I looked at her with the same look my mother used to give me when she had pumped me for information. “Courtney…”
“Um…well, he, um…he pulled me to the side and told me I looked really good. When I told him to let me go, he, um…he—”
“For Christ’s sake, Courtney, spit it the hell out!”
She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “He asked me if I was sure. ”
“Sure about what?”
“Mitch. He asked me if I was sure of my feelings for Mitch. He was standing so close to me, and all I could smell was his cologne. And his eyes—they were looking right into mine. My head was spinning, and I was so confused as to why he was asking me that. ”
“What did you say?”
Her eyes filled with tears. “I told him yes, that I’d never been so sure of something in my entire life. ”
“Oh, Courtney. Don’t you see what he was doing? He wouldn’t have been with Anna last night if you had just told him the truth. Courtney, you have to be honest with your feelings—not only for Reed but also think about Mitch. ”
Courtney’s head snapped up as she looked me in the eyes. “I care about Mitch—a lot. ”
“Do you love him?”
Her eyes started to tear up again. “I think I’m falling in love with him. Yes. ”
“Do you love Reed?”
She shook her head and looked away from me.
“Court, do you love Reed also?”
She looked up at me as a tear rolled down her cheek. “Yes,” she whispered.
“Courtney…oh no. ” I sat there in the kitchen, holding my best friend in my arms, as she cried hysterically.
“Court, you have to listen to your heart, not your head. Who does your heart tell you to follow?”
Courtney stood up and wiped the tears from her eyes. She took a calming deep breath and smiled. “Thank you, Whitley, for letting me get all that off my chest. I need to go find Mitch. I’m sure he’s ready to head out. Have fun today with Layton and tonight with Jen and Kate. Give her a big birthday kiss from me. ” She smiled as she gave me a hug, and then she turned to leave.
“Court?”
She stopped and glanced back at me. “Yeah?”
“Please follow your heart, babe. ”
She gave me a weak smile and walked out the door.
I sat there for a few minutes before I felt Layton’s hands on my shoulders. The moment he touched me, I felt a sense of peace.
I stood and turned to him. “Will you make love to me?”
He smiled as he reached down and picked me up. The whole way to his bedroom, he just kept telling me how much he loved me.
As he laid me down on the bed, I smiled at him. “I still have the vibrator in my overnight bag, you know. ”
The smile that spread across his face caused me to instantly blush.
“Ah, hell yeah, let’s make up for last night!”
I laughed as I watched him practically rip off his clothes. My heart was filled with so much love for him.