Her phone rang. It was Cash. She let it roll to voicemail.
Hands shaking, she picked it up. She couldn’t put off telling Sarah what was going on any longer.
Her friend answered right away. “Hey, how’s it going? How’s Piper? No, wait, how are those two hunks you’re seeing?”
Dallas couldn’t help but smile a little. Her friend’s upbeat personality was just what she needed. Calmer now, she answered, “Piper’s great. She’s taking a nap. As far as the two hunks... Sarah, I’m making a big mistake. I don’t think I should see them anymore. I mean, what do I really know about them? How do I know I can trust them?” Pausing a moment, she chewed her cuticle, drawing blood.
Sarah, sounding confused, said, “What happened?”
Dallas continued as if her friend hadn’t spoken. “The fact is, I don’t know. I’ve come to realize that I can’t take that chance anymore.”
Sarah sucked in a loud breath. “Whoa! Tell me now. What in the hell happened, honey?”
“Cash and Ethan didn’t actually do anything.” She went on to tell her friend about Doug. “It’s just that it might easily have been Cash or Ethan hiding something horrible like that. How would I know?”
Sarah paused, then said, “You don’t. You trust. It all comes down to that when you’re in a relationship. You either trust, or you don’t.”
Dallas made a rude noise. “Trust? After what Piper’s father did to me? I thought we’d spend the rest of our lives together. Now I feel that way about Cash and Ethan. Like maybe I might have a future with one of them. But what secrets do they hold? Will they turn their backs on me? I don’t think I can take it, Sarah.”
“Oh, sweetheart, you are a mess, aren’t you?”
Dallas gulped long swallows of wine. “I am. I blew Cash off yesterday when he planned to take us out. And I’ll do the same to Ethan tomorrow. I just can’t face this anymore. You’d think I’d feel better, now that I’ve decided what to do. But, Sarah?”
“Yeah, honey?”
“I thought I could just go back to the way I was, but I can’t. The way I was feels terrible now. How did I ever stand my life before?” Her bottom lip trembled.
“Your life is hard. I’m not sure how you do it. Holding down two jobs and being a good momma. I have to ask—are you sure you want to do this? Break it off with Cash and Ethan?”
Dallas took another swallow of wine and rubbed the heel of her palm across her aching chest. “I can’t find it in me to trust. I want to, but how, Sarah?”
“Trust is kind of like faith. Why don’t you pray about it? I hate for you to give up on these guys. Being with them has been good for you.”
Dallas closed her eyes. “Thanks for listening, Sarah. I love you.”
AS DALLAS HEADED TO work Monday morning, she dreaded the start of her day. What should she say to Ethan? Sarah’s encouragement yesterday had done nothing but add to Dallas’s confusion.
At the office, mistakes plagued her morning. Her lack of concentration and exhaustion were symptoms of her less than three hours of sleep the night before.
Finally, as she knew he would, Ethan dropped by her desk. Leaning his hip casually on the corner, he asked, “How are you, Dallas?”
Sighing, she said, “Tired. I haven’t been sleeping well.”
He frowned. “You okay? Can I help with anything?”
Here it was, and she had no clue what to tell him yet. “I need to slow things down a bit. Spend more time with Piper.”
Ethan examined her face, seeming to search for more than what she was saying. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to put any pressure on you, but I don’t want to stop seeing you, either. I hope we can work this out.”
This was as hard as she thought it would be. “I need some time, Ethan.”
“Is this about your cowboy?” he asked, his voice strained.
She jerked her head back. “No, absolutely not. I’ll always be honest with you.”
He smiled and reached across the desk to clasp her hand. “Okay, then, you rest this week. Take some time, and we’ll talk soon.”
Really? He gave her a week? She’d decide when she wanted to speak to him again. “I’ll see you later, Ethan.” Turning her back to him, she unlocked her computer and got back to work.
At three o’clock, Cash sent her a text.
I’m missing you today. I hate it when I don’t see you on the weekend. Hope you’re having a great Monday. : )
She sent a happy face back. If only she knew how to trust him—trust Ethan. She couldn’t just snap her fingers and make it happen. Following Sarah’s advice, she’d prayed last night. So far, nothing had changed.
That afternoon, as she headed to the copy room, Dallas heard Ethan’s voice coming from his assistant’s desk. The unpleasant tone made her pause and listen.
“How am I supposed to show this to my client? The colors are all wrong. I told you how I wanted it. My meeting’s in ten minutes, and there’s no time to change it. This is an embarrassment!”
Ethan stormed out of his office and into Dallas’s sight. His angry expression softened into a welcoming one as he approached her. “Hey, what’s up?”
Uneasy after what she overheard, she said, “I’m on my way to make some copies. See you,” and moved around him, hurrying down the hall. Never had she heard him use that tone of voice. Was he having a really bad day, or did Ethan behave like that regularly? Deeply unsettled, she finished her copies and made her way back to her desk. A terrible thought hit her as she sat down. If, in the end, she chose Cash, would Ethan treat her badly, too?
By the time she picked up Piper and drove home,
