Page 71 of Can't Kiss the Chef

Not even ten minutes later, she walks out of the house with Dalton on her heels. Her face is now showing more of the emotion she was trying to keep tucked away.

It always amazes me how my absentee father and her overbearing parents have done the same damage to us. It gave us the unmatched gift of hiding our emotions.

Mia stirs on my lap before yipping at the strange man standing on the other side of my car door.

“Lola, it’s not what it looked like,” Dalton pleads.

“So, you didn’t film a sex tape while we were together?”

The stupid fucker.

Without so much of a second thought, he says, “Well, I didn’t know she was filming it.”

He’s kidding right?

“You really are that dumb? It doesn’t matter who filmed it. You made the decision to cheat on me, so I’m making the decision to dump you.”

Dalton’s eye starts twitching. His hands are in fists at his side. He looks like he is about to lose it. He’s never been a fan of people who put him in his place.

Mia lowers her head and grits her teeth. A low growl I’ve never heard before grab’s Dalton’s attention and he officially blows his lid when he notices that I’m in the driver’s seat of Lola’s car.

His eyes become slits, and a devilish grin peaks through. “You really think I’m dumb enough to believe that you two haven’t been hooking up all semester.”

“Can’t say we have Dalton,” she punches out his name, grabbing his full attention. “But thanks for making it perfectly clear that I’m the idiot for choosing you over him. It’s fair to say I’ll never make that mistake again.”

With a stunned motionless Dalton, Lola gets back into the passenger seat.

I see the mischievous gleam in her eyes, “What are you about to do?” I ask her as I look back, making sure I’m okay back out of the driveway.

By the time she is able to get her window down, Dalton and all of his roommates stand in their driveway.

“Maybe if you spend more time watching this kind of film you’ll learn to bone as well as you play hockey.”

Fury takes over Dalton’s face, it turns a shade of red I’ve never seen before, as his roommates try to hold in their laughter.

“Damn, Pips, I didn’t know you could be so ruthless.”

“Don’t act like this isn’t the best day of your life.”

She’s right. This is going to be the best day of my life, not because I just got to watch her tell off that asshole, but because I finally have the chance to make things right between us.

27

Byron

I’ve spent the first two hours of the trip to New York listening to a few of my favorite sports podcasts. Once we were out of sight of Dalton’s house, Lola’s walls fell, and she finally broke down. Other than handing her some tissues she had in her glovebox, I just let her feel what she needed to.

Her walls have been cracking since last year. Lola asked me to trust that she would come to me when she was ready to talk. She only cried for a few minutes before telling me she was going to listen to the audiobook she downloaded for the trip. Not ten minutes later she was passed out with Mia doing the same in her lap.

I take a deep breath before moving Mia to her bed in the backseat. Lola takes advantage of the new space and tucks her feet on the seat. Her head rests against the window. She looks so peaceful and I don’t really want to disturb her. Do I want to deal with her wrath if she wakes up while I do a coffee run and don’t tell her?

No, not really.

I gently rub Lola’s arm.

“Hey, Lo, I’m making a stop to get some coffee. Do you want anything?”

Her head snaps up but the excitement doesn’t fully reach her eyes, but her smile is genuine. “I’d love a triple shot cappuccino please.”

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