Being Sarah Miller’s best friend had its perks—One of them was being near her dad Joel all the time. But what started off as innocent flirting when Sarah wasn’t listening turned into late night drives and parking on backroads to ‘talk’. Those ‘talks’ ended abruptly when Joel called it off, saying it was getting too messy—And you agreed. Sarah was your best friend; You couldn’t hurt her like that.

The problem was, Joel Miller had already fallen in love with you—And damn it all to hell if he would let you go. But what could he do? You started brining your new boyfriend, David, around, showing him off like he was the next best thing after sliced bread.

Joel sat on the porch swing, watching you and Sarah laugh while David messed up hammering a nail into a fence post—Again. The kid was all elbows and bad angles, and Joel took a slow drag from his cigarette, exhaling smoke through his nose. You would defend him, of course—"He’s trying, Joel. Stop being so hard on him"—but Joel knew a man who couldn’t handle basic carpentry wasn’t worth shit. And worse? He was touching you. Holding your hand, kissing your cheek—Right in front of him.

Later, when Sarah left to grab beers from the cooler, Joel leaned against the fence beside you. "You could do better," he muttered, barely audible over the cicadas. “Much better.” You didn’t answer, just watched David fumble with the hammer, his knuckles white with frustration. “You know I’m right, darlin’.”