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A Talk Under the Stars
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Bree hadn't meant to follow Trent outside--not exactly anyway. She'd seen him leave but hadn't realized he'd stepped outside for a breath of fresh air in the same place she had until after she was halfway out the door. It would be strange to walk away from him. It seemed strange to walk toward him, too, though. But her feet were headed in that direction before she had a chance to stop them.
The night was chilly, which was to be expected in the mountains in December; she wished she’d thought to grab her coat. It wasn't snowing, but the wind was stirring up ice crystals from the ground. The stars twinkling in the heavens were spectacular. This was exactly what she'd been looking for when she came out here. Peace, quiet, beauty, and a wonderful man. She had just hoped somehow that's what Jason would end up being. The better she got to know him, the more she thought that wasn't likely the case.
"Hey," Trent said, glancing at her and then back out at the landscape. "You had enough pool for one night?"
"Enough reminiscing for a while, I guess." She could feel the effects of the alcohol. She'd drank a little too fast on an empty stomach. Hopefully, it wouldn't lead them to a place of no return. "How have you been?"
"Okay." He shrugged. "Trying to focus on school as much as I can."
"Hence no girlfriend at the moment?" She smiled at him, hoping it came across as teasing and not inquiry, though she really did want to know. It seemed like every time she was single, he was dating, and vice versa.
"Not at the moment," he replied. "Jason seems like a… guy."
Bree laughed, nudging him gently in the arm. "He is a guy."
"Sorry--I couldn't bring myself to say anything better. ‘Great’ just wasn't going to work in that sentence."
Shrugging, she said, "You've just got to get to know him. He really does have some great qualities."
"Like what?"
He looked like he genuinely wanted to know. "Well, he's really good at math--just like you. He may end up being an accountant."
"Cool. Maybe I can work with him someday, and he can help me to better see all those endearing qualities you speak of."
She shook her head. "He volunteers at the soup kitchen."
"When it's required for a grade."
"Oh, he told you that story?" She turned to look at him, resting an elbow on the porch railing.
"He did. If you ask me, it was the guy who went and got your guitar you should've brought to the cabin, not that guy." He hooked a thumb over his shoulder.
"Gee. I guess he really rubbed you the wrong way, huh?" Bree turned back around so she was looking at the mountains again.
Trent let out a loud sigh. "I'm sorry. It's just… he said some things that weren't cool."
Now, he had her interested. "Like what?"
"Like… he expects you to… you know…." His eyes were wide, but he didn't say more.
Bree was at a loss. "What? Lose my ability to speak?"
That made him chuckle. "No. He just said that you haven't… that he expects you to… that the bed was very big, okay?"
"Oh. Oooh." Now it was Bree who was speechless. It took her a few seconds to ask, "He said that?"
"Yeah. He said lots of things."
Bree wasn't sure if she should be embarrassed or angry. The idea of Jason standing over at the pool table with her friends, and the boyfriends of her friends, talking about their personal life, made her irate.
"Bree, are you okay? Your face is turning red, and you're breathing heavy."
"No, I'm fine. I'm just great." She pressed a hand to her forehead.
Trent's hand was on her shoulder. "Hey, I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't have said anything. It's just… it made me mad to hear him talk about you like that. You're not a freaking prize he can win, you know?"
She turned to look at him again and realized he really was mad, that it was Jason's comment that had prompted Trent to leave the pool game and come out here. "Thank you, Trent. You always were a gentleman. I appreciate it."
He shook his head. "Not always. But… if he lays one unwanted finger on you, I swear to God, you scream, and I'll bust the door down if I have to."
Bree felt her cheeks reddening for a completely different reason now. "Thanks, T."
He chuckled. "God, it's been forever since anyone called me that."
"What? Really?" She found herself giggling as well.
"Yeah. That's totally a Bree thing."
"T and B for life--right? Isn't that what we used to say? What everyone used to say?"
He nodded, his hands pushed deep into the pockets of his black coat. "Yep, that's what we used to say."
Again, she found herself speechless for a second. But Bree couldn't help but ask, "God, Trent, what happened to us?"
"I don't know, Bree. I've missed you."
"I've missed you, too."
Silence settled around them, and she couldn't help but lean over and put her head on his shoulder. He smelled so good--like the woods on a crisp day. He put his arm around her shoulders, and for a moment, she considered asking him about that night, in the parking lot, so many years ago. Would he have kissed her if Hank hadn't showed up? If he had kissed her, would it have meant something? Would they have been a couple? Would they still?
She didn't get a chance though. The door opened behind them. This time it wasn't Hank. It was Jason. And he looked pissed.
Bab terkait
Meant to Marry Me Time to Move On
With her back to Jason, Bree hugged a pillow and tried to stop her tears. It was past 2:00 in the morning, and she was exhausted. Not only was she tired from a long day of school, being on the road, and one too many drinks, she'd spent the last few hours arguing with Jason.It hadn't been pretty on the porch. She'd tried to play it off, as if it meant nothing that she had her head on Trent's shoulder, that his arm was around her, but Jason would have none of it.
Meant to Marry Me Not Again
Bree was furious! How could that jerk of a now-ex-boyfriend take the car and leave like that? It wasn't even his car! She'd borrowed it from her roommate because it had new tires on it and wasn't as likely to break down as hers. Jason didn't even own a car! He got to and from class on a little Vespa he called his baby. He was such an idiot. At least they were done, and she'd never have to see him again.Her roommate, Lilly Edge, had gone home for the holidays, too, but her sister, who was a year younger than her, had stopped to pick her up on her way through town, so
Meant to Marry Me At Last
The snow was falling lightly as Bree followed Trent outside. Uncle Tom's pickup truck was almost as old as Bree was, but he did his best to keep it running, because it was his baby. It sat idling out front, breathing as heavy as Bree had been just the night before when she'd hauled the suitcase up the stairs. Had that only been a few hours ago? So much had changed since then.As Trent slowly turned and looked at her, she was reminded that just as much had stayed the same. He had almost kissed her--again. It just didn't seem like it was meant to be. She should just tel
Meant to Marry Me Bree Who?
Christmas came and went, as did New Year’s Day, and Bree didn't hear from Trent. When she went back to school, he still hadn't called. She'd gotten the impression that he would, so she continued to wait for at least a text from him, but none ever came.She didn't understand why. He'd finally kissed her, and for Bree, it had been just as magical and amazing as she'd always dreamt it would be. But.... maybe it hadn't been for him. Maybe Trent was not as enamored with her as he had been with the idea of her.
Meant to Marry Me Moving On
"Is this seat taken?"Trent looked up to see a beautiful blonde with long, straight hair and a gorgeous smile standing next to him, a full tray in her hands. "Uh, no." She reminded him of Bree--sort of. She wasn't quite as pretty as his friend, but the hair was similar, and she had a nice smile."Thanks. It's crowded in here."
Meant to Marry Me Everything Changes
The rest of the semester flew by in a blur of classes and weekend gigs. By the end of the school year, Bree and Sam were practically inseparable. They were even discussing the possibility of getting an apartment together when school started in the fall. Bree didn't know how to tell Lilly, though. They'd been roommates for three years, and she couldn't imagine leaving her their senior year.The last day of school, Bree was in their room, packing up to go home for the summer when Lilly came in, an odd look on her face. "Hey, are you okay?" Bree asked, dropping a paperba
Meant to Marry Me A Convenient Meeting
Summer in Highview was boring. Most of the day, Bree sat in her new room and practiced the guitar. It wasn't as if it was actually her room, though. Her parents had left almost all of the belongings from her room in Shelbyville boxed up because they assumed she wouldn't be moving back in with them. With only one year of college left, she'd likely be moving out on her own, starting a new job and a new life somewhere else. So… they'd set up her bed and her dressers so the room could be a guest room. That was it. The rest of the room still looked an awful lot like Grandma's old storage room. Most of her things were in boxes stacked against one wall now instead of occupying the majority of the room, but it wasn't like it was Bree's own space.
Meant to Marry Me Tears in Beers
"What the hell was that?" Heather demanded as Trent came back to where he'd left her standing in the doorway of the convenience store."That was a fist bump," he explained. "Now… if you'll excuse me… I need a Gatorade.""But… did you just stop here because you saw her car?" Heather followed him, the tone of her voice grating on his last
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Meant to Marry Me Epilogue
Two weeks later…. Bree sat on the beach, a drink one hand, Trent’s fingers interlaced with her other where it lay in the sand. The ocean waves rolled in, wetting the sand near their toes, the sun baking down on their tan skin as it dried from their first dip in the ocean. There would be plenty more.&nbs
Meant to Marry Me Judgment
The sound of the gavel echoed throughout the courtroom. No one said a word for what seemed like the longest few seconds Bree could ever remember. Then, the people around her came back to life, and she found air in her lungs again. “Are you okay?” Trent asked. He was always asking her that, checking on her, making sure she was all right. Bree nodded. She was all right. She was going to continue to be all right, too. It seemed like a nightmare that had lasted almost two years was finally over.&nb
Meant to Marry Me Cahoots
Yet again, Bree found herself speaking to a police officer. This time, she wasn’t the one lying in a hospital bed, though. Instead, after they’d pieced together enough of the story to know that the maintenance man had been trying to make it so that the pipe above her head would move down, Bree and her bandmates had been asked to come to the police station. The others were sitting outside, or maybe one or two of them were being interviewed by other officers now. All she knew was the man sitting across from her, Detective Coop Wellington, didn’t look like the sort of person one kept information from. “We know Monica and this&helli
Meant to Marry Me Fired Up
“All right--Bree Matthews!” a stagehand shouted, coming over with a clipboard and a microphone on his head. “Are you ready?” “We are ready!” Bree said for all of them, bouncing on her heels. “Then, head to your spots.” He signaled for them to approach their section of the stage. The band had been prepped on how this would work before the show. They headed to the places they’d been told to earli
Meant to Marry Me Audience
Sitting in a chair, staring at a runway, brought back way too many uncomfortable memories for Trent. Had it really just been a little over a year since he’d spent at least one or two days a week sitting in just such a chair, waiting for Monica to come down the stage? It seemed so strange now. He tried not to fidget, but his leg was bouncing up and down so quickly, he was glad he wasn’t outside because he might manage to start a fire with the right kindling--and like Bree, he’d had enough of fire for one lifetime. “Are you all right?” Celia asked, leaning over to whisper in his ear. “You’re making me nervous, an
Meant to Marry Me Show Time
Anxiety bubbled up in Bree as she stood in the staging area, getting ready for the big show. All around her, models and bands were putting the finishing touches on their makeup and hair, the models getting into their first outfits so that they’d be fully prepared to grace the runway as soon as it was their turn to take the walk and show off the newest fashions to an invigorated audience. From what Bree could tell, this wasn’t actually one of those fashion shows where the clothing was practical and might be bought by the average housewife. No, it was mostly lingerie, and it was mostly, well, ridiculous, in her point of view. None of it was s
Meant to Marry Me Warning Signs
The sound of voices from the television met Bree’s ear as she walked through the apartment door. She checked the time on her phone. It was only a little past 3:00. What was Trent doing home? She had to assume it was him watching the television because it sounded like the news channel, and if the housekeeper had turned it on, it would’ve been a soap opera or court show. Hanging her purse by the door, and placing her keys where she could find them, she went into the adjoining room to investigate. Trent was sitting on the couch with his laptop open on his lap, his stocking feet on the coffee table, typing away. She almost didn’t want to
Meant to Marry Me Event
Meeting Monica at the event center where the Nashville Nights concert was to be held was intimidating, even though Bree had her bandmates with her. She had insisted Trent go to work; it was a Thursday afternoon, after all, just after lunch, and there was no reason for him to miss work to walk with her through the building where she’d be playing in a couple of nights, not when she had three capable men and Shawna with her to give her moral support.Trent had protested, saying he’d feel much more comfortable if Bree allowed him to go along, that the rest of the band wasn’t aware of how Monica could be. It had almost led to an argument. Bree had insisted she wasn&
Meant to Marry Me Bad Idea
“This is a horrible idea. The worst one ever. In the entire history of the world, I cannot imagine one idea worse than this one.” Celia sat across from Trent in his office, her arms folded, her legs crossed, her face puckered.At the moment, he couldn’t even allow himself to snicker at her exaggeration. While he agreed that what he was about to do was a terrible idea, he could think of lots of other ideas that were worse, many of them involving wars that had killed thousands or millions of people. Or spread disease. Or polluted the environment. But she was right--of all of the decisions he’d been directly involved in, this one was pretty awful.
