Page 49 of If Tomorrow Never Comes

Could she voice the hundreds of questions she’d wanted to ask him over the past year without falling for him even more? And avoid answering the same questions about herself so he wouldn’t get in toodeep? Because she hadn’t let anyone inside her head, not really, except for Yuka and her family.

If anyone could get past her defenses, it would be him.

Could she really and truly bejustfriends with Jamie Sullivan without making herself (or them both) miserable in the process?

She didn’t know, and despite the hope in his hazel eyes, she said as much, unwilling to sugarcoat it. “I’m not sure.”

He flashed a small smile at that, surprising her. “I’m not sure I can be friends with you, either,” he admitted. “But I’d like to at least give it a try. If that’s okay.”

It was possible she’d regret it later, but she didn’t stop the answering grin that pulled her lips up.

“Yeah, okay. Let’s try.”

Chapter Fifteen

Jamie

When Jamie arrived home the next evening after dinner with his mom and a run to the grocery store, he received a call he wasn’t expecting. He was just pushing through the front door of his apartment when his phone rang.

It was his sister.

He slid his thumb across the screen and put the phone between his shoulder and his ear, pulling things out of the bag. “Hey.”

“Hi,” she said. That was it.

Jamie waited for her to continue. Blythe was a texter through and through, so when she called, it was usually because she had something specific to say. She always got straight to the point and got the hell off the phone.

When she said nothing more, he frowned, pausing with a box of whole wheat pasta in his grip.

“What’s up?” he prompted.

“Elliott’s her, isn’t she?”

It took him a second to connect who she meant by “her.” He stopped in the middle of his apartment. “What?”

“Elliott. Yesterday when she was at the shop, she mentioned hating chocolate. I’ve only heard of one other person who said they didn’t likechocolate, and it was that girl you told me you met last year. It suddenly clicked when I got home after work.”

Jamie didn’t know what to say.

“She’s the girl you tried to find.”

He released a burdened sigh, his eyes drifting closed. “Yeah.”

“She’s also the reason you came over that night, asking about connections with other women.”

He cleared his throat around the lump forming there. “Yeah.”

“Andshe’s the one Carly donated bone marrow to.”

He opened his eyes. “You’re telling me things I already know.”

“This is crazy, Jamie. What are the odds?”

He didn’t answer that, and instead pulled a beer from the six-pack he’d just bought and slid the rest in the fridge.

“Are you okay?” she asked, tone gentler. “I remember how you were after she disappeared. I can’t say I understand being that into someone after one night, but you were totally gone over her. I’ve never seen you like that.”

He had the sudden urge to cry.

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