Page 82 of The Switch: A Friends To Lovers Romance

She was a coward. One who had fallen for her best friend.

How pathetic was that?

Chapter Twenty-Three

“Why would she say we’re not ready for a relationship? I thought we were on the same page.” Luke grabbed his beer and took a swig. “Does that make any sense?”

“None,” Harold said with a snort.

James got up and shuffled to the kitchen. “I think this calls for more beer.”

Luke shut his eyes and saw Ashanti’s face as if it was painted on the back of his eyelids—her brown skin, dark eyes and frowning lips. She was deadly serious when she shut him down last night.

A groan slipped from his mouth. Her rejection hit him harder than he’d anticipated.

He heard bottles tinkering and cracked an eye open. James placed a new pack on the table. He fell into the whicker chair on his expansive back porch and sighed. “Women.”

“I’ll drink to that.” Harold raised his glass.

“Let’s look at the facts.” James pulled one leg over the other so his slippers dangled off his toes. “Weng covered the store so you could go and confess your feelings to Michelle—”

“But I didn’t,” Luke stressed.

“Because you heard Ashanti got into trouble,” Harold said.

“Right.”

“But Ashanti knew that you were with Michelle before you came to see her.”

Luke hesitated and then admitted, “I guess.”

“You told Ashanti how you felt at the hospital and asked her out.”

“Not exactly in that order…” Luke hedged.

James arched an eyebrow. “But that’s what happened?”

Luke nodded.

“Then you showed up for your date. Late. Dressed in the same sweaty clothes you were in all day—”

“I didn’t have time to change,” Luke protested.

“Because you were too busy running after Michelle.” James curved his hands over the neck of the bottle. His eyes widened. “You don’t think Ashanti knew you were at a bar with your ex before coming over, do you?”

“Not unless she was psychic,” Luke said.

“Women are psychics, man.” Harold winced. “One night, I came back from the casino and Lin was at home. Waiting for me. It didn’t make sense. I had the perfect cover, but she just… knew. It’s freakish.”

“Let’s say Ashanti did know,” Luke reasoned, “she’s just like Lin. She would have brought it up. Yelled at me. Done something. Ash isn’t the type to keep her feelings inside. Especially when she’s angry.”

“So what happened on the date?” James asked.

“Not much.”

“It was yesterday. How do you not remember?”

“I didn’t say that because I forgot. Nothing happened. Ashanti was tired, and I couldn’t carry a one-sided conversation so we just ate and enjoyed the music.”

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