Page 46 of Heartfelt Goals

Dustin sighed heavily, looking away as he rubbed his fingers across his face, but his ears—oh, his ears—had turned red.

Oh.

Her heart gave a slow, heavy thud.

“Did you actuallywinkat me?” she asked, her voice careful, almost disbelieving.

His hand froze mid-motion. “Maybe?”

She gawked. “Why?”

He shrugged, far too casual. “Because I felt like it.”

“But why?” she pressed, her pulse fluttering unexpectedly. “We’re just sitting here, drinking tea. That’s not exactly a reason for a wink. Winks are…” She swallowed, suddenly hyper-aware of the warmth of his body beside hers. “They’re playful. Flirty. And you’re not.”

Dustin’s jaw tensed. “You’re right.” His voice was tight, clipped. “I think I’ll go stretch before bed.”

She blinked, startled by the abrupt shift. “I’m working on a chapter, so I’ll try not to wake you.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

For a second, neither of them moved. Their gazes locked, an unspoken energy crackling between them. Then, just assuddenly, Dustin pushed off the couch, muttering something under his breath as he walked away.

And that’s when it hit her.

Oh gosh.

She’d just completely dismissed his attempt at flirting.

Laurel sat frozen, replaying the last few minutes in her head. At the event tonight, it had felt like the stars had finally aligned, nudging them into the same orbit—right time, right place, right moment. And now? Now, she had derailed the entire thing with all the grace of a train wreck.

If she were a grandfather clock, her gears and springs would’ve just exploded from her insides like a cartoon, leaving her cuckoo bird with little ‘Xs over its eyes.

“I’m so clueless,” she whispered, pressing her hands to her face. “He’s never going to look at me differently if I don’t figure out how to… I don’t know how to play the game. Why is this so much easier in a romance book?”

In a book, she controlled everything. The tension, the timing, the grand gestures. But this? This was real. Messy. Unscripted. And she had absolutely no idea what she was doing.

Sighing heavily, she pushed herself off the couch, heading toward her library in defeat. But as she reached the doorway, she caught a glimpse of Dustin down the hall.

He was stretching, his long, lean muscles shifting beneath his shirt, his pants slung low on his hips.

She knew she shouldn’t stare.

But she did.

Oh gosh, did she stare, her eyes drinking in the sight of him like a person dying of dehydration all because he couldn’t see her.

And maybe—just maybe—she wasn’t quite ready to admit how much she wished he’d wink at her again.

Sitting down at her desk, she let out another sigh.Utterly. Unmotivated.

The soft knock on the door barely registered over the sound of Laurel’s thoughts spinning in circles. She sat at her desk, pretending to work, but her mind was light-years away. Then?—

"Hey…"

Her head jerked up so fast she almost gave herself whiplash. Dustin stood in the doorway, his broad shoulders filling the space, his gaze locked onto hers. Her breath caught as he stepped inside, his movements deliberate, almost hesitant, before he shut the door behind him.

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