Page 41 of Oops, I Fell For The Town Bad Boy!

“I’m sure it is,” Taylor said. “But that’s just the problem, isn’t it? He runs when things get hard. That’s what he did when we were younger, and that’s what he’s doing now.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” Taylor said, grabbing two lemonade cans from the cooler and passing one to her friend.

“Is this really about what you feel like Kane owes to the Chesterfields? I mean, is that the real reason you’re upset with him for leaving this time?”

“You don’t think that’s enough of a reason?”

“It’s enough, but I’m not sure it’s your reason.” Maddie’s voice was gentle. “Taylor, everyone knows about what’s been going on between the two of you, you know. It isn’t a secret.”

Taylor felt herself flush. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Maybe not. I wouldn’t know. But you’ve been living with him since he came back, and I know you always had a bit of a thing for him when we were younger.”

“You knew that?” Taylor had never told anyone.

“You’re my best friend,” Maddie smiled. “I know pretty much everything there is to know about you. Do you think I could have had a crush on someone and you miss it?”

“You were always with Bradley. I guess I never had to try to figure out what you felt for anyone, because it was always so obvious.”

“I guess that’s true. Well, I could tell that you were into him. There were plenty of times I wondered if you two were going to hook up. He was into you too, you know.”

“That’s what he told me,” Taylor said.

“He said that? Really?”

“Yeah, but… well, now I don’t know what to think. If he actually felt something for me, he couldn’t leave the way he did. He would have stayed.”

Maddie nodded. “That’s what I thought.”

“What’s what you thought?”

“You’re not upset that he bailed on the Chesterfields. You’re upset that he bailed on you.”

“Pretty pathetic, isn’t it?” Taylor asked. “I should have known all along that he would. I don’t know why I ever let myself believe that it would end any differently.”

“He did seem different this time,” Maddie said. “You’re not the only one who thought it. I did. I think the Chesterfields did, in the end. Not everyone in town was convinced that he had changed, but I think a lot of us saw something different in him.”

“Really?” Taylor didn’t know whether this made it better or worse, but there was something in the idea that she wasn’t alone — that everyone else had seen a different side of Kane as well. “I thought he seemed… regretful. Like he knew he had been wrong in the past.”

“Well, he definitely seemed that way,” Maddie said. “I mean, think about how much money he put into this event. And he sold you that house for way less than he could have. He wouldn’t have done those things if he wasn’t genuinely remorseful for the things he’d done in the past. There wouldn’t be anything else that could motivate him to do something like that.”

“But if he’s so remorseful, why wouldn’t he see it through?”

“Maybe it’s not about the Chesterfields for him either,” Maddie said. “Maybe he’s also more concerned about what’s been going on between the two of you.”

“So you think he’s running away from me too,” Taylor said.

“I’m not saying there’s anything impressive about it,” Maddie said. “But Kane wouldn’t be the first man in the world to struggle with making a commitment, would he?”

“I didn’t ask him for a commitment.” Taylor felt more frustrated than ever. “If he left because of me, the only way I can interpret it is that he left because I was bothering him. And if that’s what he did, I don’t know how to feel okay about it. I don’t know how to make my peace with that.”

“If that’s what it is, he’s a jerk, and you don’t have to waste any more time thinking about him,” Maddie said loyally.

“Maybe,” Taylor agreed. “Or maybe he was on the verge of making amends for his past, and I annoyed him so much that he had to leave town without seeing it through.”

Maddie laughed. “Come on,” she said. “You know that’s ridiculous, don’t you? Kane was lucky to have you, Taylor. Not many people would have welcomed him back into their lives when he showed up in Miller Creek. If he had showed up on my doorstep… well, I don’t know what I would have done, but it wouldn’t have gone nearly as well for him as it did with you.”

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