AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yep.”
I wondered how Sadie felt about that. All I felt was relief, but I bet she’d miss him.
Needing something to do, I moved to the kitchen and put everything on the table, debating whether to leave it wrapped or open it and start without her. The food was getting cold, and I was getting hungrier by the minute. I’d driven across town for this particular restaurant, hoping it would mean something to Sadie. It had been an idiotic surge of sentimentality.
I pulled out my phone to text Sadie again when she burst through the door, burdened with shopping bags and takeout of her own—the same takeout I’d brought. “You better not be rifling through my closet, Denver,” she called out, not noticing either of us. “Jenny said she let you in.”
At the sight of Makayla on the couch, she gave a little start. “Oh, hi.” Then she spotted me in the kitchen and my bags on the table. There was no hello for me, just lots of staring, her face going from embarrassed, to pleased, to irritated, and back through the cycle again. It was fascinating.
“You brought tacos from Mangos,” she accused.
“So did you.”
Mangos had been the first meal we’d ever shared together, after I helped the little intruder move into my house last year. I’m not sure why either of us wanted to memorialize it. We’d fought like cats and dogs the entire time she lived there.
“Why would he be rifling through your closet?” Makayla asked, reminding us of her presence.
Sadie squared her shoulders. “Well, you never know with him. Why are you here, Makayla?” Probably realizing it was a rude question, she quickly followed it up with, “Thanks for keeping Nitro company.”
“No problem. I was just chatting with Jenny before she left. I, um, I broke up with my ex. For good this time. I never should have gotten back together with him.” Makayla lowered her lashes before lifting her eyes to meet mine. It was a calculated move on her part.
This was her eating crow, and also putting out feelers—ones I immediately wanted to squash. The fact that Sadie’s face became a protective mask had nothing to do with it. I was just done. Yes, I was happy for Makayla. Hopefully, she was serious about getting rid of her ex for good. But I was not looking to become Makayla’s next off-again, on-again relationship, and that meant getting her out of here.
It was strange to want to be alone with Sadie, especially since I’d never wanted that before. But we had plans, and they wouldn’t be the same with Makayla here to witness. She’d try to protect us from each other, and that would take all the enjoyment out of it.
Thankfully, I didn’t need to spell it out. Makayla got up and put Nitro back in his cage, glancing back one more time to confirm what must have been evident in my face. “Well, I’ll let you two eat your Mexican food.”
I almost offered her some, but then she’d sit down to eat with us and never leave.
Sadie watched, saying nothing, as if what we decided mattered little. But her shoulders definitely dropped in relief when Makayla walked out and shut the door behind her.
We were alone. It was a different kind of awkward. A less charged one, with no expectations. I couldn’t impress Sadie, even if I wanted to.
“Last chance to chase after her.”
I eyed Sadie. “I wouldn’t say last chance.”
My words irritated her as much as I hoped, and it made me smile. Sadie already thought I was a cocky villain. Might as well play the part.
“Should we eat?” I asked.
“Yeah.” Sadie brought over her takeout bags and dropped them next to mine before taking the seat across from me. She’d changed her shirt from work. This new one wasn’t bad, just plain. Heather gray, thin, form fitting, though not to the degree she’d accused me of wearing my shirts. I’d worn the tightest one I could find tonight, and now I was regretting it. It fit like a vise around my torso and chest. If I didn’t think she’d toss me out immediately, I’d take it off and go shirtless. She’d gotten used to that at my house, but we were on her turf now.
“What kind of tacos did you get?” I asked, pulling out my haul. I’d ordered the sampler special, along with a couple extra creamy cilantro chicken ones that were addictively good.
“Green chili brisket. Have you tried them?”
“No. Are they new?”
I reached for one, but she moved the bag out of my reach at the last second. “Hold on. You don’t even know what you’re grabbing.”
“You’re right. How rude of me to reach across the table, and on a date, no less.” I got up and walked around until I was shoulder to shoulder with her while I investigated, which turned into us trying to box each other out like an intense game of pickup basketball. I didn’t know the rules, but I was pretty sure I was winning based on her mounting frustration.
“This is not a date. Here.” She picked up two tacos and placed them in my hands. “Now take your ridiculously tight shirt and go back to your side of the table.”
So, shehadnoticed.
“What, this old thing?” I flexed my muscles in turns until she begged me to stop, her fingers dragging down the side of her face.
