light up.
“And you owe me answers,” I tack on, lifting a judgy, untrusting brow at him.
Grahm laughs and rubs his beard. “I’d expect nothing less. Thanks, Briar. Should we head to town and grab some coffee while you interrogate me? It’s on me.”
I chuckle and let my shoulders relax. “I could really use it.”
The café is as pleasant as it was the first time. The atmosphere is warm and smells like coffee beans and vanilla. The tables are empty, except for one person in the far front by the windows, who is typing furiously on their laptop.
“I think you owe me an explanation,” I mumble as I blow the steam from my latte. The weather has been gradually getting colder, which I absolutely love. Today is one of the last warm days of summer. Thank God for having phone service again. Itwas the first thing I did Sunday morning after the party last week. Granted, it’s a prepay plan, but it’s better than nothing.
I still need to stop by the grocery store and thank Hailey for telling me where to go for it. And even though Grahm said his hoodie was stained by someone else, I’m still concerned and would feel better once I see her for myself. I left the hoodie in the basement on top of the washing machine. Even having it in my house makes me feel anxious because what if he’s lying and it is blood?
Grahm nods reluctantly and runs his hand down the side of his neck. “I was going to talk to Hailey and… Well, one thing led to another. We used to date, and I just wanted to know what she meant by telling you to be careful with me… Obviously that conversation went in a different direction. By the time I remembered you were waiting for me, I couldn’t find my hoodie and then I found you with Roman.”
I narrow my judgmental eyes at him. “Good to hear that I was an afterthought.”
He winces. “Fuck. No, you’re not. Again, I’m sorry.”
I sigh and take a sip from my coffee. “It’s okay. I’ve had worse things happen.” There’s a beat of silence as we both take another drink. “Can I ask you something?” I say in a serious tone.
Grahm looks at me thoughtfully, like he knows what I’m going to ask.
