I offered him a small smile. “Thanks, I appreciate your honesty.”
“I’m honest and most of the time I’m direct too,” he said, the corner of his lips tipping up. I raised an eyebrow. “During dinner, you mentioned being busy with work and the wedding plans. Are those the real reasons you never got back to me about going on a date with me, or are there other reason?”
I gulped. When he said he was direct, he meant it. “I … I have truly been busy.” If not with actual stuff to do, my mind and heart had been busy these past few weeks.
“All right, I’m not stupid. I understand a no when I see one.”
“I … I didn’t mean it like that,” I said quickly, feeling bad for cutting down his hopes.
He stepped closer, but not too close, and looked into my eyes. “I know what you went through, and I can only guess what it has been like these past three years. It must not have been easy. In fact, I guess it was exactly the opposite.” He paused. “I kind of hoped your rejection isn’t because of me per se, but because you’re still dealing with the damage it caused you.”
“Y-yeah, it kind of is,” I confessed, feeling like fate had punched me in the gut. I never had a guy be this honest with me before. And he wasn’t stepping on eggshells around it as if I would break. It was refreshing.
“In that case, I’ll be honest again and say I can wait.” He reached to me and grabbed my hand. I almost pulled back. Almost. “I’ll be here, I’ll be your friend for now, but when the time comes, I’ll remind you of how I feel.”
He kissed my cheek and walked out of the stable.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“You’ll be fine,” I told Evie as I parked my car beside Hannah’s at the ranch.
She gripped the seat belt and stared at the stable. “How can you be so sure?”
I smiled. A few weeks ago, I had been in her place. Honestly, I still got a little nervous every time I approached a horse, but now I knew how to push through my fear.
After the realization I had at my parents’ last night—that I actually liked horses more than I ever thought I would—I decided I would bring Evie for a ride with me. From Hannah, I knew horses could be used for therapy, and I thought Evie was in need of all the help she could get. Unfortunately, she still hadn’t left Mike, and today she was sporting a new purple bruise on her right shoulder. She hid it under her T-shirt and pulled her hair over it, but it didn’t matter. I still knew it was there.
Since I didn’t have a lot of experience with horses, I contacted Hannah and Bia and asked them to help me out. With two of them and two of us, I felt confident nothing would happen. And, if it did, if something went wrong, Hannah or Bia were capable of handling it, whatever it may be.
Convincing Evie of my idea, though, that had been hard. She had given me several excuses from being sick, to not wanting to aggravate Mike. In the end, I found out she was also afraid of horses, and she had never been near one before.
“Because I’ve been where you are right now,” I told her. “I was afraid of horses, still am a little I guess, but now I can face it, and a few weeks ago, I started riding. And, truth be told, I kinda love it.” She still stared at the stable with fear in her eyes. “Don’t worry. I promise. I’ve brought two specialists to help us out.”
“Specialists?”
“Come and see,” I said, sliding out of my car.
Inside the stable, I found Hannah and Bia tacking Preta. Belle, Argus, and Midnight were already tacked and ready. As we walked through the stalls, I introduced Evie to each one, then showed her the tack room, and even narrated each piece as the girls tacked Preta.
“Wow, are you really my sister?” Hannah teased. “Until a few weeks ago, she wouldn’t even step inside a stable.”
“Very funny,” I said. “Evie, this is my sister, Hannah, the ranch’s owner. She is a master with horses. She is even like a horse whisperer. You know, she can turn abused horses around.”
Evie’s eyes grew wide. “Oh.”
“Nice to meet you, Evie,” Hannah said with a smile.
“And this is Bia. She’s the twin sister of Hannah’s fiancé.” Even I frowned at that long description. “She is also a master with horses. She has been around horses all her life, and her brothers and cousin are famous polo players. And she goes to vet school because she wants to take care of horses.”
“Wow,” Evie whispered.
“Prazer,” Bia said.
“Oh, yeah, she’s Brazilian so sometimes she slips a few Portuguese words out.”
Bia shrugged. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay,” Evie said with a tentative smile.
“We’re glad you’re here,” Hannah said. Then she switched to her tour guide/instructor voice and explained to Evie all we were doing.
Soon after, we were on our horses, riding through the gates of the arena onto the path of the easiest riding trail.
***
It was only Tuesday, but I felt like my days were getting busier as the week went on. Maybe it was because I had scheduled several dates after work. Yesterday was riding with Evie; she was actually starting to relax and enjoy it. Today was a girls’ night out at a restaurant before Gabi left for Brazil the next morning. Finally, tomorrow, my mother, Hannah, and I were meeting at a quaint restaurant to see more wedding-related stuff.
“Iris and Lauren just texted,” Bia said as we sat around a round table in the center of the restaurant. “They will be a little late, but told us to order their drinks.”
The waitress came and we ordered drinks and appetizers while we waited for Lauren and Iris to arrive.
“Ready to leave?” I asked Gabi.
“Not really,” she admitted. We all knew she wanted to stay.
“Because of Mateus?” Bia asked.
“Who is Mateus?” I asked.
Gabi rolled her eyes. “My ex-boyfriend.”
“Uh-oh,” Hannah said.
“We dated all through high school, and then he went to São Paulo for college,” Gabi explained. “He wanted to keep dating, but I don’t do the distance thing, so we broke up. Now he’s back in Porto Alegre. He transferred there a month ago, and he’s been calling me, asking to see me. I have avoided him so far, but I know he’ll corner me at some point.”
“You two were so cute together,” Bia said with a smile.
“I thought so too, but we broke up eight months ago. At first it was hard, but I like being single now.” She sighed. “I’m not ready to face him. He was part of a good phase in my life. I don’t want to end up being rude to him.”
“Hopefully, he’ll realize you moved on as soon as you two meet, and you won’t need to be rude,” Hannah said.
“Yeah, that would be better,” Gabi said. “I can’t wait to be back for the bachelorette party and the wedding, though. Do you guys want to kidnap me so I can stay in the U.S. forever?”
We laughed, but I knew her joke had a bit of truth.
The waitress came back with our drinks and appetizers, and we then talked about the bachelorette party. As maid of honor, I was planning it. The girls tried to guess what I was coming up with, but I wanted most of the details to be a surprise.
“There will be strippers, right?” Bia asked.
“I’m not telling,” I said.
Then, Hannah’s cell phone dinged. Then Bia’s. Then Gabi’s. I frowned as they grabbed their phones, stared at the screen, and frowned.
Hannah turned to me, her eyes wide. “You kissed Reese?”
I sputtered the soda I was drinking. “W-what? No! Why would you say that?”
They all looked at me as if I had committed the crime of the century. I fished my cell phone from my purse and looked at it, expecting to see whatever they had seen, but there was nothing.
“Leo just texted me saying you kissed Reese Saturday night in our parents’ stable,” Hannah said.
“No! That’s not true. I didn’t kiss him. And he didn’t kiss …” The kiss on the cheek. Reese had kissed me on
the cheek. Oh my gosh, what was he telling people?
My cell phone rang and, startled, I almost dropped it. I looked at the screen and swallowed hard.
“Hi,” I said once I answered.
“You kissed Reese?” Gui asked, his tone harsh.
“Why are you all asking me that?” I asked, looking at the girls.
“You all? Who is asking you that?” he asked. “No, wait, first answer me. Did you kiss Reese?”
I stood and rushed out of the restaurant, barely aware that I bumped into Lauren and Iris as they came in to meet us. I halted on the sidewalk, where I was far away from known faces and ears.
“No! I didn’t.”
“Why is he saying that, then?”
“I don’t know. Where did you hear about that?”
“Apparently, Reese told Lucas, who told Malcolm, who told Justin, and then Carlos heard them talking about it—”
Malcolm and Justin were on the Knight House team with Reese, but … “Who’s Carlos?”
“A guy who works at the club. He heard Malcolm telling Justin, and then he gossiped to Leo, Ri, and Pedro when they were leaving practice this evening. Leo, who I guess knows about us somehow, called and told me.” He paused before continuing, his voice tight again. “Reese was gloating about having dinner with you and then, before he left, you two had a moment and kissed.”
I groaned. “Reese twisted what happened—”
“So something happened?”
“Yes, no.” Rage slipped over me. “It’s none of your business!”
Gui inhaled sharply. “You did kiss him.” I was about to explain—again—that I had not kissed Reese, but he spoke up before I could. “You know what, you’re right. This is none of my business. You made that clear when you told me you didn’t want anything with me and even after I told you I wanted to give us a try. So, yeah, it’s none of my business. I’m sorry I called.”
He hung up. Just like that.
Frozen on the sidewalk, I gaped at my cell phone.
I didn’t know how many minutes or hours went by until Hannah came outside. My sister hooked her arm around my shoulders and brought me inside the restaurant. I sat in my previous chair and found five faces staring at me, worried and curious.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Gabi asked, reaching across the table and squeezing my hand.
Even though I shook my head, I said out loud, “I didn’t kiss Reese.”
“If you say you didn’t, we believe you,” Hannah said.
“We do,” Bia agreed. “But why is Reese saying you guys kissed, then?”
“I didn’t kiss him, I swear.” I glanced first at Hannah, then to the other girls. “Last Saturday, our mother invited us for dinner at our parents’ house, which is sorta normal. We always have brunch or dinner on Saturdays together. Anyway, when I arrived, I found out we had guests. Reese and his family.”
“Our mother is trying to set up Hilary with Reese,” Hannah explained.
“What? No!” Bia spoke up. “Reese is nice and good looking, but you deserve better.”
I smiled, thinking it must be a twin thing because Leo had said the same thing to me the other night.
I lost my smile. “I sneaked out after dinner and went to the stable.”
Bia gasped. “You? At the stable? You went there by yourself? Without even taking Evie with you as an excuse?”
“Yes. Can we focus on the main topic here?”
“Sure, but I want to know all about this urge to go to the stable later,” Bia said.
I rolled my eyes. “Anyway, I went to the stable and Reese found me there. He told me that even though my mother is pushing it, he really likes me and would like to go out with me. I told him … I’m not ready to date yet.” I shifted my eyes to Hannah, the only one who knew about Gui and me. Gosh, the way things were going, soon everyone would know and the level of awkwardness would be unbearable. “He told me he knows what I’ve been through and he respects the time it’s taking for me to heal. He also said he’d wait for me, then he kissed me on the cheek and left.”
“Oh, he sounds like he’s in love,” Lauren said dreamily.
“That is kinda cute,” Iris said, her tone matching Lauren’s.
“If that’s what happened, why did he say you two kissed?” Bia asked.
“Maybe he didn’t,” Hannah said. “Maybe he told the right story, but from what Leo told me, the story traveled through several people. Someone must have added to the story or heard wrong.”
“Or both,” Gabi said.
It made sense. I hoped Gui heard that theory. Ugh, why did I care so much? Maybe if he thought Reese and I had kissed, he would move on quicker. To be honest, it was hard to imagine Gui hung up on me, but when we talked, he made me believe he was. Maybe now he would be mad at me for a few days, then move on and things wouldn’t be awkward between us anymore.
One could only hope.
“What are you going to do about it?” Bia asked.
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know, are you going to talk to Reese, see where the story derailed from the truth?”
I hadn’t thought of that. Did I care about it? Ignoring that deep down I did care if Gui knew the truth or not, I didn’t care if the rest of the town believed Reese and I had kissed. Perhaps people would stop thinking of me as damaged now.
“I don’t think I’ll do anything.” I grabbed the menu from the table. “Are we ready to order, or are we only staying for drinks and appetizers?”
Getting the hint that I was done with that topic, the girls picked up their menus and started browsing. Over their menus, I felt the weight of Hannah’s knowing stare. I did my best to ignore her too, and focused on trying to relax with my girls.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I could have waited until Sunday, when I was going to the club to have lunch with my mother and her friends. I knew Reese would be there then, but I just didn’t want to wait.
Last night, when meeting with my mother and Hannah to taste the food that would be served at the wedding, my mother told me she had heard Reese and I had kissed last Saturday. Oh my gosh, this was going too far. I wanted to clarify this situation now.
I took the afternoon off on Thursday, promising Fallon I would work later on Friday and next week to compensate. She just shrugged, not caring about my work hours. Since I didn’t have Reese’s number, even though my mother had wanted to give it to me on several occasions, I called the club in the morning and found out what time his next practice was with the Knight House. At 1:30 p.m. Figuring he would arrive early, I had a quick lunch at my apartment, and then drove to the club. I arrived there a little after one in the afternoon.
I parked my car in the almost empty parking lot and waited. Soon, Malcolm, Justin, and David arrived. They watched me as they walked to the practice field. I just crossed my arms and waited, leaning against my car’s trunk.
Ten minutes later, Reese arrived. He parked his car beside mine and hopped out with a big smile. Until he saw my face.
“Oh, shit,” he muttered. He walked toward me, his hands at his sides, palms out, like in defeat. “You heard the rumors.”
“Yes, I did, and I want to know why you lied?”
“I didn’t lie,” he said, looking straight into my eyes. “I told the guys I had kissed you on the cheek. That was all. Then they told other people and exaggerated, and things got out of hand.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think they would tell people.”
Worse than girls. “I didn’t think you would tell others about any of it.”
“I thought we had a moment. Can you blame me if I was too excited about it and wanted to share it with my friends?” he asked, his tone soft, almost pleading. I guess I couldn’t, so I shook my head. “Besides, is it so bad if people think we kissed? Is the thought of kissing me so disgusting to you?”
“No.” I shook my head. “Of course it’s not disgusting. But … I don’t like having lies going
around, especially about me. If any guy I greet or shake hands with goes around telling everyone and exaggerating it, I’ll soon have slept with the entire club.”
“I understand.” He nodded. “I’m sorry about that. I’ll set it straight, okay?”
“That’s all I want. Thanks.”
He started taking a step toward me, but stopped. “I was going to kiss you on the cheek again, to prove to you I still meant all I said that night, but I guess it’s better I don’t, right?”
I opened my car’s door. “Right.”
“Wait, Hilary.” Reese held on to the top of my car’s door. “We’re still good, right? I mean, I hope this hiccup hasn’t ruined my chances with you.”
I sighed, not sure what to say to him. Before this mess, I hadn’t considered going out with him, not really. Not when someone else occupied my thoughts. Now, though? Now I was sure I wouldn’t give him a chance. I knew this wasn’t his fault, but he hadn’t done anything to undo it so far. It was hard for me to trust anyone, and he already started with a mishap.
In the end, I decided for half the truth. “I don’t know, Reese.”
***
My hands began sweating even before Sonya called my desk telling me my 10 a.m. appointment was in fitting room four. Until I arrived early this morning and looked at my schedule for the day, I had forgotten the guys were supposed to come today. Thank goodness their attire had been ready for the first fitting since the beginning of last week.
After Sonya announced their arrival, I wiped my hands on my pencil skirt and trudged to the fitting room. I stopped before the closed doors and took a deep breath.
I can do this.
I could, couldn’t I? Gui and I were still friends, right? Maybe things would still feel a little awkward, but soon it would be like old times. I would just look at him, think in the back of my mind that he was too handsome for his own good, and go on with my life as if I had never felt anything else—anything stronger—for him.
I wiped my hands on my skirt one more time, raised my head high, and opened the door.
Breaking Through (The Breaking Series Book 3) Page 23