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“My parents are fine, doing great, actually. They’ve both really bounced back quickly and are healing up great. They’re not going out of town for Christmas, and Tim is going to be coming back home for Christmas with Laura, his girlfriend. Mom and Dad want a low-key Christmas, so we’ll probably just do breakfast or something. Tim and Laura talked about going to Salem or to the coast for a few days.”
“And you? What are you going to do?”
Frowning, I answered, “The same thing I do every year. Stay home and read a good book.”
“Rory said she texted and invited you to spend Christmas with her in-laws.”
I laughed. “That’s not happening.”
“So something did happen between you and Wes. Do you want to talk about it?”
“Nope.”
Sighing, Autumn reached for my hand. “Rory told me about the fake dating and Wes trying to win his ex-back. She said Wes hasn’t been himself for the last two weeks.”
Curiosity slammed into me. “What do you mean?”
She shrugged. “She didn’t really say, other than Finn told her he is very moody and seems depressed.”
“Well, he’s back with his ex, so I doubt he’s depressed. And I’ve been around Mandy, she’s a pill, so I’m not surprised he’s moody.”
Autumn chewed nervously on her lip before she asked, “How far did you guys go?”
I debated how much I wanted to say. A part of me wanted to just forget it happened at all. It was stupid of me to go along with Wes’s plan in the first place. I liked him, and I knew in the end I’d be the one getting hurt.
“We kissed, that was all. I thought maybe he was starting to have feelings for me, but I read it wrong.”
Autumn perked up slightly. “Rory said you two were kissing and it seemed pretty intense.”
I shrugged. “I thought we might have had a connection. I’m not sure how much Rory told you about Mandy.”
Blushing, Autumn said, “Just what I said earlier, about the plan to win her back.”
I felt my own face heat. “Then you know I went along with it like an idiot.”
“No, Clare, you weren’t an idiot. You liked Wes and you wanted to spend time with him. Everyone saw the way you would look at him.”
My eyes went wide. “What?”
She laughed slightly. “You wear your heart on your sleeve, sweet friend, at least you do when it comes to him. Did you tell him how you really felt?”
I let out a bark of laughter. “Why would I do that? He’s in love with another woman.”
“Yet he kissed you. Stayed with you when your mom and dad were in the ICU. Rory said she truly believes Wes has feelings for you more than friendship.”
Pushing off the desk, I walked around it and sat in my chair. “Well, when Mandy showed up at his apartment, with me there, and informed Wes she wanted him back, I walked out and saw them kissing. No, Autumn, he doesn’t have feelings for me like that. I just want to forget about all of that. I need to move on.”
I started moving papers around on my desk. “You don’t have any single guy friends, do you?”
She smiled. “I do, as a matter of fact. Charles and I are going out tonight for dinner to this new seafood place down at the harbor. His best friend is single and hot as hell. He’s a police officer and a great guy. You should totally come out to dinner with us tonight and let us introduce you guys.”
A part of me, nearly all of me, wanted to say no. I’d rather go home and eat some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. But that small percentage of me that truly wanted to forget all about Weston Ward screamed for me to agree to the blind date.
“Come on, Clare. It’s just dinner. If you two don’t hit it off, then what’s the harm in it?”
Blowing out a breath, I gave in. “Fine. But you promise not to push us together?”
Autumn lifted her hand and made an imaginary X motion over her heart with her finger. “I promise!”
