Page 44 of Jagged

I thought about it. For some time. Probably minutes while Tatiana sat with me. "Like what else?"

"You can always decide that later. If you think you'd like to do something with her, click maybe, love." She picked up my phone and handed it to me.

The screen lit up in my palm and I frowned at it. It still felt like a trick, but I guess even if it was, it was a harmless one. I pulled up the quiz again, then clicked maybe on the last question. The prompts cleared and a picture of Clementine appeared. It wasn't like her other pictures by any means. Instead, it looked more like a sultry headshot snapped in perfect light. A small smile parted her cerise lips as she gazed at the camera that highlighted the curves of her cheekbones.

"That's her?" asked Tatiana and I nodded. "Wow…"

"What wow?"

"She's very pretty."

When she said it, my face heated immediately, and I felt that same niggling feeling in my stomach that I did earlier. It annoyed me and worried me at the same time.

"Do you agree?" she asked.

"Yeah. I mean, that part's obvious."

"She likes you, Jags. If you even think you could possibly like her, isn't it worth the risk?"

"I don't like people the same way everyone else does…"

"Everyone likes people differently. I've known you long enough to know that once you feel more comfortable with the situation or if she had asked you out directly in person, you would've been less anxious about it because it would've been clearer and more up front, right?" Tatiana leaned back in her chair now as my tension faded.

"Yeah. That's easier. Most of the people I dated I met like that."

"From Wildrose or that girl who asked you out at The Crystal Mug a few years ago. They were up front."

"So much easier. Even if I didn't know how I felt, if they were hot, I was game to hook up. At least when I was younger. I don't do that now…"

"None of us do except Frankie, really. I think by the time we hit thirty, that sort of cools down for most people. Not everyone, but most," she said. "Or we fall in love with our close friends in an unexpected way."

I smiled when she said it, and my heart skipped a beat. "You're in love with Wyatt. We all know it. He's been into you for so long."

"Yeah." Her beaming smile spread from ear to ear. "I am. He's amazing."

"He is. I'm meeting him later at the skatepark again. Legit can't wait to hear what he has to say about you."

She laughed and shoved my shoulder. "You're lucky I have to work otherwise I would be crashing your skate party."

"Skaters only." I grinned and wagged my brows at her. "Unless you'll get on a board."

"And break this gorgeous face?" She wiggled her fingers in front of her nose. "No way."

I laughed and shook my head. "How's Reagan?"

"Good. Mom called a little while ago. They're eight hours ahead of us."

"Sheesh. So, it's like four in the afternoon there?"

"Yup. And we've barely eaten breakfast. Reagan loves it there so far. She said, 'Mama, it's sunny and bright and Avó bought me shoes that don't make my feet sweat.' I about died laughing," she said, chuckling with it. "She said it all in Portuguese, too."

"Is your mom speaking it to her full time?"

She nodded. "I want her to be fluent. Very little English unless she doesn't get it at all. Total emersion. She's at the right age and she has a foundation."

"Think you'll ever move back there?"

"I don't know. Maybe? If I became some sort of well-paid artist, maybe. Because then I can work from anywhere, mostly. We could be bicontinental. The flight is long though…"

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