Something flickers in her expression. It’s gone before I can figure out what it was. I don’t know why, but her reaction causes my muscles to tense.
My phone rings again. I send whomever it is also to voicemail.
She draws in a breath. “I know the timing isn’t great…but…but I think we need to end things, Troy. Between us.”
Huh?I stare at her for a beat. Have I fucking gone back in time to when we had the same conversation while she was hiding Violet and Sophie here?
“What the hell are you talking about?” I ask, still stunned by her comment.
“I saw you and Olivia and Nova at the beach.” Every muscle in her body seems taut, like they’re on the verge of snapping.
I frown. “So? You know I hang out with Nova.” Does she think I lied about the work emergency? “Is this about me not being able to pick you up after therapy?”
“Not at all. And I know you hang out with Nova. But it made me realize…you guys are the perfect family. I’m mourning the loss of my daughter…and you…you’ve got such a great family waiting for you. Olivia. Nova.”
I try to make sense of Jess’s words. “Olivia is my friend. She’s been my best friend since she and Colton and I were kids. You know that.”
“Best friends often go on to make the best lovers,” Jess says, as if reading the quote from a goddamn romance novel.
“Olivia and I have never been lovers and never will be. It’s not that way between us.”
“Maybe it should be that way. You’re perfect together.”
Zara had warned me a few months ago that Olivia was falling in love with me. I had brushed it off as nonsense. Apparently, Zara wasn’t the only person who saw things I’d missed with my best friend.
My phone rings a third time. What the hell? I go to turn off my ringer but this time it’s Olivia who’s calling.
I answer in case it’s important. “Hey, what’s up?” I ask, keeping my frustration at the situation between Jess and me out of my tone.
“Nova wanted to say good night to you. Here you go, sweetie.” The last part was clearly for her daughter.
“Hi.” Nova’s small voice has the equivalent of a big grin in it.
“Hey, princess. Have sweet dreams.” I can tell from Jess’s crestfallen expression she knows exactly who I’m talking to, and I’ve just handed her more ammunition for why we can’t be together—in her mind.
No matter what I do, I’m the bad guy.
“I’ll see you in a few days,” I tell Nova, still managing to keep the frustration in my tone at bay.
“Night-night!” She giggles and the phone goes dead.
I lower the phone to my side, my gaze not leaving Jess’s face. All that she’s thinking of is written on it. Every hurt. Every mistrust. Every lost hope.
She’s breaking up with me. Jess is actually breaking up with me. Again.The realization is a slash to the heart. Pain pumps through my body, turning everything inside me to fire, like a lit fuse.
The protesters, the death threats, clients canceling, Pushing Limits pulling out, the stress of organizing a festival, running Wilderness Warriors and a construction company, the lack of sleep lately—everything I’m dealing with comes to a full boil. Hot lava pushes through the cracked surface, erupting like Mount St. Helens and taking me down with it.
Fuck. This.
I don’t have time for this if I’m planning to save the festival. Save all those people I’m on the verge of letting down. The individuals with PTSD. Their families.
I slowly shake my head, but it’s not enough to calm me. My fists clench at my sides, and I force out a hard breath. “Fine, Jess! We’re done! I’m not doing this with you again and again. I’m tired of you constantly getting scared of what we have between us and pushing me away. You push away people who love you?—”
“I don’t push away people I love. They. Leave. Me.” A wildfire of emotions flares in her eyes.
“For God’s sake. Your parents left you. Your grandparents didn’t leave you. They died. They weren’t immortal. People die. That’s fucking life.”
Butterscotch and Bailey whimper.
