Page 74 of If It's You

“Lindsay doesn’t have a middle name.”

“So?”

Maizie stared up at him. “Every year, you come down here for the summer and date one of my friends. Then you leave them broken-hearted, and they hate me for the rest of the year.”

Jayce scoffed. “That only happened once. With what’s-her-face.”

“What’s-her-face has a name. It’s Kourtney. She hasn’t talked to me since you left last summer. And what about Paisyn?”

A guilty expression crossed his face. “Okay, but that was in the past. I’ve always only had eyes for Lindsay,” he said, making himself sound like a total jerk.

Maizie glared at him.

“I didn’t mean it like those girls weren’t important or anything.” He tried to cover up his mistakes.

“I know what you mean,” she said, “but Lindsay is mybestfriend. I can’t lose her.”

“Because I’m a jerk that breaks every girl’s heart?” His brown eyes flamed. “Good to know you’ve only been hiding your true feelings for me for eighteen years,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion.

“No. That’s not what I meant. You are my best friend. But you tend to leave relationships as quickly as you leave the farm at the end of the summer.”

Jayce hopped off the tailgate and towered over her. When had her scrawny cousin gotten so big? “If we’re going to talk about failed relationships, I think you have at least ten we can discuss right now as well. Should we start with Turner?”

She squirmed under his narrow gaze. Okay, she wasn’t perfect either.

“I leave at the end of the summer because I have to. What’s your excuse?”

“What do you mean?” Maizie asked.

“Let’s see,” Jayce held out his fingers. “Carter was too clingy, Matt too lazy, and Jake spent too much time with his Jeep.”

“Yeah. That’s why I broke up with them.” She shook her head, confused as to where this was going.

He pointed a finger at her. “You know I only want the best guy for you, but I don’t think you’d even give him a chance because you always have one foot out the door.”

Her stomach fell to her feet. “This is different. Those relationships weren’t meant to last.”

He clenched and unclenched his jaw. “You have towanta relationship to last in order for it to do so. And I want my relationship with Lindsay to last.”

“I know you do I just—”

“No. I’m done.” He cut her off. He pursed his lips like he was refraining from saying more then shook his head. “I think I’ll walk back to the farm. Have your dad call me if he needs any help.” He turned away.

“Jayce, wait. I’m sorry. Please just talk to me.” Maizie tried again. But he kept walking. She would have followed him, but the baby calf had miraculously started drinking.

“You think I’m right, don’t you?” She asked the calf, her only friend at the moment.

The calf head-butted the bottle and sent milk splattering all over her face.

“Thanks a lot.”

Nineteen

“So what’s up with you and Jayce? I thought I was the only one on the farm who couldn’t stand you,” Christian said, as he joined Maizie for milking duty the next day.

“Haha.” Maizie glared back at him. The whole thing had put her in a bad mood. She couldn’t believe how the tables had turned, and now she was talking about Jayce with Christian. But ever since the night on the basketball court, it felt like she and Christian had called some kind of truce. Neither one had tried to kill the other in the last three days. There had to be some kind of trophy for that. She sighed. “I dared to bring up his last two summer girlfriends.”

“He’s dated girls from here?” Christian rinsed out the milker in his hands.