Page 122 of Just Like Home

“Someone who looks like you—never been kissed? Very.” He took another bite.

She shook her head. “Kind of embarrassing to admit it. I’m almost thirty.”

He shrugged. “You were busy, you know, being amazing.”

She waved him off with a smile. “Oh, how would you even know?”

“Google.” He held back a smile.

“You Googled me?” She set her corndog down and leveled his gaze. “And?”

“And . . .” He gave her his undivided attention. “Blew me away.”

She couldn’t find words to respond. She was too amazed by the fact that he’d looked her up at all. Why had he done that?

And why had he told her? It would be a lot more difficult to ignore her little crush now, especially since that little crush wasn’t so little anymore.

38

After the discussion about her lack of a love life, they ate in silence for a few minutes. Charlotte was shocked to realize that not only was she going to finish the entire corndog, she was going to have room to eatat leasther share of that funnel cake.

The awkward silence that used to exist between them had vanished, and in its place was a comfortable familiarity. For the first time, Charlotte didn’t feel the need to fill the space with chatter.

“We were out in public when I found out about Gemma,” he said without looking at her.

She stopped mid-bite, set her food down, and gave him her full attention. Cole telling her this felt somewhat monumental—after all, he’d never opened up to her about himself.

“It was at a wedding, actually.” He took a drink of his soda. “I hate weddings.”

She looked away. “My partner Jameson got married two years ago. That’s the only wedding I’ve ever been to.”

“Your partner?”

“Dance partner.”

“Ah.” Cole took another bite. Chewed. Swallowed. “Gemma was seeing this guy, Max, well, you met him at the rehearsal.”

She remembered. She’d been so relieved when Brinley told her the following day that Gemma and Max had withdrawn from the recital. That she’d ever tried to be a part of it at all still astounded Charlotte. It said a lot about the kind of woman Cole’s ex was.

Her heart squeezed with empathy for him.

“So, they were a thing behind my back, but it turns out she wasn’t very discreet. Pretty much everyone in town knew before me.”

“And no one told you?”

He shrugged. “That bugged me for a long time. Most people said they hoped they’d heard wrong or they didn’t want it to be true. It was small-town gossip. They thought they were protecting me, I guess.”

She stilled. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m over it,” he said.

A lie if she’d ever heard one.

“I’mtryingto get over it,” he added, as if reading her mind. “I just felt so stupid. She made me feel so stupid. Just for trusting her.”

“It shouldn’t be like that,” she said quietly. A man should be able to trust his wife.

“Anyway,” he said, “it’s a long story.”

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