Page 58 of Burn Point

She slid her hand over mine. “I get it, honey. You deserve a man and a love that puts you above all else. Don’t settle. But to do that, you have to know yourself first.”

I nodded.

“And someday, you’ll find a man. If you’re lucky, he will be your best friend, and you won’t have to change or hide a single thing about yourself. He will appreciate you for all of you. Warts and all.”

Immediately, my mind jumped to Nate.

From the very start, I’d felt like he’d known me. Could see the real me.

Sandi tightened her hand, drawing my attention. “What was that thought?”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“You just got the dreamiest look on your face.” Her kind eyes were glowing, a smile tilting her lips up.

I shrugged. “Do you remember me telling you about the guy who rescued me that night of the storm?”

Her eyes sparkled, her face lit with excitement. “The hot firefighter?”

“I never said he was hot, did I?” My cheeks burned with embarrassment.

“Oh, honey, you didn’t have to say the exact words. But your description of him, the way you light up when you speak of him, leads me to believe that there might possibly be something more there?”

I wadded up my napkin, examining the paper like it held all the answers. Suddenly afraid to admit out loud that, yes, maybe there could be something more with Nate. “If I don’t say it out loud, that means it’s not true, right?”

Sandi’s brows knit together. “Don’t you want it to be?”

All around the cozy shop, people chatted, the barista called out orders, the door constantly opening and closing with an endless carousel of customers. Those people seemed a world apart from our little wooden table and the suddenly heavy conversation.

“I don’t know.” I slipped my hand from hers and wiped my sweaty palm on my leg. “He scares me a little. I wouldn’t want to lose the friendship. But I also don’t want to lose myself and get hurt in the process if things go sideways. Plus, I feel like I need to reach out and talk to Gerry about why he did what he did.”

Her expression softened. “Is talking it over with Gerry really going to help? Because I don’t think it will. Or are you just scared and running from Nate?”

I waited, sensing she had more to say.

“I think you should let it go with Gerry. It’ll only cause you more hurt. And if you’re scared, you just take it slow with Nate. But don’t give up on the relationship before you ever give it a chance. You talk a good bit now, don’t you? Maybe up your flirting game a little and see how he responds.”

I groaned. “Well, I would, but we sort of got into an argument today.”

“Oh honey, that will work itself out,” she said with an eye roll, leaning back in her chair. “Normal couples argue, it’s actually a healthy thing to do. What you do is apologize…” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “…and then, start sending him some racy pictures.”

My jaw dropped. “Sandi, I am not just going to start randomly sending him nudes. That’s creepy.”

“You could ‘accidentally’ send him one.” She made air quotes around the word, eyes sparkling mischievously.

“No.” I fixed her with a stern look.

She chuckled. “I’m teasing. Just, you know, like, include a bare leg in a shot every once in a while. Or some cleavage, or maybe do that Instagram shot where you take off your sports bra and take a picture of your naked back.” She waggled her eyebrows at me, cracking me up.

“Maybe I’ll do that. Although, I will say, it makes me feel weird that I’m considering propositioning my friend.”

Weird and thrilled and scared all at the same time.

Laughing, she reached over and captured my hand again. “Having your best friend become your lover is the best.” She grew quiet, her expression turning wistful, her gaze traveling over my face. “It has been so great to spend some time with you. I’ve missed you, Jordan. You must let me know when you send him pictures and what his reaction is.”

I flipped my hand over to hold hers. Had my own mother ever been so supportive of me? Why had I missed out on having a relationship with this sweet woman and my dad? It was time to stop letting the past dictate my future.

“Sandi…” I started, needing to apologize, but not finding words to say all I had on my heart. She squeezed my hand, her eyes swimming with emotion.

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