Page 37 of Catching Coy
When Gillian reached him, she threw her arms around his waist, holding him close. He counted himself lucky that she hadn’t gone in for a kiss. Agnes would have loved the awkward moment it would have produced when he’d dodged it, but Coy could only take so much awkward tonight, and sending Gillian home would have enough by itself.
They headed into the fair, inspecting rides and trying to figure out what to do first, finally deciding on funnel cake. Coy let Gillian take his hand and lead him toward a trailer with a sign that boasted several fair staples, among them, funnel cake. After he’d purchased one for each of them, they took them to some picnic tables. They chatted while they ate, the conversation coming without trying too hard, but that didn’t surprise Coy. In a different situation, one where he hadn’t met Bellamy, and given a few more dates, things could have progressed with Gillian.
As she finished her last bite, Gillian asked, “So, do you spend all year in Denver, or do you go somewhere else during the off season?”
Was it just him, or did everything lead back to Bellamy? He wanted to spend the off-season in Little River, supporting her while she worked a job she loved. “I spend most of my time in Denver, but I visit South Carolina a lot during the off season. My mom sort of demands it.”
“I bet Denver would be a great place for a Girls Play office,” Gillian said coyly before taking another bite.
Coy chuckled at the insinuation. “Yeah? It would be—no matter what happens here.” He kept his voice light, but Gillian’s smile tightened athisinsinuation.
“Do you know?” she asked in a low voice.
Coy drew a deep breath, glancing up at the production assistant. To sell the act that he was still considering Charlotte, he couldn’t tell Gillian that he did know. He rolled over words in his mind, figuring out what to say to be vague enough not to give away the truth while still being honest about his feelings for her.
It took long enough that she stared down at her empty plate after a moment. “You just know that it’s not me,” she said for him.
He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I really do hate this part.”
She turned her head against his shoulder, away from the view of the cameras. He had never minded that his broad shoulders could shield these women from the cameras. “Is it because of what Lucy said about me?”
“No. I promise.”
She spoke next into his shoulder, dropping her voice to a barely audible whisper. “Bellamy?”
“Yes.”
She pulled away to study him. She glanced at the cameras and the production assistant before speaking again. “How long have you known?”
Coy didn’t mind telling the truth now. Agnes could edit out of this whatever she wanted to sell her story that he struggled between Charlotte and Bellamy. “I think I’ve known the whole time.”
She wiped at some tears, prompting Coy to pull out a handkerchief to hand to her. She smiled at it before using it. “That makes me feel better, to be honest.” She held up the handkerchief. “This is charming, by the way.”
“Gunner said it was more romantic than tissues. I think it’s a habit I’ll keep.” He leaned an elbow on the table, turning his body to face her. Relief had uncurled the tightness in his stomach for confronting Gillian. It felt good that they could sit here as friends now.
“You’re tight with Gunner Bent?” she asked. She seemed more relaxed as well, like the truth had taken a weight off of both of them. For her, the weight of trying would likely be lighter.
“Yeah, the show introduced me when they were asking me to come on.”
“Is he as nice in real life as he seemed on the show?”
“Absolutely.”
They still explored the fair, although Agnes wouldn’t like the shots the camera operators got considering they didn’t hold hands anymore or try to snuggle on the small Ferris wheel when they rode it.
When he took her back to the SUV, they hugged as friends. “Good luck,” she said. “I do wish you the best.”
Coy could only hope that his date with Charlotte went as well.
Chapter Nineteen
Charlotte, 28
Fort Collins, Colorado
NICU Nurse
“Coy is an amazing guy. He makes me laugh, and that’s just one of the most important things a relationship can have. That and honesty.”
