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“Said by a man who two days ago ordered the meat lover’s super-duper heart attack combo.”
“You’re avoiding the topic.”
She unsuccessfully tried to hide a smile. “Am I?”
“Come on. You miss me.”
Yes. “I thought we agreed that was a one-time thing. Scratching the itch and all that.”
He leaned toward her until his lips were against her ear. “I still have the itch.”
Grace’s throat tightened as her mouth went dry. “Oh.”
Oh, sweet Jesus, Grace 2.0 moaned in despair. Sleeping with him once was a freebie to free you of Greg’s mind games. Two is relationship territory. Beware.
Grace 1.0 fought back. Sexually liberated women are allowed to have sex with whomever they want.
Not when they’re falling for the guy, 2.0 retorted.
Grace nearly choked on her Diet Coke. Where the hell had that come from?
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Of course it’s a good idea,” he replied. “Sex is always a good idea.”
“Says the guy who’s had it with half the women in Manhattan.”
Her voice came out sharper than she intended. Jake had been in the process of putting his arm on the back of the bench, but he stopped, reversing directions and crumpling up his napkin in a fist instead.
“I shouldn’t have said that,” she said quietly.
“Why not? All the society pages do.”
“Since when have you cared about that?”
Jake remained stonily silent, and the easy camaraderie of the afternoon vanished. Suddenly she understood what Emma had meant when she’d said Grace was playing with fire by “going off the grid” instead of having lunch near the office, where they could at least pretend it was only for the sake of work.
But on an overcast day in the park where there was nobody to track their every movement, she had to face the truth.
She was here because she wanted to be.
“So, you know my nephews?” he asked, not looking at her. “The ones in the broken picture frame?”
“Sure. Jackson and Matt.”
His face had the oddest expression. “You remembered their names.”
“And?” This non-flirty Jake was always so weird.
“It’s their birthday next week. They’re two years and two days apart.”
Grace sat up straighter, clapping her hands together in exc
itement before she could stop herself. “And you want me to help shop for their gifts? I’m so in. My cousin Charlotte has five boys, and I always buy the best—”
Jake looked both exasperated and nervous. “No, I don’t want you to help shop, Grace. I mean, yeah, actually, that’d be great, but that’s not what I’m asking.”
She frowned. “I’m confused.”
