Page 21 of Come Break My Heart Again

“That’s a great invention.”

I glance at the man approaching from the opposite direction. A golden retriever is tugging him straight toward me and Scout.

He’s looking at the water bowl Scout is drinking from.

“It is,” I reply. “A real lifesaver in the summer.”

“I always try to pour some out of the bottle, but most of it just hydrates the pavement.” The guy grins. He’s cute. Tall with dark hair and lots of laugh lines creasing the corners of his eyes. “Do you remember where you got it?”

I shake my head. “No, sorry. My boyfriend bought it.”

His smile dims, barely but noticeably, in response to the lie.

Prescott is not a pet person. He’s allergic to cats, and he’s never shown much interest in dogs either. He was more than a little taken aback when I adopted Scout, but he’s been a good sport about the two times Scout chewed on his shoes. That tolerance hasn’t extended to buying Scout anything, but it seemed like the easiest way to respond to this guy’s interest shifting from the bowl to me.

“Well, I’ll keep an eye out the next time I’m in a pet store,” the guy says. “Enjoy the rest of your run.”

“You too,” I reply before he jogs off.

I toss the small amount of water Scout left in the bowl toward the grass and collapse it, then clip it back to my bag. A few stray droplets of water trickle down my thigh as we start running again.

Twenty minutes later, we reach the right street. A familiar car is parked halfway down.

Prescott stands when he sees me, smiling from his spot on the steps that lead up to the brownstone. “Morning.”

I manage a, “Hey,” between heavy breaths.

I’m going to be sore tomorrow. My legs feel stiff and heavy, the muscles tingling with lactic acid. The discomfort would be worthwhile if I felt any better. But all the thoughts I was trying to escape are rapidly catching up to me.

Prescott raises the bakery bag and tray of coffees he’s holding. “Thought I’d surprise youbeforeyour run. You left early.”

I nod as I fish my keys out. “Wanted to beat the heat.”

Not even nine a.m., and I’m losing track of all the lies I’ve told today. Lying to my boyfriend feels worse than fibbing to a random runner.

“You’re way too hot to do that,” he tells me.

“Lame.” I’m smiling though when he presses me against the tall mirror that takes up one wall of the entryway and kisses me. “I’m all sweaty.”

“Don’t care,” he murmurs.

I glance at the open door. “My neighbors might.”

“If they’re up this early, they deserve a show.”

I laugh as I kick off my sneakers and peel off my sweaty socks, then unclip Scout’s collar. “Surprisedyou’reup this early.”

“I wanted to see you,” he tells me, following me into the kitchen. “Was kinda hoping you’d still be in bed.”

“I have a breakfast meeting.”

Twin lines form between Prescott’s eyes as he watches me hobble toward one of the stools along the island. “At Gray & Ellington?”

“No.” I rub my calf. “With a friend of my dad’s. He’s a partner at Pearson. We’re just grabbing coffee so he can congratulate me on graduating and offer some advice on bar prep.” I open the bag he brought and take a big bite of the muffin.

Prescott still looks concerned. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” I hide the grimace that wants to appear as I shift on the stool. Why did I buy these? They’re so uncomfortable. “Just pushed the pace a bit. Was feeling a little stressed.”

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