round. "What did he say?" She takes another bite of pizza. If she were eating popcorn, you'd think she were watching a movie.
"He apologized, and then Brian came out and told us to take it in the back room. I declined the invitation and left."
"Amy, why don't you tell me these things?"
"It didn't seem like that big of a deal."
She points at me with her food again. "When you go into my fiancé's business and start a shouting match with his business partner in front of the whole store, it's kind of a big deal."
"What? It wasn't a shouting match."
"Amy, Brian heard you from the back. That's why he came out and told you to finish away from the customers." She's looking at me like I'm not too quick on the uptake. Which I guess I'm not. Her voice is measured and slow, like she's explaining something to a small child. "Do you even realize that you just shouted at me?"
"I did not!"
She tries and fails to suppress her laughter, so it comes out more like a snigger than her usual giggle. "You just did it again." As quickly as it came on, her laughter dies away. "Look, Amy, I appreciate that you don't want whatever issues you and Adam have to screw up my wedding. But you need to talk to that man and hash out whatever this is. For you. Not for me and not for Brian. For you. So you can move on, or he can move on, or you can actually get together for real this time."
I laugh, but it's ugly sounding. This isn't funny at all. "He moved on months ago. There's no way we're going to get together. And, anyway, I'm dating Scott."
She just shoots me a look. "Talk to them. Figure it out, Amy."
I take another bite of my pizza, not responding. The last thing I want to do is talk to either of them. Why can't my life be free of frustrating men? Why couldn't I find someone perfect and nice like Brian? Not actually Brian. Just someone who didn't blow hot and cold, kissing me one minute and then not seeing me again the next. Flirting to formal to frustrating. Bringing me my favorite wine without being asked, and then being mean and nasty.
Someone who wants to have sex with me. Who just wants to be with me.
CHAPTER NINE
"You should come with me this week." Scott sits down next to me on his couch, handing me the glass of wine and setting his water down on the coffee table in front of us. He slides his arm along the back of the couch behind me and places the other hand on my thigh, leaning in to give me a kiss. His lips are cool, holding the chill from the ice water he just drank.
We just finished a casual dinner at his house after I spent most of the day helping Jenna address wedding invitations.
I pull back. "Come with you where?"
"To the gym. It would be fun if you would work out with me."
I wrinkle my nose, taking a sip of wine to cover my grimace. "I don't know, Scott. You go pretty early, don't you?"
He smiles. "Not any earlier than you normally have to be at work."
"But it's my Spring Break. I don't have to get up early for work this week." I'm whining, but I can't help it. My plan every year for Spring Break is to sleep in as much as I can and relish the time that I don't have to go to work or grade papers in the evenings. I submitted my grades already, so I'm free and clear until next weekend, when I need to get organized for the final quarter. I need a break from the little demons as much as they need one from me.
"Exactly. You don't have to be at work this week, so you have time in the mornings to come work out with me. I know you have to be at work too early to go normally, so I thought it might be fun."
I look at him and arrange my face into a serious expression. "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
Holy crap, this guy has no response to my Princess Bride reference. It takes everything in me not to let my mouth drop open in shock and horror. Instead he just quirks an eyebrow at me, silently asking me to elaborate.
"Fun. You keep saying it'll be fun. I think we're operating
"He apologized, and then Brian came out and told us to take it in the back room. I declined the invitation and left."
"Amy, why don't you tell me these things?"
"It didn't seem like that big of a deal."
She points at me with her food again. "When you go into my fiancé's business and start a shouting match with his business partner in front of the whole store, it's kind of a big deal."
"What? It wasn't a shouting match."
"Amy, Brian heard you from the back. That's why he came out and told you to finish away from the customers." She's looking at me like I'm not too quick on the uptake. Which I guess I'm not. Her voice is measured and slow, like she's explaining something to a small child. "Do you even realize that you just shouted at me?"
"I did not!"
She tries and fails to suppress her laughter, so it comes out more like a snigger than her usual giggle. "You just did it again." As quickly as it came on, her laughter dies away. "Look, Amy, I appreciate that you don't want whatever issues you and Adam have to screw up my wedding. But you need to talk to that man and hash out whatever this is. For you. Not for me and not for Brian. For you. So you can move on, or he can move on, or you can actually get together for real this time."
I laugh, but it's ugly sounding. This isn't funny at all. "He moved on months ago. There's no way we're going to get together. And, anyway, I'm dating Scott."
She just shoots me a look. "Talk to them. Figure it out, Amy."
I take another bite of my pizza, not responding. The last thing I want to do is talk to either of them. Why can't my life be free of frustrating men? Why couldn't I find someone perfect and nice like Brian? Not actually Brian. Just someone who didn't blow hot and cold, kissing me one minute and then not seeing me again the next. Flirting to formal to frustrating. Bringing me my favorite wine without being asked, and then being mean and nasty.
Someone who wants to have sex with me. Who just wants to be with me.
CHAPTER NINE
"You should come with me this week." Scott sits down next to me on his couch, handing me the glass of wine and setting his water down on the coffee table in front of us. He slides his arm along the back of the couch behind me and places the other hand on my thigh, leaning in to give me a kiss. His lips are cool, holding the chill from the ice water he just drank.
We just finished a casual dinner at his house after I spent most of the day helping Jenna address wedding invitations.
I pull back. "Come with you where?"
"To the gym. It would be fun if you would work out with me."
I wrinkle my nose, taking a sip of wine to cover my grimace. "I don't know, Scott. You go pretty early, don't you?"
He smiles. "Not any earlier than you normally have to be at work."
"But it's my Spring Break. I don't have to get up early for work this week." I'm whining, but I can't help it. My plan every year for Spring Break is to sleep in as much as I can and relish the time that I don't have to go to work or grade papers in the evenings. I submitted my grades already, so I'm free and clear until next weekend, when I need to get organized for the final quarter. I need a break from the little demons as much as they need one from me.
"Exactly. You don't have to be at work this week, so you have time in the mornings to come work out with me. I know you have to be at work too early to go normally, so I thought it might be fun."
I look at him and arrange my face into a serious expression. "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
Holy crap, this guy has no response to my Princess Bride reference. It takes everything in me not to let my mouth drop open in shock and horror. Instead he just quirks an eyebrow at me, silently asking me to elaborate.
"Fun. You keep saying it'll be fun. I think we're operating
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