Page 5 of Second Time Around

“Yes, really. I’m in a hurry.” She glanced at her wristwatch for good measure.

“I take it you’re on a lunch break.” He folded the coins inside the bills and carefully placed the money inside her purse.

“Yes. And I only get a half-hour, so I have to go.”

He recalled his mom telling him Jenna worked at a local hair salon. “You don’t happen to work at the salon in this plaza, do you?” It would be too good to be true if she answered…

“Yes. Why? Have you been spying on me?”

He chuckled again, but she didn’t crack a smile. “No. My mom mentioned you were a hairstylist. Makes sense.” He glanced at her stylish blonde locks. He’d meant it as a compliment, but she must not have taken it that way.

“Why? Because I didn’t go to college like you?”

He furrowed his brow and shook his head. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Never mind. It doesn’t matter.” She started to walk away, but then she turned back around. “Okay. I have to ask. What in the hell are you doing working behind the carry-out counter of a sandwich shop?”

At that exact moment, Lisa returned from her break. “All set. Thanks, boss.”

“No problem,” he said and stepped out from behind the counter. Then he looked down at Jenna, who was several inches shorter than him. “I’ll walk you out.”

“That’s not necessary,” she said between clenched teeth.

“I insist.” With that, he pulled open the front door and motioned her to go first.

She shot him a look that could have wilted a flower and swept past him, inadvertently bumping him with her handbag (or not). Once the door closed behind them, she turned on him.

“What the hell, Beck?”

Ignoring her, he walked a few feet away from the restaurant so as not to block the entrance. She begrudgingly followed him.

“In answer to your first question, look up.” He pointed at the sign above the restaurant. She scowled again before following the direction of his finger. Under the name of the restaurant was a banner that read: Under New Ownership.

“You’re the new owner?”

“Yes.”

“What happened to Tony?”

“You knew Tony?”

“Of course. Everyone around here did.”

“He retired, and I took over.”

“Oh. Well, good for you. Now, I really need to go.”

“It’s my turn to ask a question.” When she narrowed her eyes at him, he said, “Just one.”

“Fine, but make it quick.”

“Why haven’t you answered my text messages?”

“You really have to ask?”

“I’m curious.”

“Well, I’m not. That’s why I didn’t answer your texts. I’m not interested in rehashing the past, reconnecting, becoming pals, or whatever it is you’re hoping to accomplish. What’s done is done. It’s water under the bridge and all those other sayings.”

He shook his head, amusement dancing in his eyes. “You’re still pissed at me after all this time.”

She cocked her head and glared at him. “I’m not pissed at you. I just don’t want anything to do with you.”

“That’s the same thing.”

She huffed and glanced at her watch again. “Well, this has been fun. Consider us caught up. I’ll see you around.” Then she brushed past him and took off down the sidewalk at a fast clip.

He turned and watched her stride toward the hair salon at the opposite end of the plaza. “Plan on it,” he said, though she was too far away to hear him.

Some other guy might have been dissuaded by her “buzz off” attitude, but not him. If anything, seeing her in person had given him even more incentive to get back in her good graces. The fact that she was still holding a grudge meant that she still felt something for him, which was better than nothing.

He’d hoped that since they were both older and wiser, she’d give him a chance to apologize. He’d been wrong. However, he’d seen a flicker of interest in her eyes and felt the same zing that he’d always felt with her. She’d done a good job of disguising it, but she’d forgotten how well he’d been able to read her. Some things might have changed, but that hadn’t.

Obviously, she wouldn’t make it easy for him, but that never stopped him before, and it wouldn’t now. In fact, he enjoyed a challenge, both in his professional and personal lives. If ever there was a woman who challenged him, it was his high school sweetheart, Jenna Young.