Page 69 of Undone, Love Times Three

Say something to her, dickhead.

“You ordered an IPA.”

She sounds clinical, a little cagey. I want to put her at ease. I need to see the real Blue again.

“I hear the new blend is even better than the original,” I answer.

“Well, it is called Blue after all.”

It’s hard to hide the grin. There she is. This is the Blue I fell for. The sassy, confident woman who gives as good as she gets.

Blue sets the two glasses on the table, then the bottles.

“Are you joining me?”

Checking out the immediate vicinity and the bar, she makes a show of deciding. She’s given herself away already with the two bottles but I let her play this out.

I pick up one of the bottles and hold it out to her. Blue takes it and I grab the other, then clink the necks together. We each take a drink, never taking our eyes off each other.

Blue slides onto the stool opposite me when people are trying to squeeze around her. She sets her tray on the table. I can’t help but remember back to that first night. When Reed was sitting opposite me and his dumb ass move of offering her twenty dollars to join us.

Her head cocks to the side and her brow pinches. I didn’t mean to let those intrusive thoughts into this. Reed Faulkner was the catalyst for all of this, but I really wish he hadn’t been. Looks like she is thinking back on that too.

Sitting in the past isn’t what I want.

“You went back to the brewery.”

“I needed to get away,” she answers.

“Did it help?”

“Some,” she shrugs.

“Blue, what happened the other night… I was stupid not to tell you we were still partnering with Faulkner on that deal. I stepped away from it and hated bringing him up when I was around you. Things between us changed so quickly, I was focused on that and nothing else. That is really no excuse. I should have told you.”

“Yes, you should.”

Shit, I don’t know if this is going the right way. She’s giving me her time right now, that doesn’t mean she forgives me. Sitting here saying sorry over and over will not get me anywhere with Blue.

“I messed up and I’m sorry for that. I don’t want this to be over.”

“I understand,” Blue says. She plays with the label on the beer bottle, tearing at the logo at the top. “You didn’t do anything intentionally. You’re just an idiot.”

My brows shoot up. “You have a way with words, Blue.”

“I’m not afraid to use them.”

“Yeah, I’m getting used to that. And I missed it. What I did was stupid. You deserve better.”

Blue shakes her head and looks away for a second. In true Blue fashion, her eyes come back to me with clear intent. “I have had some time to think things over.”

She looks stern. Damn, I’m not losing her. I can’t.

“You had every right to be mad at me. Blue, I-”

“Let me finish,” she puts both elbows on the table and leans forward. “What you did, wasn’t a life altering disaster. While I was away, I got a bit of perspective and although I didn’t like it, I also don’t enjoy having information withheld. A lie by omission is still a lie.”

All I can do is nod. She’s right. In the back of my mind, it was there. I should have told her.

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