He shifted in the seat. So far, she hadn’t attacked him, but he wasn’t about to let his guard down now.
“I worked on it—on me and my fear. I’ve had several serious relationships. They haven’t worked out, but I’ve decided love is a journey, not a destination. But you can’t take the journey alone.”
He pulled off the highway and parked at a gas station. Was she really encouraging him to be with Bree? “What if I hurt her?”
“You will.”
“Wha—?”
“It’s part of love. You’re going to hurt her and she’s going to hurt you. Not on purpose. But it will happen. Owen, I know you’re looking for a guarantee, but there aren’t any—not in life, and not in love.”
Owen tapped the steering wheel. His brain was on overload. “Thanks for calling, Doris.”
“Anytime, sweetie.”
He smiled at her calling him sweetie.
“And no matter what happens with you and Bree, I’d like to say you’re my friend.”
Her request was unexpected. He hung his head. Was it possible that he’d misjudged the situation from the start? That he’d let his fears smear darkness over what was a healthy family relationship? “Yeah.”
They said goodbye and he sat in the parking lot, staring at the neon “open” sign in the window and mentally chewing over the conversation like a rubbery steak dinner.
Doris hadn’t called him a coward, but he certainly felt like one. He also didn’t like the fact that she’d shined a spotlight on his feelings of unloveableness. Calling him out for pushing Bree away when she’d done nothing to deserve it. And she’d done it all without calling him a name or demoralizing him.
No wonder Bree was such a beautiful person.
He’d been blinded by his past, by a need to maintain a sense of freedom from pain, and in the process, he’d hurt himself—and worse yet, he’d hurt Bree.
He should call her. See her. Take her a dozen flowers and a new pair of boots. Anything that would get him five minutes with her ears and heart open enough to hear him.
Flowers and boots wouldn’t do it for Bree. Books, maybe. He tapped the steering wheel. Not books—something bigger. Something that would show her he was through being selfish.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Bree ran the packet of bookmarks to Audrey. “Here’s the prizes for the ring toss. If they get anywhere close, hand them a prize. I ordered way more than we need, and they say summer reading on them so we can’t use them this fall.”
Audrey pulled a face. “Sorry about that.”
Bree mentally kicked herself. Audrey was the one who’d designed the bookmarks. She really needed to keep her mouth shut. “They look great. And hopefully, they’ll inspire the kids to read all year long.”
“Sure.” Audrey shook Bree’s arm. “Stop worrying about me. I’m fine. How are you doing?”
She scanned the park. The sun was out, but the surrounding trees provided enough shade. Families milled in front of the stage, waiting for the mayor to start the carnival. She’d managed to pull together seven different booths and the hot dog roast thanks to a last-minute donation of five hundred dollars. She suspected it was Owen’s way of easing his conscience for not being here. If so, he had a cheap conscience.
“Oh, you know. My big prize is a no-show, my heart’s been trampled, and the mayor glares at me every time I walk past the barbecue. I think he’s going to petition the board to have me fired.”
“It’s not your fault Owen isn’t here. His agent said they had a summer workout.”
“That was a fun phone conversation. Being let down easy by a guy’s agent is still being let down.”
Audrey rubbed her back. “Yes, it is. And you have every right to fill that fountain in front of his house with dish soap.”
Bree laughed. “Wouldn’t that be a sight? I wish I had your guts.”
“Want me to do it for you?”
“No! You stay out of trouble.”