Page 102 of Tequila Tuesdays

“And those were thirteen beautiful minutes between me and my snooze button. Besides, it’s not like we have anywhere we have to be.”

Little did she know I wanted to get away from the house before sunrise. Damien was an early riser, and I didn’t put it past him to show up at dawn to talk. I didn’t know if I’d ever be ready to talk about last night.

When we took off, Olivia promptly fell asleep, so I used the thirty-minute drive to stew. Olivia was still asleep when we made it to the parking lot, so I texted Damien.

Me: I won’t be around today. Olivia and I are going exploring, and I need some time.

After I’d sent the text, I pulled up my favorite hiking app and decided which trails we’d take. My phone vibrated with an incoming text as I closed the app.

Damien: I understand, Legs. But we’re talking tomorrow. Be safe.

His text and him calling me Legs made me miss him and want to knee him in the balls all at once. I was confused and conflicted, and I needed to get my head together before I saw him again.

When Olivia woke up, we took off. The trail wove through California fan palms and desert shrubs, and a pleasant, pungent smell came off the creosote bushes.

Olivia glanced over at me. “Despite my charming personality, I have a feeling we’re not out here just because you want to spend the day with me.”

“You do have a charming personality—when you want something. And we talked about going on another hike before you went back to school.”

She rolled her eyes. “You texted me at one in the morning, and we left five hours later. Who or what are you running from?” Olivia had always been good at reading people, and she knew me better than anyone.

I slowed down and my eyes got a little watery. “I promise I’ll tell you everything. Just not today, okay?”

Olivia looked a little spooked. We rarely got emotional with each other unless something serious happened, or someone died.

I grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “It’s not life or death. Things with Damien were good until it all imploded last night. And I didn’t see it coming. When I get my head around it, we’ll talk.”

She studied me, then nodded and squeezed my hand back. We stopped and ate lunch at one of the many benches along the trail, then headed back.

We both had our swimsuits, so at the last minute we decided to buy a couple of day passes to one of the little hotel spas in Desert Hot Springs. The pool and spa were heated by a hot spring in the area, and the plush mature desert landscaping made it feel like a little oasis as we quietly sipped our drinks and soaked in the spa.

Olivia turned to me. “Will you tell me what happened with Damien tomorrow? Sometimes you don’t talk about things until months or even years later.” She looked down at her drink. “I worry about you bottling things inside.”

I sighed and leaned my head back. “Yeah. If you really want to hear it.”

When the light started to fade and the temperature dropped a little, we cleaned up and headed home.

Damien hadn’t tried to contact me since my text that morning. I missed him, and I missed talking to him about whatever interesting thing happened during our day. Lying in bed that night, I felt miserable and conflicted before finally drifting off to sleep.

Chapter 32

WhenIwokethenext morning, the smell of coffee wafted through my little house. I rolled over and quickly sat up when I heard Damien’s voice.

I took several deep breaths, gathered my clothes, and showered quickly. Damien sat at my counter drinking coffee and talking with Olivia when I came out a few minutes later.

My chest ached when I saw him, and I stopped in the doorway to gather my composure.

He looked up, and set his mug down. “Hey, sweetheart.”

Olivia turned to me from the kitchen sink. “Look who I found on your doorstep when I came over this morning?”

“What are you doing here?” I asked Damien softly.

He crossed his arms and studied me. “We’re going to talk. And Olivia was filling me in about Christmas Eve. Why didn’t you tell me?”

I shrugged jerkily. “You don’t need to worry about it. And I forgot. Besides, it was just a car.”

“The fuck I don’t have to worry about it. Tell me exactly what you saw, and then you and I are going to talk.”

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