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She looked pointedly at his hand and then up at his face, not saying anything until he removed it.
“We don’t have anything to talk about, Colin,” she said, hoping her face looked bored because her nerves were bouncing all over the place. “Besides, I’m working.”
“Looks like you’re on break,” he replied. “C’mon, Bree, just give me a couple minutes.”
She was about to tell him to shove it, when she felt someone come up behind her and two strong arms wrapped around her.
“Hey, Babe, I’ve been wondering if Pam was ever gonna give you a break.” Kent whispered in her ear
He said it loud enough for Colin to hear, and Briana noticed him stiffen at Kent’s words and his obvious familiarity.
“Yeah, I’ve got a quick one.” Briana turned and gave him a grateful look, before going up on her tip toes to meet him for a brief kiss.
She thought she heard a grunt or something come from Colin, so she turned to give him a smile and an introduction.
“Oh, sorry,” she said, though she wasn’t in the least. “Kent, this is Colin. We went to high school together. Colin, this is Kent.”
“What’s up, man?” Kent asked, extending his hand for a shake.
Colin looked at the offered hand, then back at Kent who may have been an inch shorter than him and shook it.
“Not much. You must be new around here.” Colin said.
Briana tried to hide a smirk at Colin’s discomfort. It looked like he wanted to punch Kent in the face.
“I’ve been here for about two years. I work over at the paper. You know, just temporary, to gain some experience and move on to a bigger gig.”
He seemed happy to hear that Kent was just a transient and that he’d be moving on eventually.
Briana couldn’t help but think that Colin had no right to be jealous of anyone in her life. He was the one who walked all of those years ago.
“Cool, man. Well, I’ll leave you two to your business and I’ll see you around,” Colin said, eager to get out of there. “Bye, Bree.”
“Yup,” was her only response. She pretended to ignore him as he walked away, focusing her attention on Kent. “Thanks for coming to my rescue.”
“Who was that guy?” Kent asked, looking up at Colin’s retreating back before looking back down at her. “At first I thought he was your date or somethin
g, but the look on your face changed my mind. It looked like you wanted out of the situation. I hope you didn’t mind me coming up behind you like that. It just seemed to fit the situation.”
“No, I didn’t mind, I appreciated it. We dated in high school and I really hoped I’d never have to see him again. Pretty stupid, considering how small the town is, but he’d never planned to move back here.”
Kent was quiet for a moment. “Oh, so he’s the douche from high school.” He looked up again, as if wishing Colin was still standing in front of him.
“Yeah, but it’s no big deal. It was a long time ago. He just took me by surprise, is all.” As did the feelings she’d had when his hand touched her. It didn’t seem fair that the one person she never wanted to see again was the one person who could set her body on fire with one innocent touch.
“All right, Babe. You know that I’m here for you anytime you need me. If you want to tell him we’re together, feel free,” Kent said with his cocky little grin lighting up his face.
Briana touched her hand to his cheek and smiled, wishing she felt the things for Kent that she’d felt for Colin.
“Thanks, but I’ll be okay. I don’t want to cramp your style and ruin your chance with the ladies,” she responded playfully, trying to soften her negative response.
Kent looked down at her seriously, his heart in his eyes. “Bree, you know, all you have to do is say the word, and there will be no other ladies.”
She nodded, wishing she could give him the answer he wanted.
He smiled again, all seriousness leaving his face. “You still want me to pick you up at one tomorrow?”
“You sure you still want to go?” she asked, giving him an out if he wanted one. “If you have other plans, I’ll understand.”
