Page 33 of Breaking Bristol

“Thank you,” I murmured shyly. “But please don’t tell anyone. I don’t need the gossip mill to start before we’ve even gone out on a proper date.”

“Okay, okay, I won’t. But when you’re ready, I want to double date with y’all.”

In theory, that sounded good, and even though she was okay with how she knew him in the first place, I had reservations. “Cheyenne, he hasn’t told me what happened with Gage.”

Her lips curved downward. “Really?”

“Yeah. I kind of started to suspect who he was, and when I asked him his name since he’d only referred to himself as Dr. B, he said Matthew. And I put it all together…”

“He doesn’t know that you know?”

I shook my head. “Which is fine, he’s not ready to tell me yet and I can respect that. Unfortunately, I know things about him because of what you’ve told me, and I’m struggling whether or not I should tell him.”

“I don’t know what the answer to that is. That’s something I’d ask you for advice on.” Cheyenne clicked her tongue. “So… pretend I am. What would you tell me if I said I was dating a guy who was hiding something from me, but I knew what it was?”

I sighed. “I guess I’d ask if what he was hiding changes how you feel about him at all.”

“And to that, I’d say…”

I crossed my arms. “It doesn’t. If he just came out and said, ‘hey, by the way, I killed the man my wife was sleeping with,’ I might run for the hills. But I understand the situation, and from everything you’ve shared with me, I know how remorseful he is, that it was a freak accident and as soon as it happened he tried to save Gage’s life. It actually makes me like him more because I know his true character.”

Sadness glimmered in Cheyenne’s eyes. “He thinks that everyone just looks at him and sees a murderer.”

“I can understand that.”

“So the question remains… do you tell him you know? Or wait for him to tell you?” She put her hands on my arms and gave a reassuring squeeze. “Someone very smart once told me that a child will tell you what they need with words or actions. I think that’s the same for men, too. I’m not an expert, but I think by not telling you, he’s telling you that he’s not ready for you to know.”

A sigh whooshed through my lips when I realized how much that hit home for me, too. “That smart person sounds very wise.”

“She is. And she’s also sweet, pretty, kind, funny, caring, and deserves to be happy.” Cheyenne’s hands fell to her sides, and she tapped her fingers on her jeans. “And going against my own advice, I want you to know that I know there are things you’re keeping from me about why you’re really here.” I felt my eyes flash, and she shook her head before I could say anything. “I’m here. That’s all. If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here.”

* * *

It was a crazy busy day, and I still wasn’t caught up, but it was getting late. My work line rang, and I almost didn’t pick it up. “Hello?”

I looked at the screen and saw the seconds ticking away. “Hello. Is anyone there?”

The line was silent, so I hung up and packed up my things. I wasn’t even close to one of the last ones out of the building, so I didn’t notice him immediately because so many vehicles were still in the lot. When I did finally see him, I almost tripped. Matthew leaned on his truck, his legs crossed, wearing worn-out jeans, a white tee with a flannel over it, and a ball cap. And he was holding a bright, beautiful bouquet so big it hid his entire waistline.

It was getting really cold, and I wondered how long he’d been standing out here. I walked slowly to him, being careful of any lingering ice patches and stopped a foot away. I wanted to throw myself at him, but the bottom line is he left me waiting all night without a word. I narrowed my eyes at him. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m so sorry, Bristol. It was one of the busiest weekends I’d ever worked because there were so many car accidents from the roads opening back up. I wanted to call, but I never got your number.” He was stiff, and his voice was unsure. “Did Cheyenne talk to you?”

I wanted to let him off the hook, but a sadistic part of me I didn’t know existed kept up the act. “Yeah. This morning. Not last night when I was left waiting for hours.”

“When I say I couldn’t get a second to breathe yesterday, I’m not lying. I swear. You know how much I was looking forward to our date and after those three days… it’s clear how I feel about you. I’d never stand you up unless it was completely out of my control. Please forgive me.”

I couldn’t pretend to be angry anymore, and burst out laughing. He pulled his head back and confusion crossed his handsome face. “I’m sorry, but you looked so cute groveling that I didn’t want to stop you.”

His shoulders loosened. “You’re not mad?”

“Only that I didn’t give you my number before you left so I wouldn’t have wasted my time getting all dolled up with nowhere to go.”

“Are you serious?” he asked.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

His jaw dropped as if to say, duh. “Because I stood you up. Most women would be throwing a fit.”

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