“Well, fine,” she muttered, setting the cup on the hood of her SUV.
The missed call was from Joe. She tamped down her disappointment. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to hear from him—she hoped he’d learned more since yesterday. Still, part of her had been hoping it was Tyler. Every time her phone rang or a message came through, she wanted it to be him.
She couldn’t stop thinking about him. About the text she sent yesterday morning. About his reply, that had been so understanding, so quick to agree that staying apart was best.
The breakup was supposed to protect them both, keep her reputation intact, and keep her safe from whoever was targeting people connected to Tyler.
Instead, she felt empty. Broken. Like she was making the biggest mistake of her life.
She called Joe back.
“Hey,” he said when he answered.
“Hey, yourself. What’s up?”
“Do you have plans this evening?”
She leaned against her car. “Not really. I need to get a run in. I should’ve done it yesterday, but you know how my day went. Why? Did you find something?”
“I went to see Tyler today. We talked for a while but didn’t finish. He’s meeting me at my place after work around six thirty. Thought you might want to join us.”
Brooke’s heart kicked into a higher gear. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“Why not? You’re the one who asked me to investigate. You wanted to know the truth.”
“I do. But— ”
“But what? You scared to see him?”
Yes. That was exactly it. She was terrified to see Tyler, terrified that being near him would make her want to take back everything she’d said and make her forget all the very good reasons they needed to stay apart. She was terrified that seeing him would open the hole in her heart even further.
“Brooke,” Joe said gently. “You broke up with him yesterday. But you spent part of the day moping and the rest of it investigating his case. You haven’t given up on him. So why are you hiding?”
“I’m not hiding.”
“Aren’t you?”
She kicked her car’s tire with her heel. “What if I can’t trust my judgment? What if I’m wrong about him? It’s like Kelsey all over again. You know that.”
“It’s not like Kelsey. We discussed this yesterday, remember? Besides, what if you’re right? What if he’s innocent and you walk away from something real because you were too scared to take the risk?”
The words hit hard. Brooke closed her eyes, thinking about Saturday night at the steakhouse. The way Tyler had looked at her across the table. The way he’d stood up to Rusty. The way she’d grabbed that chair without hesitation because Tyler’s life was in danger.
She’d fought for him then, literally hit someone to protect him. And she’d do it again in a heartbeat.
She’d fight for him without thinking. But staying meant something else entirely.
“Come to my place,” Joe said. “Half past six. I’m going to ask Phil to join us too.”
“Phil? Why are you inviting my brother?”
“For the historical perspective partly, and partly because, like you, he owns a business in town. A business where people talk.”
“You mean gossip?”
“That too. But really, if you decide you can’t handle seeing Tyler, you can leave. But at least give yourself the chance.”
After they hung up, Brooke leaned against her car, rhythmically kicking the tire for several minutes. The noise her heel made as it connected with the tire was both comforting and irritating.
