“And then?”
Zoe sighed. “And then he told me we’re not really compatible because he’s boring or some stupid shit and that was that.”
“Do you think he’s boring?”
“No, but he does. And so, apparently, did women he used to date.” Zoe snatched the magazine back, but she didn’t open it. “I think somebody in his past did a number on him and he’s afraid I’ll wake up one day, totally bored, and dump him.”
“Prove him wrong, then.”
“I’m tempted,” Zoe confessed. “But maybe it’s better this way. I mean, I enjoy his company. I’d like to enjoy his company in my bed. But I’m not ready or looking for a forever Prince Charming here. I just want to have a good time, but I felt like that good time would be temporary...ish.”
“And you’re afraid he’ll assume you’ve gotten bored with him and hurt his feelings.”
“And then he’ll turn into a bitter old man who sits in a rocking chair and yells at kids who play baseball across the street.”
“Wow, that’s quite a vagina you must have.”
Zoe laughed so hard she almost fell out of her chair, and it felt good. Shewasbeing ridiculous, and it helped drive away some of the sadness. By the time she could breathe again, she felt almost normal.
“His disposition in his elderly years isn’t on you, whether he gets to experience your vagina or not,” Carly said. “So he had a case of premature freaking-out. He’s an estate planner, Zoe. He’s wired to plan for the worst. So just relax and he’ll relax and maybe you’ll get to relax each other a little, if you know what I mean.”
“No, I don’t know what you mean because that was such subtle innuendo.” Zoe rolled her eyes. “I haven’t even seen him since that day. And he didn’t like my Instagram photo of our first Christmas window of the year.”
“That bastard.”
“This is stupid.” Zoe stood and tossed the magazine on the desk. “I feel like I’m hiding from him and I’m not going to do that. He can either handle me or he can’t. I’m going to go over there.”
“Wait.” Carly held up her hand. “You’re going to go over there and...what, exactly? Because if a kiss made him balk, walking in and demanding sex in his office might be too much, too soon.”
“No, I’m not having sex in his office.” She’d imagined it a few times, and it wasn’t something she was opposed to on principle. Just not yet. “He asked for a book, and I’m going to deliver it.”
She found a copy of the sequel toFalling for the Renegade Rancherand pulled it off the shelf. After making a note to pay for it later, she flipped through until she found a scene in which the heroine is suggesting to the hero they just have a no-strings-attached fling just for fun and stuck a sticky note on the page.
“What are you doing?” Carly asked, trying to look over her shoulder.
“Nothing.” She snapped the book closed. She was definitely not explaining the sticky notes. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Take your time,” Carly called after her.
Even though the sign in Preston’s window invited her in, Zoe hesitated when she reached his door. Maybe he didn’t want to see her, and she definitely didn’t want to see that reaction on his face.
But she also didn’t want Thanksgiving to be their last interaction, so after giving herself a mental kick in the ass, she opened the door and walked in.
As though she’d walked into a replay of the first time she’d entered this office, Preston looked up from his laptop and took off his computer glasses. Even though he was alone, he was still fully suited up, right down to the precisely knotted tie.
“Zoe.”
“Hey. You said you wanted to read this.”
Confusion clouded his face until she got close enough so he could see the cover. “Oh. Yes, I did want to know how the brother made out.”
He stood as she held it out to him, and she noticed the way his gaze lingered on the sticky note before he set it on his desk. “You didn’t have to bring it over.”
She shrugged. “I wasn’t sure if you were going to come in the store or not.”
“Of course I was.” He gave her a sheepish smile. “Eventually, when I worked up the nerve. I wasn’t sure if you’d want to see me.”
“I do.” She decided to keep the visit short and sweet, before either of them could make it awkward. Having accomplished what she set out to do—reestablish that they’re still friends at least, if not heading toward more—she started to turn but stopped.
