Page 40 of Undeniable

“What’s for dinner?” he asked.

“How do you always know what I’m doing?” I teased.

“Well, it is about that time, and we don’t want Olga coming for a visit,” he joked, referring to my imaginary evil twin.

“No. Definitely don’t want Olga to make an appearance.”

“So, what’s on the menu tonight?”

We often talked around this time, and it had become something of a ritual. I’d put the phone on speaker and talk to him as I cooked. It almost felt like he was here with me. Sometimes, I wished he were.

“I don’t know.” I peered into my fridge. “Chicken and green beans or lasagna.”

“Lasagna. Definitely lasagna.” I could practically hear him salivating through the phone.

I laughed. “Yeah. You and my stomach most certainly agree.”Mm. Melty cheese. Salt. Umami.

“See? You should listen to me… I know what you want.” His seductive tone hinted at knowing about more than just my stomach, but I shook away the thought. “I wish I were there. For the lasagna,” he added.

It was on the tip of my tongue to agree, but then someone called for him in the background. “Cujo,” they said, using the name I’d discovered was his call sign. “Lucy’s here.”

Who the heck was Lucy? His girlfriend?

Oh god.I covered my face with my hands, grateful he couldn’t see me. In a split second, I’d gone from feeling like I knew everything about him to nothing at all. And it was a good reminder that he had a life I didn’t know about, friends I’d never met, and perhaps even a girlfriend.

When Connor spoke again, his tone was completely different from the earlier flirty, teasing one I’d come to expect from him. “Hey. Can I call you back?”

“Oh, um, sure.” I frowned at the phone on the counter. “Talk to you later.”

He said a clipped goodbye, and I continued to stare at the phone even after the line went dead. All this time, I’d assumed he was single. I’d assumed he was flirting with me, interested in me. And now, I was just sick to my stomach.

I sank down on the chair, stroking Luna absentmindedly when she jumped on my lap. Had I read the situation all wrong?

We’d opened up to each other. I mean, he’d told me about his parents. And I didn’t get the impression it was something he shared with most people.

Apart from the more serious conversations, there were the flirty ones. Even Alyssa had been convinced Connor was into me. And she had a lot more experience with dating and relationships than I did.

I was about to call her to ask for advice when my doorbell rang. I jolted, shaking my head to clear it as I walked over to answer the door. I glanced through the peephole and saw my dad standing on the porch.

I forced a smile as I swung open the door. “Hey, Dad.”

“Hey, sweetie.” He frowned. He’d always been able to read me like an open book. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah.” I brushed some hair away from my face. “Yeah. Of course. What are you doing here?” Had I forgotten that we had plans to eat dinner together?

“I missed my favorite girl and was hoping to surprise you with dinner.” He held up a takeout bag.

I stepped aside, allowing him to enter. “Come on in.”

Luna darted toward my bedroom as he set the bags on the table. Typical. She rarely liked guests. She barely seemed to tolerate me half the time.

“So…how were the Maldives?” He’d recently returned from a photo shoot, though he’d sent me a few pictures during his trip.

“Gorgeous, as always. Exhausting.” He grinned, showing me the side of Harrison Hayes no one else saw.

“What’s new with you?” he asked when we sat down to eat.

I didn’t meet his eyes. “Not much. Just busy with work.”

---