Page 79 of Just One Moment

“Theend of the week.Ineed your answer by then,”Jennasays through gritted teeth and then plasters on a forced smile.Sheturns away before we can respond and stomps out of the restaurant withRalphon her tail.

It’sthenIspotJoandPatrickbehind the bar, both seething and muttering between themselves after witnessing that shameful interaction.Ican’t look at the woman across from me.Tooafraid to see the disappointment and secondhand embarrassment written across her face.

Ihear her sigh over the table but keep my eyes trained on the row of liquor bottles along the bar.

“Ihave to ask.Howdid that last for as long as it did?”

Thisisn’t a topicIwant to dive into tonight.Orat all.Theone and only interactionQuinnwas supposed to have withJennawas a quick “congratulations” at the wedding.Yetnow,Ican’t even get my words out and stand my ground after seeingJennafor the first time since we broke up.

WhenIbrave a look at her, she meets my gaze with an apologetic look.Myhands twitch to rub the back of my neck.Ifit were anyone else,I’dbe avoiding eye contact, butIdon’t thinkI’llever be able to look away from her.Ido avoid answering the question, however.

“Doyou want dessert here or to go?”

Hereyes fall to the table, hiding her dejected expression.

Ihate this.HatewhatJennahas turned me into.I’vealways been quieter than most.Ittook most of my teenage years to feel likeIbelonged in my own skin.UntilJenna.Myex wrapped her claws around the parts of me that took so long to accept and easily obliterated the years of progressImade.Shebelittled me.Dismissedme.Andleft me as a man who hardly recognized himself.

ThencameQuinn.

Thelast thingIwant is for her to see me as the manJennadiscarded.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

graham

Whenwe got backfrom the restaurant last night, we stood there in the hallway dividing our rooms.Myarms ached to hold her asIhad the night before.Andfrom the torn look in her eyes, she wanted that too.Butshe also had questions she knewIdidn’t want to answer.

Instead, we said goodnight and slept in separate beds.

Thepillow she used still smelled of her.

Ihated every second of it.

Somehow,Imanaged a few hours of sleep.Nowdressed,Isluggishly drag myself into the living room to findQuinnpulling on her coat, ready to leave for the bakery.

“Hey, you.”Hervoice is upbeat, and her smile meets her eyes, which chips away at the worry clinging to me from last night.

“Morning,”Icroak and cough into my fist. “Didyou, um, want something to eat before you leave?”Istand there awkwardly asIfight the need to wrap her in a hug.

Sheshakes her head as she zips up her coat. “Nah,Ihave some leftover pastriesIdoubt will sell today.UnlessIcan finally entice you to try one…”

Thelaugh that bursts out of me when she waggles her eyebrows at me surprises us both and dissolves any last doubts.Iinternally curse myself for thinkingQuinnwould allow last night to monopolize what’s been happening between us.

WhenJennaaccused us of fabricating our relationship to make her jealous,Ishould have jumped in and corrected her.Thiswas never about making anyone jealous, let alone her.

Quinnhad no qualms in opening up to me about her mom.Shetrusted me, and in returnIclosed myself off.Itrust her, no question.Ijust don’t want her to look at me in a different light.I’dgive anything to know what she’s thinking.Andwould also give anything to not know the truth, from fear she sees me just asJennadid.

“I’msorry about dinner,”Isay, my voice still groggy with sleep, and walk over to her.

Herbrow crinkles as she slips on herChucks. “Youhave nothing to be sorry about.Graham, she’s awful, andIjust can’t understand how you could be with someone like that.Ijust wish you?—”

Thesound of my ringtone has her pausing, andIlook down at my smartwatch to find an incoming call fromPatrick.Shepeers down at my wrist and squeezes my arm. “It’sfine, go ahead and answer it.Let’stalk later though.”

Inod slowly, thankfulI’llhave time to prepare for our conversation.

“Okay.Talk, yeah.Wecan do that.”Pullingout my cell,ItapAccept. “Hey, what’s up?”

Mybrother lets out a deep breath that sends a chill down my spine as a morbid sense of déjà vu hits me. “Ihate it when people say this, but please don’t panic…”

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