Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 111359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 557(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 557(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Tanner just grunted, clearly not agreeing.
Fuck.
“I didn’t realize you were still hung up on her.”
“I’m not. And we’re not talking about me. We’re talking about Hannah. You just see her as a friend, which is fine. But maybe just be aware that it hurts her if you’re flirting with someone around her.”
He really didn’t like the idea of hurting Hannah.
At. All.
“Your reaction to her falling over was interesting, though.”
“What do you mean? She could have hurt herself.”
Tanner shot him a look. “She tripped. You were bleeding. You don’t think your reaction to her falling over was a bit of an overreaction?”
Had he overreacted? “I would have reacted that way if any of our girls had hurt themselves.”
“Hannah’s not one of us.”
Immediately, he wanted to reject that. Which made him think . . . fuck.
“Maybe I’m attracted to Hannah.”
What the hell?
She was beautiful with a gorgeous smile.
“Since when did you become Hannah’s protector, anyway?” Raid asked.
“She doesn’t have anyone looking out for her. Except Jake.”
Raid snorted at the mention of the sheriff. He wasn’t their biggest fan. And he didn’t like that she only had Jake looking out for her.
And Tanner, apparently.
“I’ve known Hannah a long time,” Tanner said. “She’s sweet and kind, and she doesn’t deserve to have her heart hurt.”
“Not gonna hurt her.” Raid really didn’t want to do that. Maybe he should ask her out.
Fuck. He couldn’t.
“I need to think about this.”
“You do that,” Tanner replied.
“Now isn’t the time to ask her out, anyway. I’m leaving for New Orleans next week. Regent has been practically begging me to come. It’s getting embarrassing. For him, obviously.”
“Obviously,” Tanner agreed.
Yeah. He needed some time to think about this.
“Spill.”
“Spill what?” Hannah asked, picking up her glass of sparkling wine to take a sip. Mostly so she could avoid looking at her friends.
But that didn’t mean they would let her get away with avoiding them.
“Tell us what happened to put that kicked-dog look on your face,” Melody added to her original demand to spill.
Her other friends, Josie and Carlie, nodded in agreement.
She sighed. There was no way they’d let her get away with not answering.
“Raid came in today.”
“Ahh.” They all said it together, and she wrinkled her nose at them.
“What happened?” Josie asked. She’d dyed her hair purple this week and it looked fabulous.
“Did you stumble over your words? Freeze up? Run the other way?” Carlie asked, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear. They were valid questions since they were all things she’d done in the past when faced with the gorgeousness that was Raid Malone.
“I fell over.”
They all sucked in a breath. They understood the enormity of that situation.
“Oh, honey,” Josie said with empathy.
“It was so embarrassing,” she said.
“How did he react?” Melody demanded. “He wasn’t mean to you, was he?”
Lord, she could just imagine how Melody would react if she told her that Raid had been cruel to her. Melody was loyal and protective, and she wasn’t afraid of anyone. She’d wade in to protect her friends against anyone. Then Brye, her boyfriend, would wade in after her.
Followed by all of them. So she was glad she could tell her the truth.
“No, of course not. He acted really concerned about me. Even though he was the one bleeding, he wanted Jenna to check me over first.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet.” Josie smiled dreamily. “See? Maybe he does like you.”
Hannah shook her head. “He doesn’t. He would be that way with any of you if you hurt yourself.”
“How do you know that?” Melody asked.
“Because that’s just the way he is,” she said lamely. “And he’s never once shown he’s interested in me.”
He did send Tanner to check on you.
But again, he’d likely do that for anyone.
“And when he came back out the front after being stitched up, Simone was all over him. And she said that she’d see him Thursday night.”
They all gave her devastated looks.
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry,” Josie told her, taking her hand.
Shoot. She didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for her. She just wanted them to stop trying to keep this dream alive.
There was nothing between her and Raid, and there never would be.
“That doesn’t mean that something couldn’t happen between you two,” Carlie said. “Don’t give up hope.”
She shook her head. “I want to find that someone special. I want to get married. To have children. I just . . . that’s all I want. To have someone look at me the way Brye looks at you, Mel.” She glanced over at Brye, who was sitting at the bar, pretending that he wasn’t keeping an eye on them.
“He’s so overprotective,” Melody muttered. Her ponytail flicked back and forth as she shook her head. “Won’t even let me go for a drink with the girls without coming to watch over me.”
“And you love it,” she said. Because they all knew she secretly did.