Page 27 of Make Me Trust Again (Bluebonnet Creek #3)

“Oh, shush it, you two. You’re traumatizing the poor girl,” Mrs. Fernandez chastises, and suddenly, I can feel all eyes on me. “Ignore these two; they drink a few glasses of wine, and they’re three sheets to the wind.”

I open my mouth to protest, but Mrs. Miller is faster.

“As if we need to get drunk for that.” Mrs. Miller waves her off. “But Rosie here doesn’t mind.”

“You know what we should do.” Mrs. Tyson nudges her friend. “Now that she’s single and ready to mingle once again, we should find her a new boyfriend.”

Mrs. Miller nods. “That boy always had a stick stuck up his ass. And not in a good way.”

“Is there a good way to have a stick stuck up…” Becky’s words trail off when she sees the glint on Mrs. Miller’s face. “Oh, don’t mind me. Now I think I’m traumatized.”

“Oh my…”

This time, I can’t help it. I burst into laughter to the point that tears start gathering in my eyes.

The image that Mrs. Miller painted, vivid in my mind.

She’s right, though. John always did have a stick up his ass.

Something I didn’t see when I first met him.

Maybe because I was just as stuck up as him.

That realization sobers me. I wipe under my eyes, blinking the group in focus to find all the ladies watching me. Most of them are smiling. Others have a slightly worried expression on their faces.

“You doing good, honey?” Mrs. Santiago asks.

“Yeah.” I let out a shaky breath. “You’re completely right, Mrs. Miller. He does have a stick up his ass. Makes me wonder how it took me so long to see it.”

The woman pats me on the knee. “You were in love. Love makes us all do stupid things.”

A knot forms in my throat at her words. Did I love John?

Maybe. Back at the beginning. But any and all love I had for him died when we’ve become parents, and I saw how he was with Kyle.

It was so hard for me to wrap my mind around it.

How could he have been so cold and dismissive of our boy?

However, lately, all I feel for him is contempt, some days even hate.

Mrs. Miller grips my knee, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Don’t you worry, we’ll find you and that sweet boy of yours somebody good, Rosie-girl. You’ll see.”

It takes me a moment to wrap my head around her words.

I suck in a long breath, as my throat tightens, tears filling my eyelids all over again.

This is the first time somebody isn’t trying to convince me to give John another chance.

It feels good. Too damn good. Blinking a few times to chase away the tears, I put on a small smile. “I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”

I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready.

If I’ll ever be able to trust somebody, not just with my own heart, but Kyle’s as well. John has hurt us both, and it’ll take some time to heal. If we ever manage to do that at all. There is no coming back from some kinds of hurt and betrayal.

“There is no shame in looking until you are.” Mrs. Tyson winks. “And you never know, maybe somebody comes around when you least expect him to.”

A pair of hazel eyes flashes in my mind, and if I were standing, the vibrancy of the image would make me lose my balance.

Why the hell am I thinking about Chase Williams of all people?

The man is even more broken than I am.

But he’s also kind to me and my son.

It doesn’t mean you should think about him in that way. I chastise myself, pushing the thoughts back.

The man is nice, sure. And he looks damn fine. But after all the drama I already brought to his doorstep, that’s the last thing he needs.

Either of us needs.

Thankfully, the discussion shifts back to the book they’ve been reading, so I push the thoughts of Chase out of my mind.

It’s late by the time the ladies leave Reading Nook, making me promise I’d join them for the next meeting when they’ll be discussing the new sports romance. Apparently, it’s a new installment in the series they’ve been following for a while, and they were all waiting for this particular couple.

“You know you’ve gotten a proper welcome to the book club when they start setting you up,” Savannah says to me as she puts the dirty glasses on the counter so I can put them into the dishwasher. “They tried to do the same to me last year.”

“I’m not sure if that makes me feel better or worse.” I chuckle softly.

“They’re a nosy bunch for sure, but they have good intentions,” Becky offers.

“I know. And they’re hilarious. I don’t remember when was the last time I laughed so hard.”

“Right? They’re just living their best life, and they’re being completely unapologetic about it,” Savannah agrees. “I just hope that I can do the same when I’m their age.”

“Don’t we all?” Becky chuckles.

It doesn’t take us long to finish tidying up, and before I know it, we’re out of the café.

Savannah’s whole face lights up when she spots Blake leaning against his truck, waiting for her. “I’ll see you guys later.”

We say our goodbyes, and I watch as she rushes across the street and into Blake’s arms. There is a twinge of envy as she lifts to the tips of her toes to kiss him, so I turn around to Becky, who’s locking up.

“Thank you for inviting me. I really appreciate it.”

“Anytime.” She takes me in, all serious. “You good?”

“I— Yeah.” For a little while, I managed to forget that this wasn’t just a regular day. There will be no picking up Kyle from my parents. No fighting with him until he brushes his teeth before bed. No tucking him in. Not tonight. “I’ll be fine.”

“You sure? I can?—”

“Really. It’s just one more day.” More like a day and a half. “He’ll be back before I know it.”