Page 36 of Give Me a Reason

For the first time in ten years, she wondered if she’d made the right choice in leaving him. Her heart had beseeched her to hold on to him all those nights ago. Should she have listened to it? Or was she only having doubts because she was afraid ofwatching the last of her hope die? Either way, she wouldn’t add to her regrets by being a jerk to him on Christmas.

“Thank you again for coming to my rescue,” she said, looking down at her dessert.

She absently cracked the sugar crust, a smile playing around her lips. When he remained silent, she raised her eyes to meet his. The hint of despair she’d glimpsed the first time she ran into him flickered beneath his expression again. She sucked in a sharp breath, his pain echoing in her chest.

“Frederick,” she whispered.

But he gave his head a sharp shake, and a crooked grin spread across his face. Her lashes fluttered in surprise, and she suddenly couldn’t remember why her heart hurt. She forgot about everything but his smile. The first real smile he’d given her in ten years. A smile that warmed her down to the tips of her tightly curled toes. It was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

“I’m not sure about the rescue part.” His grin broadened, and her heart nearly stopped. “I almost made you choke on powdered doughnuts.”

“I wasn’t choking—” She bit off her words when his eyes crinkled with amusement. He was teasing her. He wasteasingher? She was so confused, but she would take it. She would take every second she could have with him. “It, um, just went down the wrong pipe. My mouth was full and you startled me…”

“I’d forgotten how fast you ate.” He glanced pointedly at the empty ramekin resting on her lap.

She hadn’t even realized she’d finished her second serving of crème brûlée. How she’d managed to eat it while ogling the man in front of her, she’d never know. Maybe she had coped with the impact of his bone-melting smile by stuffing custardy goodness into her mouth.

“It used to boggle my mind how you managed to lookgraceful even when you were inhaling your food,” he murmured almost to himself.

Then they gaped at each other as awkward silence descended between them. He seemed as surprised as she was by his unguarded compliment. She wanted to fan her face with her hands and squeal a little—except that would only make the prickling unease between them worse. But she most definitely did not want him to take back his compliment, so she scrambled for a light, nonchalant response even though her brain felt like mush at the moment.

“It’s always been a talent of mine,” she blurted, thenimmediatelywanted to claw the words back. “I mean being able to inhale food. That’s my talent. Not looking graceful. I don’t have a talent for looking graceful. Because only an asshat would say something like that, and I am not… an asshat.”

The warm rumble of his chuckle made Anne want to disappear into a mousehole, while simultaneously making her want to climb him like a tree.Oh Lord.She was so embarrassed andsoturned on.

“No.” He pressed his fist to his mouth to hold in more laughter. “You’re not an asshat.”

Unfortunately, they were both wrong. She was ahugeasshat when it came to Frederick Nam. She’d told herself she wouldn’t stand in the way of a budding romance between him and Bethany, but here she was laughing with him… lusting after him. She was a lost cause.

Anne didn’t know how to stop hoping for a forever with Frederick. It was as simple as that. And the truth was… she wasn’t sure if she ever wanted to stop.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Frederick was laughing… with Anne.

He never would’ve thought it possible. Not when she’d walked out of his life ten years ago. Not when he’d run into her in Bethany’s classroom less than two months ago. He’d never thought he could laugh with Anne Lee again.

Yet here he was. Heretheywere.

“Speaking of flat tires,” she said, her voice pitched an octave higher. She was fucking endearing when she was flustered.

“Were we?” He couldn’t have stopped himself from teasing her even if he’d wanted to. God, he wanted to touch her.

“Were we what?” Her brows furrowed adorably.

“Were we speaking of flat tires?” He took a step closer to her and leaned his shoulder against the bookshelf.

“Yes, we were.” She crinkled her nose at him. He was running out of words to describe how agonizingly cute she was. “I was thanking you for changing my flat tire.”

“Ah.” He grinned. “You meanbeforewe agreed that you weren’t an asshat.”

“Oh, shut up.” Even the daggers she shot out of her eyes were charming. But not as charming as the reluctant smile that quirked her perfect pink lips. “Speaking of flat tires, I watched some YouTube tutorials on how to change them.”

“You did?” His gaze reluctantly left her mouth and rose to meet her eyes. Luckily, her eyes were just as lovely.

“I did.” She nodded earnestly. “I didn’t like feeling helpless, being stranded on the side of the road. A woman my age should know how to change a flat tire.”

“Yes, it’s a skill every ajumma should acquire,” he deadpanned.

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