Page 38 of Fight for Me
“Declan.”
He grins. “Sydney.” His eyes move to the person beside me, and he smiles so wide it could break his face. “Devney! Get the fuck out of here! You work here? How did I not know that?”
She rushes toward him, arms wrapping around his neck as he pulls her tight. “Yes, you big idiot! I’ve been here for a few years, but you would have known that if you’d made time to see me since you’ve been back.” Devney slaps his chest as he puts her down.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not surprised.”
Declan pulls her to his side and kisses the top of her head. “I missed that level of honesty.”
She pushes out of his arms, turns to face him, and plants her hands right on her hips. Oh, he’s in for it now. “Really? So, you’d like me to be honest about how you suck and need to get your cute butt out of here?”
“What did I do now?”
“You”—she pokes her finger into his chest—“were a jerk.”
Declan looks to me, but I raise my hands. I happen to agree with my spitfire of a friend. He is a big jerk.
“I’m going to assume you’re talking about Syd?”
“Were you a jerk to more women in this town that I should know about?”
I smirk, and he purses his lips. “No, but did she tell you that I’m helping her to sell the farm? I can’t be that big of a jerk.”
Oh, dear fucking God, can the man ruin anything else for me?
I let out a long breath and wait because the tables are about to turn as soon as Devney does. Sure enough, her body starts to spin, and then her eyes are on me. “You’re what?”
“I hadn’t told anyone yet,” I say to him through gritted teeth.
“Don’t look at him. Look at me. You’re selling your farm?”
“Yes.”
“To buy another farm in Sugarloaf?”
I shake my head. “I was going to talk to you about it this week. It’s time, Devney. It’s time for me to move on.”
I see the hurt in her brown eyes, but she doesn’t comment further. “I see.”
“Nothing is final yet.”
I really didn’t want to have this talk now. I planned to tell each of my friends very carefully, and since Ellie and Devney are my two closest friends, I wanted them to hear it from me. Moving wasn’t a decision I came to lightly, and I want them to understand.
She looks to Declan and then back to me. “You’ll talk to me later?”
I nod. “Of course.” Her phone pings, and we both know that’s Oliver letting her know he’s here. Each date night, it’s the same routine. “Go. Come by my house tomorrow.”
Devney laughs. “You can bet your ass I will.”
With that, she gives me a quick hug and then kisses Declan on the cheek. When she’s gone, I head back toward my office, planning to leave him in the lobby. I have nothing to say to him that isn’t curse words or threats of bodily harm.
“Sydney, I didn’t know ...”
I turn with a giant huff. “Didn’t know that I wouldn’t have told my friends yet? I have a lot of ducks to get in a row before I move. This town may not have meant anything to you, but it’s been my world. I wanted to make sure that I was one hundred percent sure before telling them.”
“I see that now. I’m truly sorry.”
