Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
“Stupid or not, do you want to talk about it?”
She drops her pen on her desk. “My ex never noticed if I was distracted. He never asked if I wanted to talk about bad days. Why do you have to be so sweet?”
“Would you prefer me sour?”
“I would prefer we weren’t so clearly ice cream and hot pepper that tastes surprisingly good.”
I laugh. “I’d like to try that combo.”
“Me, too,” she says with a heavy sigh. Once she blows out all the air in the world, she squares her shoulders and speaks in a rush. “Kevin’s going to Sierra’s wedding this Thursday, and he emailed me asking me to come say hi to him and Shelly, the woman he cheated on me with. I guess his note made me feel foolish. But it also made me think about this other guy, too. This guy I really like . . .”
My ears prick. “The ice cream and pepper guy?”
“Yes. But I can’t be with him, so that’s a bit of a bummer. I suppose that’s what bothers me more, to be honest.”
My heart hurts a little. I want to reach across the desk and squeeze her hand in mine. “Would it make you feel any better if you knew he was bummed, too?”
She leans back in her chair. “We’ll be bummed together.”
Together.
That last word rings in my ears.
It’s what I want. To find a way to be together with her. I don’t have any grand plans, I haven’t concocted some brilliant scheme for the long run.
But for the short term? I have one hell of an idea.
I drum my fingers on the wood of her desk as the wheels turn in my head. Faster, picking up speed, because this wedding is a chance for something else entirely. Something that’s not about her ex and his stupid comments.
Something about us.
A plan forms as I imagine Jillian wearing a sexy dress, black heels, her hair all done up. She’d be stunning, like she is every time I see her. “Did I ever tell you about the time I was invited to Sierra’s wedding, too, and forgot to RSVP?”
She lifts a brow in curiosity. “I don’t believe I’m familiar with that tale. Go on.”
“If memory serves, an invitation arrived a month or so ago, and I did this thing I often do with mail.”
“You forgot about it?”
“Yes, but now I’m not forgetting about it. I’m thinking Sierra likes me. Sierra probably wouldn’t mind if I said I was so very sorry for the late response, but that I’d love to attend her nuptials.”
“You would?” Her voice is breathy.
My gaze locks with hers. “I would love to attend. I hear one of the other guests is someone I’ve been trying to steal a moment with here or there.”
“I’m going with Katie. She’s my plus-one.”
“Even better.” The train rattles faster down the tracks. “I’ve no doubt I can convince Harlan to go with me.” I smile wickedly, pleased with my plan. “Me with my friend. You with your friend. No one would think I was only going to see how pretty you’d look all dressed up. And maybe to sneak a dance with you.”
Sparks dance across her eyes as they glitter with the thrill of a secret date in the most unlikely of places—a place where no one would suspect us. We’d be hiding a tree in a forest, and a date like this is much safer than a late-night rendezvous at her place or mine, someplace where a photographer, a fan, a paparazzo might see one of us slipping in or out.
Lowering her voice, she speaks ever-so-softly. “I want a stolen moment with you. I want a dance with you. Do you think it’s a good idea, though?”
I inch closer, placing my elbows on the edge of her desk. “I think not having a dance with you is a bad idea.”
I’d like to grab her, kiss her across the desk, haul her next to me. I’d like to slam the door and get my hands all over her.
But our hazy, flirty moment severs when someone knocks on the door. I straighten in the chair, pushing farther away from her desk.
Lily strides in, her flaming red hair and big personality lighting up the room. One of her hands is positioned behind her back. “Jones! That was an epic catch yesterday. I saw it all over the highlight reels last night and today, too.”
“Just doing my job.”
“And love the J. Love it, love it, love it. It’s the perfect mix of cocky and cute.”
“That’s me. The two Cs.”
“I heard you were here, so I have a surprise.” She whips her hand from behind her back to brandish a calendar. “It’s a sample of the calendar for our approval, and it’s stunning. The two of you did amazing work,” Lily says, pointing from Jillian to me.