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“Thanks for the permission,” I mutter.
She waves a hand and goes back to rummaging.
“So, what’s going on with you and Mr. Hottie?”
I feel heat in my cheeks. “Nothing.”
“You protested that far too fast. Nia, I’ve been your girl for years. If you can’t level with me then I’m hurt.”
I roll my eyes. “Guilt trips won’t get you anywhere, Sim.”
She scowls at me. “It was worth a try.” For a moment, she studies me. “Seriously, there’s nothing going on with you and Jared?”
I duck my head, pretending to examine the old stack of books at my feet. “No, nothing is going on and nothing is going to happen either. He has a three-year-old.”
She makes a noise in the back of his throat. “Is he married?”
“Widowed. His wife died.”
“Okay, so he’s a free agent…” She says this slowly, as if not understanding what the heck my problem is. Honestly, I’m not sure I understand what my problem is either.
“He’s not interested, and I’m off men after Thomas, who, incidentally, turned up at the store the other night.”
Her mouth drops open. “He did what?” She puts down the decoration she’s holding, which is a good thing. I’m worried she might launch it across the storage unit. “Did he hurt you?”
My smile is sad. That she immediately thinks that makes my stomach feel hollow. “No. He just spouted a load of crap and left.”
“That man…” She shakes her head. “You’re better off without him, you know that, right?”
I nod. “I know it, Sim. You don’t have to worry. I have no intention of going back there with Thomas. Not now, not ever.”
This is the truth. I don’t trust the man and I’m no longer in love with him anyway.
“You make sure it stays that way. That man was bad news from the moment you got with him.”
She’s not wrong about that. I made some bad decisions when it came to Thomas, but I never expected the sweet man I started to date to become violent behind closed doors. It took me years—and Simone’s help—to get free from him.
“But Jared… he seems like a good man.”
“I’m sure he is.”
He did come over to fix my plumbing, and he helped me move that heavy chest. Then again, Thomas didn’t start off a monster. The monster appeared over time.
“Girl, if you don’t snap him up someone else will.”
“I don’t want to snap him up.”
Lie.
Every time I’m near him my emotions go on overdrive. Considering I’ve felt nothing for a man in years, it has me confused.
Simone just stares at me and mutters an “Uh-huh,” before going back to sorting things.
Do I want Jared?
Yes.
Can it happen?
