“I’ll be fine,” Tony replied, hoping it was the truth. If that afternoon was any indication, then he was a long way away from fine, but he was hoping for the best. The ice was broken now, so maybe the next time they bumped into one another, they could have a conversation without it descending into awkward silence.
Sutton snorted. “Yeah, keep telling yourself that.”
3
What Happens in a Small Town - Brantley Gilbert & Lindsay Ell
Trina dragged herself out of bed the next morning and showered, washed her hair, and slipped into a cute summer dress she’d bought in Paris. She really didn’t want to go out, but the best thing for jet lag, or so everyone advised her, was to get back into routine as soon as possible. That meant getting up at a reasonably normal time and trying not to fall asleep in the middle of the day.
Besides, in a couple of days, all the wedding prep would start and Trina really wanted to catch up with her florist friend, Avery, and also Sara, her old boss. Both of them had kept in touch while she was away and she’d bought each of them a gift. It would be good to catch up with them and maybe convince them to go out for a drink one night.
Dressed and ready to face the world, Trina ambled down the driveway to the big house and knocked on the door before walking in. From what they’d said the night before, both her parents had the day off and she needed a lift into town. Windaroa was too far away from the town to walk, and it was too fricking hot anyway.
“Knock knock,” she called as she walked down the hall to the kitchen at the back of the house.
“Hey honey,” her dad said, looking up from the paper he was reading at the table while he sipped his coffee.
“Hey Dad,” she said, going around the table to kiss his cheek.
“How’d you sleep?”
Trina rolled her eyes. “Badly,” she replied and then smiled. “But it’s good to be home.”
“You want some coffee? The kettle hasn’t long boiled.”
“No, thanks,” Trina replied with a shake of her head. Trina was not a fan of the instant coffee her parents drank, especially not after having spent all these months in Europe where the coffee was so strong it could practically hold a spoon upright. “I was just wondering if I could borrow a car?”
“We’ve still got your car in the shed,” Samual replied. “Gassed up and ready to go.”
“Thanks Daddy,” she said, giving him another kiss. “Let me know how much I owe you for the petrol.”
He waved her comment away. “Don’t bother.”
“I’m earning money now, Dad. You don’t have to keep paying for me.”
“I know, but think of this as a welcome home present from me.”
She sighed but smiled. “Thanks. I’ll be home a little later. I want to catch up with the girls.”
“Say hello to Sutton for me,” he said.
Trina dropped her head and breathed out the pain in her chest. Sutton wasn’t speaking to her and Trina doubted she would deign to speak to her anytime soon. In Sutton’s opinion, Trina had betrayed her. Breaking her brother’s heart was the unforgivable sin. It didn’t matter that Tony had also broken Trina’s heart or that the relationship broke down because of a failure on both sides. Sutton had sided with Tony and that was that.
“Sutton still isn’t talking to me, Dad,” Trina said.
“You really should patch that relationship up, poppet,” he said. “She is your best friend.”
“Was my best friend,” Trina replied. “She took Tony’s side over me—”
“It’s not about taking sides—”
“Yeah, well. Tell her that,” Trina snapped and then took a breath. “Sorry. It still hurts to talk about.”
Samual looked at Trina and smiled softly. “I’m sure it will all work out,” he said before turning back to his paper.
Trina walked out, biting her lip against the words she wanted to say. It wasn’t some school yard spat that she and Sutton had gotten into. Sutton was pissed when Trina started dating Tony, but when she saw how much they loved one another, she’d come around. The only stipulation Sutton had made was that Trina was not allowed to break Tony’s heart. Trina had no intention of doing any such thing. In her mind, Tony was it. But then life happened and things went pear shaped and both Tony and Trina ended up with broken hearts.
And it wasn’t just losing Tony that broke Trina’s heart, it was losing the rest of his family as well. Sutton had been her best friend since they were in kindergarten together and then she was just gone. Not to mention Tony’s grandparents. Trina loved them like they were her own grandparents, but she couldn’t very well go around and visit them now that she and Tony were no longer together.
Trina and Tony might not have been married, but they’d been together for five years and in that time their lives had twined together in a way that wasn’t easily untangled without lopping off a few branches.
Trina tossed her hair over her shoulder, took a deep breath, and stood up straight. Going back into town was going to be hard enough without worrying about running into Sutton. She needed to show the town that she may have left as a loser, but she was coming back triumphant.
Her old car started with the turn of the key and she smiled. Her dad must have gotten it serviced for her as well as putting fuel in it. No way had it ever started as cleanly as it just did, especially not when Tony stopped doing the maintenance on it.
Nope. Trina shook her head. She was not going to think about all the ways her life no longer intersected with Tony’s. They were going to be in the same town for however long it was until he went back to his job in the mines and they needed to find a new normal. They needed to co-exist somehow and Trina wouldn’t be doing herself any favours by reminiscing about their life together. It was in the past. Another life. And she was the new and improved Trina.
Trina pushed through the doors of the cafe and stopped in her tracks. Tony was standing at the counter. He had his back to her, but she would know those shoulders anywhere.
“Trina?” Came the shocked question from her old boss, Sara.
“Hi,” Trina replied, waving at her friend.
“Oh my God! Trina!” Sara practically vaulted the counter and grabbed her in a tight hug.
Trina returned the hug with one of her own but couldn’t help looking over Sara’s shoulder to watch as Tony slowly turned around to look at her. His blue eyes were dark, but dark in a good way, dark in the way they used to be when he had something dirty on his mind. Trina suppressed a shiver as Sara babbled at her, but she couldn’t take in a word her friend was saying because she was too caught up in the man looking at her like she was his next meal.
Stupid hormones.
Sara finally let go and stood back to take Trina in. Trina tore her eyes away from Tony and smiled at her friend.
“You look good,” Sara said. “And I love this dress.”
“Paris,” Trina said, doing a little twirl and letting the skirt flare out around her thighs. It would be a lie to deny she did it for Tony’s benefit, as well as to show off the dress to Sara.
“I love it.”
“I hope you will love this too,” Trina said, handing a wrapped package to Sara.
“Ooh presents!”
While Sara delicately unwrapped the gift, being careful not to rip the paper, Trina tried not to notice Tony’s eyes on her. He was leaning against the counter, sipping his takeaway coffee and watching her over the rim. Trina could lie and say she didn’t care if he watched her, but she was done lying to herself. She did care that he watched her. She liked that he watched her. She wanted him to keep watching her even though it was a recipe for disaster.
“Oh, this is adorable,” Sara said, holding up the cute little apron Trina had found in a French boutique.
The other presents included a collection of French cook books (written in English, of course) and Italian ravioli moulds. Sara owned and ran the little cafe, but she also loved to cook anything and everything.
“How are you, Trina?” Tony a
sked, his voice a soft rumble in the quiet cafe.
Trina looked around the shop. Every patron sat still and quiet, watching the interaction. Shit, she’d forgotten what it was like in a small town where everybody knew everybody else’s business. No doubt this meeting of Tony and Trina in the cafe would be reported far and wide with everyone in Hope Springs taking sides.
Trina forced a friendly smile to her face and turned her eyes up to his. “I’m really good,” she said, and meant it. “What about you? Still working in the Pilbara?”
The corner of his mouth hitched up at her overly-friendly chatter. He knew how much she hated the close inspection of the busy-bodies in Hope Springs. He also knew this was torture for her.
He shook his head slowly. “Nope,” he replied but didn’t elaborate.
“Can I get you a coffee?” Sara asked, breaking the tense moment building between Trina and Tony.
“Yeah, that would be great,” Trina said, reaching for her purse.
“Let me,” Tony said, flipping his wallet open.
“I can’t let you do that,” Trina said, genuinely concerned that he would try to pay for her.
“I can afford it,” he replied.
And there it was. The reason they’d broken up. The damned money. Trina often wondered if it would have been better if he’d cheated on her. But Tony was not that guy. No, he’d betrayed her in other ways, but he’d never cheat on her. In retrospect, it would have hurt less if he did. Maybe she’d be over him by now if there had been another woman involved.
Before she could protest any more, Sara took his money and rang up the sale.
“Thanks,” Trina said softly, stepping closer. She breathed in his fresh scent and closed her eyes briefly. They had to get past this…awkwardness. “Are you busy right now?” she asked.
He blinked down at her and she knew he was wondering whether she was leading him into a trap. There was so much bad blood between them, which wasn’t fair considering just how happy they had been…right up until it all fell apart.
When he didn’t say anything, Trina began to fidget. Maybe the way his eyes had darkened earlier was not what she thought. Maybe he was still pissed at her, which she couldn’t exactly blame him for.
“It’s just…I thought we could talk.”
Sara slid Trina’s coffee over the counter and then disappeared out the back leaving the two of them at the counter in relative privacy, if you didn’t take into account the entire cafe leaning toward them and trying to catch what they were saying.
Tony looked at the crowded cafe and smiled. “I’ve got time to chat. Wanna take a walk?”
Trina breathed a relieved sigh and nodded. She picked up her coffee and followed Tony out into the sunshine.
“I meant what I said yesterday,” Tony said when they were away from listening ears. “It really is good to see you.”
“You too,” Trina replied, and she meant it.
They crossed the road and headed for a bench in the park. They sat side by side, not speaking, the silence getting awkward. Trina blew out a breath and turned to face him.
“I wanted to say sorry,” she said. He opened his mouth to reply, but she held up her hand to stop him. “No, please, let me say this. I was unfair. The things I said, the things I did.” She shook her head, horrified all over again about the way it had all gone down. “I was wrong and I acted immaturely and I hurt you and, and…I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all of it.”
“Oh, baby,” Tony said, reaching for her hand. “I’m sorry too. I was just as much in the wrong and I have just as much to apologise for. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you. I’m sorry I let it get as far as it did and for the things we said to each other.” He squeezed her hand and exhaled roughly. “I miss you, Trina. I miss you so much.”
Trina’s heart squeezed until she could barely breathe. “I miss you too,” she whispered.
“What the fuck is going on here?”
4
Mad at You - Noah Cyrus & Gallant
Tony sighed and looked up at his irate sister. “Sutton, please.”
“No,” she spat, walking up to the bench where Tony sat with Trina. She reached for their joined hands and pulled them apart, trying to tug Tony off the seat and away from Trina. “You hurt him enough,” Sutton growled at Trina. “I’m not letting you get your hooks into him again.”
Tony pulled his hand from Sutton’s grasp and frowned at her. “Enough, Sutton. This is none of your business.”
“Yes it is,” she snapped. “This is my business because I was the one who had to pick up the pieces after she smashed your heart.”
“I’m sorry I hurt you, Sutton,” Trina said, her voice small.
It killed him to see her so hurt by his sister’s wrath. He knew Sutton was upset, but he had a feeling she was more hurt that Trina left her than she was over Trina breaking his heart. Sutton didn’t make friends easily and she had been devastated when Trina left town without trying to patch their rift up.
“No, you’re not,” Sutton spat. “You’re just saying that to get back into his pants and into his wallet.”
“Sutton,” Tony growled.
“What? Everyone knows what she did. Everyone knows she was only with you for your money.”
“That’s not true,” Trina said, defending herself.
“That is categorically untrue, Sutton, and you know it. You’ve been listening to too many gossips.”
Trina’s face blanched and Tony kicked himself. Trina didn’t know about the furore she left behind and all the whispers that went around after they broke up. Somehow, the people of Hope Springs had found out he and Trina had fought over money, specifically the secret account he’d been using to squirrel money away in. He wasn’t proud of the fact he’d lied to Trina for years about just how much money he made working in the mines, and she was right to be upset about it when she discovered the account. What happened after was a snowball effect which ended with him buying a house, not that Trina knew that bit either. By the time the purchase went through, Trina was already winging her way across the oceans to the other side of the world, as far away from him as she could get.
“Oh yeah? Then why did she leave when she found out you weren’t saving the money for her? Why did she break up with you when she found out what the money was really for?”
Tony pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to keep calm. This was not how he’d hoped this ‘chat’ would go.
“Everyone knows?” Trina asked, turning to him, her face pale and her eyes wide.
“Yeah,” he said with a sigh. “They don’t know the whole story, just bits of it, but yeah, they know.”
“Shit,” Trina said, dropping her face in her hands.
“Are you happy now, Sutton?” he growled at his sister.
“I don’t know what she’s crying about,” Sutton said, mulishly. “Unless she was planning on coming back here to try and rip you off again.”
Trina pushed to her feet. “I’m sorry, Sutton, okay? I’m sorry. I know what I did was wrong and I know I hurt you and I hurt Tony, but I can’t change what happened. I tried to fix it, I put the money back. It was never about the money, and if you got your head out of your own arse for a second you would realise that. Besides, this was between me and Tony and it had nothing to do with you.”
“You tried to trap my brother into marrying you. You tried to trap him with a fake pregnancy and when that didn’t happen, you tried to force him into buying you a house. He’s my brother, Trina, and you were supposed to be my best friend and you betrayed both of us!” Sutton’s voice had risen to the point that passersby had stopped to gawk.
“Fuck you, Sutton,” Trina growled. “You know it didn’t happen like that. I didn’t try to trap Tony into anything. I genuinely thought I was pregnant and you were the only person I told, so you can take that little bit of fiction you keep telling yourself and shrove it up your arse, if there’s any room in there beside your stupid head!”
Tony swung his head from
one woman to the other. He loved them both, in different ways, but still, these were the two women of his heart and they were about to come to blows and he had no idea what to do to stop them.
“I’d take a step back if I were you,” a friendly voice said, followed by a hand on his shoulder.
Tony turned to look at his friend. Daniel had been his best friend from the moment he came to Hope Springs after his parents died.
“I should stop them,” Tony said, turning to look at Sutton and Trina as they continued to yell at one another.
“No, I think you need to let them get it out of their systems. They’ve both been bottling this up for a long time and it needs to come out if either of them are going to get past it.”
Tony knew he was right, but it didn’t make it any easier to watch.
Trina didn’t realise just how much Sutton hated her. She didn’t realise how much vitriol her ex-best friend had stored up inside her. It didn’t matter what Trina said, Sutton was beyond hearing. So, Trina shut up and let Sutton rage. She said things Trina knew were untrue, things Sutton knew were untrue, but they’d been festering in her mind for so long that Sutton had lost sight of the truth and could only see her anger.
The real, unblemished facts were pretty simple. Tony and Trina had been together for five years and Trina was desperate to get married. In her own screwed up way, Trina thought the only way to get her mother’s approval was to get married. Trina had two perfect sisters who had always shone brighter than Trina ever could, but the one thing she had going for her was her long-time relationship with Tony. Tony had always told her when they’d saved enough money, they would get married and buy a house. It was why he took the job in the Pilbara. It was why he worked away from Hope Springs for weeks at a time. What he hadn’t told her was, he already had enough money—and more—for them to get married and buy their dream home. Trina had discovered the account by accident and it sent her into a spiral.
Be Mine: Valentine Novellas to Warm The Heart Page 67