Page 67 of Bittersweet

When she reached her apartment, her mind was still reeling from what she’d found. Her hands trembled, causing her to drop her purse on the sidewalk, spilling some of the contents.

“Ugh.” She scrambled to gather her things, then walked to the door, fishing around inside her purse for her keys.

“Looking for these?”

She spun around to find Brett standing before her with the key ring hanging from his finger.

“Oh, yeah. Thanks.” She retrieved them nervously, wondering what he was doing there. Her heart raced, unsure of what he might do next. There was no way she was going to unlock her door now and risk him following her in. “Why are you here, Brett?”

He took a small step toward her. “Is it true Logan left town?”

“None of your business.”

“So, history repeats itself.”

She gripped her purse, reaching inside as nonchalantly as she could to press the home button on her phone, then tapping the screen to dial Savannah, praying she would answer and hear what was going on.

“He’s good at walking away, isn’t he?” Brett took another step.

“Like I said, it’s not your business, Brett.” She hoped Savannah would hear her say his name.

“I know he left because his drug dealer baby mama got out of jail.”

“How do you know that?”

“I have my sources.”

“Stop using your connections to dig up dirt on him.”

“They’re a family, Harper. Did you really think he’d stay and raise his daughter with you?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Just face it, he doesn’t want you, Harper.” This time when he took a step, she backed up, and her shoulder blades pressed against the door. “You tried to hook him a second time, but he won’t be caught.”

He was close now, close enough to smell the black licorice gum she’d given him.

Her hand, still inside her purse, closed on what she had found by Logan’s food truck—a wadded up Black Jack gum wrapper.

“I think you should step back, Brett.” Oh, I hope you’re listening, Savannah.

“Eight months, Harper. We were together eight months, and I don’t want this to be over yet. I love you, and I know you love me too. You have to give me another chance to prove I can be the one to make you happy.”

Her hands were shaking against her will. The gum wrapper didn’t prove that Brett had hired those guys to trash the truck, but in all likelihood, he was the culprit. Knowing that, and remembering the way he’d acted the day they broke up, made her fear for her safety.

So, now, she had a choice to make. She could play along with him, not revealing her suspicions, or she could confront him on it. Part of her wanted to rip into him over the slightest chance that he could’ve had Logan’s truck destroyed. The other part knew he had an angry—maybe violent—streak that he was good at hiding, and Logan would be furious with her if she risked her safety.

“Listen, Brett,” she started, “I’m sorry about the way things ended with us. I do care about you, and I’d like it if we could be friends first and then see where things go. I’m not ready to jump back into a relationship right now after Logan burned me again.”

Brett’s hand lifted, his fingertips sliding along her cheek.

She tried not to reveal how scared she was, giving him as normal a smile as she could muster.

He let out a sigh. “Maybe we can go out to dinner tomorrow night. Would that work for you?”

“Uh … let me check my calendar at work tomorrow morning, and I’ll call to let you know. I have some big orders coming due.”

That seemed to placate him.

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