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He opens his mouth, but I continue talking. “I really hope you grow up. You’re what? Forty-one, forty-two now? Pretty soon your charm is going to wear off, and you’re not going to be as attractive. No woman is going to think dealing with your brand of bullshit is worth it when that happens.”
With that, I snatch the dog tag from the slot in the machine and walk right past him out of the store. I get into my car, feeling totally and completely free, like a weight I didn’t know I was carrying is now gone. I wanted to tell him all that when we were together, but I was never brave enough to say what I needed to say, because I didn’t want to lose him. Now I see there was nothing to lose. Whoever that dog belongs to, I really hope she sees the kind of man he is a lot quicker than I did.
“You didn’t.” Chrissie laughs loudly, tossing her head back.
“I totally did. Besides, he had it coming. He was picking up his current girlfriend’s dog and asking me to meet up with him. He’s a douche.”
“He really is.” She sobers. “What did he expect? You to agree to meet with him, even after everything that happened between the two of you?”
“He thinks he’s all that and can do whatever he wants without consequence. In his mind, he never really says he’s committed, so he’s free to do whatever he wants with whoever he wants.”
“He’s an idiot and a jerk.”
“That he is,” I agree. “I feel bad for his current girlfriend. If I knew who she was, I would tell her she needs to scrape him off and find someone who’s worth her time.”
“Enough about Chris. Tell me about you and Tyler,” she says with a wide smile.
I filled her in as best I could over the phone about Tyler and me after she called me to say she’d heard about what had happened at the salon with Charles. I couldn’t get into too much detail because I was still at work, but I promised her that I’d have her over for wine as long as she brought me cupcakes, which brings us to now. She and I are sitting at my kitchen table with Bruce lying at our feet and Mouse hiding somewhere in my house.
“We’re together.” I give a small smile. “I really like him. He’s . . .” I pull in a breath, trying to figure out how to describe exactly what he is while I peel the paper off one of her chocolate-on-chocolate cupcakes and lift it to my mouth. “He’s too good to be true. He’s more than anything I’ve ever even hoped for in a guy.” I take a bite of the cupcake and moan as the chocolate cream melts on my tongue.
“I’m happy for you.” She grins. “I’m really happy you’re finally seeing a guy who’s worth your time.”
“Me too,” I agree after I chew and swallow. “But I keep thinking he’s too good to be true, that at any moment he’s going to show me who he really is, and I’m going to realize he’s just like every other guy out there.”
“He asked you to spend Thanksgiving with him and his family, babe. I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” she says softly, picking up a cupcake and licking off the icing.
“Do you think that maybe this is going too fast?” There are times I question our relationship, times I wonder if we’re moving too quickly. Maybe we should slow down and take more time to get to know each other before spending every second together.
“No!” she practically shouts. “If a guy like him was interested in me, I’d be designing my wedding cake, sending out save the dates, and reserving a church for our wedding.” I smile around a mouthful of chocolate cake. “I met him, babe. Any other guy, I might be concerned you were both moving too quickly, but I’m not worried about you with him. He seems sure, solid. I like him, and I really like how into you he is.” She inhales deeply, then continues. “He couldn’t keep his hands off you. Even when you thought you were just friends, he didn’t stop touching you or talking to you softly. And the way he looked at you when you weren’t paying attention—I swear I would pay for a guy to look at me like that.”
“How did he look at me?” My heart starts to beat hard.
“Like he couldn’t believe his luck, like he couldn’t believe you were real and right there with him.”
“He didn’t look at me like that.” We weren’t even together then; we hadn’t even kissed.
“He did, and everyone saw it. Even your mom made a comment when you two took off. She said that she was happy that a man was finally seeing what she’s seen in you your whole life. A girl who deserves to have the world handed to her and to be protected.”
