Page 34 of Austen Persuaded

Apparently I was. As I waited, I stepped back over to get a clearer view out the window but saw nothing. Kylan was surely gone by now. He’d probably left as soon as I weirdly disappeared. Maybe he hadn’t even recognized me in the first place but merely turned around to make sure the woman he’d nearly knocked over was still standing up.

But I felt it, something in his gaze even from a distance … he knew it was me.

How could he not?

Before I could dwell on it further—there would be plenty of time for that later—Franco returned. “If I can tear you away from the window, we can go to the table in the back of the store to go over the paperwork.”

“Wait, can we bring Charlie back there with us?”

“Sure,” he answered with a smirk. “Do you have a pet carrier to bring him home in? I’m guessing not …”

I blanked. “Oh, uh … no, I have nothing. No pet supplies whatsoever. Oh, this is going to be a great day of commission for you, isn’t it?”

He grinned again. “It’ll all be worth it when Charlie is snuggling up and purring in your lap tonight.”

A smile tugged at the corners of my lips. “I’ve always liked cats, actually—”

“And then chewing on your toes tonight while you’re trying to sleep.”

Chapter 9

Strolling through Loring Park the next day, I scanned the early spring scene around me. Winter wasn’t over yet—this was Minnesota, after all—but there were signs of rebirth all around. It wasn’t freezing today, and some children were even running around without coats on. I’d worn a coat, but only because it looked so perfect with my outfit. I glanced in the other direction toward some still-bare trees near a bike rack.

My heart skipped a beat when I spotted him turning around, his eyes shaded as he removed his helmet.

When he slid his sunglasses off, I exhaled sharply and nearly tripped on a rock in my path.

It’s not him.

I tried to calm my racing heart as I focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

Of course it wasn’t him. What were the odds I’d see him two days in a row?

I bit my lip, shaking my head at the ridiculous thought. I’d managed to avoid dwelling on yesterday’s encounter too much. It had been surprisingly easy with a new kitten to deal with. Like most kittens, Charlie was fun but exhausting to take care of. And obviouslyadorable. Though he kept me up most of the night, I’d been a little sad to leave him with Rafael today for this lunch meeting at the park.

I refocused my attention on the path in front of me, being sure to avoid any rocks or branches left by the recently melted snow and ice. When my eyes landed on Jack Normandy, I nearly lost my footing again, and my heartbeat quickened a bit. I wasn’t interested in Jack, not likethat, but I was anticipating some tension with him today. Maybe a lot.

“Jack!” I said, coming toward the picnic table where he sat, his lunch set out in tidy containers around him.

“Hey, Annie, it’s good to see you,” he said with a genuine smile.

Relief coursed through me. So far so good. He didn’t seem angry. Not that Jack was the angry type—he was the most even-tempered man I’d ever met, even to a fault. He should showsomefeeling once in a while, I’d always thought privately. “Same to you,” I said, sliding into the bench across from him and putting down my lunch bag. “Thanks for agreeing to BYO lunch at the park. I’m unemployed, so I need to save my pennies.”

“Are you kidding? I love eating at the park. I always ask myself why we don’t—why I don’t do it more often.” He ran his hands through his wavy brown hair in a little gesture of what I could only gather was nerves. The “we” slip was interesting. Was he referring to himself with a love interest? He’d always been so mum about any lovers or girlfriends. I knew next to nothing about his love life, actually; I wasn’t even certain if he was straight. Except … there was something about the way he looked at Viviana that made me wonder sometimes. They had been best friends forever, yet sometimes in his gaze I read something more than platonic feelings. I shivered.

It’s probably my imagination—it’s not like I’ve been great at identifyingrealromantic feelings lately.

“Well, thank you, nonetheless.” I dug into my packed lunch. “I will admit I have an ulterior motive, though hanging out with you is always fun, Jack.”

“Sure it is,” he said with a lopsided smile. “Fun is what I’m known for.”

I peered at him for a moment before shrugging. He was giving off a kind of strange mood, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. He was his usual pleasant self, yet there was something different, maybe an edge that I hadn’t seen before.Interesting. Making a mental note to probe later, I unwrapped my PBJ sandwich. “Then I hope this won’t be too disappointing. I’ve come on business, sort of. That is, I want to learn about your business.”

“My business? You want to know aboutRandall’s?” He was a highly esteemed writer for a well-regarded literary publication, as well as being the author of several books. During and after grad school, his success had come fast, and he was already well on the path to peaking in his career, if he hadn’t already. I wondered how it felt to be a writer who’d reached such heights in his career already. He couldn’t be more than 35 at the most, if his classic good looks and toned physical form were any indication.

“NotRandall’sspecifically, just … publishing, books, all of it.” I paused to chew a mouthful of sticky-sweet PBJ.

“Are you interested in becoming a writer?”

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