“And I need you,” Palmer shoots back.
Beau glances between his sister and Palmer. Oooh, the battle between sibling and romantic love. Tough choice. Beau squares his shoulders. “I’m sorry, Palmer.” And just like that, he stands from his chair.
I glance at Cooper to gauge his reaction. I can see there’s something on the tip of his tongue, but he keeps his mouth shut and leans back in his chair instead.
“So, you’re not dating anyone else?” I ask.
His eyes snap to mine. “I barely have time to spend with you—you think I’d date someone else?”
“Hey, you don’t need to be mean about it,” I say.
“Well, don’t question me, Nora.”
I press back, stunned.
“Cooper, you’re clearly feeling out of control right now and need a second to gather yourself. Reset.”
“Don’t overanalyze me, Nora.”
“I’m not. I’m trying to help.”
His eyes flash to mine. “I don’t need your help.”
It feels like a slap to the face. His words sting, with his harsh tone and detached glare. I believe I’m a patient person, an understanding one, but I don’t deserve this.
I think Larkin and Beau had the right idea. Gathering my purse, I stand from the booth, my glance sweeping over the fuming siblings. “Well, I was going to stick this out, but I don’t need to be treated like that. Good night, Cooper.”
“Shit.” He scrambles. “Nora, I’m sorry. Please.” But I take off before he can say anything else.
I’m done for the evening.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
FORD
Beep.
Damn it. I should have known she wasn’t going to answer.
“Larkin, it’s me.” I push my hand through my hair as I walk the length of my room at the inn. “I know you’re not answering me right now, but I want to make sure you got to Beau’s okay. I also want to apologize. I don’t want to do this over the phone. I want to do this in person. I want to be able to hold your hand and look you in the eyes and tell you how sorry I am. That was not how I wanted the evening to go, and I know I deserve a lot of the blame. Please call me. Please come to the inn; please tell me how I can fix this. Okay, have a good night. Bye.”
I hang up and toss my phone at my bed before sinking down against the wall and onto the floor, my hands tightly gripping my hair.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
PALMER
Knock. Knock.
I bounce back and forth on my feet, nervous, ashamed, fearful of what’s going to happen.
The door cracks open, and Beau stands on the other side, barely opening it.
“Palmer, what are you doing here?”
“I came to talk to you.”
He glances behind him. “Now’s not a good time.”
“You left me,” I say, not caring if this is a good time or not. “I really needed you back there.”
“And Larkin needed me,” he counters. “She’s my sister.”
“So, if we were in a serious relationship, would you choose your sister over me as well?”
“It’s not choosing one or the other.”
“Yes, it is,” I say, my voice rising. “I was having a hard time too.”
“You were instigating the entire thing,” Beau snaps, his anger flaring. “You were a different person tonight, Palmer. You gave no thought to the fact that you were ruining everyone’s night, ruining our night. It was a side of you I didn’t care for. You might not agree with your brothers, but they’re family and you should treat them better than you did tonight. Frankly, it’s not something I wanted to be a part of.”
“What?” I ask, surprised. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying . . .” He pauses and glances down at his bare feet. “I’m saying that this isn’t going to work out between us. I thought I knew what I wanted, and there were moments when you were the amazing person I knew many years ago, but you also . . . hell, Palmer, you don’t know what you’re doing with your life.”
“And you’re going to punish me for that?”
“No. I was more than happy to help you find your next chapter, but you haven’t done anything to move toward that next chapter. Instead, you’ve gone around terrorizing your brothers. I don’t want to be a part of that.”
“I see.” I take a step back, feeling nauseated. “Well, I’m sorry that I don’t have my shit together.” My eyes well up and a tear rolls down my cheek. “And I’m sorry that I made you feel like any less than you deserve.” I wipe at my eye and take a step back. “And I’m sorry that I dragged you into the mess that is my life. Every part of my life, including the past.”