23. Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

Indy — Now

A n elephant had flown back with us to Arizona.

No, an eight-ton mammal hadn’t crammed its way onto coach, making its fellow passengers tense and uncomfortable. But it had certainly felt that way between Nolan and me when we flew across the country, continuing even after we’d landed in Phoenix. The past twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind of emotions, and I assumed by Nolan’s silence, he was as exhausted as I was. He’d slept the entire flight to Arizona, and the bags beneath his eyes were so dark I felt guilty he still had to drive the four hours to Wallowpine.

I’d offered to drive, but he’d turned me down, telling me he’d get us home safely. I didn’t protest. Not only because I barely had the energy to keep my eyes open, but because I couldn’t believe I was going back to Wallowpine with Nolan in the first place. There was a time I would’ve given anything for that.

I was wearing the same leggings and oversized T-shirt as when I’d flown yesterday, but I couldn’t help but acknowledge I was not the same person who’d left Wallowpine. Neither of us were.

Nolan must’ve sensed the shift too, or perhaps he was finally ready to acknowledge the tension that had followed us home. “You said something last night—or was it early this morning?” He shook his head with a tired smile. “I don’t know when you said it. The point is: I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.”

I picked at my nails, nervous. Where was this conversation going? Nothing I’d revealed last night, nor this morning, had been easy. We might’ve found somewhat steady ground, but we hadn’t taken a step forward. I hadn’t even told him about my talk with Evelyn, fearing how he’d take it.

“I have a lot of regrets. Made a lot of mistakes,” he continued as he drove down the interstate, maneuvering through Phoenix traffic. “My most recent is not appreciating being in New York City. With you. Instead, I was so worried my little brother was making a move on you that I became a miserable, territorial bastard.”

I snorted. “I wouldn’t call you a miserable, territorial bastard.”

“Levi told me I was. Among other things.”

I didn’t doubt Levi had told him that—I knew how brutally honest the Graham brothers were to each other. But I didn’t exactly blame him. If I saw Nolan dance with or kiss my sister, I’d yank her hair out.

“Like I was saying, you told me it wasn’t your fault I chose to sit by and let life happen to me. And you’re right. It’s no one’s fault but my own. And I’m not doing it anymore.”

“Oh.” I bit the corner of my lip, feeling guilty. I didn’t disagree with what I’d said to Nolan last night—but maybe saying it had been unfair. I’d lived in New York for three months, and the only things I’d seen were VLA and the New York Hawks stadium. “You’re not the only one who does it. I do too.”

“Oh, I know.” He winked. “You should stop too.”

I rolled my eyes, feeling nothing but amusement even though he was calling me out. He was right—I should stop. I might give it my all when it came to work, but there was so much I’d let slide, leaving it up to life. “Okay,” I agreed. “We can add it to our deal . . . work on it together.”

Nolan smiled, like the idea of us committing to something together excited him. But I should’ve known he was up to no good when he said, “Good, I’m glad we’re on the same page. Because you’ve got a hot date.”

“There’s no way in hell I’m getting out of this truck.” I clutched the seat, nails digging into the leather like my life depended on it. Was this my life? In no world had I ever expected to argue with Nolan about letting him fix me up with someone. “You may as well give up now and get inside.”

“C’mon, Indy,” Nolan coaxed from where he stood outside his truck, the driver’s door open. “All you’ve gotta do is take a step. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“I’m not afraid.” I wasn’t. When I was ready—and divorced—I’d start dating again. But I wasn’t doing it with Nolan in the same room. “I’m not sure what you planned, but I have no desire to go on a date at a community center,” I said, waving my hand at the building we’d been outside for the past twenty minutes.

“This is a fantastic establishment,” he claimed, and for the life of me I couldn’t tell if he was serious or not. “I bet if you give it a chance, you’ll find the next Mr. Indy Tyler inside.”

I snorted. I’d rather eat chicken shit. “How did you even find this place?” It was in Hillshire, the next town over from Wallowpine. The most exciting thing about Hillshire was the fact it had a Walmart, so I imagined Nolan must’ve looked at a book titled Best Place to Plot Revenge Against Your Wife and picked here.

“I’ve been here a time or two with Jake.” Instead of telling me what for, he set his hands on the roof of his truck, leaning farther through the driver’s side doorway. “Get your butt out of the truck, and let’s go get you a date.”

“No.” I knew he was doing this because I’d foolishly admitted to him last night that I’d only ever been with him. Fat chance I’d ever let Nolan break my dry spell. “You get your ass in the truck and take me home.”

“Dammit, Indy.” But he grinned, letting me know he wasn’t all that annoyed. “You’re getting out of this truck. Whether that’s with a bit of dignity or kicking and screaming, that’s up to you. ”

I gaped at him, my blood boiling. He might mean every word of his threat, but I was just as hardheaded as he was. “Take me home, Nolan.”

He rolled his bottom lip between his teeth. “You want me to take you home?” I nodded, giving him a look as though to say duh . “Fine.” But instead of climbing in the truck, he closed his door.

Realizing his intentions, I reached for the latch to lock mine, but I was a second too late. Before I could so much as breathe, his hands were on my hips and I was tossed over his shoulder. “Nolan,” I screeched, beating my hands against his back as he reached into the truck and grabbed Genny’s carrier, bringing my poor girl inside to be tortured too. “You said you were taking me home! Take me home!”

“Oh, I am.” I swore there was an extra pep in his step. Bastard. “I’d take you home and never let you go if you asked nicely—but my daddy raised a gentleman, and I’m not taking any girl home without taking her on a date first.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it!”

“Really?” Ignoring my protests, he tugged open the door to the community center. “Well, you can’t really fault a guy for dreaming.”

“You’re unbelievable.” My voice was breathless as Nolan set me on my feet, facing him. I jabbed a finger in his chest, so intent on wiping that grin off his pretty face I didn’t think to take in my surroundings. “You’re going to pay for this. When I’m done, you’ll wish I lived only in your dreams. I’m going to—”

“Are we interrupting something?”

I covered my mouth, realizing we weren’t alone. And based on Nolan’s smirk, he’d known it. He was dead. I glared at him, silently communicating how I planned to murder him when we didn’t have an audience, and turned to face the voice. “Um—” I choked, my face roasting as I took in the group of people behind us. Now I understood why Nolan had come here with Jake. This was a senior community center. “I’m so sorry. We were just leaving.”

I stumbled toward the doorway, but he latched onto my hand. “We’re here for the speed-dating activity.”

“The what?” I squeaked, but the woman holding a clipboard, presumably in charge, must’ve misread my grimace as glee .

“Oh, wonderful! We’d love to have more participants. Why don’t you two head over to the table and fill out a name tag? We’ll get started then.”

“Sure thing,” Nolan said, my hand in his as he dragged me to the table. Setting Genny’s carrier on a chair, he grabbed a name tag, then wrote my name out. “You want me to put it on your forehead?”

I scowled, and it was only because we were in a room full of people that I didn’t grab Genny and run for my life. “This is not a date,” I hissed, snatching the name tag and sticking it on my shirt. “This . . . this is hell.”

Nolan laughed, the sound abrupt and full, and despite my annoyance, I smiled. “With an attitude like that, you’re sure to find a new husband in no time, peaches.”

That sounded terrible.

I rolled my eyes, a piece of me dying inside. I fiddled with my hair, pulling loose strands down from my bun to frame my face. In my dingy T-shirt and leggings sprinkled with cat hair, there was no way I was finding a husband—or even a date—but I prided myself on always looking nice, and Nolan knew that. He’d probably planned this whole thing—

“Relax,” he whispered, his voice a soothing chord. “Remember, no more holding back, alright? We’re doing this for us. No one else.”

I wasn’t sure how this benefited us or what we were trying to accomplish, but instead of arguing, I trailed Nolan as he joined the rest of the group. Sandra—the woman in charge—separated us into two groups and then instructed one to form a circle facing outward, with the other group forming a circle around us, facing inward. I might’ve been relieved to be in a different group from Nolan were he not straight across from me, giving me a front-row view to his smug smile.

“That looks great,” Sandra told us. “Now, my outer circle, when I start the music, you’ll rotate clockwise and continue until the music stops. Whoever you land in front of, you’ll have the chance to get to know them for the next three minutes. Inner circle, you’ll remain where you are. Any questions?” When it was clear there were none, she added, “Great! And remember this is supposed to be fun. So relax and make some friends!”

Someone run me over.

The music started, and my stomach dropped as Nolan waved goodbye, his circle rotating around mine. I wasn’t thrilled to be here, but at least it wasn’t an actual date. There were at least thirty of us, and besides Nolan and me, everyone was at least sixty-five.

Maybe I’d get lucky and find a sugar daddy.

The music stopped, and Sandra clapped her hands. “Great job. Now get talking!”

“She’s loud,” the elderly woman across from me said. “She makes me want to take out my hearing aids.”

“She’s enthusiastic.” I glanced at Sandra, giving her a wobbly smile as she gave me two thumbs up. “I’m Indy. What’s your—”

“I can read.” She shoved her thick-framed glasses up her nose. “But since you apparently can’t, I’m Miriam.”

I pressed my lips together. Oh, this will be fun. “Hi, Miriam.” I glanced at the paper in my hand, a list of prompts if we needed any. “Do you have any pets?”

“Is that your way of asking me if I’m one of those old cat ladies?”

“I—” I stumbled over my words, and I swore someone behind me laughed. “Of course not. I just thought we might have something in common. I have a cat. Her name is Genny. She’s right over there actually—”

“Can we switch partners?” Miriam called out. “Mine won’t stop gabbing about her damn cat.”

I gasped, not knowing if I wanted to laugh or crawl into a hole. Either the three minutes were up or Sandra took pity on me, but the music began again. Miriam muttered something under her breath, clutching her cane as she rotated with her circle.

Okay, no sugar daddy—or mama—for me.

“Really?” Nolan taunted as he passed by. “You told her about our cat?”

“My cat,” I corrected him as the music stopped, thankful he didn’t land in front of me.

But that didn’t stop him from shouting across the circle: “We need to figure out some sort of custody agreement—”

“Hey, pipe down,” the older gentleman across from me said, his finger pointed at Nolan. “She’s my partner, not yours.”

I laughed, sharing a wide-eyed look with Nolan. This group meant serious business. Just to get a rise out of Nolan, I told anyone who would listen about my cat. I was in the middle of comparing photos with my current partner, Claudia, when the music started again.

“I’ll email you that recipe I told you about when I get home,” Claudia called over her shoulder, following the rotation of her circle. With each song that passed, I met Nolan’s gaze, not missing the little wink he’d give me. And every time I’d hold my breath, bracing for him to stop in front of me.

Sandra called out last round, and just when I thought I was in the clear, the music cut and Nolan was in front of me. Despite his wrinkly shirt and messy hair, he looked damn good. I hated it. “It’s about time,” he said. “I’ve been hoping to get you all night. You mind telling me your name?”

He was trying to drive me insane.

Deciding to play along, I told him my name and said, “It’s nice to meet you”—my gaze flickered to his name tag—“Nol—Eugene?” I laughed hard. He was out of control. “What a lovely name, Eugene.”

“Thank you. It’s a family name.” He took off his hat and dipped his head at me, and for a moment I forgot he’d dragged me in here. “I was thinking, since this is the last round, we should switch it up and play a game.”

I raised a brow. “What game?”

“We used to be pretty good at hide-and-seek.” My smile wavered, and Nolan must’ve sensed I was about to turn him down, as he added, “But we probably shouldn’t play it here—someone might fall and break a hip. So why don’t we play two truths and a lie instead? They’re sort of similar.”

I chewed on the corner of my lip, my stomach twisting. Nolan knew enough about me that it shouldn’t be hard to tell him a few truths. It wasn’t serious. So why was I so scared?

Maybe because I’d already given him so many truths.

“I love baseball,” I began, deciding that was good enough, but when Nolan scrunched his face, it was clear he wanted more. I let out a breath, nodding .

No more holding back.

“I’m afraid it doesn’t matter what I do, my mom will never be proud of me.” I braced myself, waiting for him to give me any sort of reaction. But he only tipped his chin, urging me on. “I lost the only thing I ever wanted, and it’s my fault.”

I pushed a loose curl behind my ear, feeling entirely bare beneath Nolan’s gaze. I waited for him to guess my lie, but he stepped closer, stopping only when his boots nudged mine. His voice was a gritty rasp. “I haven’t had a drink in almost two years, but I’m an idiot and buying a bar.”

Lie.

Rather than calling him out then and there, I watched him as he had me.

“I’m a professional baseball player.” Wait, what? I opened my mouth to point out he’d given me two lies, but he stopped me before I could. “I’ve only ever been with one woman because everyone else pales in comparison to her.”

Well, shit. Those all felt like lies.

Nolan’s fingers brushed mine, and my heart pounded. I didn’t shy from his gaze. I didn’t care if he saw how confused I was, nor did I bother to guess which response was a lie. It was safer that way—I’d already been vulnerable enough.

But Nolan must’ve meant it when he said no more holding back. “You cheated.” His voice was ragged. “Everything you said was a lie.”

“I told you two truths. One lie.” I didn’t love baseball. I hated it.

“No,” he pressed, something edged in his tone. “They were all lies.”

I shook my head. “You’re the one who gave me all lies.”

“Like hell I did.”

“Oh yeah?” I tipped my chin up, the heat of his breath coasting over my skin. “Then tell me which one was the lie?”

He stared at me with those brilliant blue eyes, and neither of us stopped the way our fingers brushed again and again. We were too afraid to let go, too afraid to hold on. “You’ll have to stick around and find out.”

“Fine. ”

Satisfied, he gave me a smirk, and despite the fact we were in a community center, surrounded by folks three times our age, neither of us made a move for space. “Hey, peaches?”

“What?” I breathed, heart racing as he glanced at my lips.

His gaze lingered there, and he waited until I was on the damn edge of combusting before he whispered, “I like fighting with you.”

I let out an airy laugh, my voice quiet. “I like it too.”

His lips lifted in a small smile, and I didn’t protest when he slipped his fingers through mine. He gave them a soft squeeze as he led the way to his truck. Though it was a short walk, I couldn’t help but think that even though we were fighting, it felt so good to hold on rather than let go.