“Yes. I have too.”
Kyle perked up. “You have?”
“Sure. I like you, Kyle.”
“Oh.” When he visibly shrank, she knew she was on the right track.
“But—”
“Yes?” Kyle straightened again. He reminded her of her family’s old pointer, eyes and ears on high alert when a treat was dangled over his head.
“There’s something…well…” She tried to read him beyond the eager hound expression.
“Let me guess: There’s something missing?” he asked, wagging his finger between him and her.
She froze, watching him for a hint of regret. But he only seemed more excited that they might be on the same page.
“Exactly.” She nodded.
He laughed and collapsed against the back of his chair.
“That’s a relief.”
She let out a small laugh. “You’re telling me.”
Around them, a few customers went about their business, tapping on laptops, reading, chatting. She bet no one was getting dumped.
Kyle ran his hands through his hair. “I mean, you’re great.Sogreat. But it’s like I’ve been hanging out with my sister.”
“And you’re the brother I never had.” Okay, enough of the platitudes. She wanted to leave. It was a to-go cup kind of night after all.
But Kyle wasn’t finished. “I mean, I’ve never dated someone that I’ve liked as much as I like you but felt zero chemistry for.”
She took a sip of coffee to hide the tremble of her lips. She didn’t know why she suddenly felt like crying. Maybe the busy week was catching up to her.
“Anyway, I wanted to tell you in person. It’s the decent thing to do.”
“Thank you for that.”
He pounded out a rhythm on the tabletop. “What do you think we need to tell Auntie?”
Marybelle would be disappointed. She didn’t want to break the news. “How about what you just told me?”
He stopped drumming. “I should tell her? Then she’ll think I broke it off.”
“Isn’t that why you wanted to meet me here? To break it off?”
“Well, yes.” His brows pinched together.
“And you’re going over to check on her anyway, right?” She gave him a casual smile. “A perfect opportunity.”
“It might be better coming from you.”
“Why’s that?” She couldn’t wait to hear his excuse.
“It’s just awkward. I don’t usually talk about my relationships with Auntie.”
Now she knew he was lying. Marybelle loved to give her a play-by-play of their most recent outing: what he said about her, what they ate, where they stopped to buy this or that. At first it was funny, but Marybelle grew increasingly obsessed with recounting these dates. Finally, Layla asked her to stop. Listening to Marybelle’s dissection of the events took the fun out of it. She found herself wanting to see less of Kyle so she wouldn’t have to endure Marybelle’s recaps.
