Page 128 of Spurred On

Chapter Twenty-two

She left.

She left and didn’t come back.

She didn’t give him a chance to explain, or woo her or anything.

She just left.

Hell, she didn’t even say good-bye. His only clue was an empty spot in the parking lot where her cherry-red Mustang had been. Even though he’d been expecting it after last night, the reality sent him into the pits of despair.

He wandered dolefully through the house as the dinner guests departed, trying to avoid conversations with any of them. When he rounded the corner to the kitchen, and realized Claire and Porsche were in there talking, he froze and began creeping back the way he’d come. Their conversation made him still.

“Claire,” Porsche said in a frustrated tone, one that made clear Claire had been badgering her for far too long. “I was five when I fell in love with Cody. Five.”

He cringed. He’d known Porsche had a thing for him . . . but for that long?

When she continued, his mortification rose, along with a prickling at his nape. “I’ve been devoted to a man who never wanted me my entire life, and what have I ever gotten back? Nothing. I never even contemplated another man because of him. And he never looked my way. Never.”

The thread of heartbreak in her voice was too much for him. He quickly turned and headed upstairs.

Was he really what they all said? A heartless, selfish man whore? Was he really so out of touch with the other people in his life? So clueless? So self-absorbed?

Apparently.

He’d had no idea he’d hurt Porsche so much. Not until he’d heard it in those words. It made his soul ache, because he really did love her . . . as a friend. He hated to think that she’d been mooning over him for all those years, that she’d made him into the cornerstone of her life. And he’d deliberately ignored her.

Granted, he had good reason. For one thing, he’d been utterly focused on Sidney. And for another, Ford had made it clear Porsche was off-limits.

But what if he’d been wrong?

What if he’d been clinging to a hopeless hope with Sidney, and missed out on something fantastic with Porsche?

It was an old and familiar thought, one he’d had each and every time he asked a woman out. Each and every time he broke up with them as well. As pathetic as it was, as much as that little voice told him he was pushing too hard, he needed to know.

He needed to know if he’d missed out on something wonderful.

Slowly, he made his way to her room and knocked on the door. She was just finishing her packing and glanced up in surprise to see him standing there. “Um, yes?”

He tugged at his collar and cleared his throat, unsure how to begin. “Can we talk?” he asked.

“Sure.”

He stepped inside and closed the door—no need for anyone to witness this—then he raked his hair. “I wasn’t eavesdropping,” he said.

Her brow rippled. “Um, okay?”

“But I overheard some of that conversation you just had with Claire.”

Her lips parted. “Which part?”

“The bit about you being in love with me your whole life.” Heat scoured him. He scrubbed his face. “Is that true?”

“It was.” She wrinkled her nose. “But it was only a crush. Don’t worry, Cody. I’m over you.” Her tone was nothing if not patronizing.

“You said you never even considered another man because of me.”

She forced a smile. “What can I say? I was an idiot.”