Page 21 of The Singer and the Silent Type

I couldn’t stand listening to her cry. Opening the door just an inch, I said, “I swear, baby, I will do as you say every day for the rest of our lives, but right now, I need you to listen.”

I felt like a total heel, especially going into a place that was clearly off-limits to me. But I would have done absolutely anything to stop her tears. I entered the small room slowly to find her sitting on the counter beside the sink. I approached her cautiously, as if she were a wild animal. Since I’d never seen her upset or angry before, I honestly had no idea how she would react.

“Whatever I did, please tell me so that I can fix it,” I said gently.

“How in the actual hell can you not know what you did?” she sniffled, pinning me with a glare that could have stripped paint from metal.

“Lorena, I’ve never had a girlfriend before. I’m sorry, but you might have to train me like a dog for a bit. I swear I’ll learn to obey.”

The corner of her lips twitched as if she was stifling a giggle. That was a start. Then her bottom lip quivered. “It’s not my fault those women hate me, but I certainly didn’t think you’d listen to their lies.”

“What women?”

She handed me my phone from her apron pocket, which I had somehow completely forgotten about. “I wasn’t snooping,” she said quickly. “I would never do that. I was just picking it up to bring it here, figuring you needed it. But I saw some bits of texts telling you to stay away from me because I was a slut.”

Opening my phone quickly, all I saw were a couple of texts from George, telling me about the cars he wanted to show me.

“And then…” she choked, “the one about how I’d ride better because I was heavier. That’s just disgusting.”

Finally I put two and two together, staring at the snippets of the messages she could have taken a different way. Closing my eyes for a moment, I forced myself not to laugh. “Baby, those texts had nothing to do with you.”

“Then why did you leave me this morning?” she demanded.

“I didn’t leave you. I just went to work. I made myself a coffee first, then put it on the timer for you, so that yours would be fresh.”

“You didn’t leave a note,” she whispered.

Dammit.

My hand ran through my hair and I realized the heel of my boot was tapping nervously against the floor. “Shit, baby, I’m so sorry. I didn’t think. There was something I needed to take care of, and I just jumped up and got cracking. It’s the way I’ve always been.”

She bit her bottom lip to keep it from quivering, but her sweet eyes looked hopeful. “You really didn’t take off on me?”

I reached out to take her hand, and was relieved when she held it. “I’m so sorry if it seemed that way, angel. Now that I know it’s important, I will never disappear without leaving a note, okay?”

“Then what were those messages about?” she asked. “It really sounded like people were telling you to keep away from me, or just use me as a fling.”

The thought that this could be thought of as a casual fling nauseated me. “You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met, Lorena. You’re beautiful, sweet, and incredibly talented. I don’t give a damn about what anyone says about either of us. Small town gossip comes and goes like waves. All I know is that I love you, and want to be your man.”

Her eyes filled with fresh tears, and I realized what I had said without even thinking. But it was the absolute truth. I loved this girl through and through.

Pulling her against my chest, I wrapped her in my arms. “Baby, I can’t stand seeing you cry. What can I do?”

“You swear those messages weren’t about me being a fat slut?”

I stiffened. “If I hear you say something like that again, I’ll be tempted to wash your mouth out with soap,” I murmured.

She looked up at me, her eyes absolutely pleading. Skimming my thumb under her eyes, I tried to wipe away her tears. “Angel, if you come outside with me for just a minute, I swear that you’ll be happy, and understand everything.”

She hesitated, but her head fell against my chest again.

“If I’m wrong, you can punish me however you’d like.”

“Okay,” she said in a tiny voice. Scooping her up, I pulled her off the counter, holding her tight against me for another moment.

A few eyebrows were raised as we walked out of the ladies room with me holding her hand. I took her straight out the front door, then around to the side parking lot.

“I couldn’t stand the thought of you not having your own way to get around, baby,” I said. As we turned the corner, she could see a little blue car parked beside my truck. George had driven it here for me, followed by his extremely irritated wife.

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