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She shook her head, her stomach now turning with guilt. “No, thank you.”
Mauricio excused himself to use the restroom and Mariella’s behavior seemed to slide under a microscope. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“Even I feel bad for the guy,” Giovanni said as the three of them looked to the front of the restaurant, but Harrison was already gone. “That was mean, Mariella.”
“I’m mean? He was taunting me all through dinner.”
“When?” Erin frowned. “I didn’t see anything.”
That was because Harrison had a gift for putting everything out in the open and somehow remaining the most ambiguous person in any room. “Trust me, he did more than earn what he got tonight.”
“Here comes your date,” her brother murmured into his coffee cup.
Mauricio slid back into the booth and pulled her close, taking liberties he’d never taken before. Her eyes widened as she realized what she’d done. By taunting Harrison, she’d unintentionally led Mauricio on.
Great.
On the ride home, Mauricio offered to take her out for another drink, but she declined. When he pulled up in front of her house, she sensed he intended to kiss her. He put the car in park and leaned close, but she pressed a hand into his chest.
“I think we have to talk.”
He sat back, clearly confused by her mixed signals. Then he sighed. “Does this have to do with us or the guy who crashed our date tonight?”
She winced. “I’m sorry, Mauricio. I really am. But I think we’re better off as coworkers and friends.”
He didn’t hide his disappointment, but he also didn’t give her a hard time. “Who is he to you?”
She wanted to say he was no one, but that would be a lie. She could have explained him as a friend from high school or simply Erin’s brother, but he was asking for the truth this time.
The truth was, Harrison had always been someone important to her. More than a high school fling. He had been her everything.
He was the reason she started wearing mascara and the hidden meaning behind every love song. He was the only man who could awaken the passion in her. No one else could give her such butterflies or make her feel so alive, but at the same time, she never allowed herself to be that vulnerable with anyone else, and no one else had the power to hurt her as deeply as Harrison could.
“Honestly, I think he’s my soulmate.”
Mauricio blew out a breath. “Wow.” Then he frowned. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“If he’s your soulmate, why aren’t you with him?”
She dropped her gaze. “It’s complicated.”
“Mariella, it’s none of my business, but if a guy doesn’t jump at the opportunity to be with you, he’s an idiot and doesn’t deserve you.”
Her mouth formed a sad smile. “I tell myself that every single day.”
He sat back and stared out the windshield. “I guess this means I’m going to my sister’s wedding alone.”
“I’m sorry. It sounds like an incredible trip, but I think it’s best that I pass. Besides, you might meet someone there. If I go, it’ll send the wrong impression.”
“It would be nice to meet someone available.”
His words burrowed into her like a bullet. She was single, but she was emotionally unavailable.
How long was she going to let this go on? She needed to close this chapter of her life once and for all, but wasn’t sure how to find closure when her stubborn heart refused to move on.
“Goodnight, Mauricio.”
His smile was an unspoken truce. “I’ll see you at work on Tuesday.”
She waved as her date drove away, then drooped her shoulders the second his headlights disappeared, emotionally and mentally exhausted. She walked slowly up the path to her front steps, digging her house key out of her clutch.
“Long night?”
“Jesus, fuck!” Her heart jolted out of her chest as her bag fell onto the walkway.
Harrison’s eyes watched her from the shadows where he sat on the porch swing.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“I came to take you home with me.”
“Well, forget it.” She snatched her clutch off the ground and snapped it shut.
He jumped off the swing, blocking her way to the door. “Please, Mariella. We have to talk.”
“About what? The huge jerk you were tonight when you felt me up right in front of my brother, your sister, and my date? I have nothing to say to you!”
“Then don’t talk. Just listen.”
Slamming her arms down at her side, she scoffed. “There’s nothing you can say at this point to—”
“I love you.”
She wondered if this was how it felt when people were shot in the heart. She looked down, sure a gaping hole had just been punched through her chest.
“Did you hear me? I said I—”
She shoved him and jammed her key in the lock, her shoulders coming up to her ears to block out his voice. “Don’t.”
