It's About Time (Blossom Peak #4)(58)

But seeing her in her element now is making me wonder why I never really appreciated her skills before.

Maybe because she’s been too busy hating you and vice versa for you to notice, Elliot.

“Your interview was great, Dilynne. There’s no way anyone is going to doubt that you belong there.”

“Ha. Easy for you to say. The thing is, I did that interview before I ran into Vinnie, thank God. Because after that conversation, the drive home was…” Her jaw tightens as she looks away from me. “Not fun.”

“He really did a number on you, didn’t he?”

Our gazes lock.

“Tori did a number on you too, huh?” she fires back.

“She did.”

Dilynne didn’t just check on me over the past year because she was trying to be my friend. She did it because she has firsthand experience with the type of betrayal I went through—something she’s vaguely communicated to me, but tonight, it all became so much clearer.

Fuck. Why does this make me even more drawn to her?

“When you let someone in and they make you question yourself, it’s pretty hard to recover from it.”

“I can see now why you understand that so much.”

She lifts her eyebrows. “Yup. Lucky me.”

Bef ore she can close herself off again, I step closer to her, her eyes tracking my movements until our chests are practically pressed together once more. Every nerve in my body fires, burning hotter and faster with each time we touch.

I’m in so much fucking trouble, but I’m beginning to think there’s no better person to get in trouble with than Dilynne.

Tipping her chin up with my thumb and forefinger, I wait for her gaze to soften before I speak. “I promise that while I’m at that show with you, I won’t let anyone doubt that you belong there, okay?”

Her eyes widen. “Is that so?”

“Well, I mean, that was one of the rules you suggested, right? For me to show admiration for you?”

She nods once. “It was.”

“If there is anything that I have learned about you over the years, Dilynne Clark, it’s that you are not someone to underestimate in the slightest. And I’m sorry that some insecure man made you doubt yourself in the first place.”

Dilynne grows so quiet that I’m afraid I’ve said the wrong thing. But when she finally replies, it nearly rocks me. “Thank you,” she says in barely a whisper. “You have no idea how much I needed to hear that.”





Chapter 18





Dilynne



He Got What Pierced?


Elliot’s words may not exactly be the apology that I feel owed from him, but hearing him admit and acknowledge how Vinnie has made me feel for the past five years helps more than I care to admit.

“You’ve got this,” he continues, stroking his thumb along my jaw, waking up every nerve ending in my body, especially the ones between my thighs.

God, Elliot touching me shouldn’t be making me feel this way, this…needy.

“Now, do you have something appropriate to wear to dinner?”

My soft gaze turns hard again immediately. “You’ve already made it clear that I need to wear a dress. I think I can handle it.”

He releases my chin and then sighs. “Well, it’s the first time I’ll be introducing you to both of my parents as my fiancée, so it’s sort of a big deal.”

I b low out a breath as I do mental gymnastics, trying to determine if I have something hidden in the back of my closet. Damn it, I should have checked when he brought this up the first time. “I’m sure I have something that isn’t a bridesmaid dress. At least I hope so.”

“Are you saying you don’t own any other dresses?”

I wave my hands up and down my body covered in greasy overalls, a black tank top sans bra, and my work boots. “This is ninety percent of my wardrobe, Elliot. It’s sort of hard to tear apart cars in a dress and heels.”

“Understandable. But as I said before, if you need to go shopping, I have no problem paying for it.”

“Um, no. I don’t need you to buy me a dress.”

“I’m just offering…”

“And I’m just declining. I don’t need your help, Elliot.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “This isn’t about you needing anything, Dilynne, which seems to be a pain point for you, obviously.” His eyes meet mine again. “I’m just offering since this dinner is my fault.”

“How is this your fault? This whole thing was my idea.”

“Yeah, but if it weren’t for my dad, it wouldn’t be an issue.”

I take a moment to pause before I speak again. “It’s fine. We’ll satisfy Daddy Dearest, tell him what he needs to hear to believe us, and then hopefully by the time Motorlux is over, we can avoid him again.”

Elliot’s brows draw together as he nods. “Yeah, but…”

“But what?”

He rubs the back of his neck as he starts to pace. I just watch him, wondering what on earth is taking him so long to get out. But when he speaks, I can’t deny that he sparks my interest. “I sort of overheard a conversation between my dad and Tori today that has me wondering if I’m missing something.”