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“Thank you. Why are you here?”
“I wanted to see if you wanted to get lunch.”
I blew out a harsh breath and ran a hand back through my hair. “Are you going to keep coming back every day?”
“Yes.”
“You realize it’s harassment. My dad and brother are lawyers.”
Ash shot me a smile. “I’m aware of their professions, yes. They work for me regularly.” Then, his smile faltered. “If you really feel like I’m harassing you, then I’ll stop. I just miss you, Mia.”
I closed my eyes against those words. “Ash …”
“I’ve missed you every day since we fought and I fucked up. Please,” he said softly. “Just … please.”
Something cracked in me at that word. And when I found those baby blues again, I knew that I was a goner. That this was all I’d wanted for so long. And though I’d said I was done waiting, here I was, giving in all over again.
“One more chance,” I finally said.
His smile immediately blossomed, revealing his dimples. “Lunch?”
“I’m serious, Ash.”
“I’m taking you seriously, Mia.”
“Then, yes. Let’s go to lunch.”
“You won’t regret this.”
I shook my head with a small laugh. “I’d better not. Let me grab my stuff.”
I hurried back inside, throwing my phone into my purse. Sasha sent me a bright smile and a thumbs-up. I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t keep the smile from my lips. God, why did Ash always do this to me?
Ash had somehow managed to snag the parking spot directly in front of my shop. He’d upgraded recently to a black Range Rover and pulled the passenger door open for me like the Southern gentleman he was. I slid in across the black leather and buckled up. He jogged around to the driver’s side, and after he was seated, he pulled away from the boutique.
“Clary’s?” he asked.
I nodded. “Of course.”
Clary’s was my favorite restaurant in all of Savannah. They did all-day breakfast and had to-die-for biscuits and gravy. The biscuits were so fluffy, as if you were biting into a cloud, and the white gravy had sausage and was heavily peppered, as it should be.
Despite the crowd, we were seated immediately.
“You had a reservation?” I asked in surprise.
He shot me a look once we took our seats. “Well, I might have had one on the books for every day … just in case.”
My heart was made of candle wax, and he applied the flame. Everything melted at his heat.
“Oh,” I whispered, hoping I held back my emotions well enough, but I never knew with Ash. He knew me too well.
We ordered food and made small talk while we waited for it to arrive. For those few minutes, everything felt normal. Like how it used to be when I’d first returned from New York City and Ash and I met up all the time.
“So,” he began slowly after our regular topics dried up, “what happened with Mark?”
I winced and shoved my food away. “We broke up.”
“You broke up with him.”
“I did.” I sighed and reached for my sweet tea. “What do you want to know? Mark was a narcissistic jerk who gaslit me. He told me that no one else wanted me and treated me like crap. I don’t know why it took me so long to see what he was doing. But I finally broke free.”
Ash’s grip on his knife was murderous. “Jesus Christ, Amelia.”
“Yeah.”
“Are you all right? Do I need to go beat the shit out of him?”
I snorted. “No. You do not need to do that. You’re not my white knight. The princess saved herself in this one.”
He smiled. “I like that.”
“Plus, if he saw you, he’d probably lose his shit.”
“Saw that firsthand.”
“Right,” I muttered.
“Which I’m sorry about,” he said.
I waved my hand. “It’s over with. I don’t care what he thinks anymore.”
“Then, why wouldn’t you see me?” he said, reaching across the table for my hand. “I know I fucked up, and that pushed you into his arms.”
I slowly extracted my hand from his. “Don’t flatter yourself. I made my own bad choices.”
“Well, if I hadn’t acted that way—”
“Please,” I said, holding up a hand, “let’s not rehash the past.”
The night had been bad enough. I thought about it for weeks afterward. I’d thought about it all those times that I realized that Mark was not a better alternative. I was tired of thinking about it. Tired of agonizing over if me and Ash could have had a better outcome.
“All right,” he said softly. “Well, I’ve missed you. I’m glad you’re single.”
I laughed softly. “Me too. I feel free for the first time in a long time.”
I waited for him to ask me out again, as he had last week when he showed up at the boutique. To push for more after I agreed to lunch. I’d been anticipating it. Trying to figure out how to say no to him again, only to realize that I wouldn’t. If he asked me out again, I’d say yes.
