walk out of the room feeling like my body is sinking lower and lower. “I’m just there for people I care about.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t have…”
“Hey,” he breathes the words quietly, “I don’t want you to apologize for being honest with me. That’s all I could ever ask for.”
I wonder if he’s thinking about his ex-fiancée when his eyes seem to distance themselves like he’s lost in thought. Was their choice to stay together draining? Did he consider that being dishonest?
“Okay,” I finally say, though there’s caution in my tone like I’m afraid to turn around and leave. I know we’ll both survive, that this isn’t the end of the world. I’ve experienced far worse tragedies than potentially hurting somebody’s feelings.
But that doesn’t mean I don’t care.
“Piper,” he says as I walk toward the door. I pause for a moment before turning, brushing hair behind my ear. “Take a deep breath and remember that your past doesn’t define you. You’re meant to live and love. Danny would have wanted that for you. No matter what might have happened between you two.”
He doesn’t know how much I needed those words. Then again, he’s Carter Ford. Maybe he knew exactly how much I needed to hear them.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
I stop by The Inked Lotus with a sleeping Ainsley in the back seat. Evie said she had a rough day and shut down, refusing to sign to anybody. I have yet to get anything out of her about what happened, but I have a feeling it has to do with kids in her class based on the way she kept her eyes down the entire time I walked with her out to the car at pick up.
We do what Danny always said calmed her down. Drove. Around town, on back roads, everywhere until her head dipped and lids grew heavier. It was ten minutes ago when she fell asleep, dozing off with soft snores. I’m not sure I knew where I was heading until the shop lights lit up the dark night. There’s a parking spot right out front that I instantly take, noticing Jay outside the store smoking. He must notice the vehicle because he puts out the cigarette against the building and then stomps it into the pavement with his shoe before walking over.
My window rolls down as he approaches it. “I thought that was you, Red.” I quickly press my finger to my lips and gesture toward the back seat where Ainsley is strapped in her booster seat.
“Hey, Jay.”
He glances at me, leaning against the sill of the open window. “He’s not in right now. Had errands to run or something.”
“Oh.” My brows furrow as I find myself nodding. Jay watches me for a moment, something crossing his expression. “Well, I thought I’d just stop by. I haven’t seen him in a while.”
I doubt he really cares, but he nods like he does. He’s always been nice to me, respectful whenever I see him. He’s a flirt but stopped trying with me a long time ago. “We’ve been pretty swamped here lately. A lot of late nights.”
He’s covering for his friend. I get it. “You don’t have to lie, Jay. Listen, it was a bad idea to come here. Just forget about even mentioning us dropping by. I don’t know why I thought it was a smart thing to do.”
“Piper.” It’s the first time he’s ever used my name. It sounds foreign coming from him. “I wasn’t covering for him. Business has picked up, that’s all.”
But when I catch sight of the blinds moving slightly from the front window, I know who’s watching us. I also know the car peeking out from around the building is the same one that should be “running errands” right now.
I swallow my pride when Jay notices what caught my attention and clear my throat when he curses. “Like I said, sorry I showed up. I need to get Ainsley home. It was stupid to have come.”
“Come on, Red—”
I put my hands up. “You’re being a good friend to him, Jay. He needs that. He and I certainly can’t be, so it’s good he has you.”
He presses his lips together for a moment, eyes glistening in contemplation. “He needs you too if it makes you feel any better. But you two are the most stubborn a-holes I’ve ever met.”
Snorting unattractively, I shake my head at the ridiculous sentiment. “He made it clear he doesn’t need me. Look at how many people he sleeps with. It’s not