Page 44 of Austen Persuaded

I stared at the tall, broad figure standing on the sidewalk outside the cafe, looking at his phone.

Squinting, I tried but failed to see the man’s face from this distance and side angle.

Is it him? If—what if he comes in—I can’t—

“Annie, are you all right?”

I jolted, snapping my gaze back to Jack. “Oh. Uh …”

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” His brow wrinkled as he peered at me closely.

I forced myself to take a few slower breaths and snuck a glance back at the window, but the man was gone. My eyes frantically scanned the cafe, but he didn’t appear to have entered. He was just gone.

Good.

Right?

I took a steadying breath. “Yes, I think … something like that. OK, now thatthat’sbehind us.” I shook my head slightly and nearly laughed. This was ridiculous. Iwaschasing a ghost. That was all Kylan was.

But my friend Jack was real, and he was right here. I’d be an idiot to not take advantage of breakfasting with a successful writer and get his feedback on my book club publicity ideas. “Let’s talk about books, baby.”

He laughed. “All right, Annie, just no more Salt-N-Pepa for the rest of the meal, OK?”

Chapter 12

“Do you think you can tear yourself away from that adorable ball of fur for a night?” Rafael demanded as he danced into my room.

I looked up from where I’d been taunting the kitten with a mouse on a long string. “I can’t leave Charlie for a whole night, Raf.”

“He’d survive, Annie.” Rafael rolled his eyes. “Not sure our sofas would, but that’s another issue. You need to trim his nails again.” Then, he leaned down to pet Charlie, and in a baby voice, he said, “What a troublesome brat, the cutest ever though.”

“He’s not ready to be on his own at night,” I said firmly. “Besides, where would I go?”

“Rainn wants to go out, but I had to tell him no because Joel is sick and I’m playing nurse.”

“You want me to babysit Rainn at the bar?”

“Hey, I heard that!” Rainn said, coming into the room and sounding annoyed. “He’s lying. I don’t even want to go anyway.”

“You need to go,” Rafael insisted. “Both of you do. You’re stuck here far too much.” He sighed dramatically. “Fine, I’ll have Joel come over here, and we’ll babysit the hellcat, I mean, Charlie.”

Rainn and I looked at each other and sighed. He was thinking the same thing I was: The energy we’d expend arguing with Rafael wouldn’t be worth it. We might as well go out. “I guess maybe it could be fun.”

“Right then. Let me just go text Joel, and then I’ll watch this guy while you go have fun without us. And you’d better have fun. I don’t want you home early, you hear me?” He smirked at us and winked at Charlie.

“Tell me you love my cat without telling me you love my cat,” I called out as Rafael strolled out of the room.

Rainn sat on the bed with a thoughtful expression. “He is pretty darn adorable. Who wouldn’t love him?”

“I know, right? That’ll be my future litmus test for the guys I date. Love me? Love my cat!” I laughed. “Well, I suppose I’d better start getting ready. Getting you drunk is actually going to be fun, I think.”

“Uh-uh,” he said, elbowing me. “I’m gettingyoudrunk. I’ll drive.”

“I’m driving,” Rafael said, poking his head in. “So you can both get drunk. Laid too, if you want.”

I rolled my eyes as I rubbed under Charlie’s chin, which he enjoyed immensely until he started to bite. “You just want the apartment to yourself for a whole night. But it might not be as fun as you think, with this little ball of energy.” I put Charlie down and stood up. “Also, why is it that everyone hears everything that’s said in my room? Twice you guys have overheard each other’s conversations in here within the last, like, 10 minutes.”

They looked at me blankly, and then Rainn groaned. “We didn’t plan this, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m as reluctant as you to go out. But I’ll be a good sport. Let’s do this. I’ll take one for the team,” he added as he walked out of my room, presumably to go change and do whatever minimal grooming he needed to do.

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