Page 37 of Accidental Fiancé

Her smirk sharpened as she lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know. You tell me.”

I rolled my eyes. “No, you weren’t. And neither was Julian. We were just friends.”

“Mm-hmm. And the reunion?”

“I owe you a shin kick for not being there. And maybe a tit punch.”

Nora snorted a laugh. “That’s fair. Chloe was in a foul mood after you two left, so nice work. But what happened after that?”

My whole body heated from the inside. “Stuff.”

“Yeah, I figured that out by the morning after call. But you’re not the type to just show up without an appointment. It’s one of my favorite things about you, not that you’re not welcome to do so when needed. Maggie, what else happened?”

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly before explaining everything else that had happened since. “It feels like we’ve been on a dozen dates because we’ve spent so much time together in the past two and a half days. But also, because we did know each other back in the day, and now, after last night and this morning’s goodbye kiss, I don’t know what to think. Give me advice.”

“He’s a man. Run while you still can.” Her usual recommendation.

“Not helping. This isn’t a normal situation.”

“No, it isn’t. It’s much worse.”

“Why is that?”

“Because you like him.”

I started to deny it but I couldn’t. “It’s too soon for that.”

“And yet, here you are.”

I sipped my coffee, trying to think of a rebuttal. “Stop being right all the time.”

“It’s my curse.”

Chapter 14

Julian

“You got one more in the tank, I know you do! Come on, Julian, one more!” Dix cheered me on while my arms embarrassingly shook as if this were the first time I’d benched in my life. I could hardly get the bar back up without his assistance but seeing his hands hovering, ready to grab it, was enough for me to lift it over the edge of the hooks. Once the weight settled, I could breathe again.

“Fuck.”

“Monday getting you, or is something else hitting?” Dixon Weaver was one of the best personal trainers in the world, and his physique proved it. He was tall and bald, and his muscles had their own muscles. He had been a professional football player until too many concussions caused an early retirement.

His gym was glorious. Every piece was made to his specifications, some having been handcrafted by the man himself. The outer wall of windows overlooked the ocean, but inside, the place was nothing but blood, sweat, and tears. Scuffed plates, wear and tear on the padding, worn knurling. The kind of gym that felt lived-in, the irony being that his apartment was the entire second floor above it.

“It’s nothing. Just need to get my head in the game.”And Maggie out of it. That was what the extra-long workout was for.

I had been distracted all day at work. I’d see a brown-haired woman and lament to myself that her hair wasn’t as brown or as curly as Maggie's. When I smelled freshly baked chocolate chip cookies in the cafeteria, the scent overpowered me making me think of her, and I ended up agreeing to some ludicrous suggestion from the HR VP about decreasing vacation time. I fixed it right after but that could have been disastrous.

I could not escape her influence. It was a problem.

Dix knew me too well. “Who is she?”

“What makes you think there’s a woman involved? It’s Monday. Mondays are tough on everyone.”

“Not you, Julian. You come in, you bang out your work, you stay focused, grounded. That’s who you are, Monday or not. So…?”

I sat up, wiping my face. “Too soon to say.”

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