Page 52 of Dash of Bryce
"Because I don't want to be replaced."
It was such a sweet thing to say, and I was still fumbling for a reply when he asked, "So how was business?"
"You mean the coffee business?"
He chuckled. "Unless you've got another one I don’t know about."
I rolled my eyes at my own stupidity as I looked back on my workday. "It was okay. The courthouse was really busy, but the library was a total dud."
In fact, it had beensoslow that I'd actually knocked off work early to spend some time with the kittens.
On the phone, Bryce said, "Funny, it was a dud for me, too."
I wasn't following. "How so?"
"When I showed up, you weren't there."
I felt a big foolish smile spread across my face. "So you came to see me?" And then, hearing the hope in my own voice, I tried to tone it down. "Or were you looking for a caffeine fix?"
"I was looking foryou, not the caffeine."
I was still smiling. "Oh, yeah?" Call me crazy, but I was obscenely flattered that he'd sought me out. And it was inthisstate-of-mind that I said the first thing that popped into my head. "So, do you want to come over? Maybe hang out with me and the kittens?"
It was late Wednesday afternoon, and both of my fellow pet-sitters would be gone for hours. Gwen was working at her seasonal gift-wrapping gig while Lexie was working at the candy store. Both of them were scheduled to work until closing time.
This meant that here at the house, it was just me and the kittens – plus Bryce if he accepted my invitation.
I held my breath and waited, overly eager to hear what he'd say.But on the phone, he said nothing.
Now it wasmyturn to ask, "You still there?"
After a long pause, he said, "Sorry, something came up. Can I call you right back?"
"Sure, totally. I mean, it's not a big deal."
And then, he was gone.
Several minutes ticked by without a return call – and severalmoreminutes after that. After nearly an hour, I concluded that he wasn't calling me back at all.
And yet, like a total idiot, I was still clutching my phone. Finally, I set it aside and tried to laugh at my own foolishness.I'd been far too eager to see him, and no doubt, he'd picked up on it.
Plus, I'd invited him over to play with kittens for cripe's sake. Why would he want to dothat?
He wasn't even my boyfriend.
I felt like giving myself a good slap upside the head, but I didn't. Instead, I snuggled the kittens closer and tried to pretend that it didn't bother me.
But the truth was, it did.
A lot.
Even worse, Istillkept glancing at my phone, willing it to ring. If I had any dignity at all, I would simply turn it off or refuse to answer when – or should I sayif– Bryce ever called back.
Sure, it was a comforting thought, but who was I kidding?
No matter how hard I tried to play those types of games, I always failed. Okay, for the past two years, I'd been doing alittlebetter at guarding my heart, but only because I hadn't met anyone who'd captured my interest.
But Bryce had.
