Page 32 of Wrecked
Without another word, he stalked off and left me to work on the car, and stew. I was about halfway done with the job when lunchtime rolled around. I'd fully intended to work through lunch, but when Logan suggested that we head to the diner instead, I agreed.
The fact that Kenzie might be there had nothing to do with my decision.
"Brett?"
I looked up from where I was washing my hands. Lola stood a few feet away. In all the time I'd known her, I'd never seen her looking so unsure of herself. Her hands were clasped before her and her gaze bounced from one place to the next.
"You ready?" Already dressed, Logan stepped out of the backroom.
I shook my head, "Go ahead, I'll catch up."
He opened his mouth but didn't say anything; instead, he headed out after giving both Lola and me a curt nod.
She took a step forward, "I wanted to apologize."
"It's not me you should be apologizing to." I crossed my arms in front of me. "What was up with that, anyway?"
She pulled her shoulders up and dropped them quickly. "You've been acting weird ever since she came to town and I saw the way you were looking at her. I guess I was jealous."
I squeezed my eyes shut and pinched the bridge of my nose. "I never misled you, Lola," I mumbled on a sigh. "I have always been upfront about what I can give you." I shoved my hands into my pockets, my gaze drifted to Kenzie's car.
"I know." There was a moment of silence before she went on. "I saw you drop her off this morning."
My eyes snapped to Lola's, "And?"
"I was just wondering if she's the reason you won't let anyone in?"
My head fell back, and I stared at the wooden beams that formed part of the trusses. "You already know the answer to that." I dragged my hand through my hair and checked the time on the wall mounted clock. I was at a loss as to what to say.'I'm sorry I couldn't reciprocate your feelings'just didn't seem right.
"There is someone out there that is just waiting to find you, Lo." I finally said. "It's just not me."
"I hope you're right."
With heavy shoulders, she turned and left. I felt like the world's biggest douche bag; I probably was.
By the time I entered the diner, I was beyond depleted. I wanted to go back to a time where I could just switch my emotions off, but unfortunately for me, it wasn't that easy anymore. Everyone, except Eli, was huddled together in a booth, and by the way they immediately stopped talking when they spotted me, I knew I was the topic of the day.
"Y'all have nothing better to do than gossip all day?" My quip earned me an eye roll from Lizzy and a shake of Harper's head. I slid into the booth and knew they saw right through my fake smile. I snatched the coke in front of Lizzy and gulped it down.
"Hey! That's mine."
I flashed her a smile. "What are ya gonna do about it?"
"The better question is," Logan piped up. "What are you going to do about your little situation?"
"Ooh, are we talking about the Kenzie situation or the Lola one?" Harper asked.
Again, Logan was on the receiving end of my glare, but all he did was shrug his shoulders. "What? There are no secrets between Harper and me." He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. "Right, Sugar?"
She formed a circle with her fingers and nodded. "Zero."
"Well, Lizzy and I aren't sleeping with Logan," this came from Chase. "Wanna fill us in?"
Logan and I spoke at the same time.
"Yes."
"No."
