Gathering her courage, she was about to ask about the ad when the door opened and a massive biker entered the store. Blazing gray eyes set in a rough and bearded face looked right at her. Recognition hit her like a sledgehammer.
“Gunner,” she whispered.
“Paige Wilcox,” Gunner drawled, and she’d almost forgotten how smooth and seductive his voice was.
He looked her up and down, and she suddenly grew conscious about her appearance. Maybe she should have put on just a bit of makeup? Hold on, why did she care what he thought of her?
Still, she didn’t mistake the heat in his eyes. A stray thought occurred to her. Did Gunner still find her attractive after all these years?
Impossible. Gunner looked like every woman’s wet dream, and Paige, well, Richard didn’t just take her confidence a couple of notches down, he completely obliterated her.
“My apologies. It’s Paige Montgomery now, isn’t it?” Gunner asked.
She blinked, surprised he knew she used to be married. Then again, these days it was easy to go online and dig up information on a person.
“Actually, it’s just Paige Wilcox again. I’m divorced,” she said. “I didn’t realize you’re still living in Grace.”
“I’ll remain here until I die,” Gunner said.
Someone cleared their throat. Gunner stepped aside so Agatha could continue shelving books.
“Listen, it’s good seeing you again,” Paige said. She didn’t lie. It was a pleasure seeing him again, but she wasn’t ready to have a longer conversation with him.
“Are you busy?” Gunner asked suddenly.
“Busy? No, I’m pretty free these days,” she said.
“Good. Why don’t we catch up? Have you eaten lunch?” Gunner asked.
It took her a second to process his words. He was asking her out for lunch? Wait, she was probably overthinking this. Gunner just wanted to catch up like old friends—except they were never that.
Friends. It would be an odd word to use. Paige was surprised he could be so pleasant to her after what she did to him in the past. Maybe he was just being amiable for now. Was she in for a nasty surprise much later? Damn it. Thanks to Richard and his crowd of snobs, she’d become paranoid.
Early in their marriage, Paige learned that Richard’s so-called friends liked playing games. What they said could mean something entirely different. Gunner had always been honest with her, but that was also in the past. She knew Gunner as a boy, but this man, this biker, was a stranger to her. She needed to keep her guard up.
“Paige?” he prodded, and she remembered he’d asked her a question.
“Yes, I’ve eaten lunch,” she said.
“Then how about coffee? There’s a nice café two streets from here. You’ll like the theme,” Gunner said.
“It’s been years, Gunner. How would you know my likes and dislikes?” Paige didn’t mean for her words to come out so sharply. If she said those words to Richard, he would’ve cuffed her as a reprimand.
Gunner only smiled. “Some things don’t change.” He waved an inked hand toward the door. “After you.”
Paige noticed he didn’t accept no for an answer. She could come up with a lame excuse, but something told her refusing him now might mean never crossing paths again.
Did she want that? Paige might have spent her childhood in Grace, but she didn’t know anyone here anymore. Sure, her parents still lived here, but they chose to cut all ties with her. Maybe having one friend wouldn’t hurt.
“All right,” she agreed, exiting the bookstore. When they were a few steps from the store, she stopped in her tracks. Gunner raised one eyebrow at her.
“Something wrong? Or maybe you changed your mind?” he asked her.
“I—” she hesitated. Telling him why she entered Books and Things in the first place would only make her seem pathetic. She agreed to have coffee with her dangerous but equally hot ex-boyfriend. Asking about that job didn’t seem like such a daunting task anymore.
“Give me a few minutes,” Paige said. Without waiting for his answer, she returned to the bookstore.
“Did you forget something?” Agatha asked her.
