Page 33 of Sweet Trouble
“Anyway,” Jillian said, clearing her throat. “He seems like he’s toned down his antics a little now. He’s still working the family farm, and it looks like he’s been looking out for our grandparents too, keeping the fridge stocked, putting fresh gravel on the drive, and painting the back steps.”
“Good,” Amberlee said firmly. “He feels bad about what he did.”
“Oh,” Jillian said, surprised. That hadn’t occurred to her. “He’s coaching the hockey team now at the school, so I figured he was just coming by to talk to Grampy about that.”
“Maybe,” Amberlee said. “Or it could be both. Maybe he cares about Grampyandhe feels bad about you.”
“I guess,” Jillian said, wondering if that could be true.
“Has he been nice to you since you got back?” Amberlee asked.
Jillian pulled up in front of the hardware store and parked the car, but didn’t get out.
“That’s the thing,” she said. “He’s been super nice, and, I don’t know…relaxed.”
“What do you mean by that?” Amberlee asked.
“I don’t know,” Jillian said, looking around at the little snow-covered town out the windows. “Like maybetoo relaxed for someone who pulled such a mean prank?”
“I have two thoughts,” Amberlee said.
“Go on,” Jillian said, leaning back in her seat.
“First thought is that for you, that was a pivotal moment,” Amberlee said. “But from what I remember, Tripp Lawrence was a pretty rambunctious guy. That might not be a core memory for him like it was for you. Like maybe he doesn’t really think about it at all anymore.”
“That makes sense,” Jillian said.
“The other thing I know you don’t want to hear,” Amberlee said. “But I happen to know it’s true, and so do you. People change, Jillian.”
“Amberlee,” Jillian said helplessly, shaking her head.
When Alan left, Amberlee told Jillian repeatedly that if he had ever been a good guy, he had obviously changed.
While Jillian waited for him to snap out of the spell the other woman had cast on him, Amberlee insisted that Jillian needed to change too, and let him go.
Jillian had always been a type A person—organized, a planner and a plotter. No matter how much she wanted to relax, enjoy herself, and just go wherever the road took her, she knew that wasn’t really her way.
But over the years, she had learned to mask her inner tension and give people the impression that she was more laid-back than she actually was.
It might be possible to change outwardly. But not inside, where it mattered.
“I know you don’t believe it,” Amberleesaid softly. “But one day you will. For now, maybe just give the Lawrence boy a chance to prove you wrong. I remember you being pretty good friends once upon a time. At the very least, you could probably use a friend right now.”
She wasn’t wrong. However else she felt about him, Jillian really could use a friend. Maybe Tripp could be that for her.
That could work, as long as I don’t do anything stupid.
9
TRIPP
Tripp stood outside the new clothing shop in town. He’d been on his way to Bean Counters for a cup of coffee after dropping a few barrels at the ice cream shop, but the mannequins in the window had caught his eye.
The shop itself looked like it was kind of on the fancy side for him. The wooden sign saidSweater Weatherin swirly letters, and the clothes inside looked warm but expensive.
He just couldn’t take his eyes off the window display of a woman and two little girls, each in a warm and cozy pink Christmas sweater. Jillian and the girls would love something like that.
Stop thinking about Jillian,he tried to tell himself.
