“I do.”
She nods and drops her phone into the cup holder. “So, I figured we could play a little game on the way there.”
My brow twitches, and I keep my eyes on the road when they want to snap back to her. “What kind of game?”
“I feel like I need to know more about you so we can really pull this off. I’ve been wondering what would happen if someone asked me a question that I had no idea how to answer, and yeah, I didn’t like that very much,” she says with a low laugh.
“I’m an open book, Jill. You can ask me whatever you want.”
I mean it. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t tell her. I don’t have any skeletons in my closet or secrets that I wish to keep hidden.
“Alright. Well . . . how many relationships have you been in? Beforeours, of course.”
Glancing at the screen on my dash, I follow the directions displayed for me and take the next right leading out of Snowbell Ridge. “Two that I would consider worth mentioning. Both were more than five years ago now but lasted for a few months. Neither were anything I saw lasting longer than they did.”
“Oof, okay. So, no big messy breakups with you?”
I quirk a smile and check my side mirror before turning onto the highway. “No, I’m not a fan of explosive breakups.”
“Got it. It’s your turn to ask a question now, in case you’ve forgotten how to play this game in your old age.”
“My old age?”
“You’re twenty-eight, right?”
I dip my chin. “And the last time I checked, you were only three years younger than me. That doesn’t exactly make me old in comparison.”
“Fine, fine. Go on.”
“How many relationships haveyouhad?”
She taps her blue nails against the dash. “You can’t just ask all of my same questions, for the record. But I’ve only had one.”
“So, the ex that’s going to be at the wedding?”
“Yup, that’s him. His name is James, and he’s a rat bastard.”
I choke on my swallow. “Is there anything specific that I should know?”
“Just that he wouldn’t know what chivalry looked like if it grabbed him by his tiny balls and stretched them up over his eyes. He was the type of guy who complained about everything going wrong in his life but put absolutely no effort into fixing his issues. We can’t forget the gaslighting, either. That truly was a sight to behold.”
“Yikes. So, I should make sure he doesn’t have a chance to get you alone, then.”
“That would be appreciated, Gray. I shouldn’t have been surprised that my mother invited him, though. The thing about narcissists is that they do their absolute best to make everyone around you love them so that they can use those relationships to trap you. To this day, she doesn’t believe that he wasn’t the utmost perfect boyfriend to me while we were together. It’s like he’s got tape over her eyes or something,” she explains, the last few words heavier than the others.
I shift in my seat and smooth my palm down the curve of the steering wheel. “I’ll do as much as I can to help, Jill. You have my word.”
“I know you will. That’s part of why I’m not as nervous for this as I thought I’d be. Ivy had a good point when she suggested you come with me.”
It’s not exactly what I want to hear. I’d much prefer it had been Jill’s idea. Still, I’m here either way. All I can do now is do my best to open her eyes while we’re gone, and if I’m lucky, she’ll have at least the smallest desire to get to know me as something other than her friend and boss.
As selfish as it is to want to use this trip to my advantage, I don’t leave myself any room in my head to feel guilty. Not when I’ve been wanting this for so long. I can be here for her as her friend while also try to show her that I can be more to her.
“Do you have another question for me?” I ask, putting myself back on track.
“Of course I do,” she says with a scoff before leaning in my direction. The slit in her skirt falls open as she moves, flashing more of her thigh. “I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned it, but did you grow up in Snowbell Ridge?”
“No. I was born and raised in Cherry Peak.”
