Are you just using me to make him jealous? Because you’re wasting your time. If he wanted to be with you, he’d have dragged you out of here with him.”
Harsh!
She didn’t much like the “dragged” implication but let it go because Clint was right. Tate didn’t fight to be with her. He’d walked out like she’d been the unreasonable one.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized again. “I didn’t mean to upset you.” She liked Clint. Maybe she didn’t have the same kind of connection with him she did with Tate, but things were moving in the right direction as they spent more time together. She needed to focus on him and the future, not Tate and what would never be.
She tugged on her hand to get him to let her go. His grip didn’t hurt, but she didn’t like the possessive way he held on to her. In fact, it gave her pause, because he’d never shown any kind of animosity toward her over anything.
She chalked it up to jealousy and hoped he’d get over it if she dropped the whole Tate thing and they settled back into their evening together.
But Clint didn’t let go. “Don’t make a fool out of me, Liz. I thought we had something.” The sharp tone startled her.
“We do,” she hurried to assure him. “I’m sorry.” She wasn’t used to apologizing this much, but he deserved it, because the last thing she wanted to do was make him feel like a runner-up to Tate. “There’s nothing between me and Tate. Now he knows that.”
He raised her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist where his fingers had left red marks. “Good. Then let’s enjoy the rest of our evening.” He tugged her toward their table. “Come on, let’s get a drink.”
She went along with a smile she didn’t really feel.
Clint touched her back when she settled onto her stool. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.” He walked up to the bar.
She sat staring at his back, a nagging feeling prickling the back of her mind about the way he spoke and acted tonight.
Seeing her with Tate sure did set Clint off. But the show of jealousy didn’t make her giddy with excitement. Instead of being happy he didn’t want another man near her, it made her uneasy. The way he spoke to her, bluntly stating that Tate didn’t want her, made her feel like she didn’t measure up and she should be grateful Clint wanted her.
It didn’t sit well.
Of course Tate didn’t think she wasn’t good enough for him. He just didn’t feel the same way about her that she felt for him.
She looked down and realized she was gently rubbing her wrist. Her gaze snapped back up to Declan’s. She read the disapproval over Clint’s rough treatment of her and the question in his eyes. She nodded and smiled to let him know she appreciated his concern but she was fine.
She didn’t blame Clint for being upset about Tate. She’d talked about Tate a little too much on their first few dates. She’d made it clear they were just friends, but Clint picked up on the fact there was something more. On her part anyway. She’d forced herself to be open to someone new in her life. She’d made a point to try to get to know Clint better. And up until tonight, she’d managed to keep her thoughts and feelings for Tate out of her head and heart and be in the moment with Clint.
But seeing Tate tonight made it harder to forget him. How could she? They’d been friends practically their whole lives.
You don’t meet the man you’re going to marry in preschool. It just didn’t happen.
And if Clint didn’t measure up to Tate in looks or charm, well, that didn’t mean he wasn’t a good guy. When she was with him, he made it clear that he enjoyed her company. He wanted to spend time with her. He made her feel wanted and sexy. She’d be out of her mind to turn down a guy like him.
For what?
Tate didn’t want to be with her. Not like that.
And every time she came face-to-face with that and reminded herself of it one more time it made her heart break all over again.
And being alone was far worse than being with a cute guy who really liked her.
She needed to stop this vicious cycle of thinking something Tate said or did hinted that maybe he wanted more and accept that was never going to happen.