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“You said that?” Her eyes are wide, and I bite my lip in embarrassment. “And here I thought you didn’t want to date him.”
“I don’t!” I shake my head empathetically. “I mean, I didn’t. I don’t know, Lee. He looked at me with those gorgeous brown eyes of his and told me he’d wait until I was ready—”
“He said he’d wait?” she coos, her expression morphing into one of adoration. “That’s so cute!”
“And then I started talking about how awful George was, and…and he kissed me.”
“You brought up George?” Hadlee asks as we walk across the street.
“I was telling Alex how thoughtful he was, and that George never said anything remotely sweet to me,” I reply. “And he told me to ‘shut up about that asshole’ and then kissed me.”
I lift my eyes to the diner window and stop in my tracks. Alex sits in a booth, a gorgeous blonde sitting opposite him. I don’t know her, and my heart drops when she squeezes his hand before standing up.
“Who the hell is that?” Hadlee voices my question, but there’s no one around to answer. “I’m gonna wring his neck.”
“I’m sure there’s an explanation, Lee,” I say softly, watching the woman smile at Alex before walking to the door. I pull Hadlee to the left, ducking behind Alex’s truck as the woman steps out of the diner.
“What’re you doing? Let me at her.”
“There’s got to be an explanation,” I mutter, my head feeling light.This is how it starts. “Maybe I imagined it all.”
“Maybe Alex is a good-for-nothing, self-righteous ass—” Hadlee cuts herself off as Alex comes around the truck.
“Jana!” He looks surprised, his cheeks reddening as he grins. “What’s going on?”
“Oh, um…” My brain sputters to a stop as he gets closer, his cologne wrapping around me and invading my senses.
“I was wondering the same thing,” Hadlee says, venom pouring from her mouth.
“Hadlee’s car is in the shop, and we saw your truck and thought we might hitch a ride,” I say. Alex looks puzzled by Hadlee’s outburst, but he nods along to my words.
“Sure. Are you heading home?”
“Yes, I just got off.”
“I thought I smelled fresh baked bread,” he says, opening the door. “Climb on in.”
I scramble into his truck, hating the way his smile makes my heart skip.There’s nothing to worry about. Alex wouldn’t do that to me—he wouldn’t kiss me and tell me I’m worth the wait only to turn around and say the same thing to someone else. Right?
Hadlee glares at the back of Alex’s head, but I can’t shake the feeling that there’s more to the story. At least, I hope there is.
???
I smooth the paper with practiced fingers, folding and taping until the book is wrapped up in a neat little package. Despite my best efforts, Hadlee’s voice rings in my head.“You need to confront him about that woman, and then you’ll know for sure. Either he’s an asshole, just like Jon and George, or he’s got a real, honest-to-God reason for meeting with her, which I doubt.”
I look up, letting my eyes rest on Alex for a moment. He’s tying the ribbons into bows on the books I’ve already wrapped, and he’s doing a great job, probably from being a dad to two girls. He’s been just as distracted as I have, leaving the bookstore in an uncomfortable silence.
I clear my throat, and he lifts his head, our eyes connecting. His lips tilt up as a smile takes over his face, warming me through. He sets the gift down and scoots closer to me on the floor.
“How was your day?” I ask, wondering if he’ll mention the woman. He drapes his arm over my shoulders and tangles his fingers into my hair as I swallow past the lump in my throat, trying not to get distracted by his warmth.
“Pretty average,” he says, his fingers rubbing gently against my scalp. I sigh out a breath and find myself relaxing into his side despite myself. “Maddie had ballet, and Morgan spent the afternoon with Benji.”
“That must’ve been nice, having an afternoon free?”
“Sure, I guess,” he says, his breath warm on my temple, his voice low in my ear. I pick up the black pen and start writing a basic description of the romcom inside. I focus on forming the letters, instead of the soft circular motions he makes against my scalp.
“Did you do anything fun?”
