Page 52 of The 7 Rules of Moving On
“Do you need a hug? I’m an excellent hugger.”
Or maybe not.
“No, I don’t need a hug,” Dawn said, scowling over a nose as red as a stoplight. “You never give up, do you?”
Ryan winked.
Trig rolled his eyes.
“Why was Kissie yelling at you anyway?” Dawn asked.
“Yeah, Trig. How’d you mess up this time?”
Trig would have reached across the bar to rip Ryan’s snowcap off and throw it back in his face, but he was too tired. “I broke the rules.”
“Kissie and her damn rules,” Dawn grumbled.
Ryan scratched his chin stubble. “What’s the deal with her rules, anyway?”
“It’s Kissie. It’s the way she’s always been. First born in a huge family, hall monitor, class president, resident advisor. Rules make her comfortable.”
“Which rule did you break?” Ryan asked.
Trig swallowed a shot of Jameson. “I told her I wanted her to stay. Or at least to try a long-distance relationship if she didn’t want to leave Missoula.”
“You caught feelings,” Dawn said, showing the first smile Trig had seen from her since she’d emerged from her room.
“Sap,” Ryan muttered, wincing when Dawn elbowed him in the ribs.
“It doesn’t matter anyway,” Trig said miserably. “Because she’s moving to Seattle.”
“Yeah, to take a job she doesn’t want,” Dawn said, grabbing Trig’s attention.
“What do you mean?”
Twirling her spoon in her hot toddy, Dawn explained, “Kissie is the most driven person I have ever met. She’s always wanted to be successful, and I think she’s always believed that if she followed all the rules and made all the right moves, she’d make something of herself. Last year she almost moved to Seattle for the same job, but she ended up turning it down because of Bryan. And now that he’s screwed her over—”
“She’s not about to hold herself back for another man,” Trig guessed, a sharp pain twisting his gut. “Which is exactly what I just asked her to do.”
Dawn gave him a long, level look. “Do you care about her? Like, honestly? You’ve only known her for a few days?”
“I’ve known her for three days. I’ve known her for two years. I think I’ve known her my entire life.”
“He has one of her jingles set as his ringtone,” Ryan weighed in.
Dawn’s mouth fell open. “You do? Which one?”
“Big Bobby’s Tires,” Trig admitted, his cheeks heated.
Her chin started to wobble. “That’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard. Why can’t…” she trailed off, shaking her head. Then she elbowed Ryan again when he tried to run his hand up and down her back.
“Ouch, woman! I bruise easily.”
Ignoring Ryan’s protests, Dawn said, “I might be a selfish best friend, but I don’t want Kissie to leave. And,Jesus, that whole ringtone thing? Like that kind of man even exists.” She said this more to herself than to either of them. “I think you’d be good for her, Trig. If you’re serious, if you really want to try and have something with her, you need to get your ass out into the snow, go find her, and give her a reason to stay.” After a sneeze so loud it made Trig and Ryan flinch, Dawn added, “And I need to go back to bed.”
“What about the rules?” Trig asked, already eyeing his coat on the rack, his fingers itching to pull his hat over his head. “I’ve been the worst wingman in the world. I’ve caught feelings I can’t even name, and I can’t pretend I haven’t. What if I push her away even more?”
Arching an auburn brow, Dawn said, “I may have been down for the count for most of this trip, but don’t forget, Trig, I am her wingwoman. And there are stillsevenrules on Kissie’s card.”
