“Thanks again for the ice cream.”
I gave her a clipped nod. “I’ll text you about lunch on Friday.”
“Sounds good.” She hesitated for a moment, running her tongue along her bottom lip.
And I couldn’t stop myself from tracking the movement. My gaze drifted slowly up to meet hers, but only for a heartbeat before she pulled it away and reached for the handle of the door.
She shut the door, and I groaned as I watched her walk to her car. The realization that I was screwed hit me like a punch to the gut. Because, dammit, I was actually starting to like this chick.
I scrubbed a hand down my face. Did I even want to go down that road again? Shaking my head, I reminded myself that even if I did, there wasn’t anything I could do about it.
Yet.
Chapter Eighteen
SETH
I relaxed backin the chair, bringing the beer to my mouth and smiling at the scene in front of me before taking a sip. My brother’s dog stood above Dani, licking her face as she giggled.
The screen door opened, and Mason stepped out. He took the seat next to me, his own beer in hand. We sat there quietly, watching Dani run around in the backyard. The party for my parents was over and everyone had left to head home except for me. But since I was on shift tomorrow, I needed to head back soon.
“Mom asked me if you’re dating someone. I had no fucking clue what to say. ‘He’s fake dating some chick to avoid all the single women in town’ didn’t seem right.”
I rolled my eyes. “A simple no would have been fine.” Although Violet and I had gone on another lunchdatethe day before, we weren’t actually dating.
“Seriously? You know how she is. Especially because she thinks you are.”
I cocked a brow his way. “Why would she think that?”
My brother shrugged. “Probably because you kept smiling at your phone. Only thing that usually makes you smile is Dani. Well, at least since things ended with Lucy.”
I scoffed. He was almost as dramatic as his daughter. It wasn’t like I could just ignore Violet’s texts. And I found her story telling about Mrs. Jones and the older man who lived next to her entertaining. But I couldn’t deny that she made me smile.
I caught his expectant look. Did he want a response to that? “It’s complicated.”
“No shit?” He smirked. “Did you not think that could be a possibility? You were so certain spending time with a woman you find attractive wouldn’t eventually lead to wanting more than a fake dating relationship?”
“At the time, no, that didn’t cross my mind.”
“And now?”
I lifted my beer to my mouth and thought through his question as I took another drink. “It doesn’t matter what I want. She’s still getting over her ex and isn’t looking to date someone right now.”
“But if she did want more?”
I sighed and lifted my shoulders in a slight shrug. “She’s easy to be around.”
I didn’t know any other way to explain it. Even though she would give me shit from time to time, I didn’t feel like I had toconstantly fill the space between us with endless chatter. I liked that. But I still wasn’t sure I wanted something serious again. At least not anytime soon.
He studied me, giving me that brotherly look that said I was about to get some unsolicited advice. “I think Mom might be onto something. You like this girl.” He shot me a smirk before relaxing back in his chair.
He was quiet, and I kept waiting for him to say more. Typically, I’d be fine with the silence, but this was killing me. Maybe because I wanted his opinion.
“What? No advice, big brother?”
He chuckled. “I don’t think you need advice. You’re smart and you care. More than most people realize.” He tipped his bottle in my direction. “I think you already know what you should do and you’re just waiting for the right time.”
I sat there digesting that until Shelby came out the door and headed into the yard. She didn’t glance our way, and when I looked over at Mason, he looked at her with sadness in his eyes.
