Page 31 of Falling Madly
I had no memory of this place. It must have been a new establishment. Round tables were covered with green tablecloths, and cheerful bagpipes played faintly in the background. We were seated in a corner, partly behind a see-through partition that gave an illusion of privacy, but only on one side.
My stomach growled again, and I grimaced.
“D’ye want me to order for us?” he asked, and I nodded, suddenly too tired to even think.
My feet ached from all the walking, and my toes felt numb from the cold. Too much had happened today. Too much to even process. Sinking into the luxuriously padded green chair, I suddenly felt like crying.
“Are you okay?” Trevor leaned over the table, taking my hand. “You’ve been through an awful lot today. I guess I’ve been trying to distract you… and I think you’ve done a great job with that yourself. But I get it if you don’t feel like holding it together right now.”
His kindness almost cracked me open, and I bit my lower lip, stifling a sniff. “When is that ever an option? When can I evernothold it together?”
He squeezed my hand. “Wi’ me. Ye feel free to fall apart. I can handle it.”
“Can you now?” I let out a sad laugh.
“I can handle a lot of stuff. And I’m not angry about the key.”
“You’re not?” I looked up, blinking away tears.
“I’m glad to be stuck with you.” He smiled like he didn’t have a care in the world.
I tried to smile back. “You roll with the punches, don’t you?”
“Still waiting for the punches, Dragonfly. Any time you feel like it.”
The waiter arrived with a tall glass of beer and a glass of red he set in front of me. I hadn’t even paid attention to what he’d ordered.
“I remember you ordered pinot noir once before. Is it okay?”
I took a long sip, sighing deeply. “It’s perfect.”
A moment later, two huge bowls of stew and a basket of bread appeared in front of us, filling the air with a meaty, spicy aroma. I’d entered some sort of comfort-food heaven. It tasted as amazing as it smelled, and for a moment, we ate in silence.
“I’m so glad you found this place,” I finally said. “The general store is dire. Or at least it used to be.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day!” He raised his glass, clinking it with mine.
I couldn’t help laughing. This was so not what I’d planned for today, but things were so far out of my control I had no choice but to go with it. Maybe I could roll with the punches, too, if I really tried. “Okay. I think you’ve earned another secret.”
He leaned in, a sly smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. “Anothersecret? Ye haven’t told me anything yet.”
“Okay, a secret. But it must stay between us. Can I trust you?”
“Have I ever betrayed your trust?”
I jerked back, thrown by his question. Surely, he had. He’d betrayed me. As I watched him, his mouth twitched, that relaxed exterior cracking a little.
“I trusted you to recommend me for that job,” I finally said, stating the obvious.
He nodded, weighing his words carefully. “I made the wrong call, and I hurt you, but I didn’t go back on my word. You didn’t ask me for a recommendation.”
The statement hung in the air, like an invisible note floating above our breadbasket.
“You knew how much it meant,” I argued, but I had little air left in my lungs and the words died on my lips.
It was true. I’d told him I wanted that job, but I hadn’t asked him for anything, even though I’d known he had pull with Charlie, and probably all of them. I’d simply assumed he’d be on my side.
“I’m not saying this to let myself off the hook,” he added. “Only to point out that I wouldn’t break a promise. I’ve also never passed on anything personal you told me that night. I don’t blab about anyone’s business.”
