Page 16 of Forever After All

She took her time washing her hands and avoiding her reflection in the mirror. Why was she relieved that the “date” with Hanson was over? Maybe she wasn’t ready to date after all. The anxiety didn’t seem worth the prize.

Pulling her phone out of her pocket on the way back to the table, she fired off a text to Linc.

Jess: How is Star?

She held the phone as she walked, waiting for a response. Star had cut her hind leg open, and Jess hadn’t wanted to miss the visit from the vet.

“She’s fine.”

Jess jerked her head up at Linc’s response. Instead of a text, his words were real. He leaned against the wall in the lobby, looking like he’d just popped out of her thoughts.

“What are you doing here? Why aren’t you with the vet?”

“Brett’s there. The vet just left. Star is fine.”

Jess looked around. Was God trying to be funny? She’d thought about Linc, and he appeared. “And my other question. What are you doing here?”

“Picking up takeout.”

Jess narrowed her eyes. “From a steakhouse?”

“Brett wanted steak,” Linc said, not missing a beat.

Her attention cut to the table where Hanson sat waiting for her. “Did Brett send you to check on me?”

“Nope. Just to get food.”

She accepted the answer. Linc would always be honest with her.

“Want to get out of here?” he asked.

Jerking her attention back to Linc, she furrowed her brow. “What?”

“Is that your date?” Linc asked, pointing directly at Hanson, who tapped furiously on his phone.

“Yes. His name is Hanson.”

“You told me.” Linc took a step toward her and whispered in a deep voice, “You want to get out of here?”

Jess furrowed her brow. “I can’t do that.”

“He’s pretty interested in his phone. He probably wouldn’t notice.”

Jess rolled her eyes. Spending too much time on his phone was one of those red flags she’d heard about. She didn’t understand the appeal, since she only used hers when she needed it, but Hanson said he could work from anywhere, and that probably included using his phone.

Linc also didn’t know he’d hit the nail on the head. Hanson probably was more interested in his phone than he was in her. Romantically, at least.

“You’ve been gone for a while. How long do you think it’ll take before he notices?” Linc asked.

Jess groaned. “Did you tell Brett about my date? I don’t want anyone to know.”

“I didn’t. You told me not to.”

She had, and she hadn’t expected him to tell. Confirmation of his loyalty was pretty unnecessary, but it was a good thing he hadn’t mentioned it to anyone because there wouldn’t be a second date.

Linc crossed his arms over his chest and tapped one finger against his bicep with every second, drawing her attention to the spot. Hanson was a nice-looking guy, made even more attractive by their new friendship agreement.

Even so, the guy didn’t hold a candle to Linc. She’d always thought he was handsome. Almost too handsome. She didn’t need him to draw attention to his bicep to know it was big. Linc had the kind of muscular build forged by hard work, and it showed.

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