Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 67991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
What goes around, comes around.
I could interpret that in a dozen different ways, but I ultimately conclude that despite me being clear I’m not interested, Tansy has been hurt by my rebuff and now she intends to hurt me back. She’s a storm waiting to break and I’m in her path.
And so is Tempe.
This is what’s been plaguing me the most and has me thinking the unthinkable. Perhaps I should distance myself from the woman I find myself falling for.
Someone sits in the empty seat next to me and I turn to see North. He grins, tossing his thumb backward over his shoulder. “Atlas is already snoring at max decibels, but I drew the line when his head landed on my shoulder.”
Snickering, I welcome him to the seat because he’s the dude I’m closest to on the team, and it’s not a chore hanging with him. However, I had planned to ruminate the entire trip about my dilemma with Tansy and I realize I should have put my earbuds in to dissuade conversation. To do so now would just be rude, though.
“You looked deep in thought,” he observes. “Thinking about the game?”
I could say that’s all that’s on my mind, but I’m not a liar nor am I afraid to seek help and advice. “Thinking about Tempe. And Tansy, for that matter.”
“The two Ts in your life,” North says with an amused smile. “You’ve got a lot on your plate. How’s the whole… situation going? With Tempe, I mean. If you don’t mind my take, you two seemed genuinely into each other at the wedding. It doesn’t seem fake at all to me.”
I chuckle dryly. “It’s not fake anymore.” Of course, I’m not about to tell him what happened between us in the bathroom or that I’ve fantasized about fucking her a hundred times since I kissed her good night. But I will share my feelings. “She’s… she’s amazing, actually. Fits right in and doesn’t miss a beat.” I pause, the image of her laughing with my friends, her eyes sparkling with genuine joy, fills my mind. “Makes it easier. And harder, in a way.”
North raises an eyebrow. “Well, that really tells me nothing important.”
Okay… time to be vulnerable. “I like her a lot, man. And I want something more with her, but…”
“But you’re afraid she doesn’t feel the same?” he guesses.
I shake my head. “No, I’m not worried about that. I mean, she might not feel the same, but I’m not afraid to ask. Not afraid to go after her. But I am concerned about Tansy.”
North frowns, eyes darkening with concern. “Do you think she’s dangerous?” I answer by pulling up the text she sent and show it to him. North shakes his head. “Dude… that’s a threat. Maybe it’s time you went to HR about this.”
“Yeah, maybe. But on the off chance that she’s just blustering… that my performance with Tempe has convinced her to back off and this is her last-ditch effort to cause me angst, maybe I should wait it out for a bit. I guess my biggest concern is if I should put distance between me and Tempe to be sure. To protect her in case Tansy tries to cause trouble for her.”
North nods in understanding. “That’s not a bad thought, but if I have one piece of advice for you, it’s don’t make that decision unilaterally. Talk it out with Tempe, tell her your feelings and then let her have a say in how she wants to proceed.”
Of course he’s right, and that puts everything into perspective. Tomorrow I’ll talk to Tempe, lay it all out, including my feelings. I’ll see what she wants to do, and I’ll move heaven and earth to make it work while protecting her.
We continue to chat about other options to handle Tansy if she doesn’t back off, but eventually that topic grows old. I’m tired of that woman in my life.
North switches to talk of another woman. “How’s Farren settling in?”
“She was settled in before she even landed on my doorstep,” I mutter, a nod to my sister’s uncanny ability to go whichever way the wind’s blowing and not get blown over in the process. “She’s supposedly out looking for a job. I gave her a deadline by which she has to have one and start paying me rent.”
“Think she’ll really stick it out here in Pittsburgh?”
North knows Farren since I talk about my family all the time, and he’s met her on the two other occasions she’s visited since I moved to Pittsburgh. “She’s impulsive, sometimes bratty, way too smart for her own good, and a source of constant worry and anxiety for me.” I give him a droll smile. “But I wouldn’t have her any other way. And to answer your question, she’ll stick it out here until she gets bored. Then she’ll leave.”