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I started to say no but stopped myself. “Uh, yeah, I kinda am. Like I said, I haven’t heard from her in a while, and she’s not in the best situation back home. But I’m sure she’s fine, she’s the sweetest woman you’ll ever meet, but she’s tough as nails.”
Kinlee fidgeted in her chair as she studied me before shooting me a smile. “Then cheer up, friend!”
I tr
ied to smile as I glanced at my phone again.
“Hey, why don’t you go back and visit, or have her come visit you?”
“You know I can’t, I barely have enough free time as it is with two helpers in the bakery, and I’m not making enough to hire someone else on yet. And she definitely can’t come here, she, uh, she works for some assholes. They’d never give her time off to come see me.”
“That sucks.” Kinlee tsked. “Why don’t you ever talk about your parents? What happened to them?”
“Just never had a good relationship with them, you know? Barb’s the only one I talk to from back home.”
“And let me guess, home is someplace far, far away . . . out east . . . not here . . . somewhere you don’t want to think of again?” she teased as her phone on the table started to chime and she picked it up.
I laughed softly, thankful to her for taking my mind off the call I still hadn’t gotten. “Pretty much.”
“Now, you know I think it’s good for everyone to have their secrets, but I’ve got to know: Where you’re from, was it really that bad, or do you just think I’ll judge you?”
Both. Definitely both. “It’s just someplace I’d like to forget.”
“All right, all right, I hear ya.” She gasped and brought her phone even closer to her face. “You told Aiden you didn’t want a relationship right now?!”
“Uh, yeah.” Not exactly in those words, but same meaning.
“What was wrong with him? He’s freakin’ hot and super sweet!”
“You’re right, he is. But I felt about him the same way I feel about Jace. He’s just friend material.”
“Okay, there has to be something I’m missing!” Her hand flailed out in my direction and started counting off. “It’s been at least eight months since you’ve been with someone. Jace and I have introduced you to tons of guys—all of whom you haven’t liked. Aiden is crazy hot, you can still wear your heels with him, and he’s the first guy you haven’t had something bad to say about. Those are five things that are confusing the hell out of me. Unless you’re gay—then this would all finally make sense and I could stop wondering what’s stopping you.”
I laughed lightly. “I’m not gay.”
“Then what the hell is stopping you? You’re twenty-three, you are by far the most gorgeous person I’ve seen in real life, I would kill to look like you, you’re sweet, and you’re really funny when you open up to people. So tell me.”
I’m falling for your brother-in-law harder than I have for anyone in my entire life. And I can’t even tell you about it. “I was in a relationship for six years before I moved here, one that I didn’t want to be in. This is the first time I’ve been alone in my adult life, and I’m enjoying it. Besides, it’s not like I’m a hermit. I own a bakery that I’m at for ten to sixteen hours a day, depending on the day, and I have you and Jace. I’m too busy for a relationship.”
“Six years? And you didn’t even want to be in it? Why were you with—Oh, God, was it like a Brody situation? Were you married to him? Oh, wait, no, that’s not right, you would have been what . . . sixteen, seventeen?”
My heart fluttered at the mention of Brody. Another glance at my phone confirmed that he still hadn’t called. “Yeah, no, not married. I didn’t have a choice in dating him, though.”
One dark brow shot up.
“Bad relationship with my parents,” I said by way of an explanation.
“Jeez, what did they do? Sell you off to his family or something?”
Laughing—because she wasn’t too far off—I emptied my caramel latte. “Something like that.”
Kinlee studied me for a few moments before asking, “You’re being serious, aren’t you?”
“Told you. Home’s a place I’d like to forget.”
ONCE I WAS back at the condo and in a pair of sleep shorts and a stretchy tank top, I walked into the kitchen and stared in the fridge and then the pantry for a few minutes before just grabbing the box of granola. It wasn’t like I didn’t have tons of things I could make, but my mind was just so all over the place that I could barely figure out how to put the granola and milk in the bowl without spilling it onto the counter.
By the time I finished and cleaned the bowl it was half past eight and I was too keyed up to even attempt to sleep. I tried watching TV, but nothing was holding my attention. I grabbed my Kindle, but realized ten minutes later that I didn’t even know what book I was reading. With a frustrated sigh, I set the Kindle down and walked back into the kitchen. Planting both hands on the kitchen island, I stared down at my phone and willed it to ring. With a miserable-sounding laugh, I let my head fall onto one arm and chastised myself for being like a middle schooler with a crush. What was happening to me? Obviously, whatever was happening between Brody and me was unlike anything I’d ever experienced, but I couldn’t believe I’d been reduced to a ridiculous girl glaring at her phone and not being able to do or think of anything else because of him.
