Christa cleared her throat. “Maybe you should?” she hedged.
Libby put the carton of milk in the fridge and turned around. “Nope. Not going to happen. I’ve worked my entire life to be strong and independent. I’m not going to let anyone make me feel like I’m not worth listening to.”
“When do you work next?” Christa asked as she unloaded one of the bags.
“Monday afternoon.”
Christa yanked the bag Libby was holding out of her hands. “Go.”
“Go where? What are you talking about?”
Christa pointed to the door. “Go find him. Make this right. Do it now. Don’t spend the next day and a half moping around kicking yourself and him. Face him. Talk to him.”
Libby rolled her eyes. “Give me one good reason why I should be the one to confront him when he drove away from me last night and didn’t answer my text this morning.”
“Because you’re in love with him.”
Libby sucked in a breath, blinking at her friend.
Christa narrowed her gaze. “Deny it.”
“You’re right.”
“Go.” She pointed toward the door again.
Libby hesitated a few more seconds and then leaned in to hug Christa. “Thank you again.” She grabbed her keys and rushed back out the door.
Chapter 26
Jason was sitting on his back deck, nursing his second cup of coffee when movement to the side of his house caught his eye. He jerked his gaze to find Libby entering his backyard through the gate.
His breath hitched as he watched her body sway with every slow step in his direction. He didn’t say a word, but he was unnerved to realize that even though he was still nursing a solid mad, he was attracted to her.
She looked chagrined. After taking the two steps up to his deck and sitting on the side of the second lounge chair facing him, she drew in a breath. “You didn’t answer the door but your car was in the driveway, so I thought maybe…” She glanced down at her lap, fisting her hands together.
He furrowed his brow, reminding himself that she’d treated him badly and nothing she could say would make up for the way she’d behaved. He’d gone over everything that happened last night several times this morning, and in no scenario did she redeem herself.
She changed the subject. “You didn’t answer my text.”
He lifted one brow higher. Part of him didn’t feel the desire to even respond to her. “I wasn’t up when you sent it.”
“You’re up now.”
“And I’m still too angry to talk to you.” That much was true, though at this point he’d decided it would never subside. “Besides, I don’t have anything to say.”
She took a deep breath and sat up straighter. “Okay, well, maybe I could talk, and you could just listen.”
He shrugged as if he didn’t care one way or another.
“When I got to my parents’ last night, I had a whole speech ready. I promise. And then I opened the front door and there were several people in the living room. My mother had been hounding me to meet her neighbors’ grandson. I’d put her off every time, telling her I had to work or that I was too busy.”
Jason knew all this. Or he could piece it together.
“She stepped way over the line this time. Putting me in an awkward position.”
Jason groaned and dramatically rolled his head back to stare at the sky. She thought she was in an awkward position? What about him?
“I know. I know. I should have told the entire room that I couldn’t go out with Javier because I had a boyfriend. I should have confronted my mother in front of her neighbors and stood up for myself once and for all. It just all happened so fast. In seconds, she had introduced me to Javier and shoved us out the front door telling Javier I would take him to dinner and show him around town.”
Jason lowered his head to shoot her with a glare.
Libby released her hands to pinch the bridge of her nose. “As soon as the door closed, I realized Javier was actually very understanding. He could sense my discomfort. He immediately guessed that I had a boyfriend. And, on top of everything else, it turned out we had a lot in common. His grandparents treat him the same way my parents treat me—as if no person who isn’t Guatemalan will ever be good enough.”
Jason couldn’t hold back his sarcastic thoughts another moment. “Well, isn’t that just perfect. You two will be so happy together. I wish you all the best.”
Libby shook her head. “No. That’s not what I’m saying. I’m trying to tell you that it was innocent. I talked to Javier about you and he spoke to me about his previous girlfriend whom he lost when he didn’t put her first. He made me understand that I have to put you first if I really care about you or I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”
Jason swung around to sit on the side of his lounge chair facing her. His blood was boiling. “You needed to go out with another guy to realize you care about me?”
Her bottom lip was trembling and she glanced down at her lap again. “No. I didn’t. But I was blindsided, Jason. I didn’t want to cause a scene in front of Javier’s grandparents. We chose to appease them and walk away. I get that you don’t understand how I’m feeling or how much pressure I’m under, but I’m trying.”
Jason jumped to his feet and started pacing. “You don’t have the first clue what I understand, Libby. I may not have a college degree like you, but I’m not stupid. I’m just some dirty little secret you keep on the side with no intention of ever telling anyone about
