String Beans (The Girls of Beachmont #2) (13 page)

I refused to be the first to look away, and
apparently so did Wyatt. It became a battle of wills and he raised a brow,
challenging me to look away, but I made a face, hoping it would make him. It
was a back-and-forth, each of us acting like children and taking the
seriousness out of the moment. After about the fifth attempt to break him, I
started laughing and he pumped his fists in the air at his victory.

I reached up and pulled one of them down, still
laughing. “That’s not fair.”

“You started it. I won,” he laughed.

He moved my hair behind my ear and brushed his
thumb along my jaw. I swallowed hard and tried not to show that he was getting
to me. But that went out the window when I found myself getting to my knees and
moving to his lap so I could look down at his handsome face.

I dropped my face down to his but paused for a
moment, wondering if I was doing the right thing. His hand was tangled in my
hair, resting against my neck, and I smiled when I made up my mind.

“I’m not going to stop you from kissing me this
time,” he said, his lips brushing against mine when he spoke.

“Good,” I answered. It was the only word I could
form before finally joining our lips together.

My hands were gripping his shoulders as we
continued to kiss. His tongue slid against mine and any thoughts of separating
from him were dashed. It was as if everything and everyone ceased to exist. His
free hand moved up my spine as my arms wrapped around his neck.

I was completely lost in Wyatt when I heard that
nagging voice in my head reminding me how long it had been since I’d kissed
anyone other than Will.

Damn it! Stop ruining this for me, Will.

I tried to stay in the moment, to kiss Wyatt as
eagerly as he was kissing me, but I was beginning to be more distracted.

He started it. We’re not even together anymore.

I shoved the thoughts out of my head and found
myself back in the present, with Will.

Wait. Shit. I’m kissing Wyatt. Will’s my husband.

And that was all it took—the reminder that I
was still, in fact, married—to completely douse cold water on the one
spontaneous moment I’d had in a while. We separated, and I felt my cheeks flush
with embarrassment.

“Are you okay?” he asked sweetly.

I shook my head. “I’m still…”

“Married,” he said, finishing my sentence. “But
you kissed me. I thought you were…”

“I know. I know I did. I wanted to kiss you, so
badly.” I sighed, climbing off his lap and sitting next to him, hugging my
knees tightly against me. I finally turned my face to look at him, resting my
cheek on the top of my knee, and saw how adoringly he looked at me.

“Don’t overthink it, Vi,” he said. He reached his
hand out and brushed his thumb against my lip.

“I can’t help it,” I scoffed. “I thought I could.
I didn’t plan on it, but I really thought that I wanted to kiss you.”

“And you didn’t?”

“It’s not that.”

“Then what is it?” He reached for my hand and
threaded our fingers together.

“I wish I had an answer for that.”

“We can take this slow.”

“What do you want from me?” I asked, truly
interested in what he saw in me.

“
This
,
Viola, I want more of this.” His frustration was audible in his words.

“But I don’t have anything to give right now. I
don’t even trust myself anymore.”

“Then let me help you.”

I moved away and got to my feet, leaving
hurriedly. “I’m sorry, Wyatt. I can’t.”

As I rounded the corner, I stopped in my tracks
when I saw Dallas standing in the kitchen. He smiled and walked toward me,
wrapping me in a hug.

“I didn’t hear you come in,” I whispered to him.

“Yeah, I figured when I saw the two of you making
out,” he muttered into my ear with a laugh.

“I thought you had a date,” I said when we
separated.

“Yeah. Me too,” he huffed. “Long story.”

“I know what you mean,” I laughed softly. I
motioned over my shoulder and shrugged. “I’ll explain later.”

He smiled. “I’m holding you to that.”

Dallas kissed my cheek and I opened the door but
stopped when Wyatt walked in to the room, calling my name. Before he could speak,
I put my hand up to stop him but he ignored me.

“Hey man, can you give us a sec?”

Dallas didn’t hesitate before walking away, but
turned when he was closer to his room. “Just speak loud enough that I can hear
you,” he laughed.

Neither of us acknowledged Dallas’s words, but I
knew he wasn’t listening. Likely, he’d call or text later when I was gone
anyway.

“Are you busy tomorrow night?”

“Wyatt, I just told you…”

“Yeah. I know. But we’re friends. Let’s hang out
and I’ll show you around some of my favorite places.”

“That sounds a lot like a date.”

“In your dreams,” he deadpanned before smiling.
“It’s not a date. But I’m not gonna lie…I’m hoping that maybe after tomorrow
you won’t be so opposed to a date.”

“I like your confidence, but then again, I liked
my husband’s and turns out he had a penchant for groupies,” I said with a
shrug. “So you never know.”

Wyatt studied me for a moment and dropped his chin
as he stepped closer. “We’re all damaged, Vi. The real question is…how long are
you going to let him hold you back?”

He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on my
lips, definitely giving me something to consider.

“I’ll think about it,” I answered.

When I went back to my apartment that night, I
knew Jolie would be out for a while, so that left me plenty to time to think. I
pulled out my phone and laughed when I found Wyatt’s information in my phone:
Wyatt ‘Your Friend’ Earp.

I considered taking him up on his offer to meet up
after work the next day. I really did. But then all I had to do was remember how
suave Will was when we’d first started dating. Would I be making the same
mistake?

Me: I’m sorry. I can’t.

My phone was still sitting on the charger an hour
later, and he never responded. Part of me was relieved, and the other part was
pissed because it felt like he was blowing me off. But wasn’t that what I was
doing to him?

The thing about egos… when they’re bruised, they
cause you to do stupid, stupid things. So I wasn’t entirely surprised with myself
when I walked over to his door and knocked. He finally answered the door and
when he did, he caught me staring.

“I got your text,” he said as he stood there in
jeans, completely shirtless.

“And you didn’t feel the need to respond?”

“It didn’t seem like you wanted a response.”

“So it’s all a game to you? I knew it,” I huffed
before spinning and walking back to my door. I heard his shut and assumed he
went back inside his place. Imagine my surprise that he was behind me,
following me into my apartment.

“You know nothing about me. You don’t want to,” he
said, his voice raised defensively. “Not every guy is like your ex. And as for
games, I think the only one playing any games here is you.”

“I’m not playing games. I’m protecting myself from
guys like you.”

Wyatt scoffed and stepped through the open door.
When he looked back at me, he shook his head, disappointment written all over
his face. “You’re hiding. And I get it… Message received, Viola. I’ll leave you
alone.”

He walked out and closed the door behind him,
leaving me standing in the center of my living room, his words cutting me
somewhere deep inside.

***

It lasted almost the whole week.

A week where I acted like an immature child who
couldn’t, or didn’t want to, face her problems head-on. And the thing was,
Wyatt wasn’t necessarily a
problem
.

I was.

I was standing in my own way, not allowing myself
to let go and move on, but after everything Will had done, it was
understandable. At least that’s what I kept telling myself. And Wyatt was spot
on in his assessment of me, and that probably pissed me off more than anything.

My failed relationship had become a crutch I used
as an excuse for anything.

I can’t flirt with that cute guy…I’m married.

I can’t get into another relationship…my ex cheated on me.

So I did what I could and forced myself to focus
on work—not that it took up my free time. But that’s what I really needed:
a distraction.

Something to occupy my time when I wasn’t thinking
about Wyatt or the way he looked at me. I knew I was decent-looking, but having
your husband cheat on you, numerous times, tends to leave a girl feeling a bit
insecure. I’d always been confident and I was determined to get that back.

Someday.

Because for the time being, Wyatt lived three
doors away, and I did everything in my power to avoid him like the coward I
was. Then again, maybe he was the one avoiding me.

“You’re being stupid,” Jolie told me two days after the kiss when I
skipped out on going to the coffee shop. “Even if he’s there, he’ll be too busy
to deal with you and all your crazy shit.”

“That’s not why I’m not going,” I lied. “I promised Dani I’d call her
tonight.”

“I’m sure that’s exactly what she wants…to leave Tabor and advise you
on what you should do.”

“Shut up,” I laughed, tossing a pillow at her. “Look, I’m really tired,
maybe another night.”

“Fine.” She huffed, walked to the kitchen, and grabbed her things
before looking over her shoulder. “He won’t be available for long.”

She left our apartment without another word, but
the ones she left me with were enough to keep me awake all night. I knew it was
true, but I couldn’t force myself into something I wasn’t ready for.

By the time Friday night rolled around, I was all
set for a relaxing night in. Granted, all I’d been doing was
relaxing
, but it wasn’t like I had to
get up the next morning.

Jolie walked into my room and started rummaging
through my closet while I watched. Callie walked into our apartment and I
glared at my roommate for leaving the door unlocked.

“What? I knew it was her,” she answered.

“Where are you two going?” I asked.

“We’re going to open
mic
night…and so are you,” Jolie said.

“Yep. Get dressed,” Callie said.

“Why don’t we stay here and watch an old movie,” I
offered.

“You’ve been here and at work all week. Besides,
tonight is the ‘another night’ you referred to earlier this week.”

“Jo, I’m tired.”

“I don’t give a shit. You promised me fun and that
you’d find places to show me. Well, I haven’t been to open
mic
night yet, and damn it, you’re taking me,” she said sternly before tossing a
black shirt and a pair of jeans on my bed. “You have ten minutes to get ready.”

She walked out of my room and Callie trailed
behind quickly. I didn’t blame her. Hell, Jolie could be quite intimidating
when she needed to make a point. There really wasn’t much for me to think
about, because I did want to go, but I didn’t
want
to want to go. Things between Wyatt and me weren’t good. We
weren’t friends, we weren’t anything. It hadn’t been my intention when I’d
walked over to his place, but that’s what I got.

Reluctantly, I got dressed and pulled my hair into
a ponytail, finding my friends waiting for me in the living room. Callie was
sitting on the sofa drinking a beer while Jolie was telling her a story. They
both turned to look at me when I emerged and smiled at their success.

“Do you need one?” Callie asked, lifting her beer
in the air.

“You two are making too big a deal out of this.
I’m fine.”

“Yeah,” Jolie scoffed. “So fine… How many times
have you seen him this week?”

“Wyatt told Dallas that he knew you were avoiding
him,” Callie said.

“He did?”

She nodded, and I swear I shrunk to nothing more
than an inch tall. I couldn’t pretend that I
adulted
at all when it came to Wyatt. I reminded myself of those stupid girls who
played games…but I wasn’t playing a game. That wasn’t my intention at all.

I inhaled and walked toward the door. “Let’s go.”

***

The coffee shop was packed, as expected, and I
glanced around to see if Wyatt was somewhere.

Dallas was in the corner holding a table for us,
and I noticed he’d met Atticus. We sat down and everyone started talking, but I
was distracted trying to find Wyatt. I didn’t know why it was so important that
I see him, but it was.

“I’m gonna get something to drink,” I said,
leaving everyone behind.

Emma was at the counter, and when she saw me I
noticed she huffed and shook her head.

“Hey Emma,” I said when I was closer.

“What can I get for you?” she asked, a chill in
her tone.

“Is he here?”

“He’s taking care of some things in the back,” she
answered.

I looked past her, trying to glimpse into his
office, but it was obstructed by a wall and boxes of things in the hallway. Emma
stepped into my line of view, drawing my attention back to her.

“He’s a good guy,” she said as she worked on
making a drink for a customer.

“I—he told—I know he is,” I finally
conceded. “That’s what I wanted to tell him.”

“Tonight’s not a good night. It’s a packed house
and we’re short…so maybe you can talk to him another night?”

“Yeah.” I nodded and turned to walk away.

Jolie was animated as she told our friends about
her day, but I found it hard to feign interest. Callie looked over at me and
gave me a questioning look, but all I could do was shrug. She lifted up her
chin and smiled brightly at someone behind me. I knew it was him.

He greeted everyone with a friendly smile and made
small talk, but seemed to be avoiding me.

“I’ll be right back,” he said before turning away.

I jumped to my feet and followed after him. I
didn’t care that he was heading to his office or that Emma had asked me to back
off for the night. The cold shoulder sucked.

I reached for his arm before he got to his office
and he spun around, causing me to run into him.

“Sorry,” I said, stepping back to give him space.

“What are you doing back here, Viola?” He sounded
disappointed when he said my name, and I hated that.

“I wanted to talk to you.”

“I’m really busy right now.”

“I know, and I’m sorry. I just wanted to apologize
for the other night,” I said.

His eyes moved from mine to my lips and then back.
I wanted so badly to have that moment back, and feel the way I had when we
kissed.

“Nothing to apologize for,” he answered, his tone
clipped.

“Wyatt, I know I was a jerk. I took out my issues
on you and that wasn’t fair.”

“Don’t worry about it. Like I said, I got the hint
and we’re good. Okay?”

“No. It’s not okay,” I argued. “You need to
understand, I wasn’t upset that I kissed you and I don’t want you to think I
regret that, because it was perfect.”

“Until you flipped out.”

“Yeah. Until that,” I said with a sigh. “I wish I
were in a better place so that I could take a chance with you, but I’m just not
ready yet.”

“I get it. But just so
you
know…I’m not playing any games with you. I think I’ve been
pretty obvious with what I want, but just in case it wasn’t clear to you, it’s
you. I like being around you and making you smile. You’re slightly irritating,
but I like that too.”

I reached out for his hand and threaded our
fingers together.

“Wyatt.”

“Don’t say anything,” he said quietly.

It was only a matter of time before someone came
looking for me, or needed his help, so I raised myself up on my toes and lifted
my hand to his face as I kissed him chastely on the lips. His free hand was
resting on the small of my back, pressing me gently to him. When we separated,
I was thankful for the dim lights so he couldn’t see the tears that stung my
eyes.

“I’ll see you around,” I whispered as I let go of
his hand.

He let his hand fall away, and the regret that
flooded my veins was heavy. He didn’t try to stop me and I didn’t turn around
to face him either.

Callie, Dallas, and Jolie were sitting at the
table with Atticus, talking and laughing, when I returned.

“You okay?” Callie whispered.

I plastered on a smile and nodded quickly before
pointing to the woman stepping onto the stage. She had striking magenta hair
and a classic guitar with stickers all over it. She grabbed a stool and began
strumming a slow, morose tune that matched my current mood. It was a song about
losing someone and how it guts the one left behind…things I knew all too well.

I could feel Wyatt’s eyes on me, and though I
fought the pull to look in his direction, I gave in. He smiled at me, though it
didn’t reach his eyes, and then whispered something to Emma before disappearing
again.

My friends and I were talking about the last
performer when I heard someone clearing their throat near me. I looked up to
see Emma waiting impatiently for me to go to her. Her arms were crossed and she
looked pretty annoyed, but I smiled anyway.

“Hey. I know you said tonight was a bad night, but
I just needed to air some things out,” I said when I stood in front of her.

“None of my business,” she said. “And for what
it’s worth, I do like you, but you said some shitty things to him.”

I didn’t respond because she was right. And I’d
just admitted as much to Wyatt myself moments before.

Emma handed me a piece of paper and started to
walk off but turned to face me again. “If you’re really not interested, don’t
lead him on.”

I was close to telling her to mind her own damn
business. I didn’t owe her any explanations and I was pretty pissed that his
jealous little guard dog was attacking me. Then I remembered that Wyatt had said
she was like a sister to him and figured she was only doing what someone does
when they love someone else.

It was then that I realized that he might have
seen her as a sister, but Emma had feelings for him—and not of the
friendly variety. She liked him, maybe even loved him. My cold, bitchy heart
thawed a little and I simply nodded in understanding. I waited until she was
gone before looking at the piece of paper she handed me.