Page 4 of All Dressed Up

And yeah, he missed having sex with her, but she was right. They probably didn’t have a future. He didn’t do the whole relationship thing—wouldn’t even know how to. It was probably a good thing that she called it off before he f’d it up.

But he was still struggling to let go of whatever had happened between them. He’d had his fair share of hookups, but the thing with Rachel was like nothing he’d experienced. He couldn’t really explain it, but it was different. Each time they’d been together, he’d felt something stir inside him. Something he’d never felt before.

Man, stop being a girl. You just miss her hot bod.

He finished off the Champagne and looked around the boutique. A lot had changed these past few months. He’d traded in his mechanic threads for a dress shirt and tie to run his mom’s bridal shop while she was in Florida helping his dad recoup from a bad fall. His brother stepped up to take care of things at the auto body shop in Will’s absence.

Will had protested at first. The last thing he wanted to do was spend eight hours of his day in a frilly bridal boutique, but family was family. His mother needed him to step up.

And it wasn’t so bad. The boutique kept him pretty busy, especially during the lead-up to wedding season. Mondays were his time to regroup. He was closed to the public to do inventory and steam wedding dresses—and yeah, for the last few weeks, get drunk and stare out the glass window in the direction of Buttermilk Blooms.

A loud knock on the door jarred him out of his pathetic state. Zoe Mathews stood outside, holding up a brown bag in her hand.

He grinned and maneuvered to the door, unlocking it for the pretty owner of the Ice Heaven frozen yogurt shop. They’d become friends this spring and caught up with each other regularly.

He’d never had a female friend whom he didn’t want to sleep with, and that definitely wouldn’t be happening with Zoe. Her business partner and boyfriend, Donovan Foster, would kick his butt far out of Buttermilk Falls—best friend to him or not.

“Don’t tell me Donovan proposed and you’re here to try on wedding dresses,” he said, opening the door for her.

She laughed, a sweet familiar sound filling the air. “Not yet.” She stepped inside, eyeing his shirt. “I see it’s Casual Monday.”

He lowered his head, running his hand over his orange stain. “Yep. No need to wear a tie when I’m steaming dresses all day.” He bent down and picked up the empty cheese puffs bag, crinkling it into a ball. “You caught me having lunch.”

“Cheese puffs was your lunch?”

“Don’t knock it.”

“Well, I can do better.” She handed him the brown bag. “The best bacon, lettuce, and tomato you’ve ever tasted served in an oversized toasted butter roll, courtesy of Donovan.”

“Awesome, thanks.” He loved that his friend had found his niche, going into business with Zoe. He opened the bag and pulled out a sandwich, bringing it over to the counter. His stomach loved it, too.

“He wants to know what you think.”

“I’m sure it’s amazing. Want a drink?” He picked up the empty Champagne bottle. “I could pop open another.”

“Um... no thanks,” Zoe said flatly. He could see worry in her eyes.

“Champagne goes well with cheese puffs,” he said, downplaying today’s bender. He unwrapped the sandwich and bit down on the BLT, his eyes rolling back.

“So...” she started, waiting for his verdict.

“Nailed it. Hats off to your boyfriend.”

“He’s experimenting with homemade mayonnaise.”

“Tell him thumbs up from me. So how are you two doing?” he asked in between bites, knowing the answer. The pair could hardly keep their mitts off one another in public. He’d often see them strolling past the boutique hand in hand.

He was happy for his buddy. They’d been friends for quite a while. Donovan was the one person who knew just how bad Will had it for Donovan’s twin sister.

“We’re great.” Zoe smiled, adding, “I think I’ll keep him. He’s good for my business.” She turned and leaned her backside against the counter. “You know... you might try it.”

“Open a frozen yogurt shop that serves freakin’ awesome sandwiches on the side?” He polished off the BLT, wiping his hands this time with a paper napkin from the bag. “No thanks. I’ve got my hands full here.”

She gave him a playful slap on his shoulder. “That’s not what I’m talking about. How long has it been since you’ve been on a date?”

He shrugged. He hadn’t been with anyone since Rachel called things off in January. It was a cold snap for him. A bitter one.

“Well...” Zoe pressed.

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