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She groans. “It really shouldn’t be this hard to find a man.”
“What happened to the guy from two weeks ago?”
“He was a dud. I’m sorry, but my standards are higher than a fast food restaurant where he wanted to order off the dollar menu.” I laugh and she playfully glares at me for doing so. But then her eyes widen and she leans in. “Like, why can’t I land a hunk like him?”
I glance over my shoulder to see that the hunk of a man she’s talking about is Trace. My shoulders sag and I quickly turn around before he can see me. “That’s my ex-boyfriend, Trace,” I whisper.
“What? Seriously? You’re fighting that? If he came crawling back to me, I’d be crawling up him. He’s like a tree trunk, he’s so tall and wide.”
The only thing I can do is laugh.
“Uh-oh,” she mutters just before I hear, “Brittany?”
I look up to see Trace standing next to me. “Hey,” I breathe. God, he looks gorgeous. Of course he does!
“I saw you and I just wanted to say hi.”
“Hi.”
He grins. “Who’s your friend?”
“I’m Melissa, a co-worker of Brittany’s. Do you have a brother or cousin or friend who looks like you?”
Trace laughs. “I’m an only child and my family lives in Texas. My closest friend is four hours away and he’s married.”
“Damn it. Are you sure you want this ol’ hag back?” She motions to me.
“Melissa!” She can’t be serious!
“I’m joking!” she quickly reassures, while Trace laughs.
“I only wanted to say hello. I’ll leave you two alone.” Trace looks down at me and for a moment, I panic. Is he going to kiss me? Hug me? Simply say goodbye? I hold my breath as he leans down, pressing a simple kiss to my forehead. My eyes flutter close at the light contact. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye,” I whisper.
He says goodbye to Melissa and then sits down at a table with some guy I don’t recognize.
“You’re still in love with him,” Melissa says, bringing my attention back to her. I roll my eyes, but she keeps talking. “He kissed your forehead, Brittany. Your forehead, which I get can be sweet, but you looked as if he just told you he loved you and wanted to be with you forever. That little kiss, and you looked swept away in Trace’s world. What did he do that’s so unforgivable?”
“It’s complicated. Let’s pay our bill and get back to work.”
Melissa finally gets the hint that I don’t want to talk about it. She probably thinks I’m overreacting, which I kinda am, but that’s besides the point. We finish up the last of our meal while waiting for the waitress to bring our bill and then we pay. My eyes keep sliding over to Trace. He doesn’t look our way once. Maybe he’s trying to give me space.
He’s done a good job of giving me some distance, except for moments like on our last date when he blurted out that he loved me. One minute I’m fine and I can almost believe that we are right and should be together. Then, I’ll remember what happened. I’ll remember the hurt and anger, how I don’t trust him, and how I don’t even know if I can forgive him. I’m starting to feel like I’m crazier than I originally thought with all this back and forth whiplash of emotions.
That’s something that bothers me a lot. It’s driving me mad that I can’t figure out one way or the other what I want where Trace is concerned. Thinking about it is exhausting on top of everything else. As I’m leaving work for the day, I get a text from Trace.
Trace: Hope I wasn’t intruding today.
Me: You weren’t.
Trace: Want to go out for dinner?
Me: I have other plans.
I set my phone down and focus on driving home. My plans include watching the final hockey game of the season. I obsess over what Trace’s response will be, wondering why I care so much. Pushing it off, I don’t bother checking when I park my car at the complex. Hopefully, I’ll be able to stay awake during the game; I’m already sleepy.
There’s a piece of paper taped to my door, and I gently tear it off. Once I’m settled on the couch, I read Trace’s text first.
