Page 113 of Playing With Secrets
“It’s not a problem. I poured you some wine to go with your water.” I shift to the corner of the couch.
“Oh, thanks. You said you wanted to finish talking. Other than rekindling our passion right now, what’s on your mind?” She sits on the other side of the couch with her back against the arm.
She didn’t hug me when I got here. I’m not getting a good feeling about this. She’s settled as far from me as possible, effectively ending any hope of rekindling our relationship. The distance is undeniable.
All my fears I’ve been discussing in therapy come to the surface. I face them head-on like I’ve been working on doing.
“To be blunt, I’m feeling defeated at the moment, so let’s start with that.”
“What’s making you feel defeated?” She crosses her legs and places a pillow over her lap.
I gesture to the pillow. “You’re making it clear you don’twant me to touch you. I understand we’re not together, but I’m trying, and I don’t feel like you’re on the same page.”
“Hunter, it’s just that I’m struggling to see how this works between us. I’m not quitting my job, and I don’t want to go to the board with our relationship. It’s too risky. It makes me wonder where that leaves us.”
“Do you still love me?” The muscles in my ribs tighten and I hold my breath.
“Of course I do. That doesn’t go away overnight.” She takes a drink of water, and some of my heart stays intact. “If I met you under different circumstances, there wouldn’t be a question.”
I nod slowly as I think about that. “You’re not trying to tell me this is over, are you?”
“Tell me how we go forward. You have a public relationship with Ava. On top of that, Ava thought Isabella was one of yourcurrentgirlfriends. How many girlfriends do you have?” Dorothy’s jealous emerald gaze connects with mine, and she raises her brows.
Her doubt in me permeates the room. I hope she’s not walking me into a trap, but I have to believe Jamison would’ve warned me if she knew about Isabella and me. Dorothy knows me as a strong, forward man, so that’s who I need to be.
“That’s a lot to sort out there. Where do you want to start?”
“Let’s start with how many girlfriends you have.”
“Easy. Technically zero. One, if you count the person who’s always on my mind and in my heart. I don’t care that you think we’re not together because I don’t see it like that.” I need more time to think, so I take a quick sidestep. “How was dinner tonight?”
She pulls back in surprise. “Um… It was good. Melanie and Jamison showed up, so they crashed my dinner with Isabella. It turned out to be a good thing. That girl flips through topics faster than Melanie. She was all over the place until they got there.”
“That’s an interesting perspective.”
“What is?”
“Isabella always seems focused on one thing. Melanie’s the one I see all over the place. I blame it on how much time she spends on social media. That crap is crack. Those platforms reward you for behaving like a sheep to their algorithm. It’s sad to see people fall for that.”
“You realize you’re building an app that does the same thing as those social media platforms, right?” Dorothy smirks. “But yours is going to be even more powerful, so…”
I huff a laugh. “I didn’t think about it, but you’re right. Now I’m the one who gets a bunch of sheep to follow my algorithm.”
“It’s Jamison’s algorithm. He created it for you.” Her cheeks turn red, clearly upset I didn’t give him credit.
A knife drives into my gut. No matter how much I try to win her love, she’ll always have a soft spot for him in her heart.
“Speaking of Jamison. How was it seeing him and Melanie together?”
Dorothy shrugs and shakes it off. “It’s fine. I have no problems with their friendship. He deserves to have a friend like her. She helps him get out of his shell.”
“How’s that?”
“He has his employees, but they don’t work here in town. Aiden isn’t here. His closest friend is more like his grandfather. I’m here, but it’s tense with us, so Melanie is perfect for him.”
“If things are strained with you two, how did dinner go? Were you two able to talk at all?”
She lowers her head and hugs the pillow. “Not really. He held his ground for being with three powerful women, but it’s not his comfort zone.”
