Page 61 of Whisper of Temptation (Whisper Lake 4)

CHAPTER 20

“Is everything okay?” Sara asked as Austin silenced his phone as they walked back to the B&B.

“Yeah.”

While she was at the knitting club, he’d played basketball with Kade, Ethan, Axel, Keaton, and a few other townies. Then, he and Sara had taken a walk around the lake. Unfortunately, there was no skinny dipping and no more talk of kissing rings, but he had enjoyed their easy and light conversation.

Austin had to admit, he’d had a hard time focusing on what she was saying because he kept noticing more and more unique and breathtaking things about her. The way the moonlight brought out lovely highlights in her chestnut hair. The way her straight, white teeth seemed to practically be their own light source, her smile was just that bright.

Whether his brain was processing these details for the first time through the filter of information he’d learned or not, he still loved discovering them. It was something he’d never tire of, given the chance, no matter how many years he spent at it. That was something he knew to be true. He didn’t know how, but he did.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he knew the alert was telling him that he had a voicemail. It had to be the tenth time that Brielle had called in the past week. Each time she’d left a variation of the same message saying she needed to talk to him. He wasn’t ignoring her calls to be an asshole. Honestly, he just didn’t care about hearing whatever she felt she needed to get off her chest. He just wished she’d leave him alone.

“Are you sure?” Sara asked, perhaps picking up on the tension he felt.

He could tell that she was asking if he was okay, but what she was really asking was who was calling. He still hadn’t really talked to her about Brielle, he hadn’t seen the point in bringing it up, but since she had, the night they were parked at True Love’s Kiss, he figured she might be wondering. And if she had questions, she deserved to have them answered.

“Yeah. It’s my ex.”

“Oh. Do you need to take it? I can go—”

“No.” He didn’t want to talk to Brielle and he sure as hell didn’t want Sara making herself scarce so he could.

“But what if she needs something?”

“What could she need?” Austin could hear the defensiveness in his tone and he wasn’t sure where it was coming from.

Sara shook her head and started walking faster. “I don’t know. Sorry, it’s none of my business.”

Austin reached out and wrapped his fingers around her wrist. She stilled and looked back over her shoulder, before turning back and facing him.

He released her hand and took a deep breath as he brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry that I snapped at you. It’s been frustrating me that she keeps calling, but I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

Sara bit the inside of her lip, as she hesitantly asked. “When’s the last time you talked to her?”

Even though he hadn’t told her what had happened between him and Brielle, he was pretty sure that the details had been filled in for her.

“The day I came home and found out she was pregnant by my best friend of twenty years.” Austin stated matter-of-factly.

“You haven’t talked to her since that day?”

“No.” Austin shook his head. “Why would I?”

She shrugged her shoulders slightly. “Closure?”

“She had a two-year affair with my best friend and got pregnant. I think that’s all the closure I needed.”

Sara nodded and he could see that she had more to say.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing. It really isn’t any of my business.” She started to turn, but Austin stopped her.

When she lifted her eyes to his, he said, “Yes it is. I’m making it your business, because I’m asking you. If you have something to say, I want to hear it.”

Her lips tipped at the corners and a sparkle lit her baby blues. “I think you’re going to regret saying that.”

He smiled, loving that she could so easily make him feel lighter and happier than he’d ever felt in his life. It was one of the many reasons he truly did want to hear what she had to say. “I’m serious, Sara. I want to know what you think.”

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