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“But I want to explain”

She turned her head and stared at him as he pulled away from the curb “Explain? You don’t need to explain The broken heart you nurse so well? It was because of your cousin’s wife And rather than let o with you tonight for moral support, you playedme the rosebushes—” Her voice broke off as she realized how foolish she sounded She inhaled sharply “When it was really just you rubbing me in your cousin’s face”

He rested his hands on the wheel as he faced her She’d never seen his face so dark and angry, not even the tih her veranda floor “So what’s really bugging you, huh? That I used you or that it wasn’t really a date?”

If they hadn’t been sitting in a ed him herself Had she wanted it to be a real date? Perhaps on some level she had Otherwise she wouldn’t have fussed so much with her clothes and she wouldn’t have felt this queer curling through her stomach every time he touched her at the barbecue, even casually

But that paled in comparison to this “Don’t take that tack with me, Tom Arseneault I was set up and you damn well know it! You used me”

“Look,” he tried to explain as they left the town behind thery I know Jess is a ht, which is why I went along with it If you ith ripped the wheel tightly “You know That I’ve moved on”

“You can’t even say it without hesitating because you knoould be a lie You haven’t irlfriend You just wanted it to look that way” She ust in her throat “‘Meet new people,’ ht you were my friends”

Oh, how pathetic and high schoolish that sounded but it was true Since co to Jewell Cove she’d made a few connections but it was Jess and Tom hom she’d clicked

“We are”

“No you’re not” She stared out the“You’re my contractor A friend would have explained what I would be walking into, would have asked for a wingiven me the choice”

And that, she realized, was the thing with Tom If he’d just come out and said what he wanted, what he meant, it would have been fine It was like when he wanted the job Once he’d explained that working on the house would be a dream come true, she’d been convinced

But that wasn’t his way He didn’t like showing his hand and she didn’t like being manipulated

“You can let me out here,” she stated, as he slowed and turned the corner onto Foster Lane

“I’ll drive you in,” he answered

“No, really I want to walk Stop the truck, Tom”