Page 41 of Romeo

“I told you. A friend.”

Her eyes narrowed in my direction. “Friends don’t make you blush.”

“I’m not blushing.”

“You’re totally blushing.”

I shoved my phone into my pocket, which probably did nothing to strengthen my argument. “Can we talk about something else?”

Melanie grinned. “Fine. But I’m bringing this up again later.”

“Great.”

“Oh, speaking of which...” Melanie grabbed her water bottle. “You need a better answer.”

“For what?”

“When customers ask if you have a boyfriend.”

I frowned. “What’s wrong with saying no?”

“It invites more questions. Trust me.” Melanie took a sip. “Last week, some guy asked me out after I said I was single. I had to pretend my shift was ending just to get away from him.”

“That sounds awful.”

“It was. So you need a line. Something that shuts it down without being rude.”

I pulled my phone back out.

Me: Melanie says I need a better answer when customers ask if I have a boyfriend.

Jasper: What do you say now?

Me: No.

Jasper: Brutally honest.

Me: She says it invites more questions.

Jasper: Tell them you’re emotionally unavailable.

I snorted.

Me: That sounds dramatic

Jasper: Tell them your heart belongs to someone far away.

My breath caught.

I read the message again.

Someone far away.

Surely he knew exactly how that sounded.

Me: That sounds worse

Jasper: Effective, though.