Rough Tumble (6 page)

Flora dropped back in her chair and rubbed her face. “Stop. Yes. It’s the same secret. Tonya has a fake boyfriend. That’s the only secret she has.”

Trent pointed across the table. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!” He twisted and pointed at Flora. “I can’t believe you told him. Tonya
trusts
you! Said you and Gretchen were all who knew!”

Flora pointed at Jacob. “I didn’t tell him anything. He’s a dirty little eavesdropper.”

Jacob pointed at her and now they were all pointing. “I’m not dirty. You were talking loud on the phone. Don’t want secrets told, you shouldn’t talk about them.”

Trent dropped his hands on the table and looked at his brother. “I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”

Jacob only lifted a shoulder and went back to eating. “Wasn’t my secret to tell.”

“I’m your damn brother.”

“They’re still her damn secrets.” Jacob put his fork down and stared at him across the table. “Last I heard you’re just friends with her so what’s it matter anyway?”

“We are just friends.”

“Then it shouldn’t be a big deal. You knowing changes nothing about your friendship.”

Not a big deal his ass. She was a big part of his life; he knew that much and it sure did feel like he lost a huge chunk of it when he walked out. When it all changed on him yesterday. When she made that one statement that completely changed everything he thought about her. Changed how he admired her.

Flora reached across the table and gripped his forearm. “Go find Tonya. She wouldn’t have told you if she didn’t really trust you.”

He nodded, but not today because he was still so damn pissed. So fucking pissed off that she could honestly believe how Marc handled things was her fault. He shook his head. Years had passed and coming home to Amanda and her pack of rabid bitchy friends still socked him in the gut when he wasn’t looking.

He was tired of it. Tired of her being in the back of his mind claiming to love him. Claiming to want to runaway together. Tired of thinking back to her friends covering for her as she went out with Daddy’s pick. A trust fund boy who wasn’t from the other side of the tracks who was afraid of getting his hands dirty to make a living to support a family.

Chapter Five

Tonya could only shrug. Well that and fight the tears. Frustrating thing to do. Nobody wanted to see their waitress or cook sobbing pathetically into their food. And it was pathetic. Very pathetic. Apparently he wasn’t the dear friend she thought. A real friend wouldn’t have walked out over how she stupidly ran her life for a couple years.

Flora frowned over her coffee. “And he just walked out.”

Tonya nodded, the pang still heavy and hurting in her chest. “No looking back. Locked the door when I knocked on it.”

Flora frowned and leaned back against the sink lip in the kitchen. “I wish I had dumped that bowl of gravy over his head this morning. What an asshole.”

She’d been thinking nearly the same thing for half the night. But then, what else should she have expected? So many times he’d mentioned admiring how she was staying faithful. Going in she’d known telling the truth was a risk. Had known the best she could hope for was that he’d understand. “I’m going to give him time, I think, before pushing.”

“I think he’s stupid to act this way. This is your life and he’s supposed to be your friend. He should accept you for how you are.”

She nodded. “I know, but Trent doesn’t like lying. He’s very straightforward. I knew that and continued lying. Kept making up stupid answers to his questions about Marc.”

“Put that way, I guess I can see his reasons.” Flora tapped on her coffee cup. “How much time are you giving him?”

Question of the minute running through her mind. “I don’t know. The fact that he didn’t come in this morning is a sign he’ll need more time than I was hoping.”

Flora crossed her arms under her chest. “He’s running around with Jacob today, maybe he can talk some sense into him.” Flora met her gaze and doubled over with laughter. “Oh my God, I can’t believe I just said that.”

Tonya shook her head, but couldn’t deny the smile. “He could. Give the boy some credit. He won you over didn’t he?”

“True, but we barely talk about a relationship between
us
.”

“So no progress on the I love
yous
?”

Flora’s face softened with a shake of her head. “None. Every time I think about saying it, I feel like I’m springing it on him like an unwanted surprise birthday party.”

“Jacob would probably love a surprise party.”

Flora stroked bangs over the top of her head. “God, I know he would. It just hasn’t seemed right though. I have to get back to work. Toilet to snake, sewer system to install.”

Tonya shook her head and said her goodbyes, keeping to herself that Jacob was struggling with the same thing. It would take away half the fun of watching them dance around each other. They’d get there. When the time was right. Same for her and Trent, she supposed.

She grabbed the bucket of frozen fries and carried them back to the big freezer now that lunch rush was over. Back in her routine. Same thing, day in day out, peddling her wheels. No going anywhere. Just admiring the same scenery over and over again.

Telling Trent the truth, however risky, was supposed to push her into another step in life. Break her out of this god-awful routine. A step towards something more. With him, maybe. She had her lip between her teeth and a tingle in her tummy before she could catch herself. With him would be an excellent, excellent idea. He was a man she could depend on. One she could trust…just as soon as he came around after hearing her news.

Three days later and she was putting away the same bucket of frozen fries after another busy lunch rush at the diner.

Still nothing from him. Absolutely nothing. Not a stop in her diner. Not a stop by her place. The blinds had been lowered in his home and the doors locked behind him as soon as he walked in. She knew because yesterday she thought she was going to be smart and let herself in just as soon as he’d gotten home. The spring rains had moved in for the week or else she’d just camp out on his front steps. Much more of this though, and she’d do that.

The days of being ignored had lasted long enough. She wanted him to come to her when he was ready, but she started this mess. She wasn’t above tracking him down, twisting his head on straight—or giving him a kick in the ass—until he saw that her secret wasn’t that big of deal. Just incredibly stupid. Not worth ignoring her forever.

She tossed a rag in the sink and walked out the wide swinging door of the kitchen and into the eating area. Sun shined through the windows and she breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, that system of rain must have moved on. If all else failed, she could sit on her back steps and wait for him to arrive and not look like a drowned rat while she did it.

If she could get home before him. Which wasn’t all that likely. Rain meant no work. Even though it currently wasn’t raining, it was going to be too muddy for a couple days. He’d have no work and could be sulking in his trailer all day for all she knew. Lovely.

Her cashiers were changing out register drawers as Samantha, her morning girl was finished with her morning shift and Carla was coming on for the afternoon, evening shift. Tonya rested on her elbows on the counter for a small bright spot in her life. Though to be honest, it was dimming a bit. “Make me lots of money today?”

Samantha waved a fat stack of twenties at her. “Not too bad, I don’t think. Give me five minutes and I should be counted out and balanced.”

Tonya nodded. And then more fun began of counting out money, paying bills and making the bank deposit on time if she wanted more money in her accounts today. Not that it mattered. She rented a small trailer, drove a five-year-old truck she bought used because it was a repo. She hadn’t gone on vacation in about two years. Maybe three. Hell, could have been longer than that. What else was she to do but keep stock piling money in her accounts?

She could upgrade the diner. She wanted new tables. Fresh coat of paint. A new sign out front. She never got around to actually doing that though because it was the only thing she could find to spend money on. And if she was going to really splurge and do something, she wanted to
do something.
Not fix up a diner that was already making her money in its current condition.

She moved around her tables, picking up the last few dirty plates from those who ate a late lunch. Remains of double cheeseburgers, fish plates, chicken plates…
big la-di-da
. The ketchup, tartar sauce, and bits of food left behind didn’t even gross her out anymore.

The old gold bell hanging over the diner’s door dinged and she turned to welcome someone for a late lunch and found Jacob ducking his head under the doorway and stepping in. She couldn’t stop herself from glancing out the large front glass windows, but the hope was for nothing as there was no Trent in sight. She dumped the dirty dishes off in a nearby bucket and seated herself with Jacob.

He glanced up from his menu. “I’m not telling you anything.”

She plucked the menu out of his hands and set it aside. “Don’t be like that.”

“You got yourself in this mess.”

“And I want to fix it.”

Jacob shook his head with a smile. “Good luck.”

“Tell me where to find him.”

“You know he’s been making me breakfast every morning while y’all are fighting. I’m not interested in giving that up.”

Men and their stomachs. “I could make you breakfast every day.”

He shook his head and jerked the menu out from under her arms. “But I’d have to get out of my
pj’s
. I want a double cheeseburger, everything with peppers. Fries too, do you have any gravy to pour over them?”

“Tell me where he is please.”

He frowned at her. “You’re a horrible waitress.”

“I’m not your waitress today. I’m your brother’s friend.”

“Go away.”

“Please.”

“He’ll find you when he’s ready.”

Who knew when that would be? “I don’t get you. I thought you liked him being here and around me.”

“I do and when he’s ready, he’ll come back. You force his hand he’ll force right back. I know my brother. I’m doing you a favor. Just wait him out. He’ll take a few days to fix his head and then he’ll slip back in one day like everything is all back to normal.”

She also knew Trent. Differently than how his brothers did. And she knew that things rested heavy on his mind. She wanted to explain more before he decided she wasn’t worth his time. “You know nothing about relationships.”

His brow rose. “Except I’m in one and you’re not.”

That was an ugly low blow. Good thing she had dirt to swing back. “Oh good, you told Flora you love her. How’d that go?”

The menu fell out of his hand. “How do you know that?”

“Your brother and I are best friends. So, Mr. In A Relationship, how’d it go?”

He cleared his throat. “I haven’t brought it up yet.” He cleared his throat again and twisted the saltshaker. “Has, um Flora said anything about…us?”

Oh, please. “I wouldn’t tell you if she had.”

He frowned at her. “Go away.”

“Tell me where he is.”

“Go away.”

“Fine. I’ll go lock myself in my office and call Flora and spend the next half hour bagging all over you, because you wouldn’t help.” She got out of the chair, but made it nowhere before he caught her by the arm.

A breath fell from his parted lips, his gaze lowered and shoulders slumped. “He’s at the manor right now, meeting the contractor for his house. He’ll be there for another twenty or thirty minutes.”

“Thank you.” She started off but stopped again. “Double-cheeseburger, everything with peppers and fries with gravy?”

“If you have the gravy.”

“I’ll make the damn gravy if we don’t.” She patted his hand. “Thanks.”

“You tell him I sent you and you’ll force me to tell people you gave me food poisoning.”

She narrowed her eyes. “No need to be nasty about it.”

He shook his head. “Some tea too.”

“You got it.”

She hurried to the kitchen, put his order in, pleased to see there was still gravy and told them to add a couple of those fried chocolate pies to his plate.

Samantha passed her the moneybag and Tonya cursed under her breath. Screw it; she’d deal with it later. She stuck it under her arm and ran out the backdoor, keys in her hand. The Iverson property was just a few miles down the road, but she wasn’t willing to risk missing him to drop money off in the safe at home.

Now she just had to keep her fingers crossed that he’d be there. She turned down the half-mile long drive off the main road.

Sometime last fall, the new gravel road had been laid. The side of the road cleaned up. Instead of looking like the old road that was all but closed in from overgrowth after years of neglect, it looked like something exciting was ahead.

She rounded the last curve and there was the manor. Rustic in style, modernized by updates. She drove the last little bit and was able to peek down the line of trees to where Trent’s home was going to be built and a breath eased out of her chest.