Page 11 of Bitten By Desire
“You still use that?” she asked and pointed to the knot in my neck strap.
I pictured Callum ripping it in two when he’d taken my camera. And his fingers trailing down my name stitched in the side. I should have gotten a new one right away. But I liked the memory.
I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. “It still works. So…are you going to give me a tour?”
“Yeah, let me drop your things off and we can walk to Main Street. I bet you’re starving.”
I’d actually meant a tour of her house. I was more tired than hungry. But…she’d already tossed my bag through her front door and was pulling me down the sidewalk.
“Okay, full disclosure…”
“You moved here because you’re secretly a swinger and everyone in this town is DTF?”
Zoey laughed. “As fun as that sounds…this isn’t about me.”
I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and groaned. “Zoey, I just got here. Please do not set me up with someone.” Zoey had been forcing me on dates ever since my breakup with Jackson back in college. Or maybe it was more so after my one night stand with a ghost. A ghost I couldn’t stop talking about. Or dreaming about.
“But he’s so hot and…”
“Then why don’t you date him?”
“Because he’s the kind of guy you settle down with. And I’m not ready for all that yet.”
I just stared at her. “You moved to the suburbs. We’re surrounded by white picket fences. Everything about you is screaming that you’re ready to settle down.” Except for her outfit. She still believed that either cleavage or her stomach needed to be showing at all times. I wondered what her neighbors thought about that.
Zoey laughed. “I moved here for this.” She grabbed my hand to pull me down the sidewalk. We turned and I was suddenly staring at the cutest little row of shops. It almost looked like a quaint little German village. Not that I would really know. I’d never left the country.
“Welcome to Crooked Point,” she said and pointed to the sign welcoming you to town. “Admit it. It’s cool.”
“It’s amazing.” Crooked Point didn’t seem like a fitting town name when everything looked so perfect. I stared down the row of colorful shops and smiled.
Zoey squealed. “I knew you’d love it. Which brings me to my next point…we should totally be roommates again.”
“I have a job in the city.”
“We both know you hate the city. Besides, you can do photography anywhere.”
“Sure…but that doesn’t mean I’d get paid for it anywhere.”
“We’ll figure it out. Besides…you’re not going to want to leave after just two weeks. Bennett is a catch.”
“No. I’m not meeting whoever Bennett is.”
“But…he’s waiting for you in the coffee shop down the street.”
“What the hell, Zoey?”
“Emma, it’s been ten years.”
I stared at her. I didn’t know if she was referring to Jackson or Callum. But either way…it was a moot point. “I date all the time.”
“That’s definitely an exaggeration.”
“I dated Joe for like…six months.”
Zoey scrunched her face up.
“What was wrong with Joe?”
