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“I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a tablet for a while, but I actually just needed to get out of my apartment. Been thinking of buying a house, too, someplace bigger with a yard so I can have a dog.”
He started the car, and Hannah’s heart skipped. “So, you’re planning on staying here permanently, then?”
“Yeah, I think so. I like my job and the area. I’m getting used to the way you Californians talk”—she caught his wink in the darkened car and laughed—“and I think I can make a home here.”
Without thinking, she reached out a hand and covered his on the steering wheel. “That’s fantastic, Blake.”
The warmth of his skin blazed through her palm, and she jerked her hand back. This was all too confusing. They were supposed to be friends. She touched her friends without wanting to glide her fingers across their skin.
Not Blake, though. She wanted to test the fine hairs on his arms and see if they were as soft as she thought.
She leaned back in the seat, hoping that eventually, she’d be able to be friends with Blake without the ache for more.
BLAKE PULLED THROUGH the drive-through of Starbucks and bought Hannah’s coffee, his fingers tingling when their hands brushed as he passed her the cup. In the quiet, one question from therapy continued to haunt him.
If he had been the one to die, would he want Jenny to be alone and miserable for years?
The answer was no. He would want Jenny to be happy. To find someone else and live her life.
So why was he so worried about how Jenny would feel if he moved on? Two years did seem like a short amount of time, but just because he started dating someone new didn’t mean he’d just forget about her. Jenny was a part of him. She’d been his world, and she would always have his heart.
That didn’t mean he had to be miserable and alone. He could date, have a good time, enjoy sex . . .
But love? He didn’t know if he could do that again.
Which was why he couldn’t seem to understand the self-destructive habit of seeking out Hannah. At her work, on the phone . . . She was made for happily ever after, for romance and marriage and a half a dozen kids.
He wasn’t sure he could give any of that to her, but he couldn’t seem to stay away.
Live for today. Take it a day at a time, and go at my own pace. She’ll understand.
They got out of the car at Barnes & Noble, and as they started to cross the parking lot, Blake slid his hand over the small of her back, leading her to the entrance.
She jumped but didn’t say anything about the touch. Once they were inside, Blake let his hand fall back to his side.
“So, where should we start?” he asked.
Hannah nodded to the front display, which had three e-readers and tablets. “There are the NOOKs.”
Blake looked them over. “Which one do you have?”
Hannah pointed to one with just a white screen and words on it. “I have the GlowLight, which is great for reading, especially in the dark, but the tablets are nice if you’re in the market for that.”
“What’s the difference?”
Hannah stepped closer, her floral perfume drawing him in until his head was bent next to hers. Damn, she smelled good.
“Well, this one is just for reading and doesn’t get that glare when the sun hits it. The tablet does everything, but you can’t use it to read in direct sunlight.”
Her shoulder brushed his arm, and he was tempted to reach out and draw her closer, to feel all of those soft curves pressed against his side.
“Hi, can I help you?” a cheerful voice asked.
Blake hadn’t even been aware that a salesgirl had come up alongside them, he was so caught up with Hannah. “No, we’re fine.”
“Actually, can you explain the differences between the NOOKs and how they compare to a Kindle? I need to find the restroom.”
Blake watched her take off for the back of the store, wondering if Hannah actually needed to use the bathroom or if she’d sensed he was about to pull her into one of the aisles to kiss her and bolted.
