made a detour and kissed her cheek. Backing away from her, he took a step back and another, giving her room. “Have a good night, Lainey. Drive safe.”
Hoping he’d made an impact, he left her standing there, walked across the street to his own car and headed home, alone.
Chapter Four
Lainey sprayed the glass of the front display case then wiped it down with a paper towel but her mind was not on the task. Jason was the only thing on her mind and every time she thought of him that little simmer bubbled low in her stomach, sometimes sending little tingles of feeling even lower. Worse, every time the bell hanging from the door jingled she looked up in anticipation hoping to see him standing there. Then she would berate herself for it. She shouldn’t want to see him. She was just asking for trouble. He was an amazing man to look at. Maybe even more attractive than Thad. Viciously, she wiped that thought from her mind. There would be no comparing Thad to Jason in any way, shape or form. Lainey didn’t want there to be any similarities between them. She would prefer not to think of either of them at all. But thoughts of Jason kept occupying her mind, making her yearn for and think of things she had never thought to feel and do again. She never wanted to immerse herself so deeply in another person again.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how she was thinking at any given minute, she didn’t think she would see Jason today. Not that she wanted to, she told herself. She’d made it perfectly clear that she wasn’t ready for anything. But every time she replayed last night in her mind, she was certain she came off sounding like a complete and total bitch.
Why had she even brought up the waitress’s phone number? She should have just minded her own business. Nevertheless, she’d felt a pang of that old jealousy and had acted on it before she’d thought better of it. She had no right to feel anything. And she didn’t want to—especially jealousy. She hated that feeling. That loss of control, of being betrayed. It was something she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy. Well, maybe Thad. He’d changed so much. Lainey didn’t even recognize him. She hated the Thad that he’d become and only felt grief for the man that she’d fallen in love with and lost. And he’d loved her too. Back when he had been a nobody—before fame and fortune had gone to his head. And maybe even the steroids. She wasn’t sure. There hadn’t been any proof. But what else could she attribute the sudden change in his behavior to? She could have handled it if he’d just fallen out of love with her. Yet the man she’d known would have had the balls to come out and tell her to her face that he didn’t want to be with her anymore. Lainey shook her head. She could drive herself crazy going around and around all the theories to explain the sudden and drastic changes in Thad.
After tossing the paper towel into the garbage she then tucked the glass cleaner back under the counter. No more Thad. No Jason, she vowed, but even just thinking his name sent another wave of excited little butterflies in her stomach. She gazed into the mirror.
“What, are you fifteen again?” she asked her reflection. “Nope, certainly not. You are old and washed up. That’s what you are.” She examined herself disdainfully. As if a man like Jason Westlake would be interested in her. A wounded divorced single mom with baggage. Lots and lots of it.
Pulling her dark hair up, she secured it with one of the pretty new tortoise shell clips that she’d just consigned to the shop. She gave her hair another twist and held it with the identical clip on the other side. She always thought she seemed a little younger when her hair was up. Silly probably, but right now it made her feel better. After selecting a pair of elegant pearl drop earrings from the display tree Lainey slid them into her ears then stepped back to
Hoping he’d made an impact, he left her standing there, walked across the street to his own car and headed home, alone.
Chapter Four
Lainey sprayed the glass of the front display case then wiped it down with a paper towel but her mind was not on the task. Jason was the only thing on her mind and every time she thought of him that little simmer bubbled low in her stomach, sometimes sending little tingles of feeling even lower. Worse, every time the bell hanging from the door jingled she looked up in anticipation hoping to see him standing there. Then she would berate herself for it. She shouldn’t want to see him. She was just asking for trouble. He was an amazing man to look at. Maybe even more attractive than Thad. Viciously, she wiped that thought from her mind. There would be no comparing Thad to Jason in any way, shape or form. Lainey didn’t want there to be any similarities between them. She would prefer not to think of either of them at all. But thoughts of Jason kept occupying her mind, making her yearn for and think of things she had never thought to feel and do again. She never wanted to immerse herself so deeply in another person again.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how she was thinking at any given minute, she didn’t think she would see Jason today. Not that she wanted to, she told herself. She’d made it perfectly clear that she wasn’t ready for anything. But every time she replayed last night in her mind, she was certain she came off sounding like a complete and total bitch.
Why had she even brought up the waitress’s phone number? She should have just minded her own business. Nevertheless, she’d felt a pang of that old jealousy and had acted on it before she’d thought better of it. She had no right to feel anything. And she didn’t want to—especially jealousy. She hated that feeling. That loss of control, of being betrayed. It was something she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy. Well, maybe Thad. He’d changed so much. Lainey didn’t even recognize him. She hated the Thad that he’d become and only felt grief for the man that she’d fallen in love with and lost. And he’d loved her too. Back when he had been a nobody—before fame and fortune had gone to his head. And maybe even the steroids. She wasn’t sure. There hadn’t been any proof. But what else could she attribute the sudden change in his behavior to? She could have handled it if he’d just fallen out of love with her. Yet the man she’d known would have had the balls to come out and tell her to her face that he didn’t want to be with her anymore. Lainey shook her head. She could drive herself crazy going around and around all the theories to explain the sudden and drastic changes in Thad.
After tossing the paper towel into the garbage she then tucked the glass cleaner back under the counter. No more Thad. No Jason, she vowed, but even just thinking his name sent another wave of excited little butterflies in her stomach. She gazed into the mirror.
“What, are you fifteen again?” she asked her reflection. “Nope, certainly not. You are old and washed up. That’s what you are.” She examined herself disdainfully. As if a man like Jason Westlake would be interested in her. A wounded divorced single mom with baggage. Lots and lots of it.
Pulling her dark hair up, she secured it with one of the pretty new tortoise shell clips that she’d just consigned to the shop. She gave her hair another twist and held it with the identical clip on the other side. She always thought she seemed a little younger when her hair was up. Silly probably, but right now it made her feel better. After selecting a pair of elegant pearl drop earrings from the display tree Lainey slid them into her ears then stepped back to
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