Page 99 of Break My Heart
‘Nah, your brother’s handling that. Nick has the place running like a well-oiled machine. I was never that organized. The kid’s a natural at running the orchard, like he’s been doing it his whole life.’
‘He kind of has. He was always out following you around when we were kids.’
‘Yeah, he sure was, wasn’t he?’ Dad smiles, remembering those times.
‘Pale ale?’ I grab a glass. ‘Is that what you wanted?’
‘Yeah, that sounds good.’
I get his beer and set it down in front of him. ‘So Mom kicked you out, huh? What’d you do? Break something?’
‘Actually,’ he rubs his jaw, ‘that story isn’t completely true.’
‘What do you mean?’
He takes a drink of his beer. ‘Your mom and I are concerned about you.’
‘Why? The place is doing great. It’s not as busy as it was during the festival, but I’m making a good profit.’
‘I’m not talking about the brewery.’ He sets his beer down.
‘Then why are you worried?’
‘Sawyer, you’re a stubborn kid. Always have been. You get an idea in your head and can’t let it go. Sometimes that’s a good thing.Like you opening this brewery. You were determined to do it and kept working on it until it happened.’
‘Yeah? So what are you saying?’
‘That your stubbornness isn’t always good. Sometimes you need to give people another chance.’
‘What people are we talking about?’
He gives me a look that says I already know the answer. I do, but I don’t want to talk about her.
A few days ago I told Nick what happened with Gina and he told our whole family. I don’t care if they know. In fact, I was hoping it would make them stop trying to get me back together with her, but apparently it hasn’t.
I shake my head. ‘Dad, you don’t know the situation. You weren’t there. You didn’t see her with that other guy.’
‘You could at least give the girl a chance to explain.’
‘I did, and she said there’s nothing going on with her and her ex. But if that were true, then why does he keep showing up here? And why doesn’t she tell me when he’s here instead of trying to cover it up?’
‘I don’t know what her reasoning is, but I do know that she cared about you. I could see it whenever you two were over at the house. A girl that feels that way about you wouldn’t do something to hurt you.’
‘I’m not saying she did it intentionally. Maybe in her mind it was okay to go out with me and still go out with that other guy. I thought I made it clear we were exclusive, but maybe it wasn’t as clear as I thought.’
‘You see what I mean?’ Dad slaps his hand on the bar. ‘You’re stubborn as an ox. You won’t even consider that this girl might be telling the truth.’
‘Dad, I saw them together. She can say whatever she wants, but it doesn’t change what I saw.’
‘And what exactly did you see them doing?’
‘They were talking, but he had his hand on her arm. And they were standing closer than you’d stand if you were just friends.’
‘So you’re giving up a girl you really care about because another man touched her arm and stood too close?’ He huffs. ‘Ridiculous.’
‘It’s not ridiculous. What about the lying? That doesn’t matter? I’m just supposed to forget about that?’
‘You ever consider that maybe the man really did just show up here? What do you know about him?’
