Page 69 of Wish You Were Mine

“I promise, everything is over between her and me,” I told her, brushing the back of my hand against hers as we walked.Ashley didn’t really want me. She’d made it clear when we broke up that I wasn’t giving her the time and attention she needed. She’d just temporarily forgotten that.

Summer huffed. “It’d better be.”

32

SUMMER

I sipped my chai latte and glared at the entrance to Taste of Destiny as Asher sauntered through, with one hand in his pocket and the other on the door. He paused to survey the cafe for an available table, his gaze flickering slightly as it skimmed over me. He raised his eyebrow, but I met his eyes and didn’t look away.

Okay, so maybe it was a little childish of me to stake out the cafe during his not-date with Ashley—something I’m sure a more mature woman wouldn’t have done—but if I’d stayed home, I’d only have wondered what was happening between them. Now, I had a front row seat. Or back row, I supposed, since I was tucked into the furthest corner of the room from the entrance.

Asher sat at a table beside the window, which still had someone else’s used coffee mugs in the center. A waitress scurried over to clear them away and quickly wipe the table down.

“Are you sure you want to spy on them?” Bailey asked from beside me.

“It’s not spying,” I told her. “We just happen to be here at the same time.”

“Uh-huh.” She sounded dubious. “At four o’clock on a Sunday, when we’re both usually at home, preparing for the work week.”

“Exactly.”

She drank more of her smoothie—green, this time.

“Not too fast,” I warned her. “We don’t want to have to get up to replace our drinks, or Ashley will notice we’re here.”

She rolled her eyes. “We aren’t undercover. She’s probably going to see us anyway.”

“Shh. Let me have my comforting lies.”

God bless Bailey, because she did.

I was lucky to have a friend who supported me even when I was behaving borderline inappropriately.

Ashley arrived right on time, and my hackles immediately went up. She was dressed way too nicely for a casual coffee with a friend. She’d taken the time to do her hair and makeup, her dress was more suited to a Michelin-Starred restaurant, and even from here, I could tell her manicure was flawless.

That wasn’t jealousy boiling in my gut.

Not at all.

It was just that it’d be nice to be able to maintain a manicure. Being a vet made it next to impossible.And I’d never look that sophisticated, no matter how hard I tried.

Ashley beelined for Asher and leaned over to kiss his cheek. He dodged, and there was a super awkward moment when neither of them seemed to know what to do next, but then she laughed, tossed her glossy hair over her shoulder, and dropped her bag on the newly cleaned table. She said something, and they both stood and went to the counter.

A few minutes later, Eden brought over our food. A nutty slice for me and a jar of chia pudding for Bailey.

“What’s up with them?” she asked softly, gesturing toward Asher and Ashley, who’d returned to their table.

“They’re exes,” Bailey whispered, not nearly as subtly as she seemed to think. “She wants him back.”

I scowled.

Eden leaned toward me. “Don’t worry. I saw his face, and he’s definitely not into her.”

My eyebrows flew up. “Does literally everyone know?”

“About your crush on him?” She smirked. “Probably most people, other than your brothers.”

“Thank God for small mercies,” I muttered.

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