Page 33 of Forever in the Country

SORREN: I swear to God—

HAYDEN: They have a private table in the back of the Iron Cask. Reservation was for 7pm so if you hustle you should catch them before he takes her home

SORREN: I’ll send you a book tomorrow

HAYDEN: You say the sweetest things

HAYDEN: Go get your girl!

Tossingmy phone onto the passenger seat, I make a U-turn and haul ass to Blackstone Falls.

15

RHEA

“Are these the perks of owning your own restaurant?” I ask Colt as I take a sip of my sweet tea. He gives me his all-American-boy grin. His blond hair has that effortless wave to it that makes him look put together but also relaxed and approachable. My hair on the other hand required time, product, and prayers to the humidity gods.

“I like my privacy, so yeah.”

We’re seated in the far back of the restaurant in a space that seems like he created it for this exact reason. Being a famous baseball player must be exhausting, always having to be on and expecting a camera to pop up at every turn.

“Are you ready?” he asks and I reach for my wallet. “Don’t you dare.” My head whips up and he looks annoyed.

“You don’t have to pay for my dinner.” So many times I’d wished I could feel something,anything,for the man across from me but it never happened. We’d commiserated over that truth too.

He waves his hand around. “Perks, remember?” I roll my eyes.

“Well then, for letting me stay at your house.”

“Which sits vacant most of the year,” he says, fishing his wallet from his pocket and throwing more than enough to cover our dinner three times over.

“Fine,” I huff but he just smiles and shakes his head. Colt puts his hand on my back and guides me through a side door.

“I told you it’s fine if you want to stay. I had this trip planned a while ago.”

“No, I need to go to the bakery tomorrow and—”

I can see the Charger the moment we step out of the restaurant, and I exhale something between a sigh and a growl. Colt’s hand presses harder on my back and I feel him look down at me before following my gaze to where Sorren’s form slowly unfolds from the car.

It doesn’t matter how mad I am at him, he’s gorgeous like this—lethal grace cast in shadows. His expression is hard but it only accentuates the sharp lines of his jaw and the fire in his emerald-green eyes.

“Well, shit,” Colt says under his breath. “You had to pick the scary motherfucker, huh?”

“He didn’t choose me,” I say with defeat, my shoulders slumping with my words.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

We stand like that for a while. Colt’s hand drops to his side and Sorren tracks the movement. If he thinks I’m just going to waltz over to him and fall into his arms, he’s out of his damn mind.

“I’m going to wait inside and call Cheyenne to bring me home,” I say. I don’t want to involve her, but she’s closer than Hannah and I need out of herenow.

“I can bring you home. You still have a bag at my house.”

“No, you can’t. I’ll grab my stuff tomorrow. Thanks for letting me hide in your guest room. I don’t want you in the middle of this.”

Colt chuckles. “I’m already in the middle. And you know you’re always welcome. I’m not there much anyway.”

Turning, I wrap my friend in a hug, our shared heartbreak a bond between us. “You going to tell her?” I ask and he shakes his head.

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