day, and complimented her nonstop those first few weeks seemed to think he didn’t need to try anymore.
“I blame your friend Tate for ruining tonight.” Clint held his hand out toward the door.
Tate started it, but Clint made it worse.
She slid off her stool. “I’m sorry tonight didn’t go as planned.” What else could she say?
“Let’s hope you’re back to your old self when I see you next.”
Right. Totally my fault. Not! “Maybe I should book you a massage at the spa.”
“Aren’t you my personal masseuse?”
“Not tonight.” How much did Clint actually pay attention? That’s not what she did at the spa. She managed it and ran the front desk. She loved helping customers plan a relaxing, exceptional experience.
Clint should sign up to be a member. Little things seemed to agitate him. Especially when he didn’t get his way. He needed a relaxation regimen.
After the way tonight unfolded, she just wanted to go home and sleep and hope tomorrow would be a better day.
They walked out of the bar. The second the door closed on the raucous music, her head stopped pounding. She breathed in the cool night air and relaxed even more.
Clint took her hand and tugged her toward her car. She didn’t mind rushing to keep up. Home and her bed called to her. But still, he didn’t need to make it seem like he couldn’t wait to be rid of her.
She hit the unlock button on her key fob. Clint opened the door and stood back. His impatient vibe made her slip in without even attempting a kiss goodbye to end the night right. Or at least what should have been the right way to end a night with her boyfriend.
That description felt as off as their relationship.
The deeper glimpses she got into his moods and the way he thought about himself, her, and others triggered too many doubts. Tonight, they made her second-guess whether or not they were right for each other.
She didn’t expect Tate to act the way he did tonight, and she certainly didn’t expect Clint to react to Tate the way he did.
“I’ll see you soon.” Clint closed the door and stood back while she started the car and backed out of her parking spot.
She waved goodbye, but he didn’t even crack a smile or wave back.
He had no reason to be so pushed out of shape.
She drove through the lot and turned onto the main road. Curious—and a little suspicious—she glanced out the side window just in time to see Clint walking right back into the bar.
Was he going back for another drink to take the edge off this night? Or was he looking for someone to take home because she’d turned him down tonight?
She didn’t know the answer. Surprisingly, she didn’t care one way or the other.
If you don’t care, what are you doing with him?
Every girl Tate had ever dated had made Liz out-of-her-mind jealous.
Not that she should feel that way if she and Clint had a solid relationship, but they didn’t. Something about him just didn’t feel right anymore.
Tonight he’d shown her a whole new side to him. Jealous. Aggressive. Judgmental. Even possessive.
She didn’t like the way he talked to her or manhandled her.
She stood up for herself. But she could almost feel him testing her to see how far he could go.
Or was she just riding this train of thought, nitpicking things Clint said and did because of Tate showing up and acting like she’d betrayed him, and she wanted to believe it meant something when it didn’t?
She needed to stop wishing for impossible things.
Tate wasn’t thinking about her. He liked her fine as a friend, but he did not want her.
Two men in her life. One she liked but couldn’t see herself falling in love with forever, because the other still held her heart.
Chapter Three
Tate drove the truck in silence along the ruts in the grass to the south pasture. He couldn’t stop thinking about seeing Liz at the bar last night with that guy. He couldn’t believe the way she spoke to him. They’d been friends forever, yet she could barely look at him last night. She let her new guy get in his face and say things that just weren’t true.
He didn’t know what happened to make Liz take a huge step back. If he could get her alone, maybe she’d talk to him the way she used to, all open and honest, tell-it-like-it-is even if he didn’t want to hear it.