Be Good by Dakota Madison Page A

there.
    “Thanks,” Brett replied. He turned and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “I think she is, too.”
    I could see Penny’s eyes dart to me then back to Brett. I thought she might lose it , instead she said, “Enjoy the bread,” as her voice cracked again.
    Brett just smiled in response as he pulled me away. “One more stop before we head home.” He pulled me toward a vendor selling fresh cut flowers. He picked out a small bouquet and paid for it. Then he handed it to me.
    “A beautiful bouquet for my beautiful woman,” I could feel my withered heart perk up and glow.
    “ Daisies are a symbol of loyal love,” he explained as we walked towards to car.
    “I never knew that .” I wondered if that meant he loved me.
    “I’m a wealth of useless information .”
    Once we were back in the car and on the road, just as I e xpected, he brought up Penny for discussion.
    “Do you want to talk about what happened at the bakery?” The way he said it I knew it wasn’t a question. Brett expected us to discuss the incident but phrased it as a question to be polite. He was the master of good-manners. I was the opposite of polite, if there was such a thing. I was rude and crude, or so I had been told (Flaws 86 and 72 ).
    I already knew Brett was the type of person, who liked to process things. He talked about his thoughts and feelings with ease. I was the type, who drank to numb my feelings so I didn’t have to deal with them.
    When I didn’t immediately respond, Brett said, “Why did you grip my hand so tightly when you saw Penny?”
    I knew I was going to have to admit I had been snooping on his Facebook page and I knew he and Sweater Vest had been engaged. And I wanted to know why he had never told me.
    “Because Penny looks a lot like your ex fiancé and she obv iously has a mad crush on you.”
    “How did you know Becca and I were engaged?” he asked quietly.
    “How do you think?” My tone was a bit too curt and I immediately regretted it.
    “Facebook,” he replied softly. He seemed so sad. It was such a sharp contrast from the happy person I had seen in the garden and in the market, it was heart breaking.
    “Why didn’t you tell me the two of you were engaged? That was an important piece of information to leave out, don’t you think?” 
    “I’m sorry,” he responded, with pain in his voice.
    “Guys lie to me all the time, Brett, so it isn’t anything new. I just didn’t expect you to lie to me like all the other guys.” I actually didn’t care that most guys lied to me. I considered it par for the course but for some reason I cared a lot when Brett did.
    We were both quiet for what seemed like an eternity. The n Brett said, “Can you ever forgive me?”
    “Why did you lie to me?”  I could hear the hurt in my voice.
    He didn’t answer immediately and I wondered if he was going to. Was I even worth the trouble?
    He cleared his throat . “I was embarrassed. I didn’t want you to know that my fiancé left me for someone else.”
    It was as if someone forced all of the air out of the car. I was suddenly struggling to breathe. “That must have sucked,” I managed to say.
    He let out a feeble laugh. “It did suck.”
    “I’m sorry,” I said more seriously. “That must have hurt.” Not that I knew from personal experience. I had never been committed to anyone longer than a wild weekend.
    “It still does,” he admitted which stung a bit. It was the first time I considered the possibility that he might still have feelings for Sweater Vest. My heart sank. I wasn’t sure how I could ever compete with Rebecca, who seemed to be his perfect fit in every way.
    He grabbed my hand and lifted it to his mouth then gently kissed it. “I care about you, Anna. I’m ready to move on and I want to move on with you. I hope you’ll let me.”
    “As long as I’m not just some rebound girl.”
    “I would never consider you just some anything and you’re definitely not just some rebound girl . You