Page 88 of Coffee Break with the Billionaire

I keep my eyes on Silas as he walks away, and only when he’s out of sight, do I head up the stairs to where Ernie the cat is waiting for me.

Once I peel my coat off, I pick up the cat and hug him, because I have to do something.

I text a picture of my pumpkins to the group.

Me: I lost a nail in my attempts

Coral: Carving pumpkins? What did they do to you?

What did they do to me? This place—this small town with the decent men who make me happy.

I’ve kissed royalty. Billionaires, millionaires, and rock stars. I’ve kissed men who appear on the cover of Men’s Health and People’s Magazine and have more Instagram followers than even I do.

I’ve never kissed the boy next door, and I think that’s what Silas is. I’ve never kissed a man who is so devoted to his family that he would let his heart get broken rather than deserting them.

I’ve never helped repair a broken heart.

I’ve kissed some men, and it’s gone nowhere. I’ve kissed others, and they asked me to marry them.

I feel quite confident with my kissing skills.

But it’s different with Silas.

Butterflies. Fireworks.

Shooting stars.

I text my brother.

Me: What if I stayed?

Ashton: Why would you want to?

Me: It's nice here. Peaceful. Calm.

Ashton: You are not calm. Who is he?

Me: There’s no one. It’s a sweet place.

Ashton: You are not sweet. Or calm. You are tough. Vivacious, vibrant

Me: Are you running through the V words in your thesaurus?

Ashton: I’m trying to be nice here.

Me: And it never happens so I really don’t know how to respond.

I don’t tell anyone Silas kissed me. I hug it to myself like I hugged him and spend the rest of the night trying to come up with a plan.

Chapter thirty-six

Silas

Ididn’t sleep welllast night. Or the night before, and definitely not the night before that because the memory of kissing Fenella kept me awake. If I went to sleep, I might think it had been a dream.

Only it wasn’t.

Last night, it was the heaviness of dread that kept me tossing and turning.

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