Page 4 of Blurred Love

I nod.

She wants me to explain, but I’m not sure I know how to.

She squeezes my arm again and nods her head. “Okay.”

I put my bag strap farther up my shoulder. “I’ll see you later, Abby.”

She nods, frowning as I walk past her.

It’s not until I walk down the path to my cabin and get inside with the door closed behind me that I let myself react. I want to throw something or punch a wall, but after years of therapy, I know that’s not what I need to do. So I walk into the bedroom and pull off my jeans and long-sleeve shirt. I put on my shorts, T-shirt, and running shoes and practically sprint out the door. It’s not until I’m into mile two that I start to feel a little better. I hate that Poppy feels I was thinking all those things about her, but I know I need to make it right. Maybe I can talk to Brooklyn or Abby and have one of them check on her to make sure she’s okay.

No matter what happens, I know I’ll be avoiding the food truck from now on, and I hate that too because the thought of not seeing Poppy again makes me a little crazy.

I was hopeful when I first saw Poppy, and that feeling carried me through the next week. Now all I feel is loss. I’ll never be the same Colter that I once was. I’ll never have a healthy relationship, a wife, or a family, and it’s about time I come to terms with it.

CHAPTER3

POPPY

Iwatch the man walk away, and I wait for the relief to come, but it doesn’t. I sit back down at the picnic table feeling worse now than I did before I confronted him. He didn’t say anything. Heck, I didn’t give him much of a chance to say anything.

I put my head in my hands. I usually avoid any and all drama, so I want to kick myself for what I did today. Why did I unleash on some stranger? All he did was scowl at me. I directed everything I felt for Adam on some poor guy.

I groan and lift my head to find a woman standing in front of me. She’s the one that went to buy items to take home earlier. I sit up a little straighter as she sits down across from me.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

I rear back, surprised. “What?”

She crosses her arms over her chest. “Colter is one of the nicest men I know, and whatever you said to him, you destroyed any progress he’s made in the last two years.”

Shocked, I shake my head. “What do you mean? He was staring at me, scowling for hours and?—”

She blows out a breath and waves her hand around. “He usually is holed up inside, so I was happy to find him out in the sunshine.”

A knot in my stomach starts to form, but the woman is glaring at me, not cutting me any slack. “Colter is one of my husband’s best friends. If you only knew the hell he’s been through these past two years. You could have just let him down easy instead of being mean about it.”

I shake my head. “I wasn’t… I mean, he didn’t ask me out or anything. He was glaring at me for hours, and I went off on him.”

She looks down the path that Colter disappeared down and then back at me. “For just looking at you?”

I roll my eyes and blow out a breath. “He wasn’t just looking at me… he was judging me.”

Her eyes round. “Judging you? Trust me when I say that Colter is the last man to judge anyone.”

Damnit, did I really screw up this badly? “I’m sorry, okay? I had a bad morning, and maybe I took it out on the wrong person.”

She laughs bitterly. “You think?” She stands up. “I just hope that whatever you said to him doesn’t set him back.”

She starts to walk off, and I bolt to my feet. “Wait…”

She turns to look at me. “Abby. My name is Abby.”

I gesture to the seat she just got up from. “I’m Poppy. Will you please sit down?” She’s about to refuse, but I plead with her. “Please?”

She doesn’t look happy about it, but she sits down and stares at me. Most people like me, but today seems to be the day that I’m rubbing everyone the wrong way. “Can you tell me about Colter?”

She rolls her eyes. “His story is not mine to tell.”

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