Page 55 of Wish You Were Mine

“Do you think it’s a date?” I asked.

“Definitely.”

When I raised my eyebrows, she did it right back.

“What?” she continued. “When was the last time he asked you to go cycling with him?”

I considered this. “Good point. I don’t even remember.”

“Yet he does it within days of kissing you?” She grinned. “It’s totally a date.”

“I hope so.”

Another blast of cold air whipped through the cafe, and I glanced toward the entrance. At the sight of a familiar face, my heart sank. Dark hair, bright blue eyes, and a trim figure clad in denim and cashmere. The last time I’d seen her, she’d been kissing the man I loved.

Bailey followed my gaze. “What is she doing here?”

“I don’t know.” I’d heard that Ashley Moore had moved to the North Island to be with her new man. I definitely hadn’t seen her for a couple of years. So why was she back in Destiny Falls?

“Don’t let her distract you,” Bailey said, as if she had a direct line to my spinning thoughts, which had already started whirring about whether Asher would still want me now that the glamorous Ashley was back in town.

After all, he’d dated Ashley before. The other woman didn’t have the added complication of being either younger than him or his best friend’s sister. She was older than me, arguably more mature, and just all around more convenient.

If I knew why they’d broken up in the first place, her appearance might not worry me, but as it was, I had no idea. One day, they’d been an item, and the next, she’d been leaving Destiny Falls in her rearview mirror.

“I’ll try not to.” I watched as Ashley stalked to the counter and placed her order. She moved to the side and turned to scan the room. Almost immediately, she spotted me looking at her. I winced. It was too late to look away. Her face lit up, and she headed straight for us.

“Hi,” she said, flashing a pearly smile. “I’m surprised to see you two here during the week. I’d have thought you’d both be at work.”

“Extended lunch break,” I said.

“I make my own hours,” Bailey added, her tone verging on smug. Fair enough. She’d worked hard to get to where she was.

“Are you here to visit your parents?” I asked, hoping she’d say yes.

“No.” Her smile turned wry. “I’m back to stay.”

My stomach dropped. “Oh. Um. Well, welcome back!”

“Thanks.” She beamed.

I couldn’t bring myself to reply. All that was running through my head was how everyone thought she and Asher were so cute as a couple. Asher and Ashley. Ash squared. How fucking adorable.

“Do you have a job yet?” Bailey asked, picking up my slack.

“No, so if you hear of anything, let me know.”

Bailey nodded. “We will.”

I had a brief flash of satisfaction. It was easy to think of her as perfectly put together, so it was nice to learn she wasn’t. Although it was ugly of me to feel that way when she’d never done anything to earn my dislike.

Ashley’s order was called, and she glanced around. “I’d better get going. It was nice to see you.”

As she left, Bailey took my hand. “Don’t worry about her,” she said quietly. “She and Asher are in the past. They broke up for a reason.”

“Yeah, but what was the reason?” I asked.

She didn’t answer, and the anxiety roiling in my gut only amplified.

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