“Lacey.” She took me by the shoulders and looked me in the eyes. “Her date is Beckett Vinroot.”
Chapter 27
“MyBeckett Vinroot? You’re kidding.”
“I wouldn’t joke about something like that.”
“Are you sure?” I could barely hear my voice over the sound of blood rushing between my ears.
“Tall, dark, and dressed like he just walked off a magazine shoot?” Sloane chewed her lip. “I think I know Beckett when I see him.”
I tried to pull in a breath, but my chest was too tight to let in air. I clutched my book, fingers digging into the binding. There had to be an explanation. They were both authors. It could bework related. Beckett had said he had meetings. I’d been the one to assumeit was for his day job.
“Maybe it’s not a date,” I said.
Sloane winced. “It looked like a date to me. I’m sorry, Lacey. I hate to say it, but I warned you about him.”
Sloane hadn’t been the only one. Pressly had advised me to steer clear of her brother too. I hadn’t listened to either of them.
I side-stepped Sloane, determined to see for myself. If I didn’t, my imagination would fill in the blanks, and it wouldn’t be pretty. I strode through the lobby and into the bar.
My steps slowed when I heard a low male laugh coming from Miranda’s booth. Beckett’s laugh.
I took another step, and another laugh sounded. This one was high and light—Miranda’s laugh.
A bitter taste flooded my mouth as I took the final step and rounded the corner of the booth. The first thing I noticed was that they were sitting on the same side of the booth together. The second thing I noticed was how comfortable they looked. Their dark heads were bent close. Beckett had one arm draped over the back of the bench seat, his other hand wrapped around the drink Miranda had ordered. His usual.
Heat burned my cheeks as I saw what they were looking at on the table: a book. Beckett lifted his hand from the glass and flipped a page.
My stomach heaved, and I felt dizzy. I blinked rapidly, hoping the intimate scene was just an illusion, but they didn’t disappear. Beckett spoke softly, and Miranda laughed again. Neither one of them noticed me standing a few feet away.
Sloane came to my rescue. She grabbed my handandtugged. Ifollowed, stumbling blindly behind her.
Pressure built in my chest, making it impossible to breathe. Tears blurred my eyes. There was no mistaking that intimate scene for a business meeting.
“They were reading together.” It was the ultimate betrayal.
Sloane put her arm around me. “I know.”
Igasped, and tears burned the backs of my eyes. “They were sitting on the same side of the booth.”
I sank into the softness of Sloane’s hug as my mind reeled. All my insecurities reared their ugly heads. I wasn’t Beckett’s type, and Miranda was perfect for him. I was a dog walker, and Miranda was a best-selling author. Her hair was a soft wavy curtain. Mine? As twisted as the plot in a nail-biting thriller.
Asob escaped my mouth, but the tears didn’t fall.My mind tripped over every detail of my relationship with Beckett. I’d suspected he was too good to be true, and now I knew I was right.
The validation sparked no happiness. It was a little like guessing the ending of a novel from the first chapter, even though I was glad to be right, I would ratherhave been surprised.
I felt calmer after a few deep breaths. It was almost a relief to give up on the dream of me and Beckett. Our relationship would never have worked.
“I’m so sorry, honey,” Sloane said.
“It’s okay.”
And it really was. Everything would be okay. Beckett had never been mine to begin with. Letting him go made everything easier. I no longer had to risk my heart. I could bandage it up and seal it off before it was too late.
“I’m gonna go.” I grabbed my purse and pulled on my coat. Saying the words out loud sparked the wanderlust that had been missing since I’d moved to Mossy Oak. It was time to leave this charming town. I would put Mossy Oakand Beckett in the rearview.
Sloane pulled me close for another hug, and I savored the feeling, knowing it might be one of our last.
