Fighting Fate by Amity Hope Page A

make some progress with Sarah tonight. Gretchen had been too busy to chat long. But they’d exchanged phone numbers in case anything came up. After the debacle at the bar, Gretchen had called him to ask if she could come over.
    And now here she was and he wanted some answers.
    “You could have told me her fiancé died!” He dropped himself into the chair across from her. “I didn’t know she was ever engaged.”
    “I thought she should be the one to tell you,” Gretchen quietly said.
    “When did it happen?”
    “A little over a year and a half ago.”
    “How? I mean what happened? Will you at least tell me that?”
    Gretchen looked hesitant. “It was a car accident. But it was…more complicated than that.”
    “How so?”
    She shook her head. “She needs to be the one to tell you the rest.”
    He slumped back into the chair. “I’m kind of getting the feeling thth e feeliat might not happen.”
    Gretchen’s head snapped up. “Are you giving up on her already?”
    “I didn’t say that. I just didn’t realize how complicated this might be. I thought she didn’t want anything to do with me because of me . I didn’t realize it might have something to do with someone else.” His heart twisted with the realization that it likely had to do with both. Meaning what? It might be twice as hard to win her over.
    “She’ll come around.”
    “After what happened tonight, you’re here to play matchmaker?” he asked in disbelief.
    “Yes.” She gave him a little nod that caused her massive halo of curls to bounce. “I love my sister. And more than anything, I want her to be happy. Right now? She’s not happy. But I think you can change that.”
    He shook his head. “I don’t know…” The entire drive home, he couldn’t get the look on Sarah’s face out of his head. How pale her complexion had become. The way her lips had begun to tremble. The tears that had begun to collect on her lower lid but hadn’t quite fallen yet. When he’d briefly touched her, her body had been shaking. He’d wanted nothing more in that moment than to put his arms around her. He hadn’t dared because he wasn’t stupid. She wouldn’t have appreciated it one bit. Not then anyway.
    “You told me earlier that you wanted her back. Please don’t give up on her already,” Gretchen pleaded. “Please try .”
    “I did try.”
    “You bought her a drink,” Gretchen said indignantly. “That’s not trying. That’s…being unimaginative and lazy.”
    “Yeah, well, lazy or not, she sent it back.”
    “So try harder.”
    “I just don’t know if I should. It sounds like she’s had enough shit to deal with. She was really upset tonight. I don’t want to make things worse.” He tapped his foot against the floor restlessly. What he’d learned hadn’t changed how he felt about her. But now concern had woven its way into the mix as well. “Are you sure she was okay when you left her?”
    “I would’ve parked myself on her couch if I thought she wasn’t. See, that’s the thing with Sarah. Crap that she doesn’t deserve keeps happening to her.” Cole didn’t miss the pointed look Gretchen gave him. “And she just keeps pushing her way through it. I just want something good to happen to her for a change.”
    She was still looking at him in that pointed way.
    “Me?” he asked skeptically. He was supposed to be the good thing that happened to her?
    “Of cant"+0">ourse you. Why do you think I’m here? Trust me, she has feelings for you.”
    “She’s made it perfectly clear that she’s not interested.”
    “Of course she’s interested.”
    “She told you that? Because I find that real hard to believe.”
    “Of course not,” Gretchen scoffed. “She’s not going to admit it. She has to have some pride after what you did.”
    Cole contemplated that as he raked a hand through his hair.
    “Do you still love her?” Gretchen asked.
    It seemed to Cole that Gretchen had no reservations about crossing personal