“Yeah, a few streets away at Long Leaf Park.” She’s squinting at the menu. “He’s training there until two today, I think.”
I roll my eyes, scoffing. “He’s probably busy, Fia, let’s not bother him.”
“It’s cold out today, I’m sure he’d appreciate hot coffee,” she says, annoyingly thoughtful.
Damn it. Nan really did instill kindness into this girl.
“God, you’re such a mom already,” I tease, peeling the label off my coffee cup with my nervous energy.
“It will take like two minutes to swing by, and anyway, you said you two are cool, right?” She stares at me a beat too long, and I nod vigorously.
“Yeah, yeah, we’re two civil beings.” I clear my throat. “Go order his stuff.”
I walk up with Fia as she places the order.
“A tall latte…oh, let’s add vanilla,” she cheerfully tells the barista.
“No!” I snap, and everyone near the counter turns to look at me, including Fia. Her eyebrow arches into surprise. “He only drinks his coffee black. Or with hazelnut flavor,” I add, bringing down my voice a few decibels as heat crawls up my neck.
Fia raises her eyebrows at me. “Okay then…” She turns back and corrects the order.
I walk outside, needing cold air to breathe.
“So, you know his coffee order?” Fia questions me when she joins me on the sidewalk.
“We were best friends in high school, we drank a lot of coffee back then. It’s ingrained in my memory…” I trail off, shrugging, because it doesn’t matter. “I don’t think his tastes have changed.”
“I feel like I’m not getting the full truth.”
Damn straight you’re not.
I start walking toward the park so she can’t see my face.
“It’s normal to remember someone’s coffee order,” I say loudly.
Fia doesn’t reply, and I don’t look at her.
Itdoesn’tmean anything.
Ten minutes later, I spot him in the distance on the other side of the grassy field. It looks like he’s wrapping up a session with a dog, and they are heading to a bench, his back to us.
As we get closer, Jesse looks up, shielding his eyes from the sun, and smiles.
Whydoes his smile have to do that?
I adjust the collar of my jacket, ignoring the annoying little jab in my ribs.
Fia waves enthusiastically, and Jesse strolls toward us, a leashed dog at his side.
“Isn’t he a cutie, Penny?” Fia starts, and I glance at her with a surge of confusion until I realize she’s talking about the dog. Not Jesse.
Holy shit, I need to get out of this park. Maybe out of this state.
Is this what one kiss does to me?
Jesse stops in front of us, leash in hand, black hoodie sleeves pushed up so his arm tattoos are exposed. Something about that black hoodie makes my heart flutter. It’s just a memory, that’s all.Surely it can’t be the one he wore all those years ago—he’s probably got seventy-five extra pounds of muscle on him now.
“This is Lulu.” He gestures to the dog at his side. “She’s a sweetheart.”
