Page 5 of Just Can't Fall for the Enemy

“The date was that bad?”

“Mm-hmm.”I swallowed. “But don’t worry. I bought you another one. It’s in the fridge.”

“You bought one and then ate my leftovers?”

“I only wanted a little bit, but I knew you were looking forward to finishing this off, so yeah. I got you.”

Now she plopped herself into the chair across the table, knocking over her purse but not seeming to care. “You didn’t even eat dinner?”

“Worse. I ate the whole plate in five minutes and then puked it up. I’m just now getting my appetite back.”

Her nose wrinkled. “Seriously? Food poisoning or . . . ?”

“A ridiculous man who needed a lesson. Long story.” I stared down at my salad and set my fork down, my stomach still feeling a little queasy. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all. “And then I had to run to the bathroom in the middle of a conversation with this other guy who saw the whole thing. He probably drove home laughing the entire way in his fancy red Tesla.”

Carmen sat back in her chair, impatiently sweeping her long brown braid over one shoulder. She looked like a billboard ad even when she did that. “Red Tesla. A tourist?”

“Must be. I don’t know anyone around here who would drive one of those.” Our small Montana town attracted tourists but mostly Canadian ones seeking a quick getaway over the border and a weekend on one of our half-dozen crystal-clear lakes. Most of America hadn’t discovered us yet, and I liked it that way.

Carmen thoughtfully drummed her fingers on the table. “Grammy Marissa texted me while you were gone. She asked if I knew how it was going. She didn’t dare call you. I think she didn’t want to disturb your romantic vibes or whatever.”

“More like gastrointestinal discomfort and public humiliation. I can’t set foot inside Alice’s Italian House for at least another year. Worth it, though, to see the look on the guy’s face. Do you know he had a list of questions hidden in his lap?Do you want children? Check. Do you attend black-tie formal events often? Big, fat X.”

“No!”

“Dead serious. I felt like a horse being graded at auction.”

“That’s one I’ve never heard. Not surprised considering how nutty his senator mother is, though.” Carmen’s smile turned mischievous. “And the other guy—the tourist you talked to afterward?”

I had to rein this in, and quickly. “Tanned, well-dressed, throwing around money. Nice enough, but I wasn’t in the mood for flirting.”

She looked at me like I’d spouted off in Latin. “Why would that matter if he’s hot?”

I snorted. “Because I had spaghetti all over my shirt and who knew what else? I had to make quite the scene to ditch the first guy. I didn’t know it would attract a second.”

“You’re avoiding the question. Hot or not?”

I held back a snarky retort and bit my lip to hide a grin.

“That’s what I thought. Otherwise you would’ve run to your car instead of talking to him like you do after putting in your time at every social gathering ever.”

“I do not.”

“Fine. The ones with men, then. Which are still most of them. But if you think you’re getting out of Tess’s wedding this week, you’re dead wrong.”

“I would never miss that, and you know it.”

Her eyes twinkled like she didn’t believe me. “I want all tonight’s details after you finish your salad and, um, change your shirt. In the meantime, are you calling Grammy Marissa, or should I? Because I promised one of us would text her back, and it should definitely be you. Maybe you can convince her to lay off the blind dates for a while.”

“Not for a while. Forever.” This was the fourth date she’d forced upon me since leaving the family home to me and moving to Florida. Grammy meant well, but it was time for her to stop feeling guilty about abandoning me for sunny beaches and trying to make up for it by finding me companionship. She’d never understood my obsession with the beautiful Montana wilderness and its solitude.

Dating had only ever filled my life with misery, pain, and reminders of the love my parents shared before the accident took them away forever. The only joy I experienced these days came from my work in the national forest, its heavy silence broken only by the chatter of birds, and the occasional search-and-rescue missions that pulled me out of the entrance booth and into nature.

Okay, the dark-green uniform wasn’t my favorite either. But it was still a hundred times better than a desk job.

“Oh,” Carmen said softly, her eyes growing round.

“What?”

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