Page 28 of Trails of Temptation

What the hell were we going to do now?

There was no going back. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go back, anyway.

“I think I’m going to stay down here and hang out with you today,” Moira mused as I gathered up our dishes and took them to the sink. We’d been sitting around the kitchen table for an hour just talking, but I didn’t really feel any better. “Grant picked up some ice cream from the fancy shop in town. Maybe instead of making a big lunch, you can just watch a movie with me. We can eat ice cream and popcorn.”

“What movie?” I sniffed, pushing down my roiling emotions that were threatening to break to the surface.

“Pride and Prejudice, of course. The ultimate lesson in dealing with grumpy, emotionally void men,” she teased.

I smiled despite the fact I was torn up inside. Moira went to lie down on the couch while I did the dishes. I did make a plate for George, though. I wrapped it in foil and stuck it in the fridge with a sticky note with his name on top of it. My heart squeezed at the thought he was outside suffering and hungry, all because he didn’t know what to say to me, or even talk to me.

I cared about him. I wished he knew that.

ChapterFourteen

George

My head was throbbing when I finally opened my eyes to the full sun flooding through the curtains over my bed. I didn’t need to glance at the clock to know I’d overslept. I rubbed my temples, then ran a hand over my face. I could still taste the tequila from the night before on my tongue.

Fucking idiot. That was what I was. I’d pressed Keely against the door to her bedroom and kissed her like my life depended on it, then swayed back home and grabbed the half empty bottle of tequila off the counter before downing the rest of it and falling face-first into bed.

At least I’d remembered kissing her. I didn’t remember much else.

I crawled to the edge of the bed, still drunk most likely, and let myself fall to the floor in a heap. I felt like shit and would feel like shit for days. It was my own damn fault, just like it was my own damn fault for breaking Keely’s heart twice now. I was addicted to her, that was the only explanation. Her lips against mine was like a drug and I couldn’t do anything to stop myself from needing to get my next fix.

The tequila I’d downed before dinner at the Hallstons’ place hadn’t helped any, either. It hadn’t numbed the pain or made sitting a few seats down from her at their dining room table any easier. The look on her face all of dinner had shattered me. I’d been gripping the seat of my chair until my knuckles were white. Why had I thought going was a good idea? I couldn’t remember. I had no idea why.

I glanced up at the clock on my bedside and groaned before rolling over onto my belly and staggering to the bathroom. I took the coldest shower I could handle, trying not to bang my head against the tiles every time I swayed forward. I needed to go back to bed, but Grant knew full and well that I’d been drunk last night. He’d know the reason I was late today was because I’d finished off an entire bottle of hell-water to myself and barely touched any of the dinner Keely worked so hard on.

Fuck, this was getting bad.

Even if Keely and I weren’t together, Pete would still kick my ass for putting his sister through this if she said anything. I doubted she would, but I deserved it nonetheless. Hopefully Pete would just wring my neck and get it over with quickly, but knowing him, it would be the slow torture I deserved.

I felt a little better after the shower and headed downstairs to drink an entire pot of coffee. I ate scrambled eggs and toast with the coffee, forcing myself not to throw up the entire time. I knew I’d feel better if I did, but I was bent on suffering today. Barely being functional was my punishment, and my mind being as foggy as it currently was could get me through the day without thinking about Keely.

I felt like I was going to faint for the first two hours I spent mending some boards along the outside of the stables. I’d just set my tools down when my phone started to dance over the top of my toolbox.Mom.

“Hey,” I said to the best of my ability as I leaned against the wall.

“You sound like hell,” Mom barked into the phone.

“I have the flu,” I lied, swallowing back the need to just puke and get it over with. “How’re you doing today, Mom?”

“Just fine now that I finally get to hear my son’s voice!”

I smiled sadly. Not only was I a prick to Keely, but I didn’t call my mom as often as I should. I didn’t see her much now that she lived in that fancy retirement community in Florida. In my defense, she’d wanted to move there, and it was across the continent.

“I have some news,” she said, her voice trembling a bit. “I’m moving to Helena. I’ll be living with your aunt Nancy.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m old and tired,” she breathed. “And I wanted to be closer to you. Florida was fun while I was young, but all of my boyfriends keep dying on me.”

I snorted, running my hand over my face as I slowly slid against the wall and onto my ass, my legs splayed in front of me. “Does Aunt Nancy know you’re moving in with her?”

“Of course. I fly out tomorrow. My things are already at her house. She has an extra bedroom now that Cousin Elaine and her no-good husband finally moved out—” She rattled on for a while about how no one in this family ever married on time or had babies. She was careful not to mention my late wife, however. She didn’t like to talk about that, and I didn’t blame her. Almost two decades had passed and I still didn’t like to talk about it.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were moving?” I asked.

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