Page 83 of Puck and Prejudice

“I’m not telling.”

She laughs. “Oh… did he send you a dirty text?”

I’m glad it’s dark in the car because my face is in flames. “No! Jesus.”

“Fine. Keep your secrets, but the fact that he’s texting you minutes after you left his house is very telling.”

“Don’t confuse wanting to hook up with anything more meaningful.”

“Honestly, Jackson never struck me as the type of guy who was into meaningless sex. You should consider that he might be interested in dating you.”

“It’s not that simple. You’re marrying his best friend. What if Jackson and I date, and the relationship ends horribly?”

“That’s life. You can’t be afraid to take the leap because you’re afraid you’ll crash and burn.”

Yes… yes, I can.

I don’t say it aloud, though. I reply to Jackson that I’m working at Triana tomorrow night, which is true. Maybe not seeing him for a while will help me gain clarity.

ChapterThirty-Three

IZZIE

It’s always a good thing when the restaurant is busy. That means more tips, and the time goes by faster. Tonight, I have another reason to want to be distracted: Jackson.

After I sent the text to him last night saying I had to work tonight, his reply was a simpleOK, and then nothing else.

I’m not one to obsess over past actions, but I kept thinking that I could have perhaps sent a better reply to his first text. I mean, the guy did say he was having withdrawals.

God. Why am I so bad at this?

“Earth to Izzie.” Manuel nudges my arm.

“What?”

“You were frozen. How are those chocolate martinis coming along?”

I glance at the shaker in my hands, and then give myself a mental slap. “Almost ready.”

I need to get my act together. At least it was Manuel who caught me in a daze, and not a customer.

I focus on the task at hand, determined to not think about Jackson anymore. There aren’t a lot of patrons hogging the bar, so I’m mostly making drinks for the tables.

I’m in the groove when a throat clearing catches my attention. I turn and find Jackson standing on the other side of the bar. I stop in my tracks as I deal with the sense of deja vu. My heart starts speeding.

“What are you doing here?”

“I had a hankering for the IPA you have on tap,” he replies with a cheeky smile.

The butterflies in my stomach turn radioactive, and I’m shaking a little. “I thought you were busy.”

“I was, but my commitment ended early. Is it okay that I came?”

I’m flustering hard.Please don’t say something stupid and ruin the moment, Izzie.

“Yeah, of course. Do you want to drink something?”

He smiles broader. “Yes, the IPA on tap.”

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