Page 37 of A Gift for the Hopeful Cowboy

Apparently, Rob wouldn’t. Then again, they hadn’t really been in that friend-zone when she’d brought it up.

No, she refused to apologize for what she was trying to do. She’d done nothing wrong.

“Chef?”

She looked up to find one of her servers hovering near the entrance of the kitchen.

“Your sisters-in-law are here to see you… do you want me to tell them you’re busy?”

Pippa shook her head adamantly. “No, send them back. It’s fine. We’ve finished cooking food for the night.”

In seconds, Allie and Jackie materialized, each holding shopping bags from town. Pippa forced a laugh she didn’t feel like giving. “What stores are open this late for you to get any last-minute shopping done?” She threw the rag over her shoulder and came around the island, arms folded. “Please tell me you didn’t camp out in the store until now.”

She attempted to get a decent look at the bags but got her answer before she caught the store name.

Allie lifted the bags. “You mean these? Oh, heavens no. We’d never do that. This was from our shopping outing before dinner. We’ve been hanging out here until you got off.”

Jackie nodded in agreement. “We thought we could stop by and see how you’re doing.”

Pippa’s brows furrowed. “I’m fine,” she drawled. “How are you?”

Jackie rolled her eyes before shooting a knowing look at Allie. “We know something’s up. You haven’t exactly been all happy and bubbly lately.”

Pippa stiffened defensively. “Well, I’m running a business during the holidays. People come in here after they go shopping or before they head out to see Santa’s Village. What do you expect? I’m going to be stressed out during the month of December.”

Allie moved forward and touched her gently. “She only means that even when things are hectic, you’re usually… peppier.”

Pippa groaned and turned away from her friends. “I don’t know what to tell you. I’m perfectly fine.”

“You sure?” Jackie hedged from behind her. “Because I’ve noticed a certain cowboy hasn’t exactly been in the best of spirits either.”

As much as she hated it, Pippa took a little pleasure from knowing Rob was dealing with his own misery. He’d been the one to blow up over this whole thing. He’d been the one to push her away. Why shouldn’t he feel a little bit of guilt over it?

Turning to face them, Pippa did her best to keep a calm face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Come on, Pippa. We’re not blind. We know you guys have had serious conversations. But it’s clear something’s happened. What’s going on?”

Pippa’s eyes darted from Allie to Jackie and back. It wasn’t that she thought they’d judge her for the pact she’d made when she was younger, though the embarrassment of agreeing to such a thing did weigh on her. She simply didn’t want to talk about what was going on because it made it more real somehow.

And yet she couldn’t ignore that not talking about Rob only continued to get harder.

Perhaps she could give them a partial story—something to get them to leave her alone and also to work through what she was dealing with.

She heaved a sigh and leaned against the countertop. “It’s not a big deal.”

“If it’s not a big deal, then you can talk to us.” Allie moved forward. “You know you can always talk to me.”

That last bit was said a little quieter. Within those words, the weight of everything Pippa was dealing with seemed to get worse.

She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream and vent about how she’d been childish enough to let herself get swept up in a silly fantasy she’d had since she was a teenager. She’d told herself even then she couldn’t let that happen.

But just like now, she’d been naïve back then. Her heart was breaking. She’d had failed relationships before, but this one was harder than any of them.

Her gaze drifted to Allie again. “I feel like such an idiot.”

Both of her sisters-in-law converged on her.

“What’s the matter?”

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