“You two are just in time. The food is nearly done. Hope you guys like your steaks medium, if not I can leave them on a little longer,” Trip says as he glances over his shoulder. “Can you grab me a plate for these, Holly?”

My heels click against the wood floor as I walk to the cabinet. I hand him the plate. “This is so sweet of you.”

Trip shrugs. “We’re celebrating.”

I raise an eyebrow because my curiosity is killing me. “Oh? What might that be?”

He slaps the steaks on the plate and smiles. “Mountain Time Speed Track has an investor.”

“Really?!” I squeal and throw my around his neck. “That’s amazing news!”

He laughs and sets the food down before turning and wrapping his arms around my waist. The expression on his face turns serious the moment he takes in my outfit. “You look amazing. Are you going out somewhere?”

I nod. “Jackson has an idea to help save the track, so I’m meeting him for dinner to talk about it.”

His lips pull into a tight line. “Call and cancel. You don’t need his help anymore.”

“Trip…I can’t do that. Your investor friend signing on is great, but we need ways to drum up business. I have to hear what Jackson has to say. We need all the help we can get around here.” Trip opens his mouth, but quickly closes it when a horn honks twice outside. “That’s him. We’ll talk more tonight.”

I lean up and kiss his cheek before running out the door and hoping in Jackson’s car.

The familiar scent of leather and woodsy cologne assaults my nose as soon as I close the door, locking myself in with Jackson. I used to love this smell. Sitting in here now reminds me of a time when being with Jackson was very comforting, instead of the tension I feel being next to him now. I can’t help but wonder how many other women he has had in this very seat behind my back, and a mixture of sadness and anger wash over my heart.

“Wow! That’s some dress, Holl. It’s tight in all the right places,” Jackson says, his eyes appraising my outfit.

Typically that kind of compliment would have had me giggling like an idiot, but now it rubs me the wrong way, like all he’s interested in is my body. I remember those kinds of remarks being a lot sweeter. That is before I found out he was using them on every other girl around here.

I tug the hem of the dress down to cover my thighs a little better. “Thanks, I think.”

Jackson backs out of the parking lot and then turns in the direction of downtown Tucson before reaching over and taking my hand in his. “I’m so glad you decided to come out with me tonight. Things are going to be good this time, Holly. I promise.”

I withdraw my hand from his. “I only agreed to come out with you for the track, Jackson. This is just business.”

He readjusts in his seat, staring straight ahead. “Business it is, then.”

Neither of us says another word during the ride. Tension rolls around us, but I won’t be the one to break it. He asked me to come out with him. He knows we aren’t together, and it’s unfair of him to think I would just give in and be an easy lay.

Once we’re seated at the small table in the restaurant, Jackson says, “This is awkward. Maybe this was a mistake. We can leave.”

Panic washes through me as I realize he might not help unless I give in a little. “Let’s start over. I’d like us to be friends.”

Jackson toys with the fork in front of him. “Friends, huh? You know, that night in your room, I was hoping we could part as friends, so I could move on without a guilty conscience, but when I hear you say it—it stings.”

I sigh. “Jackson…you chose to end things.”

“I know, and I’m here to say I made a mistake. I want you to take me back, Holly. You know we’re good together. Things could go back to how they were and I can help you set up a motocross competition to draw a crowd to the track.”

 I shake my head. “I don’t want things to go back to how they were.”

His brow pulls in. “Don’t you want to get back together?”

This is the moment I’ve been wanting—for Jackson to come crawling back, admitting he was wrong—so why don’t I feel excited? I take a deep breath and Trip’s face pops into my head, which puzzles me. Why would I be thinking of him at a time like this?

As if Jackson is poking around in my brain, he asks, “Is it because of Trip?”

My eyes widen at his forwardness. “No. Well, I mean, a little, yes, but the main reason I don’t want to take you back has to do with you.”

“Me?” he asks with a surprised face. “I admitted I made a mistake by fooling around on you, and I’m sorry. Can’t we just move past that?”

I shake my head. “You don’t get it, do you? It’s not just the fact that you cheated—that’s just one of the reasons. You lied to me. I bet it went on a lot longer than you lead me to believe. You probably just got tired of hiding it all the time.” He opens his mouth to argue, but I don’t give him the opportunity, and the reasons I don’t want him back flow freely from my mouth. “You never supported the idea of me going away to college, even though I had my heart set on it. And I don’t like how you treat Max.”

His eyes narrow. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t like you harassing my friend. Max told me you threatened him if he didn’t tell you why Trip was here.”

“I only did that because I was worried about the guy’s intentions. I don’t like to see you get hurt.”

I laugh sarcastically. “That’s rich. You can hurt me but no one else can.”

Jackson’s jaw muscle flexes under his skin. “You know what, Holly, I’m done.”

“You’re done? What does that even mean?”

“It means that I lost my mind believing that I wanted you back. Tell Trip he won and he can have your bitchy ass.” He rises from the table.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m leaving. Find your own way home.” Jackson throws a twenty on the table. “That should cover your meal.”

My mouth drops open as I watch him turn and leave the restaurant. I can’t believe that asshole just left me stranded here. Max was right. I’m beginning to question my own judgment on what I ever saw in that guy.

The petite, blonde waitress approaches the table. “Would you like to order your drinks now, or are we waiting on someone else?”

I dig in my purse and hand her my fake ID. “It’s just me, and I would like to start with something from the bar.”

TRIP

The way Holly tore out of here made my heart sink. I know her goal is getting Jackson back, and I’m a dumbass for beginning to care about a girl who loves someone else, but I wish she would reconsider that asshole. The idea that he could be kissing those sweet lips of hers right now makes my blood boil. I’ve tasted those lips, and all I’ve done over the past week is thought about doing it again.

I stab the steak in front of me with my fork and vigorously begin cutting it, while picturing Jackson’s smug face.

“Whoa. What did that thing ever do to you?” Max asks.

I shrug. “Nothing. I was just thinking.”

“About Holly and Jackson,” Max prods before taking a bite.

My eyes flick to his, but I don’t answer. I don’t need him knowing my business.

Max takes a drink of water and then sets his glass down. “I never did like the guy.”

“Why?” I ask and then take another bite before glancing over at Bill, who is still asleep in the recliner. “I thought you all were friends or something.”

“Or something…” Max says. “Jackson Cruze is a narrow-minded homophobe who talks with his fists.”

“You two have gotten into it before?”

Max nods. “Oh, yeah, many times.”

I raise an eyebrow. “And Holly stayed with him. I thought girl-code was if the boyfriend and the best friend didn’t get along, the guy didn’t last long.”

Max shrugs. “I never told her.”

“Why not?”

“I might be gay, Trip, but I still have pride like any other man. I don’t want everyone to know I get my ass beat every time I turn around, especially not my female best friend who treats me more like a man than most people around here do.”

“I thought no one knows your…sexual orientation.”

“I’ve never officially come out if that’s what you mean, but people have speculated for a long time now.”

I take a deep breath. “You still should’ve told Holly what a dick Jackson has been to you.”

He shakes his head. “I wanted her to open her eyes to what an asshole he is on her own. Holly is hard-headed, and if I’d tried to tell her things about Jackson that she wasn’t ready to hear, she wouldn’t have believed them. She’s the kind of girl that has to see things with her own eyes. Like that old saying goes, love is blind.”

 “So I’ve heard.” I swallow down the last bite of my food and lean back in the chair, thinking about all the crazy shit Black Falcon has been through with Noel and Riff and all their women bullshit. Those two guys never listen to my advice in the matters of the heart. It’s like they’re too caught up in their own drama to see reason.

Max’s cell vibrates against the table, and I can clearly see Holly’s name across the caller ID. I pick up the phone without asking his permission and answer, swatting his hand away. “How’s your date?”

“Trip? Why are you answering Max’s phone?” The confusion in her voice rings clear.

“We’re here enjoying these delicious steaks you ran out on. Where are you?” She sniffs into the phone and I realize she’s crying. I stiffen in my chair. “What’s wrong? Did Jackson hurt you?”

My hand tightens around the phone at the exact moment Max pushes away from the table and heads out the door. I watch through the window as he gets into his car and tears out of the driveway. I probably should ask where he’s going, but whatever it is, it’s his business.