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When would we know the time was right?
Because when I looked at Megan, I saw the woman I wanted to spend forever with. And sure, it was way too early to say something like that out loud if I didn’t want her running away as fast as her legs could carry her. But it also meant clandestine love affair was not the long-term solution.
Megan shifted, her chin tipping up just a bit more.
My gaze darted to her lips.
Was it too soon? We’d been friends forever. I’d been crushing on her in secret for forever.
I swallowed and looked away.
“Cody?”
I looked back.
“Is there a reason you won’t kiss me?”
I shook my head. The few flimsy reasons I’d thought I had evaporated like mist in the sunlight of her words. I lowered my mouth to hers and the time for worrying was over.
* * *
I couldn’t stopmy grin as I pulled into a parking spot a few shops down from Megan’s bookstore. Everything between us had changed on Sunday. For the better. Yesterday, I’d joined her for dinner at her place and she’d told me all about her day off. We didn’t have official plans to see each other today, but I hadn’t wanted to go home without at least saying hello.
“Hey, Cody.” Jenna stepped through the door of the ice cream shop with an enormous scoop of something chocolate in a waffle cone. “What brings you out on a Tuesday night?”
Dang it. Already my brain was scrambling to come up with a lie. And that was something we weren’t going to do. “Thought I’d swing by the bookstore on my way home.”
Jenna nodded. “That was my plan. Then I saw they have double chocolate chunk as their flavor of the week and I had to stop in. I really wish Megan’s store wasn’t so close to this one. Their ice cream is the best.”
“It is.” I walked beside Jenna. “Did you need a book?”
“Nah. Just figured I’d say hi to Megan. Maybe spend an hour or so. I don’t like the idea of her being here at night on her own after seeing this dude Reuben harassing her on Friday.”
My eyebrows shot up and all my muscles tensed. “Someone’s harassing her?”
“Maybe that word is too strong, but he definitely couldn’t take a hint.” Jenna licked her ice cream. “And since she doesn’t mind if I eat in the store, I can have dinner and some company.”
I chuckled, but couldn’t say if it sounded normal. Inside, I was seething. Why hadn’t Megan mentioned she had someone making life difficult? Now that I was her boyfriend, that was something I needed to know.
I pulled open the bookstore door and let Jenna go in ahead of me.
Megan was helping an older woman, but she glanced over and her eyes lit up when they landed on me. She held up a single finger before returning her attention to the customer.
Her response eased some of my tension. But not all of it. Even before we were dating, if someone was hassling her, she should have said something to me. Or one of the guys. We would have…I paused that train of thought. Huh. Maybe that was why she didn’t say anything. Because we absolutely would have handled it.
And Megan was capable of handling herself. It was one of the things I loved about her.
I sat in one of the comfy chairs across from Jenna. “Megan mentioned you were looking at the Lee-Fitzhugh house.”
“Only in my dreams.” Jenna dug a napkin out of her pocket and wiped her lips. “I ran the numbers again this weekend and there’s no way to make it a profitable flip. And I just don’t need a place that big for myself. It’s too bad, though. It’s a great house. Great lot. Even better? The landscaping in the back is fine. I wouldn’t have to do much—if anything—there.”
“Have you talked to Noah?”
Jenna looked at me, confused. “About the house? No. Why would I?”
“I actually toured it with him on Sunday afternoon. He’s thinking about it.”
“Seriously?” Jenna’s eyes lit up and it was a startling transformation. Then she frowned. “What would he do with a house that big? Is he dating someone I don’t know about?”
