turn my head away from Sam and lean into Hart, feeling dizzy.
“He didn’t come in with her,” he says.
“What does that matter?” I gasp, closing my eyes against the spinning floor.
“She just showed up. She’s always showing up, confusing things.”
“I don’t understand. You told me it was all in the past.”
“It is.”
“That’s not what it looks like!”
Luanne approaches me from behind the bar, leaning over the counter to grab my arm. “What’s wrong?” she asks. I can tell by the look on her face she hasn’t seen them.
“I’m such a fool, Lu.”
Luanne looks to Hart for answers and he nods in the direction of Sam and Roxy. Luanne rises up on tiptoe and searches the crowd. She must spot the two of them because her expression turns angry and she releases my arm to duck beneath the bar, resurfacing with a Louisville Slugger.
“I’ll kill him,” she says, slapping the stained wood against her palm.
I shake my head and steady myself, standing tall as Hart releases his hold on me. “No, don’t do anything.”
“Fine, I’ll leave him be and take a practice swing at Miss America instead.”
“No, Lu. They haven’t done anything wrong.”
“What the hell are you talking about? I thought you and he were—”
“We’re nothing, Luanne. I should’ve listened to my instincts. I went and threw my heart at the first guy who was nice to me. It’s not his fault. It’s mine for forgetting every lesson I’ve ever learned when it comes to love.”
Hart, looking considerably more sober, shakes his head at me. “That’s not a lesson you should have to learn.”
“No?” I ask, looking at his sad eyes. “I would think you of all people would’ve learned by now that love is just a fairytale. There’re no happily ever afters. Not for you and not for me.”
I move past Hart, fighting the urge to run for the door, trying desperately to swallow the cry that’s building in my throat. When I get to the door I stop, placing my palm flat against its splintered surface. I turn my head and cast a final glance over my shoulder. One more look. One more second to savor what could’ve been. Roxy moves away from Sam, a pool cue in her hand, and I have my first unobstructed view of him. He looks like he’s battling something buried deep inside. I move to turn away from him at the same moment he raises his eyes and looks right at me. I watch as realization dawns on his face and his mouth drops open in surprise. When he makes a move to stand, I turn and flee the packed bar, running through the parking lot to my car.
I throw myself inside, slamming the door shut and jamming my key into the ignition. I pull the car forward and to the left. My foot is heavy on the gas pedal and it makes the gravel beneath the tires spit up and bounce off the fiberglass. As I pull onto the road I wipe the tears off my face with the back of my hand. I was foolish, believing I could trust him, and I should never have relied on those stupid alarm bells to protect me. Hart said there’re no lessons when it comes to love, but he’s wrong. I’ve learned my lesson. Happily ever after is nothing but a dream.
Chapter 14
I pull at the white cotton, trying to stretch the fabric down a few inches so less of my pale belly is exposed, but it’s no use. I turn, assessing the damage in the full-length mirror that’s hanging on Luanne’s closet door. The Corn Festival uniform Brook has chosen falls under the category of cruel and unusual punishment. I crane my neck around, trying to see how high the shorts ride up in the back. The shimmery hot pink fabric clings snugly to the curve of my butt. I really need to cut back on the Ding-Dongs.
Luanne emerges from the kitchen, a cup of steaming coffee in her hands and a wide, unforgiving smile stretched across her face. “Well, what have we got here? Are you auditioning for a role in Boogie Nights or an internship at Bazookas Strip Club?”
I turn away from the mirror in defeat, tears threatening the layer of mascara I applied not ten minutes ago. “Don’t, okay? I’m already horrified I’ve got to hustle body glitter to all of Harlow County in this get-up. I can’t deal with the jokes this morning.”