Moira raised her brow in challenge, and she could almost hear what she was thinking. This is how you wanted it, Nat.
But she didn’t want it that way anymore, so even though it was hard, she started to tell them about everything between her and Blake. How sad and lonely he sometimes seemed and how much guilt and pressure she felt. Caroline reached for her hand when she told them about offering to cater his Once Upon A Dare guys’ weekend. Moira finally reached for her other hand when she told them about getting drunk at Hairy’s and how Blake had stayed with her after she’d put on a particularly epic Natalie Show. Her chest felt like it was enclosed by manacles by the time she reached the part about kissing him last night—and how it had made her more scared and confused than ever.
Everyone fell silent, and the server brought their food. She could tell her sisters were scared to say anything given the way she’d shut them down before.
“I know what I said,” she said in a low voice, mostly because her throat was as tight as her chest now. “But…well…shit…just tell me what you’re thinking.”
Caroline nestled closer. “I would say you two are in a good place. It’s only natural to be confused, but it sounds like some things are becoming clearer.”
Moira met her eyes. “You still want him, and you’re both taking care of each other again. You helped him with his guys’ weekend, and he helped you when you were drunk. I’d say that’s progress.”
“That guy—the one on the street—is my worst nightmare,” she said, pushing the greens of her salad around on her plate. “I’m afraid everything he said is true. You can’t imagine how guilty I feel about him giving up football. I know this camp he’s doing is going to be incredible, but I worry about the after part.” It felt unburdening to share the thoughts she had barely even expressed to herself.
She proceeded to tell him about her run-in with Cormack Daly at Hairy’s.
“Wow. I don’t know what surprises me more.” Caroline popped a leftover piece of the taco sushi into her mouth. “That mom would talk to Blake for this guy or that Blake might become a high school football coach.”
“You have to admit,” Moira said with a grin. “He’d look good on the sidelines.”
Natalie snorted out a laugh. “Yeah, but the outfit wouldn’t entail nearly enough spandex.” Personally, she’d enjoyed seeing his legs encased in football pants.
“But his handsome face would be,” Moira teased.
“Stop it!” she said, and this time she could tell they were okay with one another because there wasn’t any heat to it. She would have said it the same way if they’d been sharing a room and her sister had thrown a pillow at her.
“Just saying,” Moira responded with that same silly grin on her face.
“I’m not going to talk to Mom about her role in all this.”
Caroline nodded her head slowly. “Good idea.”
“I concur with Caro here,” Moira said. “Mom doesn’t like being called on the carpet.”
Who did?
“I haven’t said anything to Blake about the job either,” she said, even though her mind kept spinning circles around it. What would it mean if he took the job and stayed? What would it mean if he rejected it? “We don’t discuss the future.”
“Probably wise,” Moira said. “You need to discuss the past first.”
Yeah, and if they survived that…maybe, then maybe they could talk about the future. “I don’t know where any of this is leading,” she whispered, feeling that familiar squeeze in her heart. Even after kissing him—which had been at once hot and heartbreaking—she felt more at sea than ever.
Of course, she wanted to kiss him again. Couldn’t wait to kiss him again. Couldn’t wait to see him smile in that earnest way of his. She turned to sap just at the thought of it.
“Give yourself plenty of time to see where things go,” Caroline offered, taking another sip of her whisky. “You don’t need to rush things.”
She needed to tell her body that. Kissing was one thing, but sex was another. It would be a huge step, and while her body was raring to go, she didn’t think she was emotionally prepared for what it would do to her.
“It’s okay to be scared,” Moira said, cutting a piece of her fish taco and putting it on Natalie’s plate. “We’re here for you. For whenever you want to talk. And I’m sorry…for what I said earlier. I can be a bitch sometimes too.”
“Friends?” Natalie asked them.
Caroline bumped her side. “Silly, don’t you know sisters are forever friends?”
They finished their meals, and she took care of the check as an extra way of saying thank you.
But as she drove out of Denver, the pressure rose inside her again, increasing the closer she came to Dare Valley. Caroline said to give herself time to figure out what she wanted with Blake.
What was the old saying about time marching on?
She just hoped it wouldn’t march all over them.
Chapter 22