Page 51 of Secretly Loving my Cowboy Best Friend

“We already got you a water and ordered two baskets of wings and a basket of fries for the table,” Rachael said when Sofi slid into a chair.

Sofi grinned at her friends, glad that they knew the way to her heart. She’d been too busy to eat dinner that evening—the dinner rush at the mercado had been even more ruthless than usual—so the wings and fries were exactly what she needed.

“So how were your days?” Sofi asked the girls as she chugged some of the water Rachael had ordered her. The food had yet to make an appearance.

Leia shrugged and tipped her head toward Rachael. “She’s the one with news.”

Rachael frowned. “Roland called me today.”

Sofi felt her eyebrows rise.

“It wasn’t like he was asking me back or anything. But he did ask how cancelling the wedding was going and if I wanted any help.”

That was more than Sofi had ever expected from the man, so color her impressed.

“I told him it was all done, considering our wedding had been planned for almost two months ago,” Rachael continued.

True. Sofi was somewhat less impressed.

“I asked how his new girlfriend was doing. He said she wasn’t his girlfriend and then I hung up. I’m pretty sure he wanted to ask some kind of favor; I dated him long enough to know his tells. So I hung up before he could get there,” Rachael said with a grin.

Sofi chuckled. It wasn’t the way she would have dealt with the situation but if it helped Rachael to feel better, Sofi was all for it. The guy had put her through quite the wringer. Rachael deserved this one moment of triumph.

“I’m guessing no calls or texts for you today?” Rachael moved along, looking at Sofi sympathetically. It was a question they couldn’t help but ask every day. Sofi would have asked as well if the situation were reversed. But every time she had to tell them nothing had come through her heart broke a little more.

Sofi shook her head.

“He’ll come around,” Rachael promised but it was Leia’s silence that worried Sofi. Leia was usually the first to utter words of comfort. Maybe she was beginning to see what Sofi refused to. This much time might be Austin’s way of saying goodbye.

Her heart clenched at just the thought. It couldn’t be. Yet she’d been the one to issue the ultimatum.

Had it been a mistake? Typically she wouldn’t press a man beyond what he could give. But this was Austin. He wouldn’t give unless he was pressed, at least not in this. And she knew this was what was best for him. That was the advantage to being friends for nearly their whole lives—she knew what he needed before he did. But what if it had been too much?

But Sofi couldn’t backtrack now. She’d put the words out there, for better or worse. And despite the misery of the past few weeks, she couldn’t regret them. But this wait was going to be the death of her if it went much longer.

Her heart plummeted as she searched for a distraction, any distraction.

“Sof, aren’t those your brothers?” Leia asked, pointing behind Sofi.

Okay, any distraction besides them. Sofi closed her eyes. If they’d followed her . . . But then she realized they hadn’t had to. She’d parked on the street and her brothers could have easily seen her car while they’d been driving around, deciding how to spend their evening.

Sofi turned, her fiercest glare ready.

Mario’s hands were already up as he and Daniel joined their table.

“I didn’t know you’d be here. I swear. But now that you’re here and we’re here and there are no empty tables . . . ” Mario’s voice trailed off before he turned a charming smile at Rachael.

Sofi’s friend beamed up at the goober, so Sofi guessed it didn’t matter what she said. Rachael now wanted them there. Maybe a few dates with Mario were just what she needed to get her groove back. But if Mario hurt her, Sofi would end him.

A server came by, dropping wings and fries at the table.

“Sorry, but can we get another round of the same thing?” Sofi requested before the server could leave. With her brothers joining them, Sofi knew she’d have to double the food if she wanted anything for herself.

“Sure thing,” their server said before hurrying back toward the kitchen.

“Grab some food while you can,” Sofi directed her friends. “As soon as we offer some to them, it will be gone.”

Leia didn’t hesitate to fill her plate but Rachael looked to Mario.

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