Page 16 of When the Fake Snow Falls

“Oh.” I force my feet to move in the direction of home. “Candace. My name is Candace.”

I can hear the smile in his voice as he says, “Nice to meet you, Candace.”

“You, too.” It takes me a moment to get my bearings and ask him the same. I hope his name is something ridiculous, like Barty or Edmund. “And yours?”

Another low chuckle. “Chase.”

Chase.I try to picture him again and assign the name to the man I saw yesterday morning.

Fuck, it’s hot.

I inhale a steadying breath. “Well, it’s nice to meet you. Want to tell me why you’re calling?”

“Do you want to get drinks with me?” He asks it like he’s asking what my favorite color is. He’s the epitome of casual, and it feels like it’s taking everything inside me not to freeze up on the spot.

“No.” The word comes out sharp on my tongue, and I wince. So much for not freezing up.

Chase finds my response funny, another laugh leaking through the phone. “No? Damn, Candace.”

The way he says my name makes my knees weak, but I can’t get drinks with him. I have a feeling I’m not the one he wants to get drinks with, and I have just enough pride to keep myself from being anyone’s backup.

“I’m sorry. I just—Why are you asking me out for drinks?”

There’s still a smile in his voice when he says, “Because I thought it would be fun?” The sound of him getting up and walking replaces some of the stillness on his end. “Look, I’m about to leave the office, and I figured I’d see if you were free. That’s all.”

“I’m not,” I say too quickly.

“Yes, I gathered that.” Even his clipped response has a hint of playfulness to it.

My eyes dart to the buildings around me, and panic spurs in my chest. What if he’s in one of these? We both went to the same coffee shop, so he probably works around here. I’m literally surrounded by potential office buildings. What if he spills onto the street and crashes into me like the beginning of some terrible rom-com movie?

I swallow down the thought and pick up my pace. I’m only about a block from home. If I hurry, maybe I can round the corner before he even leaves the building.

“Candace, are you running from someone?”

“What?” I ask, wincing at how out of breath I sound.

Yes, you.

The words are on the tip of my tongue, but I clamp my lips shut to silence my breathing.

“You just sound . . . like you’re in a hurry?”

I know I’m being ridiculous. Running from a man I’m on the phone with. Who happens to work in the same city. But even as I rationalize my fears, my steps quicken.

Because I don’t trust myself around him.

I’ve always been level-headed. Never one to get swept off theirfeet. Never at risk of getting hurt. I’ve been through breakups, makeups—hell, one guy even proposed. I learned a lot from that one in particular. Now, I like to think I can spot red flags from a mile away, and Chase is a walking red flag. He might look good in a suit and have a voice that makes my insides turn all gooey, but he’s affecting me way too much too soon for this to be a fair fight.

With my apartment in view, I lie through my teeth. “Yeah, sorry. In a bit of a hurry.”

“Big plans tonight?”

“Yeah,” I answer with a huff as I pull the door to the lobby open. “You could say that.”

His end of the phone falls quiet again, like he stopped to listen to my chaos. “Well, I hope you have a great time.” He lightens his tone as he adds, “I mean, you’re passing up drinks with me, and I’m definitely a great time.”

My laugh comes out sounding more like a scoff. “I’m sure you are.”

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