Page 58 of Tattered (Lark Cove 1)

I’d just say something mean. I ended the call and tossed my phone down on the chair.

“Grrr!” I growled thr

ough gritted teeth as my hands fisted. “Asshole. Asshole. Asshole!”

“I can’t believe it.” Hazel took another drag, then stubbed out her smoke. “No. No way. There’s no way I pegged him wrong.”

“We both did.”

“Did he say why he can’t come?”

“No,” I huffed and sat back down. “I hung up before he could really piss me off.”

“So you didn’t let him explain?”

“No. Why would I?” I quirked an eyebrow. “He’s not coming. Charlie will be devastated, and the next time I see him, I’m going to punch him in the throat.”

She frowned and crossed the porch. “Don’t twist your ankle jumping to conclusions.”

My mouth dropped open as she disappeared inside the house.

Hazel hadn’t scolded me in years, but at that moment, I felt more like a teenager than a thirty-one-year-old woman.

I picked up my phone off the chair and followed her inside, standing next to the kitchen sink as she washed out a glass. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I should have let him explain.”

She shut off the faucet. “When you were a kid, I used to worry so much about you. If someone showed you just a little bit of affection, you’d cling to them for dear life. You were desperate for love, even though most of those people didn’t give a shit about you.”

It had taken me years of being used by others to stop trusting so easily.

“And then you came here and had Charlie,” she said. “It was like you flipped the switch. You didn’t need other people anymore because you had her. If anyone tries to get close, you cut them off before they have a chance.”

“I’m close to people. What about Jackson?”

She scoffed. “He’s more closed off than you. You didn’t let him in, sweetheart, he let you in.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. I had friends, didn’t I? There were Ronny and Wayne, two of the regulars from the bar. I saw them almost every day. And I talked to some of the moms on Charlie’s soccer team whenever there was a game or practice. “I’m friends with Willa.”

“You’re friends, but not close. She comes into the bar and you talk to her. When was the last time you did something with a friend outside of the bar? When was the last time you went on a date?”

She had me there. I hadn’t been on a date since I’d lived in New York. It wasn’t that I hadn’t been asked. There were guys who came into the bar all the time and hit on me and asked to take me out. But I didn’t want to date. I was perfectly content coming home each night to Charlie.

“I don’t want to date.”

Hazel laughed. “Yes, you do. But what scares you is that the man you want to date is Logan.”

I hated how she was always right. “It’s just asking for trouble. If it ended badly, it could hurt us all.”

“It could.” She nodded. “Or it could be the best thing in the world for you and for Charlie. If it were me, I’d take that risk if it meant my baby girl could have a real shot at having her parents together. And given your upbringing, you of all people should be the first person willing to take that risk.”

Again, she was right. I closed my eyes, pushing out a long breath. “I just wish he had shown up for her birthday.”

“So do I. But I’m betting he’s got a damn good reason for not being here.”

“We’ll see.” I shrugged. “Would you care if I went for a quick walk? I’m still kind of mad and I want to burn off some steam before I call him back.”

“Go.” She waved me to the door. “Take as much time as you need. I’ve got Charlie.”

I smiled at her, then escaped outside. Normally, when I needed to get my head together, the first place I ran was my workshop. But tonight, I needed to move. To burn off my anger on the pavement.