Page 54 of Tinder Embrace
"I'm sure Davis doesn't need help," I said mildly.
Showing up early had been a dead giveaway. She sniffed out my real intentions in under a minute.
Jo snorted. "Sure he does. Just not with what you think."
"Enlighten me," I said, intrigued by the edge in her voice.
She sighed, narrowing her eyes. “He needs to know you’re not going to bail. He takes his responsibilities seriously. To his relationships and the farm. He’s worked hard on himself, but sometimes I think he forgets how far he’s come.”
“What do you mean?” I sensed there was more she wasn’t saying.
“Do you know about Melody?”
Slowly, I nodded.
“Davis and Melody were a mess together. Always fighting. It was exhausting to be around. Toward the end, I think they realized they were only hurting each other more, trying to stay together. Melody had the courage to call it quits, but Davis was angry for a long time. He saw it as repeating our father’s mistakes, loving someone who wouldn’t stay. I wasn’t sure he’d find someone to trust again.”
“You think he trusts me?” I asked, mulling over the Davis I knew, comparing him to the man she described.
“Enough to be himself,” she said softly. “He’s not perfect, Sophie, but for you, I think he’ll do just about anything. Don’t abuse that.”
Hurt washed through me, offended that she thought I’deverhurt her brother. She knew me. Knew my character. But she’d also witnessed Davis’s pain. He’d clearly been hurt in the past, and I couldn’t blame her for being protective.
“I wouldn’t,” I pledged, wanting to earn her trust and his if I didn’t already have it.
Davis was worth fighting for.
While I couldn’t imagine hurting him, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t hurt me. I could only hope he felt half as protective of me as Jo and I did about him.
I didn’t have a Jo, someone on my side who was willing to go to the mats with a friend to protect me and keep him from breaking my heart.
"Hey," Gwen greeted from the path as she joined us.
Izzy and Eve appeared a moment later, and we dug into the pizzas Izzy brought for dinner, focusing on town business. I gave a report on the balloon festival arrangements and our volunteer roster.
"No signs of interference?" Gwen asked, brow furrowed.
I shook my head. "Nah. The piloting community is small, and I warned the group that we've had some hinky incidents."
"Plus, I pity the fool who tries to sound like you in an email," Eve said with a hastily hidden smile.
I lifted a shoulder, used to her teasing. "What's wrong with emojis?"
"Nothing, I've just never met someone who uses somany."
"This from a woman who draws pictures all day?" I asked.
Eve rolled her eyes. "Tattoos are different."
"Of course they are, but I thought you'd understand the urge for artistic flourish."
"Sophie, honey, calling emojis artistic is a stretch."
"Eh, whatever. I like 'em. And the pilots we've recruited for the event are used to my communication style. They won't be easily fooled by imitations."
"That's because you're one of a kind," Izzy said loyally, and I smiled.
"Exactly."
