Can't Hardly Breathe (The Original Heartbreakers #4)

“You have no idea what’s happened between the two of us. No idea what she did to me!”

“Did she murder your best friend? Steal your boyfriend? Run over your dog?” He put just enough derision in his tone to piss off a saint. “Did she burn your favorite collection of bubble chews?”

Holly—far from a saint—took the bait. “She left me, you bastard! She abandoned me. There. Are you happy now?” She threw the words at him as if they were weapons. “I needed her and she...she... You know what? Screw you! You’ve noticed my settings, well, I’ve noticed yours, too. You only want what’s new and exciting, and you forget the one who’s waiting for you. The one who’s good for you, who would treat you like a king!”

“No one is waiting for me,” he told her, but there was a strange churning in his gut.

“And that just proves how stupid you are.”

Enough! “Grow up, little girl. You’re a hypocrite. You accuse your sister of abandoning you, but what have you done to her? That’s right. You’ve abandoned her.”

She huffed and puffed like the big bad wolf. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Then she spun, ran away, and—damn it—a whimper escaped her before she was out of range.

He almost went after her. Not to comfort her. There was no way she’d accept comfort from him. To explain a few things about Thea. Abandonment wasn’t in her wheelhouse. She’d left for college. She’d gotten married. Holly had somehow equated the two with my sister doesn’t love me anymore. And Thea had, too. She clearly carried a boatload of guilt about it.

He was also curious about the woman Holly thought was waiting for him. Couldn’t be Thea. He’d offered his best, and she’d turned him down flat, choosing to be with Vandercamp and Hillcrest instead.

In the end, he stayed put. Holly’s problems weren’t his concern, and he wasn’t going to interfere.

Daniel picked up Princess and sat on his chair, glaring at the front door, daring the family to return for his—their—dog.

Everyone was getting a happily-ever-after. Except him.





CHAPTER FOURTEEN

DOROTHEA SAT ACROSS from Brett at Two Farms, Strawberry Valley’s only “five-star” restaurant, according to the owner. Try three and a half! Overhead, an antler chandelier flickered to mimic candlelight. Around them, walls were nothing but retractable black panels. Not that they had much privacy. Their waitress had banged into the panels every time she’d come over, causing the gap between them to widen.

Now the prying eyes of other guests watched Dorothea and Brett interact. And that wasn’t even the worst part! Upon their arrival, an earthquake had shaken the building, rattling the dishes, and Dorothea’s only thought had been: if the end of the world comes, I want to be with Daniel.

A thought she had to ignore as Brett explained the meaning of Dutch treat. Basically, he would pay for his food and she would pay for hers. Anything they shared, they would split in the middle. It ruined the he’ll do anything to have me vibe. But then, he’d selected a restaurant in the heart of Strawberry Valley. He wasn’t afraid to show her off, as if she was a prize, so how could she complain?

Daniel looks at me like I’m a prize. Like he’ll die without me.

A lie. Only a lie.

Seeing ain’t believin’, Grandma Ellie used to say. Believin’ is believin’.

As they sipped wine—thirty dollars a bottle, whimper—Brett asked her about the inn, and she asked him about his veterinary practice. They kept up a steady back-and-forth chatter, and she soon discovered he had a dry wit underneath all his cragginess. A cragginess she suspected he used as a shield to protect himself from emotional harm.

When she attempted to gently lower his shield with talk of his past, he shut her down with a firm “That part of my life is off-limits.”

“No problem,” she said, and she meant it. The loss of Rose and Dorothea’s inability to have more children without a one in a million miracle was never up for discussion, either. “Trust me, I understand.”

Her words took him aback, as if he’d never heard them before. “I’m sorry if I was rude. It’s just, every time I discuss the past, I feel like I’m reliving it.”

“I understand that, too.”

They shared a small smile.

Their food arrived a short while later.

Brett dug into his chicken potpie, saying, “Will you miss Princess or will you be happy to see her go?”

Confusion struck. “Why would I miss her? Where’s she going?”

“Oh, did I forget to mention her owners have been found? They’re picking her up at the inn this evening.”

Poor Daniel. Whether he’d admit it or not, he’d grown to love that dog. And so had Dorothea. She adored the way Daniel kissed and cuddled the little darling. Adored the fact that he sometimes even cooed at her but usually talked to her as if she were a human. The last few days, the inn had been more than an inn; it had been a home.

He must be sick with sorrow. And oh, crap, Dorothea had just left him there to deal with the pain on his own.

The urge to go to him, to go to him now, overwhelmed her, and there was no fighting it.

“I’m so sorry, Brett, but I can’t stay here.” She folded her napkin and riffled through her wallet. After a quick calculation in her head—fifteen for the wine, ten for the Stroganoff, and thank the good Lord this wasn’t a legit five-star place or she’d probably have to double the amount—she said, “Twenty-five should cover my portion, yes?” Twenty-five hard-earned dollars.

Dutch treat was fair and practical, but it kind of sucked butt.

Next time, she’d insist on eating at the inn.

Live and learn.

“You’re going to Daniel.” He leaned back in his chair, his expression inscrutable. “You told me you weren’t seeing him.”

“I’m not.” She wanted to add, “It’s complicated,” but that would imply something was going on—it was—which would get back to Mr. Porter, which would violate the secret she’d never agreed to keep but would anyway, because anything else would hurt Daniel. “He’s my friend.”

“So what does that make me?”

“A very nice man,” she said in a soft, quiet voice. She’d never rejected a date before. But as decent as Brett was, as handsome as he was, he did nothing for her. She’d known it the moment she’d stepped into the lobby, and her gaze had sought Daniel. She’d hoped attraction to Brett would grow, but her body had no desire to wait. Only Daniel would do.

That didn’t mean she was going to date him. His we-must-stay-a-secret rule would still trample her hard-won self-esteem. But she wasn’t going to date Brett, either. They had no future. She wasn’t a prize to him. She was a distraction.

There was hope for John!

“I’m so sorry,” she repeated. She stood, walked around the table and kissed his cheek. “I wish you all the best.”