“Only because I’m worth it.” She arched her brow and dared him to contradict her.
“You certainly are,” he said, his appreciative glance traveling over her body. “Anything else? Do you want to ride on the carousel at Trocadéro?”
“Oh, please no. That carousel is ridiculously fast. I hung on for dear life the one time I rode it. The view of the Eiffel Tower became a giant blur.” She hugged her stomach. “I couldn’t look at the Eiffel Tower without getting nauseous for weeks.”
“You know what? Your demands will make a wonderful date.” Seth linked his pinky with hers. It was the most innocuous of touches,and it made her toes curl. “Except for the carousel. We won’t do the carousel.”
“Definitely,” she said.
Tara felt sadness wash over her again. It was a wonderful date that would never happen. Because she knew that when Seth left, that would be the end. Sure, they could see each other at get-togethers if he came to visit Landon and Aubrey, but it couldn’t go further than that. She wasn’t sure if she had the strength to only have him for bits of time and let him go again and again.
He wasn’t like her other friends with benefits. The feelings he brought out of her… they weren’t the sort she would feel for a friend. It really was all or nothing with him. So she had to go with nothing. Becauseallwas not an option.
Their conversation dwindled again, and they continued strolling down the street until Comfort Zone came into view. She reluctantly withdrew her finger from his touch. He glanced sideways at her with a wistful expression that reflected her own. She felt the loss of connection keenly. When it came to Seth, she seemed to feel everything keenly.
The bakery was full of customers. It was a good thing they planned on doing takeout. They greeted the server and peered at the goodies in the display case. Even with Seth’s help, she had trouble making her choices. Everything looked so scrumptious.
“Tara?” a familiar voice said behind her.
When she straightened and turned, Roger leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. She shot a panicked glance at Seth and evaded the kiss, giving her friend an awkward hug instead. Her friend with benefits.
“Roger, I didn’t know you were in town,” she said, then vaguely remembered receiving a text from him about coming to Weldon sometime.Sometime must be now.
“You must’ve missed my texts,” he said with a winning smile.
“Oh? Sorry about that. How…”
She forgot what she was about to say when Seth straightened beside her. “Hi, I’m Seth Kim.”
“Roger Stephens. Nice to meet you.”
The two men shook hands, and she looked at them with bewildered eyes. This was so weird. Her former lover meeting her current lover.Wait. Is Roger myformerlover?She realized the answer was yes. After Seth, she couldn’t imagine being with him again. She couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. No one else but Seth.
She was on the verge of freaking out in front of the two men when Justine walked out from the kitchen. “Tara? Perfect timing. I swear you have the best luck when it comes to food.”
Grateful for the interruption, Tara went around the counter and enveloped the sous-chef in a tight hug. “Hey, you. How are things going? Are you enjoying your freedom?”
“Oh, God, no. I miss Aubrey so much. I can’t wait till she comes home.”
“Me, too. She’ll be back in less than a week, so we won’t have to wait long.”
“In the meantime, I need you to be my test subject. I made two new desserts I want Aubrey to consider adding to the menu. I’d love your thoughts on them.”
“Ooh. New desserts?” Forgetting about her predicament with the men standing behind her, Tara rubbed her hands together in anticipation. “When can I taste them?”
“They just came out of the oven. Come on back,” Justine said, leading her by the arm. “Sorry, Seth. I’m going to borrow Tara for a bit.”
“No problem,” he replied, giving Roger a speculative glance.
Tara wasn’t at all sure if it would be a good idea to leave the two of them together, but she so badly wanted to escape that she let Justine lead her away. She hoped she didn’t regret this later.
“So… you’re from out of town?” Adonis also known as Roger asked, flicking back his golden bangs to better reveal the turquoise blue of his eyes.Is this guy for real?
“Yeah.” Seth narrowed his eyes. “How did you know?”
“I’m guessing you two are together?” The other man sized him up with a sideways glance.
“Yes, we are.” Even if it was meant to end next week, they sure as hell were together now.
