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Jamie hooked a thumb to the door. “Leighton and I? We’ve not really…”
“Okay. Then when did you fall in love with her?”
Jamie, stunned, opened her mouth and found no words. She closed it again. “I’m sorry. I’m still figuring all this out myself.”
Tegan shrugged. “It’s truly okay. I like you a lot, but I think you have enough on your plate with that little situation. So my proposal is that we eat this amazing food, enjoy the company, and maybe you’ll call me again if the circumstances change.”
Jamie deflated. She’d wanted things to work out with Tegan, had carried such hope, imagining that the swirling feelings for Leighton would dissolve over time. Tonight made her feel differently. Maybe she’d been naive to think she could handle something this big by simply not addressing it. She’d never been in love before, not in this true a fashion. “I completely understand.” She met Tegan’s green eyes. “I want you to know that I didn’t see this coming, or I wouldn’t have agreed to you and me…”
“I get it. But now you have to figure out what you’re going to do because she’s taken.”
“Right. So I’m going to respect that.”
“There’s only one problem.”
“And what’s that?” Jamie asked.
“She’s just as in love with you.”
Everything in the restaurant seemed to go quiet and still. Jamie’s attention hyperfocused on one thing and one thing only. Leighton’s feelings for her might not be dead after all. She’d seen the jealous behavior firsthand, and apparently, so had Tegan. Maybe it meant there was still something there. Then real life hit. “Do you really think I’d have any kind of shot against beautiful dancer Helen?”
Tegan looked at the door and back to Jamie. “Um, I know you do.”
Jamie nodded, trying to absorb, organize, and find her courage. If she was going to do this thing right, she couldn’t hold back. That meant she had to be entirely honest with Leighton, putting everything on the line and opening up. That left her vulnerable…and scared as hell.
* * *
It started to rain on the drive home from the restaurant. Through the streaked window of the cab, Leighton watched the city fly by as her feelings swarmed and tangled. The dinner had been a catastrophe and made her want to run screaming. She chalked it up to stress around work and the proposal and the conversation with Jessica all sneaking up on her in a thorny jumble. But the whole experience had done one thing for her. It had given her the extra shove she needed to take the leap. What was she waiting for?
She leaned her cheek against the seat and sent Helen a smile. “Remember the question you asked me?”
“Of course I do.”
She took a pause and threaded their fingers. “The answer is yes.”
Helen sat up straight. “Are you sure?”
Leighton nodded. “Let’s do it. And the sooner the better. I’m more than ready.”
“I wonder if we can getOut Magazineto cover the ceremony,” Helen said automatically. “I’m going to call my friend Mark and see if he can make the connection.” She took out her phone and immediately started texting.
Leighton celebrated quietly on her own. This was exciting. A whole new chapter to look forward to. She had to tell Courtney. She needed to update Jessica. Maybe tomorrow. Today was for basking, right?
Helen tapped her knee. “You can call Jamie if you want. She’s probably still at the restaurant. They can toast us!”
“I’ll get around to that. I just want to enjoy this moment with you.”
Helen’s phone buzzed. “Mark, I’m engaged and need you.” She laughed. “No, her name is Leighton Morrow, and she’s everything. You’re gonna love her. She’s also a Carrington, soOut Magazinemight want in on this.”
Leighton focused on the mellow music in the cab, the romance of the rain falling on the city just beyond the window, and completely shut out every other feeling screaming to her from the depths. This was the right decision for her. It would be. Now was the time to be happy.
Chapter Twenty-two
Jamie’s week had been weird. She hadn’t been able to find her groove, and bouncing between bars, a practice that normally had her energized, had instead left her feeling unsettled and off—almost as if she’d left a stove on somewhere but couldn’t quite remember where.
“You seem like you’re in a fog and trying to fight your way out.”
Jamie blinked. “Thanks, Marvin.” She quirked her head at him sitting in his traditional left corner of the room, only it was the wrong room. “Hey! What are you doing in Hell’s Kitchen? You’re a Chelsea regular.” Tom and Aurora, two of her Hell’s Kitchen regulars, looked over at him with suspicion. An infiltrator.
