Page 46 of Clean Out of Luck

Wade smirks at me as he sets a couple of cookies on a plate in front of me. “You can ask.”

“Ask what?” I try my best to have an innocent tone.

“Why we broke up. I can see it in your face.”

I could pretend like I don’t know what he’s talking about…Or I could just lean into it and get the answers I’m craving.

I take a bite of the cookies, moan over the deliciousness, and then ask him, “Why did you break up?”

“She was a travel nurse. And she really liked her job. I’ve always known I couldn’t do a traveling relationship, so we decided it was best to call it quits before it got serious.”

“Were you brokenhearted?”

Wade shakes his head. “Laurel was really nice, and whoever ends up with her will be a lucky guy. But we weren’t anything spectacular together, you know? Not something worth the pain of distance. There weren’t any strong feelings between us. ”

“You don’t want to be your parents,” I say softly. I know it wasn’t easy on him with them being gone so much for work.

“Precisely.” He picks up a cookie and eats it in two bites.

“I guess we’re both having rotten luck with our dating lives.” I pick up another cookie, holding it up in the air.

Wade meets my cookie with his. “Here’s to better dates in the future.”

“Here, here,” I agree.

“Why aren’t you dating anyone seriously?” Wade has the gall to ask.

“Says the man who’s made it his life’s mission to ruin them?” I raise both eyebrows at him.

“Oh, please. You could date anyone you wanted. But it’s almost like you’re self-sabotaging at this point.”

“Having the last name of Fernsby is a little scary to anyone that’s local,” I remind him.

“Yeah, that’s true. Your parents can be intimidating. And overprotective.”

“That’s definitely true. Honestly, I respect their opinionsfor the most part. But occasionally, it will be something ridiculous—like my date’s favorite football team. It’s moments like those where I think they would prefer to pick my future spouse for me. Like an old-school arranged marriage.” I roll my eyes at the thought.

“You’re seriously letting them dictate who you’re with?”

I shrug. “When I finally find someone I want bad enough, I’ll tell them to shove their opinions in a sock. But honestly? I haven’t liked any of the men enough to say that to my family. Besides, the last time they didn’t like someone and I kept dating him, he nearly killed me. Maybe if I had listened to my brother, I wouldn’t be nervous about cars.”

Wade goes utterly still. “You think that wreck was your fault? The heck it was. Aaron ran intoyou. He made a choice out of anger, a choice that has hurt you for years, and I get angry every time I think about it.”

“It’s still affecting my family,” I admit quietly. “They second guess every decision I make.”

“Or maybe they’re just in the habit of treating you like a sixteen-year-old and have forgotten you’re an adult now.” Wade folds his arms across his chest and leans back against the counter.

“That could definitely be it. But, like I said, it’s not like I’ve dated someone I couldn’t live without,” I say with a laugh.Still looking for him, in fact.

“What about Liam the other day?” Wade asks as he sets a couple more cookies on my plate. It’s like he’s feeding me straight happiness.

I laugh at that. “Ironically, I think my family would have really liked him.Iliked him. But there just wasn’t that much of a spark.”

Wade smirks. “Kind of important to like the idea of kissing the person you’re dating, don’t you think?”

My gaze immediately falls to his lips as I choke out anagreement.How odd. I can’t stop thinking about kissing Wade Hendrix.

This tension I’ve felt…I’ve tried to explain it away. But now, looking at Wade, I wonder if I’m actually attracted to my brother’s best friend.

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