Page 61 of Breaking the Rules of Love

What’s going on right now? Is this the Thortons’ way of showing their thanks for what I did back there? I’ve had people be appreciative before, but this is something else.

“He really wasn’t that dangerous,” I reply, doing my best to downplay what happened back there. Not as if it needs downplaying. “Any firm worth its weight could have handled him.”

“I don’t know about that,” Rachel replies, squeezing my thigh. “Youwere the firm everyone recommended we hire. Who knows what would have happened if we didn’t? Right, Paul?”

Paul nods and shrugs. “Right.”

“I could be lying face down on the museum steps right now,” Rachel suggests.

I chuckle. “I doubt that–”

“That man could have messed up my nice dress,” she continues. “Do you have any idea what this cost?”

“I have no idea,” I have to admit. And that’s the truth. “I don’t know much about fashion. If it’s not functional or comfortable, I don’t know anything about it.”

“So there’s no woman in your life, Jake?” Rachel asks.

Her question throws me off guard. Not just because she’s asking me this in front of her husband, but also because I really don’t know how to answer.

“Um…” I say slowly “Well, I–”

“That doesn’t sound like a yes to me,” Rachel giggles. “Every man I’ve ever known who has a woman in his life would answer yes immediately to that question.” She turns to her husband. “Paul, is there a woman in your life?”

“Of course there is, sweetie,” Paul replies with a smile. “You.”

Rachel smiles back, leans over to him, and they kiss each other on the lips. This night is getting weirder and weirder by the second.

“See?” she asks, turning back to me. “Nowthat’show I know you don’t have a woman in your life.”

“Well…it’s complicated,” I reply.

Ain’t that the truth.

“Stop it,” she laughs with a roll of her eyes. “You’re single.”

Her words go through me like a sword. Yeah, I guess I really am single.

But nobody has really put it out there until now. I haven’t even fully been able to admit it to myself. And hearing it from a stranger’s lips really stings.

I guess it’s time to truly admit that it’s over.

“Yeah,” I say slowly. “I guess I am.”

Rachel looks at me and smiles with something like sympathy in her eyes. But there’s something else there too. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was enthusiasm—excitement.

But how could that be? She’s married, and her husband is sitting right here with us.

They exchange glances and what seems like a nod from her to him. Then she turns back to me.

“Do you have any plans for the rest of the night, Jake?” she asks.

Yup, this is really weird now.

“Plans?” I ask. “Not…particularly, no.”

“How would you like to join us for a drink at our house?” she continues. “You know—to celebrate a job well done and your incredible skill taking down that man who clearly wanted to murder me?”

I have to laugh. I’m really not sure what’s going on here, but Rachel has a comedic way about her delivery.

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