Page 67 of Just Friends
“Sure,” I said. “Because Soulmate failed. And that was my big, master plan to make a lot of money. And if I had a lot of money, I could take care of my family and the farm. But I don’t.”
“And you think he’ll take care of your family?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, Jax.”
He tutted. “Don’t go back to that fucking guy just because you hit a rough spot. You’ll come up with another idea to make money. It’s easyfor you, Pipes. You’re smart and you succeed at everything you do. You’ve done it before and you’ll do it again.”
“I’m notthe genius entrepreneur you seem to think I am.”
“Says the girl who started selling flower arrangements at the farmer’s market when she was nine years old.”
“Sure, it makes for a good story,” I said with an eye roll, “but my parents did most of the actual work. They were just trying to encourage me.”
“Oh yeah? Then how do you explain Velvet?” he countered.
“Velvet, the vegan bakery?” I asked rhetorically. “I’m not even vegan, Jax. Velvet was all Camille’s idea. She’s the vegan; she’s the one with the passion for baking. The recipes were all hers. I merely rode her coattails to success. The only reason I was a part-owner is because one, we were friends, and two, I had a little bit of money saved up and was willing to put cash down so we could open the shop. I was at the right place at the right time—anybody could’ve done what I did.”
“Okay, so opening Velvet was Camille’s idea,” he conceded. “So what? You saw its potential. You riskedyourmoney to make it happen. And you put in just as much blood, sweat, and tears as she did. That’s why it was a success—that’s why you guys were able to sell the biz for so much money. That’s why you were an equal partner.”
I shrugged. “Sure, I worked hard, but not like Cammy did. I gotlucky, Jax, that’s what I’m trying to tell you. It was stupid of me to think I’d get lucky again by making a dating app.I should’ve set that money aside for my family. Instead, I gambled it all, and now look at the mess I’m in.”
“I can’t believe you’re talking like this,” he said. His body shifted, angling away from me in disappointment. “You don’t sound like the Piper I know. At all.”
“Well, maybe I’m not the person you thought I was.”
“What?” he asked, his features scrunching up. “What’s that even supposed to mean?”
It means I like you.
I sighed. “I don’t know. I really don’t know anything anymore.”
“Fuckin’ hell,” he grumbled. “You’re not even making sense anymore. It’s like you’re talking in code.”
I frowned. “Sorry, Jax. I really am.”
“So what’re you going to do? Are you really going to leave Dallas and get back with your scumbag ex?”
“I don’t know, okay. Nothing’s been decided yet. I haven’t even emailed Nate back. I’m just trying to make sense of this situation. Like I said, I’m thinking everything over.”
“What’s there to think over? You’re talking about moving back to Montana to be with a guy who couldn’t keep his dick in his pants.”
“He never cheated on me. So I don’t know if it’s fair to say he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants.”
“I’d say it’s pretty fair, Pipes. He left you so he could fuck other girls.”
“Yes, but I was the only girl he’d ever been with, and I was talking about marriage and babies with him. I spooked him, okay? He wasn’t ready to settle down yet.” I paused. “And don’t act like you wouldn’t have done the same thing if you were in his position. Your dick isn’t exactly confined toyourpants, either, you know.”
His shoulders sank and he deflated like a balloon with a leak. “You’re right. I’m a scumbag, too.”
“I’m not trying to make you feel bad. I’m just saying, I know how you guys are—you want to sow your seeds and all that. The point is, Nate’s not a bad guy. We were young. We didn’t know better. He’s been trying to get in touch with me foryears,always writing me these thoughtful emails, always dropping by my parents’ to say hi, always—”
“Yeah, the guy really cares about you and your familysomuch,” Jax said with a healthy heaping of sarcasm. “That’s why he sprays herbicide all over your parents’ crops year after year and fucks ’em over financially. Sounds like a fantastic, family-first kinda guy.”
I sighed. “Look. I get it. I have mixed feelings about it, too.”
“My feelings aren’t mixed at all.”
“All I’m saying is, maybe it’s worth going back home for a little bit to figure things out. That’s all. That’sallI’m saying, Jax. I don’t know why you’re so worked up about this.”
